Chapter 32

As night deepened, Henrik gathered his equipment and stepped outside.

"Wow, thanks so much for covering for me, Professor Henrik."

"Not at all. I have something to do on my assigned day anyway, so let's just swap."

"Yeah, yeah, I was so tired today I thought I was going to die."

The duty professor patted Henrik's back and headed into the faculty dormitory.

Since he couldn't wander around the academy at dawn without a reason, Henrik had made a deal to swap shifts with the professor on patrol duty today.

Naturally, the professor accepted Henrik's proposal, and Henrik was free to roam the academy all day.

'I can legally carry weapons and keep an eye on Bena too.'

Henrik slowly began surveying the academy, searching for Bena.

Since Bena's research lab was in the academy's main building, if he patrolled around there, he'd be able to find her.

Wandering around on patrol under the guise of duty watch, it was soon 2 a.m.

After hearing that Bena was holed up in her lab and confirming from a distance that she was indeed inside, Henrik was now monitoring her from the garden where he had a partial view of the research lab.

Occasionally, flashes of light sparkled from within.

The light showed no signs of going out, as if she were researching new magic.

'If she were a demon, she wouldn't be researching magic, so maybe she hasn't been completely eroded yet?'

Of course, this was just a hunch.

He needed to see it with his own eyes to be sure.

But he couldn't just barge in and throw open the research lab door. With no other choice, he was stuck peeking at whatever light leaked through the window gaps.

-Click.

Just then, he heard the sound of the research lab door opening.

Henrik hurriedly set down his coffee cup, gripped his sword, and tailed her.

Bena, wearing a cardigan.

She looked much healthier than when they'd first met.

Her disheveled hair, as if she'd been locked in the lab for a long time, gleamed with luster.

As she headed somewhere, Henrik slowly followed.

Matching her footsteps so their sounds wouldn't overlap, melting into the shadows, killing his presence so she wouldn't notice-he followed behind her.

Thanks to his long experience with tracking techniques, Bena never noticed Henrik.

She came to a stop deep in the garden.

"I know, just wait."

Standing still, she muttered to herself.

As if conversing with something, she stared into empty air and spoke.

"......"

Henrik held his breath and watched her. Bena entered a dead-end alley. Seeing her, Henrik had a gut feeling. He knew where she was headed.

The secret passage on the main building's second floor-she was making her way to the underground ancient castle beneath the academy.

-Tap, tap, tap.

When Bena knocked on the wall, whirrrr! A hidden door opened.

Henrik slowly followed her down into the underground castle.

As if she knew the way, she navigated the maze along the correct path without hesitation.

-Whoosh! Clang!

Traps activated here and there, but Bena used magic to deflect all the attacks flying toward her.

Like Henrik, Bena seemed to know the locations of the traps, placing barriers exactly where attacks would come from.

'This isn't her first or second time.'

She looked extremely practiced, as if she'd been down here often.

At the maze's center, in the vast clearing where the tomb was located, she stopped.

Then she stretched thoroughly and threw off her cardigan.

On her chest appeared a swirling scar eroded by demonic power. It felt much larger than when he'd briefly lifted her clothes last time.

Henrik gripped his sword tightly.

Sitting on a small stone, Bena began condensing mana in her hand.

The reddish glowing mass of mana gradually grew larger, then began burning fiercely, soon becoming a dark crimson mass of flame seething like molten lava.

The fireball shone brightly like the sun, yet it carried an unmistakable menacing feeling, as if it would incinerate everything.

"It's almost complete. It's all thanks to you, Lindbergh."

At Bena's words, Henrik tilted his head.

Lindbergh-he'd never heard of any person or demon with that name.

As if responding to her words, the necklace on her chest sparkled.

"The Sovereign said they'll be moving soon too. Let's do our part."

Flinch. Henrik froze.

'Sovereign?'

Cold sweat trickled down.

He'd anticipated various scenarios, but things were unfolding in the worst possible way.

Sovereign. Bena had clearly said Sovereign.

