In the classroom, the Teacher was writing complex magical formulas on the blackboard.
Yet Edin wasn’t paying attention at all; his focus remained entirely on Seres beside him.
Seres sat up straight, but Edin could clearly see her shoulders trembling slightly.
Her hands gripped the edge of her textbook tightly, and those ice-blue eyes stared straight at the pages, yet her pupils were unfocused—obviously trapped in some terrible state.
The other students deliberately kept their distance from her, leaving at least two seats empty nearby.
Some even slid their chairs slightly toward the aisle, as if avoiding some dreadful contagion.
The Teacher seemed unaware of what was happening and only curiously asked before class why students had changed seats.
The students kept silent, so the matter was dropped.
Edin narrowed his eyes, beginning to carefully piece together the whole situation.
Why had Seres been branded a “witch” overnight?
Where had this Rumor started spreading from?
And who was fanning the flames behind the scenes?
If this wasn’t baseless gossip, then the only explanation was what happened yesterday.
When Seres saw Edin injured, her nearly uncontrollable state was genuinely frightening.
Edin recalled the strange surge of magic around Seres at the time—it was indeed a precursor to a magical rampage, but still far from true corruption.
So then, how did this Rumor spread?
Thanks to Ruby’s detailed explanation in his consciousness, Edin understood that the so-called “witch” wasn’t specifically referring to the four female leads in this mission.
Since ancient times, legends of witches had always existed in this world.
When a mage’s magic runs wild and they lose their sanity, they become a Madman—“witch” being a title exclusive to female mages.
Corrupted mages gain exponential power, but at the cost of burning away their lives.
History recorded many disasters caused by Madmen, so the widespread fear toward them was understandable.
However, from Edin’s perspective, although Seres’ magic was somewhat chaotic, she was nowhere near the level of corruption required to become a witch.
This Rumor was clearly spread deliberately by someone with ill intent.
Starting a rumor is easy; dispelling it is exhausting.
He cast a worried glance at Seres.
This Rumor seemed to have hit her especially hard, as evident from how other students avoided her like the plague.
Having seen from God’s Perspective, Edin knew Seres had often been ostracized by peers since childhood, making her especially fearful of isolation and blame.
She had hoped that enrolling in Saint Diarce Academy would change things, but this baseless Rumor had plunged her back into the abyss.
Seres’ hands clenched tightly into fists, her body trembling slightly.
She was afraid—more afraid than those classmates who shunned her.
She feared returning to that lonely world, feared becoming a redundant existence once more.
“You’re better off disappearing if you don’t fit in.”
“How dare you show your face here?”
“No one will be your friend anymore; your only friend is already dead.”
Those sharp accusations seemed to echo again in her ears.
Her trembling worsened until she finally collapsed weakly onto her desk.
Tears threatened to spill at any moment.
At that moment, Seres suddenly felt a light poke on her arm.
She looked up to see Edin pushing a Notebook toward her.
On the page, written neatly, were two words.
“Calm down.”
Seres trembled as she picked up the pen and wrote underneath.
“I can’t calm down.”
Her once graceful handwriting was now a mess—broken, shaky strokes distorted by her trembling hands.
“It’s okay. I’ll stay with you.”
Edin took the pen and wrote without hesitation.
His handwriting was firm and powerful, a stark contrast to Seres’ shaky words.
“What should I do now?”
The tip of Seres’ pen hovered over the paper, then slowly she wrote.
Ink blurred slightly, like falling tear stains.
“Let’s find somewhere private to talk.”
Edin thought for a moment, then quickly scribbled on the paper.
After finishing, he suddenly raised his hand.
“Teacher, Seres isn’t feeling well. I’ll take her to the Medical Room.”
The Teacher on the podium pushed up his glasses, glanced at Seres’ pale face, and nodded.
“Go ahead.”
Edin immediately took Seres’ hand and hurried out of the classroom.
