"Isn’t it?"Isley tilted his head slightly, asking about the relationship between the spirit I had summoned and the Dark Magic Stone.I quietly shut my lips at his sharp question.In a situation like this, a hasty answer was forbidden.First, I needed to know how much Isley understood about the spirit of darkness, and how much he had figured out about the connection between the spirit and me."……."When I said nothing, Professor Isley spoke again as if to reassure me."I don’t mean to pry into your private matters, so you needn’t worry. The identity of a contracted spirit is, by law, known only to the spiritist themselves.""Thank you for understanding.""No need for thanks. If anything, I should apologize. After your spirit aptitude test, I personally dug up some information about the results. Curiosity toward the unknown is the duty of a scholar, so I hope you’ll understand."Isley slightly bowed his head to me and continued."I analyzed the crystal orb used for your test, but there were no abnormal symptoms. The orb was perfectly fine. Which is why I concluded that the strange phenomenon—its turning completely pitch-black—must have hidden a secret I didn’t know. I checked many ancient books, records, and theses afterward, but couldn’t find any similar case."Hearing that Isley hadn’t found any particular information about the spirit of darkness, I felt a bit relieved.Then he added, eyes glinting."However, I did find one thing—the mention of a ‘spirit of darkness.’ I couldn’t learn its true name, but comparing the written descriptions, the phenomenon resembled yours the most. And surprisingly, there was once a legendary figure who had contracted that spirit of darkness."Isley’s words hinted at someone.In the Miruelin Saga, there was only one person who could be called a “legendary” figure.I replied in a quiet voice."……Emperor Kirrus.""Oh? Correct."Professor Isley widened his eyes in admiration, then nodded.Emperor Kirrus was the legendary human emperor who ended the continent’s long turmoil caused by the wars between races and, through a contract with the gods, received the “Seals” of each race.The Seals symbolized each race’s destiny—granted divine grace and the blessing of mana, but also left an indelible mark.Because of that mark, the Elves—blessed with beauty and high spirit affinity—could never leave their forests; the Dwarves—gifted with dexterity and brilliant craftsmanship—could not rise from the earth. Many other races, too, were bound by restrictions.Humans were said to have received a limitation from that mark as well, though what it was remained unknown.Some claimed it was lifespan. Others said it was potential.In any case, the fact that Emperor Kirrus was a contractor of the spirit of darkness was new to me.I hadn’t even known such a spirit existed in the game at all.Isley went on."In truth, information about Emperor Kirrus is scarce. He appeared out of nowhere and disappeared just as suddenly. No one knows where he was born, how he grew up, who his parents were, or what bloodline he belonged to. There’s even a theory that… he wasn’t human."Isley looked at me for a moment with deep eyes, then shrugged lightly."Well, since there’s no further data, I can’t say for sure. In any case, it’s said that the spirit of darkness he commanded had the power to control ‘magi.’ But that doesn’t mean the spirit was evil. Spirits, by nature, belong to the side of order. It’s merely that the spirit’s specialized domain happened to lie in that aspect."He gazed at me steadily as he continued."Perhaps… the De Valis family, your bloodline that has fought the Demon Tribe on the front lines for generations, may be related to this. Spirit manifestation is also tied to lineage, after all. If I may offer personal advice, I’d say that Dark Magic Stone might actually help your spirit if used properly."I silently looked down at the Dark Magic Stone sealed in a vial."Of course, if the spirit you contracted isn’t the spirit of darkness after all… then it has nothing to do with any of this. Just take it with a grain of salt."With that, Isley smiled faintly.Even so, it seemed he held a certain degree of conviction.I looked into his deer-like eyes and fell into thought for a moment.'…I can’t tell what his intention is.'Whether Isley had approached me purely to share information or to probe me, I couldn’t yet tell.But in the Miruelin Saga, Isley was clearly classified as a righteous character.Considering his upright nature, it didn’t seem likely he’d approach me in such a way merely to test me or expose my demonic bloodline.Finishing my thoughts, I simply bowed my head to express gratitude."Thank you for sharing the information you’ve worked to obtain."The details about Emperor Kirrus that Isley revealed were new even to me, someone who prided himself on knowing all in-game lore.Since Kirrus lived in such a distant past, most of the tales about him were practically myth—on par with Dangun legends back in Korea.In any case, I realized once again.'This world… isn’t just the fragmented game world I once knew.'I had already felt that in the bookstore, but this world was filled with information far beyond the scope of the game.The same must apply to this story from the mythic era I’d heard today.No matter how much of a veteran player I’d been, I couldn’t afford to let my guard down."Heh. No need for thanks. It’s a teacher’s duty, after all. Still, I may have intruded and said too much all of a sudden."Isley looked toward the clearing where the Crazy Boar had been swallowed whole."I even snatched away your prey midway. My apologies.""Not at all. It was dangerous, but thanks to you, Professor, I was able to subdue the enemy safely.""Something like a Crazy Boar would’ve been well within your abilities, Loen. Excessive modesty can sometimes be a poison, you know."He smiled at me, then turned his gaze toward the garden where the students were gathering."Shall we go?"