A powerful yawn escaped me.
Magic Theory class. A subject I couldn't even use and that was far more boring than any cultivation technique I had ever learned in my entire life.
Besides, it always felt like there were far too many concepts that no one could fully understand. I had heard that there were groups of scholars who dedicated their entire lives to studying a single element, and even then, they hadn't been able to make much progress on the more complex ones—like space, fate, or time.
Normally, those who awakened such attributes weren't praised. Instead, they ended up being the most unfortunate. There simply weren't any known efficient ways to develop them within this system.
That didn't stop them from being highly sought after, though.
Any nation or duchy would give anything to have someone capable of manipulating space, even if it was only for logistics or espionage.
It was the irony of this world: you were an invaluable treasure, yet at the same time a tool that no one knew how to sharpen—doomed to be used until you broke.
I glanced at Seraphine, who was listening to the class with full attention, and at Klaus, who would soon be moving up to the advanced class and was currently distracted by his own muscles.
When the class finally ended and we were heading toward the dining hall, someone appeared looking for me.
From the expression on her face, it looked like I was in trouble. Sera already seemed worried, but I signaled for them to go on without me as I went to speak with Professor Elena.
Once we were far enough away from other people, she began:
"The director told me I have to accompany you somewhere tomorrow."
"Yes. Make sure to bring something to hide your face. I don't want anyone knowing we went where we're going."
The professor didn't seem to understand my words, clearly confused by all the mystery.
"What are we going to do? I'm telling you, if you're planning something like last time… Even though it was to help me and I'm grateful, I don't think genocide is the answer to everything."
"Relax, we're not going to kill anyone. In fact, we might end up saving someone."
"Be ready early tomorrow morning. I'll come pick you up at your room and we'll head west—to the Beaumonts."
"The Beaumonts? I'm not sure I like where this is going…" she murmured.
…
The next day arrived without warning.
"Master, are you really going to wear that mask?" Adela asked, pointing at the black wolf mask—the same one I had bought with my sisters at the festival.
"Since I kept it, why not?" I replied casually as I picked it up.
"I'll be gone for two days, Adela. Three at most. If anything happens, you can always let me know, though I really hope there won't be any problems."
"Mmm… Can't I go with you?" she said, the clear displeasure evident in her voice.
"I think it's better if you stay. Even though Sylvia said she'd handle things, in the worst case you'll have to come up with an excuse yourself. If you disappear too, it'll be too easy for people to notice something's wrong."
Without saying anything else, I headed out to find Elena. When I suddenly appeared in front of her, she was startled at first, but quickly regained her composure.
"You really shouldn't do that so often. You might actually scare someone to death," she said.
I gave her a look that told her to stop talking nonsense and approached, placing my hand on her waist. She tried to step back at first, but I didn't let her.
"What are you doing?" she asked, her voice tense.
Before she could repeat the question or get more agitated, I reached for Elizabeth's presence—she was already far from here—and teleported both of us.
Less than a second later, we appeared inside what seemed to be a moving carriage. The two women inside immediately turned to look at the two people who had suddenly taken up a significant portion of the carriage's space.
Elizabeth was the first to react. She quickly regained her usual cold demeanor upon seeing who it was, though her eyes narrowed slightly when she noticed I had brought someone with me.
Elara, on the other hand, let out a small scream of surprise and pressed herself against the seat.
"Master…" Elizabeth murmured, her tone a mix of relief and a hint of irritation at seeing the professor.
Elena, still processing the instant travel and the fact that my hand was still on her waist, tried to free herself from my grip, her face flushed.
"Cassian? What is the meaning of this?" she managed to say, looking back and forth between "Miss Vane" and the Imperial Princess.
Elizabeth was the first to regain her composure, though her gaze lingered on my hand before rising to meet my eyes.
As for Princess Elara, she looked like she was one step away from having a nervous breakdown after our sudden appearance.
"It means the journey just got a lot shorter," I replied calmly, finally releasing Elena. "Elizabeth, I assume we're already close to Beaumont territory."
"A few hours away, Master," she answered, deliberately ignoring the professor, though her tone made it clear she was not pleased with the unexpected "guest."
"Can I at least get an explanation? Why is the princess here, and the founder of Nexus…?" Her look told me she wasn't going to let me keep ignoring her.
"Elara is going to take the throne, Elena, and we're helping her do it," I answered with complete naturalness.
Incredulity filled her face as she finally understood what kind of mess her student had dragged her into. Just as she was about to protest, a heavy impact shook the outside of the carriage.
"Seems the situation is worse than we thought," I said neutrally, sensing several corroded beasts surrounding the vehicle.
"If we want to resolve this, we'll need to find the reason behind the increase in corrosion, Master," Elizabeth interjected, preparing to act.
"I know. Though killing every beast in the marquisate would be the easiest solution, that would only make things harder for the people who live off hunting them."
"Wait, Elizabeth," I stopped her before she could step out to deal with the interruption.
I turned to Elena, who looked like she wanted to vent her frustration on someone.
"Why don't you take care of the beasts, Professor? I'm sure you miss your mercenary days," I said with a half-smile.
She looked at me in surprise, but quickly the spark of the warrior she tried to hide behind textbooks began to shine in her eyes.
"Fine," Elena replied, clenching her fists as magical pressure started emanating from her body. "But don't think this will make me forget."
She opened the door of the moving carriage and jumped into the chaos outside without hesitation.
The carriage fell silent until Elizabeth broke it with a questioning tone.
"Why did you bring her?"
"I didn't have a choice, Elizabeth. Sylvia wouldn't stop insisting," I answered simply.
She frowned, clearly not entirely convinced by my response.
"If you had truly refused, I don't think she would have kept pushing," she stated, crossing her arms.
"Maybe…" I murmured, letting the sentence hang in the air as I listened to the sounds of Elena's combat outside.
Outside the carriage, five level-four beasts and two level-five ones with terrifying expressions were facing a visibly angry Professor Elena.
Elena raised her hand with the elegance only she possessed and began casting a spell, controlling her mana so it moved exactly as she wanted.
By the time she finished, the beasts were almost upon her. In that moment, whips of water appeared out of nowhere, imprisoning them with surgical precision. Although the level-five beasts resisted more and struggled furiously, they couldn't break free from the grip.
In the next second, whatever was holding them began to squeeze with tremendous force. The sound of bones and flesh giving way could be heard until their limbs were cleanly severed.
The creatures fell lifeless to the ground, beginning to dissolve into particles of corrosion as the water returned to its pure mana state.
Elena exhaled calmly, not a single strand of her hair out of place, and walked back to the carriage as if she had just finished a theoretical lesson at the Academy.