"Professor Nobis, this is the wandering sorcerer who wishes to join the Academy..."
Obol led Mohg into a room overflowing with books and crates of glintstone. He spoke with deep respect to a magic professor who sat hunched over a desk, buried in research.
Upon hearing Obol's voice, Nobis finally looked up from the piles of parchment. He fixed his gaze on Mohg, sizing him up for a long moment.
"Your name?"
"Kuzun," Mohg replied, lowering his head slightly.
Internally, he was silently gauging the power radiating from the professor, calculating his odds if a fight were to break out. He reached a swift conclusion: as long as he could close the distance, the man would be nothing more than a toy in his hands. And as for closing the distance... Mohg had a dozen ways to make that happen.
"Remove your hood."
Nobis rose slowly from his seat. With a look of mounting suspicion, he walked right up to Mohg.
Mohg hesitated for a fraction of a second, his muscles tensing. However, his movements remained fluid as he reached up and pulled back the hood.
When Nobis saw Mohg's face, his brows furrowed tightly. He stared at Mohg's features, scrutinizing every line.
"Has anyone ever told you... that you bear a striking resemblance to Godwyn, the Golden Prince of the Golden Dynasty?"
At those words, Mohg's fist tightened instantly. A dangerous, lethal glint flashed deep within his eyes.
Nobis felt a sudden chill run down his spine. He looked around the room, startled and uneasy, but after finding nothing out of the ordinary, he returned his focus to Mohg.
"It must be a coincidence... just a coincidence."
"Yes," Mohg replied smoothly. "My family said the same thing. It is precisely why they gave me the name Gwyn."
"Hmm... I see. The name does suggest a certain lineage from that direction..."
Nobis nodded, deciding not to press the matter further. After all, what kind of spy would use such an obvious name and such a conspicuous face? That would be the height of incompetence.
On the other hand, Nobis had his own ulterior motives. Even if the man truly was a spy, what did it have to do with him? He only cared about his own research. If the Golden Dynasty wanted to cause trouble, they would be targeting the Carians, not his personal interests within the Academy.
In fact, he wouldn't mind if the Golden Dynasty made a few moves to deal with the Carians currently occupying the Academy. Ever since Caria had taken over, their research funding had been slashed significantly. For professors who were used to spending lavishly on materials, it was becoming unbearable.
Taking everything into account, he chose to turn a blind eye to the suspicious points surrounding Mohg.
The most glaring inconsistency was Mohg's "Astrologer" clothing. A student might not recognize the discrepancy, but could a professor be so easily fooled? Those patterns weren't from any recognized Astrologer set; they were merely similar imitations.
However, Nobis didn't suspect him of being an agent of the Golden Dynasty for that very reason: it was too crude and obvious. He leaned toward the theory that Mohg belonged to some other minor faction, or was perhaps a rogue sorcerer who had been blacklisted by the Academy in the past and was trying to sneak back in under a new identity.
"Moving forward, since you have just joined the Academy and I know little of your capabilities, you will serve as an apprentice for a time."
Nobis turned his gaze toward Obol.
Obol understood the cue immediately. "Follow me, Gwyn. I'll take you to collect your robes and arrange your quarters."
"I understand."
Mohg had no objections. He offered a formal sorcerer's salute to Nobis before following Obol out of the room.
Once they were gone, Nobis sat back down and resumed his research as if nothing had happened. As he'd thought, he had zero interest in reporting these suspicions. Such headaches were best left for their "dear" Academy Head to deal with.
"What a strange fellow..."
In a room Mohg knew nothing about, Renna the Snow Witch sat upon a massive chair, observing everything within the Academy through a glintstone mirror. Currently, her focus was fixed squarely on Mohg.
She sensed a faint, peculiar aura emanating from him, though she couldn't quite put her finger on what was wrong.
This was largely due to the Larval Tear Mohg carried, which masked the majority of his true presence. However, a small portion of his essence still leaked out. Given more time, even these small leaks would eventually vanish.
"Should I inform Rennala...?"
Renna tilted her head as she watched Mohg through the glass, a look of conflicted hesitation on her face. Her primary issue was that she couldn't accurately judge how dangerous he actually was.
If he was just someone she could handle herself, bothering Rennala would be an unnecessary intrusion.
"I'll observe him for a while longer..."
Meanwhile, under Obol's guidance, Mohg had received his new robes and seen his living quarters. They didn't issue him a staff; since he already had one, the logistics department saw no reason to waste glintstone on a duplicate.
"I'm curious," Mohg asked, looking at Obol. "Do we not need to pay tuition fees?"
Obol shook his head silently.
"No. The Academy's operations don't rely on that. The taxes from the town and nearby villages are more than enough. After all, the actual number of official personnel within the Academy isn't that large. Apprentices are responsible for their own daily living expenses, so the Academy doesn't actually consume much on your behalf."
"Of course, you are different, Gwyn. With your mana and the spells you've mastered, I'm sure you'll become a formal sorcerer in no time."
Obol offered a smile, though it was invisible behind his glintstone mask. Still, the warmth in his voice was clear.
Mohg nodded in acknowledgment.
"Barring the unexpected, no professor or sorcerer should come looking for you to do chores today. You can wander around the Academy or just stay in the schoolhouse to study. The basic magical theories are open to everyone, though you're limited to the fundamental and intermediate levels. Anything higher is restricted."
"Thank you for the warning. I'll keep that in mind."
Mohg reciprocated the goodwill. Obol nodded and took his leave; he had stayed with Mohg for quite a while and had other duties to attend to.
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