Chapter 50: Originally the beginning of obsession

– Bang!Savina burst through the door of the quiet Academy Head’s office.Having finished admonishing the professors, she had finally returned to the academy.”Damn those professors······.”Perhaps still not fully appeased, Savina swore under her breath and plopped down onto the chair.There were many reasons for her anger, but the biggest one was that all responsibility ultimately fell back on her.She had used the admonishments as an excuse to briefly escape the concentrated gazes, yet complaints were still pouring in from everywhere.It was bothersome and irritating, and in some ways, she felt wronged, but it was an undeniable fact that she had been complacent, so she couldn’t avoid the complaints.No matter what anyone said, the academy’s supreme administrator was Savina, the Academy Head···.”Haa···. I couldn’t stop the terror attack, the professors are useless, and I can’t find my benefactor···. Nothing is going right···.”Savina let out a deep sigh, a mix of frustration and lament.Even so, she found herself thinking of one person she desperately wanted to meet again.When she was floundering alone in the darkness.Her benefactor, who appeared like a mirage and vanished like an illusion···.She hadn’t even seen his face, didn’t know his name, and could barely hear his voice, yet that man had embedded something mysterious in Savina’s heart···.‘···Where could he be, the one who still makes my heart ache whenever I think of him···?’Savina pressed firmly on her chest, which she usually complained was needlessly large.- Thump! Thump! Thump!Though not as intense as what she felt immediately after he left, she could tell her heart was beating strongly.However, this wasn’t enough.Savina wanted to feel the same throbbing heart and aching sensation in her chest once more.To do that, she absolutely had to find him again.Savina pouted.She had asked for his name out of gratitude for his help and even tried to track him down herself, but he hadn’t appeared···.To ignore her kindness, which she had gone to such lengths to offer···.The more she thought about it, the more she tried to comfort herself by saying he was someone she disliked, but her expression remained sullen.The fact that nothing went her way, despite being a Transcendent, was incredibly painful.”It’s fine···. Well, eventually, I’ll meet him sometime anyway···.”Since Savina believed the academy was already in the palm of her hand, she was certain she would eventually meet him.‘I should start with the piled-up complaint letters···. Huh···?’Ending her brief rest, as Savina was about to start working, something caught her eye.She immediately waved her hand in the air.The barrier that enveloped the entire Academy Head’s office instantly shrank, transforming into a small size that could fit in her palm.”······It’s been altered once···?”As a Transcendent knowledgeable in barriers, Savina could tell at a glance what had been changed.Her gaze instantly changed as she realized someone had intruded.- Shhhshhhshhh···.The Transcendent’s gaze swept across the entire Academy Head’s office.She identified everything that had changed while she was away.Soon, she confirmed that a precious piece of paper was missing.”···How dare they···!”An enraged Savina slammed her fist onto the desk!- Craaaack···!Along with the desk, countless overlapping barriers in the Academy Head’s office cracked.Her will spread in all directions, dispersing the power that should have been concentrated solely on the desk.A single sheet of paper, on which she had written down the characteristics of the benefactor she absolutely had to find···.It was clear someone had intruded into the Academy Head’s office and stolen it.It was her mistake that she hadn’t stored it away before Savina went to seriously admonish the professors, as she had been busy dealing with urgent matters first.Savina suppressed her anger and took a long, deep breath.‘Phew···. Calm down. I’ll just catch the intruder.’The changes she found while sweeping the Academy Head’s office weren’t limited to just the paper on the desk.It was just that the paper was the most definitively changed item, so she focused on it first···.Subtly altered positions of objects and traces of someone having been there were also clearly visible.All clues that could reveal the intruder’s identity had been erased, but she didn’t care.‘It’s fine. I just need to read the history···.’No matter what anyone said, Savina was a Transcendent···.She could find out who had been in the Academy Head’s office by reading its history.Just as the now rational Savina was about to slowly read the history.”What’s this now···?”A small note placed on the desk caught her eye.‘It definitely wasn’t here a moment ago?’ she thought, tilting her head as she picked up the note.”······Ah······.”And after reading the contents written there, Savina froze.In the Academy Head’s office, where time seemed to have stopped, she placed a hand over her chest and felt her heart’s gradually quickening beat.- Thump-thump!A strange yet pleasant feeling, which she had judged would be difficult to experience again, began to surge over her.Not wanting to lose this feeling, Savina read the note’s contents again.[Don’t look for me.]A small note, with only a few words briefly written···.It was an unremarkable note, with no special features, and she couldn’t even tell who wrote it, yet Savina instinctively knew its origin.The seemingly indifferent yet kind tone felt from the short writing···.The fragrant body scent emanating from the note, which she had only smelled once in her life······.One person came to Savina’s mind.The man who saved her when she was in danger and then vanished without a trace.Her benefactor, whose kindness she absolutely had to repay!It was definitely him who had been here.However, her excitement from the strange feeling was fleeting···.Her heart, recalling the note’s contents, suddenly sank like an extinguished flame.‘Does he··· not want me to look for him···?’Considering the content written there and his information on the vanished paper···.Given the connection between the two, she couldn’t help but think that.Savina suddenly felt depressed.She was simply trying to repay him for helping her back then, but for him to avoid her like this···.Even though she was only in a position to repay him, she somehow felt a little hurt.She gazed at the note silently, then folded it neatly and carefully tucked it into her bosom.Though her expression was still full of dissatisfaction, she didn’t forget to cast several small barriers around the note, as if to cherish it dearly.She didn’t like it, but if he didn’t want her to look for him, she had to respect that.‘Because he’s my benefactor······.’Savina didn’t want to be disliked by her benefactor.However···.Her desire to see her benefactor was just as strong.She didn’t particularly want to uncover his identity or reveal his secrets.She simply wanted to face him once, as one person to another, to know what kind of person he was.Therefore, Savina made a promise to herself.Not to try and find him according to what was written on the note···.But if they ever met by chance, she would absolutely not pretend not to know him···.She thought that was the only way to both respect him and forge a connection with him.Savina smiled, feeling a flutter of excitement, deeming herself admirable.At that moment, she didn’t know.That her eyes had already transformed into a gaze of sticky obsession······.****Returning to the dormitory after wandering outside as usual, I noticed something strange.Hmm? It’s not here today?The Academy Head’s important notice, which I always peeled off because it was an eyesore but somehow always reappeared, wasn’t there today.‘Did she finally find the person she was so desperately looking for?’Thinking nothing of it, I opened the dormitory’s main door and stepped inside.No···.I was *about* to step inside.”It’s been a while, Teacher. Has everything been well with you?””···Why suddenly···?””Pardon?””Ah, no. It’s nothing···. Have you been well, Yulia?”That is, if Yulia hadn’t suddenly appeared before me.The appearance of a completely unexpected person.Furthermore, Arie, who always accompanied her, was nowhere to be seen.She, who always spoke of herself as the Holy Maiden’s escort and seemed to take pride in that position, had come to me alone for the first time.What was most surprising was the very fact that Yulia had come to me directly.The power I had cast was clearly still active, and if affected by it, people usually became confused even about my existence.‘But was it because she had been by Arie’s side for so long?’For a brief moment, it seemed she had pierced through all my powers and reached me.”Yes, I’ve been well too.”Watching Yulia answer my words with an innocent expression, I sighed inwardly.‘Why does my power seem to get weaker day by day···?’