As the door closed behind them, the once silent classroom instantly erupted into whispers.
Students leaned close, voices low but filled with speculation and gossip.
“The transfer student really is persistent about Seres.”
“Yeah, she could very well turn into a witch.”
“What kind of magic does Seres have to have Edin so infatuated?”
“Maybe she’s using some black magic exclusive to witches?”
“Quiet!”
The Teacher knocked forcefully on the blackboard, finally silencing the students, though their eyes still exchanged glances.
This class was doomed to have no one paying attention.
Edin led Seres to an empty classroom on the top floor of the academic building.
He carefully locked the door and checked the windows, confirming no one was around before he finally exhaled.
“Here’s fine.”
The empty classroom held only a few dusty desks and chairs, appearing desolate.
“Edin… what did I do wrong…”
At last, Seres could no longer hold back.
She leaned against the wall and slowly slid to the floor.
Her shoulders shook violently, tears rolling down like broken pearls, her voice choked and barely able to form complete sentences.
“Why did things end up like this…”
“Don’t cry yet. Let’s sort this out.”
Edin crouched down, gently patting Seres’ back, his voice unusually calm.
“The Rumor started spreading this morning. Someone must have deliberately spread it. It probably began yesterday after school, in that alley, when you saw me injured and your magic got out of control.”
“I didn’t understand what was happening… I just felt so guilty, so overwhelmed…”
Seres wiped her tears with her sleeve, her voice still trembling.
“And then, I don’t know what happened… was I really about to corrupt?”
“Don’t say nonsense. No matter what, you’re not going to corrupt.”
Edin quickly dismissed the notion.
The word “corruption” was a sensitive topic for Seres.
He had to correct her thinking and comfort her.
“You looked a little off back then, but you were far from true corruption. Someone definitely exaggerated and twisted it.”
“So what should I do now…”
Seres wiped her swollen eyes, looking at Edin helplessly.
She had faced situations like this countless times in her childhood but never knew how to respond.
Now, having someone to rely on naturally made Edin her only pillar.
“First, we need to find the source of this Rumor. Don’t try to explain it to others yourself; that risks falling into a trap of self-justification.”
Edin pondered a moment, then continued.
“Don’t worry. I’ll help you handle all this public opinion.”
“All right.”
Seres nodded, her voice still tinged with sobs but much calmer.
Edin walked to the window, looking down at the scattered groups of students below as he began thinking of a way out of this mess.
Seres watched the thoughtful, delicate-faced boy.
His focused profile seemed exceptionally serious.
Gradually, her inner panic and unease seemed to calm.
Having a friend by her side, someone willing to come up with a plan, suddenly made the predicament feel less frightening.
“Edin… it’s really good to have you here…”
Seres’ lips involuntarily curved into a faint smile as she whispered.
“What did you say?”
Edin suddenly turned, interrupting her thoughts.
“Nothing.”
Seres hurriedly shook her head, her cheeks flushed slightly.
“I have a plan now, but…”
After a moment of deep thought, Edin’s eyes brightened.
He turned to face Seres, his tone serious.
“It’ll require some sacrifice from you, Seres.”
“What sacrifice? I don’t have anything left to lose anyway.”
Seres gave a bitter smile and shrugged.
“For this, you have to turn a deaf ear—pretend you don’t care about the Rumor at all. Do whatever you need to do, and even if you’re hurting inside, act like nothing’s wrong.”
Edin met Seres’ eyes directly as he laid out his plan.
“You even have to seem happier than usual, as if this didn’t affect you at all. It’s tough—can you do that?”
“Of course. Do you think I’ve gotten through these years any other way?”
Seres smiled with a trace of bitterness, her voice tinged with self-mockery.
(Especially now, with you by my side.)
She didn’t say this aloud, keeping it locked in her heart.
“And then?”
Edin’s lips curled slowly, a sly gleam in his eyes.
“Then… just leave it to me.”