Starkly Magic Academy, Assessment Office.
“Duke Klein, I assure you, the rumors you have heard about the Abyssal Cult are all false.”
“I have made complete preparations for this assessment. I can guarantee that no accidents will occur during this process.”
“As long as I am still breathing, Starkly Magic Academy is the safest place in this world.”
Dean Emile stood before the massive crystal screen, thumping his chest as he made his guarantee.
However, despite his words…
Dean Emile still felt an inexplicable sense of impending doom following him like a shadow.
‘Could there be something I missed?’
He quickly reviewed everything in his mind.
He had already deployed extra personnel to every location he could think of.
Only then did Dean Emile feel relieved enough to continue his long-winded introduction to Duke Klein, boasting about his years of dedication and achievements.
“Enough, enough. I’m not interested in hearing those things,” Duke Klein said with a smile, waving his hand.
“I’m more interested in seeing Lynn’s performance. Could you switch the view to him?”
“Of course, of course.”
Dean Emile immediately signaled the teacher in charge of operating the equipment.
But ten seconds passed, then one minute…
After five minutes had gone by, the people displayed on the screen had cycled through two or three times, yet Lynn was nowhere to be found.
“Dean, we can’t find Lynn. He doesn’t seem to be within our designated assessment zone!”
“Also, we found traces of Abyssal Cult secret arts being used in front of the portal!”
“…”
Those two sentences alone managed to freeze Dean Emile right where he stood.
The smile on his face vanished completely within seconds.
However, surprisingly, no look of anxiety or panic appeared on his face.
Dean Emile’s expression was simply one of numbness.
For some reason, he felt a strange sense of relief in his heart.
It was as if the day he had been dreading had finally arrived.
Thinking of this, Dean Emile let out a helpless, bitter smile.
He knew his career had likely reached its end.
At this point, he wasn’t even thinking about that damned promotion anymore.
With life-threatening accidents occurring one after another, even if he possessed god-like abilities, the Council would certainly establish a committee to investigate him.
When that time came, forget about his position; his head might just be kicked to the curb.
The thought made his neck feel exceptionally strong today, as if it wanted to challenge the ceiling beam to a game of tug-of-war.
“Dean Emile, I believe you owe me an explanation.”
Duke Klein’s face was cold and stern.
‘Just treat me as if I were already dead.’
Dean Emile sighed and slowly closed his eyes, feeling as though his soul had already departed.
‘Lynn, you truly are my jinx.’
Seeing the bitterness etched into Dean Emile’s face, Duke Klein sighed helplessly.
Now was not the time to assign blame; they had to find a way to locate him first.
With that thought, Duke Klein pulled a magic crystal from his pocket.
The pass he had given Lynn was engraved with a tracking spell, so he wasn’t too worried about losing his trail entirely.
Duke Klein activated the magic crystal, and Lynn’s location was quickly displayed.
However, the moment he saw where Lynn was, the usually composed Duke Klein spoke with a shock he couldn’t hide.
“How could he be in Sleeping Dragon Valley?!”
As soon as those words were spoken, everyone in the room froze.
Sleeping Dragon Valley was the front line of the war against the external dragon race, making it a place of extreme peril.
Forget a student like Lynn entering — even legendary Archmagi and warriors above Rank 7 stood a chance of falling if they were even slightly careless!
In other words, if Lynn went in, death was certain!
Outside the door, Livia, who had been eavesdropping, felt her mind go blank the moment she heard the name “Sleeping Dragon Valley.”
“Why… why would Master Lynn be teleported there…” she murmured, her spirit dazed.
As a witch, she had already witnessed the cruelty and horror of that battlefield during her graduation test at the Witch Academy.
The roar of magic and the unending screams of soldiers from both sides were deafening.
The air was thick with the scent of blood, almost entirely covered by a crimson mist. Even the once-parched earth was thoroughly soaked in blood.
Livia could never forget that terrifying sight.
“I must… I must find a way to get to Master Lynn!”
But… Sleeping Dragon Valley was far away.
How was she supposed to get there?
Livia gradually tightened her small fists.
Sometimes, she truly hated how powerless she was.
“Hey, voyeur.”
Felica’s voice suddenly appeared behind her.
“I’m not in the mood to argue with you, Felica.”
Livia kept her head down, her voice soft, but Felica could feel the utter lack of strength in her tone.
“I know. You want to go find that idiot Lynn.”
Felica paused for a moment.
For some reason, she felt an indescribable discomfort in her heart when she said those words.
“I can take you to him.”
Upon hearing this, a spark of light returned to Livia’s eyes.
But the moment she looked at Felica, a hint of suspicion flashed through them.
“Why are you… being so kind all of a sudden?”
Livia frowned, feeling that something was off.
As a spatial witch, it wouldn’t be difficult for Felica to manipulate space and reach Sleeping Dragon Valley in a short amount of time.
However, based on Livia’s understanding of her, she would usually do everything in her power to hinder Livia so she could take all the credit for saving Lynn herself.
Why would she insist on bringing her along this time?
Her intuition told her it wasn’t that simple.
The corners of Felica’s mouth curled up.
She had expected Livia to say that.
“You know what kind of place Sleeping Dragon Valley is.”
“Even our teacher, the Head Archwitch, had to be cautious when entering back then. Do you expect a delicate girl like me to go in alone?”
“Besides, at least regarding Lynn’s safety, our goals are the same. I have no reason to trick you.”
Although Livia still felt that something was wrong, her worry for Lynn ultimately outweighed her doubts.
“Fine. I’ll trust you one more time,” Livia said quietly.
“But let me warn you first.”
“If you dare try any tricks in front of me…”
At that point, Livia’s tone became instantly frigid.
“I will never forgive you.”
Hearing this, a nearly imperceptible, mischievous smile spread across Felica’s lips.
Livia was right; Felica wouldn’t become this kind for no reason.
Without a doubt, Lynn would encounter danger in Sleeping Dragon Valley.
When that happened, Livia would definitely make her move.
Felica only needed to wait for Livia to act, let her resolve the crisis, and then use her authority to trap Livia in a transparent space.
That way, Felica could appear before Lynn as his savior without lifting a finger.
Then, for the two of them to have some deeper interactions…
It would only be natural.
She was determined to make Livia watch from the sidelines!
With those thoughts, Felica took a deep breath and readjusted her mood.
“Let’s go, Lady Livia.”
“Don’t keep Lynn… waiting too long.”
After saying that, the smile on Felica’s face became even more elusive.
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