Behind her was a Demon Realm Sovereign.

'She has self-awareness, but... she seems to be in a brainwashed state.'

Henrik peeked out slightly to look at Bena.

Bena, practicing magic with an ecstatic expression, intoxicated by power-her eyes glowed red. It was a typical characteristic of someone brainwashed by demons.

If the Sovereign itself hadn't done the eroding, then the cause of erosion he could think of was probably the necklace.

It was definitely a demonic artifact.

After all, it was a necklace engraved with the words "parasitic heart."

It seemed like an object that amplified the wearer's mana or brainwashed them through whispers, slowly eroding them into a demon.

'......'

Henrik let out a sigh.

There was a possibility of saving her.

'Margrave Gus, I'll repay my debt from my past life with this.'

It would be easier to just draw his sword right now and kill her, but knowing the end of the Margrave who lost his daughter, Henrik decided to save Bena.

He didn't want the Margrave, who gave up everything after losing his daughter, to abandon the northern wall and leave on a journey-saving her was for the future ahead.

A wall not managed by Margrave Gus couldn't withstand the magic beasts of the snowy mountains.

-Thud, thud, thud.

Just then, with heavy footsteps, a Hellhound appeared. The Hellhound looked at Bena, then approached and stopped in front of her.

"I begged you so earnestly to guard it. This is why magic beasts without intelligence are useless."

Bena floated the fireball in the air and looked at the empty stone coffin.

The Hellhound hung its head low. Then Bena thrust her hand into the burning purple flames on the Hellhound's body and pulled out a large magic stone.

The Hellhound's summoning was released, and the remaining bone fragments crumbled into dust and vanished.

"To steal the Sephirum while I was decoding the barrier... How is that even possible?"

Bena bit her lip hard.

"I know! I know. The Sovereign ordered me to take responsibility and clean this up. I don't have a choice."

Bena shouted at her necklace, looking as though she were having a conversation with it.

Red light filled the old castle.

She injected red mana into the necklace and began creating something else that squirmed up from the floor.

"Grrrrr..."

Black wolves rising from her shadow let out low growls and prostrated themselves before Bena.

Three in total. Once the summoning was complete, the floating necklace returned to normal.

"Well, this level should be fine."

Swish. She waved her finger, and the shadows lined up in a row.

"Find the missing Sephirum. Even just finding out who has it will do."

"Grrraaah!!!"

At Bena's command, the shadows bolted out of the labyrinth.

They ran swiftly toward their target without even a glance at Henrik, who was hiding behind the corridor wall.

The situation had taken a troublesome turn.

Those things were Shadow Wolves.

Shadow-type magic beasts would continue to revive unless their master was killed or the magic stone floating in the air was destroyed. They were troublesome creatures because if their summoning was released, they would disintegrate like ash, leaving no evidence behind.

Even though it was late at night, it would be dangerous if someone encountered the Shadows.

"..."

And he couldn't let them discover that he was the one who had taken the Sephirum. He knew all too well from experience that if Sephirum was involved, the demons would come charging in frothing at the mouth.

Henrik had no choice but to step forward and reveal himself to stop her while she was under mind control.

"Isn't it a lovely night, Professor Bena."

"Henrik Dusk... Why are you..."

Bena glared at Henrik with murderous eyes.

* * *

Meanwhile, above the underground old castle.

The Academy Main Building, 3rd floor.

Amecitia stood in front of Henrik's office, cautiously looking around.

She perked up her ears and focused on the sound of footsteps.

Two sets of footsteps could be heard.

One with a narrow stride.

One with a very quiet sound but a wide stride.

Feeling mischievous, Amecitia headed toward the footsteps with the narrow stride.

As the footsteps gradually drew closer, Amecitia suddenly revealed herself and shouted.

"Boo!"

"Aaaaaaah!!!"

A woman's scream echoed through the hall.

"Amecitia! You, you... you... Phew... You really..."

"I could tell it was your footsteps just from the sound."

