CHAPTER 193: [192]

As Velna walked down the academy corridor, her steps were slow yet filled with caution. The thin glasses on her face glinted under the midday light, while both hands struggled to balance a stack of heavy books. Every so often, her eyes darted left and right, as if afraid of being watched.

From a distance, Kiriya stood rigid, his gaze locked sharply on the girl. "Okay, thanks, senior!!" he said quickly, and without waiting for a reply, dragged Erick along with him.

"Eh!? W-wait, Kiriya! Are we seriously just going to tail her like this!?" Erick half-whispered, his face pale with panic.

"Quiet. If we hesitate, we’ll lose her trail," Kiriya replied coldly, pulling his friend further down the corridor.

Sara, left behind, stood frozen in place. Her lips curved into a faint smile, but her eyes blinked with annoyance. "Hmph... kids," she muttered, lightly kicking the ground before walking off. For some reason, being abandoned so abruptly left a sour taste.

Velna Astreia

That name had long been the subject of hushed whispers among the students. Velna was known as a genius—her mind razor-sharp, her love for history and ancient artifacts unmatched. Yet behind her brilliance lay an oddness that made her isolated. Velna preferred the silence of research rooms over social circles, and she’d rather converse with dusty tomes than with her fellow students.

Her reason was simple: Velna believed the past held the greatest key to the future.

In the records she studied, this world had passed through three great eras. The first, the Era of Creation, was when the Gods reigned as absolute rulers. They shaped the world, crafting mountains, seas, and stars, while no mortal beings yet existed.

The second, the Era of Destruction. The Gods quarreled, waging war against one another until their race was driven nearly to extinction. The world shook, continents crumbled, and countless wonders were swallowed by chaos.

The third, the Era of Awakening

. The surviving Gods chose to rebuild the world, this time by creating new beings to inhabit it. From their hands came graceful Elves, stalwart Dwarves, feral Beastmen, and countless other races to fill the void. Some were fashioned as descendants of the Gods themselves, some created from nothing, and others merely for amusement.

Yet one mystery had never been solved: Humankind.

There were no records of their creation. No God ever claimed responsibility. During the Era of Awakening, humans had simply appeared, as if out of nowhere amidst the reconstruction of the world. The Gods, whether weary or indifferent, chose not to question it. They guided humans as they did the other races... until, without anyone realizing it, humankind came to dominate the continents.

To Velna, the mystery of humanity’s origin was the greatest gap in the world’s history. A gap that, in her eyes, concealed a truth capable of shaking the foundations of nations and civilizations alike. Each time she pored over the ancient manuscripts she painstakingly copied from the academy’s library, her heart brimmed with both curiosity and frustration.

"Haah... failed again," she murmured softly, letting out a long sigh.

In front of her, a necklace with a gleaming black gemstone lay on the research table. The stone seemed to absorb the candlelight in the room, swallowing brightness and reflecting it back as a faint, mysterious shimmer. This necklace was the artifact entrusted to her directly by the academy’s rector, Olivia Lumina Blanche.

According to academy rules, solo research on dangerous artifacts was strictly forbidden unless conducted outside academy grounds. Yet Velna was an exception. The rector herself had assigned—or perhaps more accurately, entrusted—this artifact to her.

The artifact had been discovered in the northern regions, carried into a secret auction, and eventually fell into Olivia’s hands. People said she obtained it cheaply because no noble dared to bid against her. In truth, it wasn’t that the artifact lacked value, but because everyone knew: if the White Witch had set her sights on something, only a fool would stand in her way.

For months, Velna had tried countless research methods. From basic magical analysis, to the use of energy-recording crystals, even to expensive special rituals. Yet all of it was in vain. Every time she hoped for a response, the black gem remained still, as if mocking her efforts. Today was already her 562nd recorded attempt at activation. The result was the same: total failure.

Now, her personal budget was gone. Her savings drained, wasted, leaving her with nothing but a piece of stale bread and a thin soup from the academy kitchens.