***Kiriel Silvawalker.She was enjoying a relaxed tea time with her aides, sitting together on a picnic mat. But the whole time, her attention was elsewhere.'Where did that guy go again?'Loen, who hadn’t joined any group and had been wandering alone, had suddenly disappeared from view.At first, she’d thought it served him right that no group would take him in, but she hadn’t expected him to just vanish like that.Who knew what kind of scheme he might be plotting somewhere.Perhaps she should have forced him into her own group, just to keep him within sight.'Professor Isley also disappeared somewhere… suspicious.'Kiriel chewed on one of the sandwiches Isley had made himself while thinking.Though the professor had denied it, Kiriel still hadn’t dropped her suspicions.If it was Loen, he might’ve found a way to seize kind Professor Isley’s weakness and use it against him.Until Loen stepped down from the presidency and left the Union, she couldn’t let go of her doubt.Kiriel rolled her eyes restlessly, ears perked like an alert animal.Seeing her fidget so much, her aide Silpi asked,"Lady Kiriel, what’s wrong again? Don’t ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) tell me you’re looking for Loen.""Seems like it~? Lady Kiriel, come on. At this point, isn’t it love?"At Rina’s teasing remark, Kiriel frowned sharply in irritation."Hey, Rina. Don’t even joke about that. I’ll get mad.""…For someone saying that, you did seem worried when you heard he was injured.""W-worried? Hardly. That wasn’t concern for Loen personally. If he suddenly resigned or dropped out for health reasons, all my effort would go to waste.""Sure, sure~ whatever you say.""And this isn’t the time for jokes. Loen’s disappearance is one thing, but Professor Isley’s gone too.""If it’s the professor, maybe he just went to a stream somewhere for a drink of water~""Hmm. Maybe."Kiriel imagined Professor Isley stretching his neck to drink from a brook.A dignified deer quenching its thirst in a gently flowing stream within Voltimir’s garden.A fitting image, but she couldn’t afford to think so optimistically.Even now, the professor might be struggling in Loen’s clutches.Then—Rustle-The sound of footsteps reached her ears from somewhere.Looking toward the path ahead, she saw Loen and Professor Isley walking together."!"Kiriel’s eyes widened like full moons.'I knew it!'She clenched the juice bottle in her hand and sprang to her feet."Hey! Loen!"And thus, yet again, the misunderstanding only deepened.***A few days later. Weekend.Union downtown. Traum 9¾ Street."You’ve come again, Lord Loen."When I opened the dusty shop door and stepped inside, the blind girl Gretel greeted me.Ciel had warned me not to wander around until I fully recovered, but I’d slipped out of the Union in secret and headed for the Underworld."It’s been a while."Gretel nodded and pointed toward the bookshelf."The professor already went down below—with two guards."Good. It seemed Zimmer had gone ahead on schedule."Right. Thanks for the letter.""Don’t mention it."Gretel had delivered the letter from the Underworld all the way to the Student Council Office.She’d even snuck into Professor Zimmer’s office to hand it over personally, so I gave her a reward for her trouble."This is for your effort. Use it as you like."When I handed her several checks, Gretel bowed as she accepted them."Thank you. But… you’ve brought a tail with you.""A tail?"'Don’t tell me—'Feeling a bad premonition, I turned around. Amid the dim lighting, a familiar figure appeared.Clink-The shop door opened again, revealing someone before me.Ciel—her face slightly angry.I’d thought I’d completely shaken her off, but apparently that was my mistake.Gretel pointed toward Ciel and asked,"Your girlfriend?"Disastrous words.I shook my head immediately."Maid—no, my secretary.""Ah, so a bodyguard type, then."While I was talking to Gretel, Ciel had already approached, her voice sharp with irritation."Lord Loen, I distinctly told you to rest this week and not go anywhere.""……There was something I had to handle. I couldn’t avoid it."This matter required strict timing.Before the Lombard Guild arrived on the Meteor Isles—and before the Kingdom of Gilbert’s merchants pulled their investments—I needed to finish the negotiations.Besides, once the weekend ended and the weekday came, the information would be disclosed on Stella’s stock exchange. The work had to be done today."If that was the case, you should have taken me with you. Am I so untrustworthy?""I wasn’t thinking. My apologies."When I apologized without resistance, Ciel nodded and glanced around."Understood. But what business do you have in such a filthy shop? Is this supposed to be an entrance to the Underworld or something?""Exactly right."Ciel frowned."So this is where you came that night. Alone, in a dangerous place like this…""I came back alive, didn’t I?""That attitude is exactly the problem.""I’ll try to fix it. Let’s go."Rumble-The bookshelf covering one wall slowly shifted amid the dust, revealing a staircase descending below.

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