The woman Amecitia had startled was Grimory.

"You're all so late. I've been waiting forever."

"Do you think it's easy to slip out while avoiding the Dorm Supervisor?"

"Can't you just listen for sounds and slip out quietly?"

"..."

Grimory shook her head.

"Not everyone is like you."

"Boo."

At the man's voice suddenly coming from behind, Grimory jumped. Meanwhile, Amecitia, who had sensed his approach from his footsteps, simply smiled.

"Carmine!"

Carmine seemed to have entered through the window, which was wide open in the corridor.

"Really, both of you! Appearing out of nowhere!"

"Keep it down, Grimory."

"..."

The three of them, sensing that Henrik was hiding something, had agreed to meet in front of his office at dawn.

The reason for meeting at the office was none other than infiltration. It was a gathering based on Amecitia's opinion that there must be something in his office.

"Amecitia, do you really think there's something there?"

"Actually, I'm not entirely sure."

"What?"

"It's just intuition. An intuition that there's something in the office."

At Amecitia's words, Carmine let out a meaningful chuckle.

"Why are you laughing?"

"It's nothing."

Amecitia tried turning the doorknob.

Click.

Naturally, the door was locked.

"Move aside."

Carmine slipped in and began picking the office door lock.

Click-clack, click-clack. He inserted tweezers into the keyhole and worked them diligently.

Just then, a sound reached Amecitia's ears.

Grrrrrind.

The sound of something opening. It sounded like a heavy door being opened.

But it wasn't the sound of Henrik's office door that Carmine was picking.

It was something different, like a stone door scraping against the floor as it opened.

When Amecitia lowered her posture and concentrated, Grimory and Carmine also stopped moving.

"What's wrong, Amecitia?"

"Wait. I heard something."

Amecitia slowly moved toward the direction of the sound.

Grimory and Carmine had no choice but to follow her.

As they drew closer to the sound, they heard the cry of a beast.

"Grrrr..."

It was a low, thick sound, like something scraping its throat.

Amecitia peeked her head around the corner to see what it was, and her face went pale.

A Shadow Wolf was prowling down the corridor. The creature was walking toward their direction.

When Amecitia's face turned pale, Carmine and Grimory also peeked around the corner and spotted the Shadow Wolf beyond the corridor.

"..."

"..."

The three of them silently began backing away.

It didn't matter why there was a Shadow inside the academy.

What mattered right now was the fact that the Shadow was approaching them. That was all.

"I don't know what it is, but shouldn't we just kill it?"

As Amecitia reached for her sword, smack! Grimory grabbed her arm and shook her head.

"That's a Shadow. Unless we destroy the sorcerer controlling it or the object serving as its medium, it'll just keep coming back to life."

"A sorcerer? An object? Where are they?"

"I don't know either."

At Grimory's words, Amecitia cleanly sheathed her sword with a sharp click, turned around, and said:

"Let's run."

Having already experienced demons once before, Amecitia and Grimory chose retreat over engagement. They'd learned the hard way not to fight recklessly when they lacked information about their opponent.

Amecitia ran down the opposite corridor and stopped again.

"Grrk?"

A Shadow was coming toward them from that corridor too.

"Graaah!!!"

The Shadow that spotted the three suddenly began charging.

"Ah, ahhh!"

At the sight of the Shadow rushing toward them, Grimory ran toward another corridor, terrified.

A three-way corridor.

With Shadows approaching from both sides, the three ran toward the last remaining path. That's when Grimory, who'd been running at full speed in the lead, stopped.

Crash!

Unable to control their momentum, the three collided and tumbled in a tangle. As Amecitia stood up rubbing her sore back, Grimory pointed at the stairs with a terrified expression.

"Grrk? Graaah!!!"

All three paths were blocked by Shadows.

Looking back, the Shadow that had been chasing them was also drawing closer. In front of Henrik's office, they had become rats in a trap.

"Well, we're screwed."

Carmine, who'd been quiet, casually tossed out that remark.