"So this... is what it feels like to be a poor researcher," she muttered bitterly, blowing on the steam rising from her soup.

But the moment the spoon touched her lips, Velna felt something else. Not from the food, but from the atmosphere itself. Her skin prickled. Someone’s gaze. Her instincts screamed that she was being watched.

"...Eeeh?" Velna turned sharply, scanning the crowded cafeteria. Other students were caught up in their own chatter, most far too absorbed in their worlds to notice her. She found nothing unusual. Yet the feeling refused to vanish.

At the table behind her, two figures were holding their breath.

Kiriya sat casually, as though nothing was amiss. His spoon moved slowly, eyes feigning focus on his soup bowl, but in truth, his peripheral vision remained locked on Velna, studying her every subtle move.

Meanwhile, Erick could hardly maintain his composure. His face was pale, his posture hunched, his head nearly pressed against the table. "Psst... why am I even here!!" he hissed, his voice a desperate blend of panic and despair.

"Why?" Kiriya calmly sipped his drink as if on a pleasant picnic. "Did you forget? We were both assigned this task. Unless you’d rather scrub the academy toilets for two whole months?"

"Ew... don’t remind me..." Erick shuddered, his expression tightening at the thought of Leonis’s infamous punishments—cruel, but always ’effective.’

Kiriya smirked faintly, then set down his spoon. Outwardly, he looked calm. But inside, a certain memory surfaced unbidden.

(Seeing her like that... for some reason, I can’t help but think of Ren. Would Ren have been like this too, if I hadn’t approached him back then?)

That thought stilled Kiriya for a moment. Ren, his long-time friend, had once been the very definition of an introvert—always alone, even in a crowd. They hadn’t even attended the same school, but Kiriya often saw him playing by himself at the city park. Back then, a younger, more reckless Kiriya had challenged Ren to a fight out of sheer curiosity. Strangely enough, that had been the start of their bond. Not just friends, but something closer to brothers.

He exhaled softly, then turned back to Erick. "For now, no suspicious movements. But honestly, it’s strange Leonis would have us watch Velna like this."

"Yeah?" Erick blinked in disbelief.

"Think about it. Wouldn’t it be better to file an official complaint to the rector? Or to simply have Velna placed under the direct supervision of the Student Council? That would be far more effective than sending two students to tail her like amateur stalkers."

Erick scratched his head awkwardly, sighing. "Haah..."

"Good grief." Kiriya scoffed. "Are you really talented? They say you’re a prodigy magician, a favorite of the elemental magic professors, all that great stuff. But with reasoning like this..."

"Mm... that’s what others say, not me," Erick cut in quickly, eyes darting nervously left and right.

Kiriya nearly laughed. He knew his friend wasn’t the type to believe in himself, despite the undeniable truth of his talent. "Whatever. Point is, like I said, Leonis could easily handle this himself. If he wanted, he could just file a formal protest, or even directly invite Velna into the Student Council. That would definitely be more effective than making us stalk her like this."

"You don’t think he considered that?" Erick asked hesitantly.

Kiriya gave him a sharp look, then shrugged with a sly smile. "No way he didn’t. We’re talking about Leonis here. That guy always has a plan—even when he looks like he’s just fooling around."

The words sent a shiver down Erick’s spine. True enough, Leonis was both charismatic and terrifying. The Student Council president always wore a gentle smile in public, but everyone knew behind that smile lay cunning strategies no one could predict. If he had assigned Kiriya and Erick, then there had to be a hidden reason behind it.

Kiriya leaned back in his chair, sipping his drink again. "Which means... we’re just pawns. And Velna..." He glanced at the brown-haired girl now flipping open a notebook at her table. "...might be far more important than we think."

Erick swallowed hard. The noisy cafeteria around them seemed to fade into silence. All that remained was Velna, the mysterious black necklace she carried, and the Student Council’s command—suddenly feeling heavier than ever before.

"Anyway, that’s just my personal opinion. Whether it’s true or not, I could be wrong," said Kiriya as he took a sip of water.