Chapter 24 – A Lucky Day

“Professor Adelia, what is this…?”

“It’s all true.”

Adelia Varos, the special lecturer in black magic, handed Sedil a report containing the results of her recent two-week investigation.

“The labyrinth that Lady Eustetia and Lady Verheigen entered was not one created by the academy. It was a labyrinth forged by the power of the Demon Legion’s commander, the Lord of Sloth, Labyrinth.”

As Sedil read through the documents Adelia gave him, a cold aura of mana began to emanate from him.

“The only silver lining is that the one who created it was relatively weak, resulting in a flawed construction. Still, it was far more dangerous than anything the academy could create.”

“This report suggests that the plan was initiated over a month ago. Is there evidence for such a claim?”

Sedil found it difficult to believe Adelia’s words.

How could he trust someone who spoke so reverently of Labyrinth, one of the Demon King’s legion commanders?

Especially when that someone was a practitioner of black magic.

Only another black mage could easily trust her words.

Yet, logically, Sedil had to acknowledge the value of her testimony.

Adelia wasn’t just any mage; she was one of the strongest candidates to lead the Black Tower in the future and a renowned master of black magic, skilled enough to detect traces of dark sorcery even an 8-circle mage like Sedil could not.

“Check the last page. You’ll find traces of the black mage the Empire has been hunting. They’ve used very dirty methods.”

“This…?”

“Yes, I believe you know what it means.”

Sedil’s eyes narrowed as he stared at a photograph within the report.

“Three months ago, the second son of Baron Uraka dropped out of the academy. Rumors said he vanished soon after. The baron didn’t seem concerned and let the matter pass quietly. But five days ago, they found him like this.”

The body had been discovered in a mansion, positioned to face the academy.

His belly had been slit open, and his intestines were spilling out, with his eyes grotesquely strung along his abdomen as if watching over his own insides.

The corpse was horrifically mangled—its arms twisted and internal organs arranged in bizarre knots. The body was so decayed that it was impossible to determine the cause or time of death, and maggots swarmed all over it.

On the floor, starting from the corpse’s back, was an enormous magic circle, drawn entirely in blood.

At first glance, it appeared to be a gruesome murder scene.

But Sedil immediately recognized the pattern.

The blood-drawn magic circle mirrored the one used by the Green Tower to create artificial labyrinths, only reversed.

And the tangled limbs and intestines perfectly matched the layout of the entrance exam’s labyrinth.

“Baron Uraka likely knows nothing. Whether he’s feigning ignorance or genuinely unaware doesn’t matter. We could arrest him, but that would only be grasping at the tail end of the problem.”

Sedil, still reading the report, slowly raised his head.

His eyes were fixed on Adelia, but his thoughts were elsewhere—back to the words of Eliaernes Eustetia after the exam had ended.

“She knew…”

Sedil realized it then.

Eliaernes Eustetia had already known the truth.

She must have realized it the moment she exited the labyrinth—this wasn’t a simple test created by the academy.

Her expression, hardened the moment she left the labyrinth, now made sense.

“Hah…”

And she had asked for secrecy.

Perhaps she suspected the professors—wondering if there were black mages among them.

If the academy moved to act, and if the Eustetia family got involved—

Or worse, if Nameless took action—

The real culprit would surely escape by severing all connections and fleeing.

Had she foreseen this and requested secrecy to prevent such an outcome?

At only 17 years old, had she truly anticipated every move ahead of time?

Even if she had, it was too dangerous.

Defeating a real basilisk and escaping from a labyrinth in just four hours was an impressive feat—but still, she was only 17.

The same went for Stella Verheigen.

“This is… troubling.”

Sedil closed his eyes, contemplating his own shortcomings.

“Professor Adelia… Who else knows about this?”

“It’s just you and me, Headmaster. Although… the girls involved might already be aware.”

“Even so, Professor Adelia, how did you find out? I don’t recall telling you.”

Adelia chuckled softly, her crimson eyes gleaming beneath half-closed lids.

“Oh, you know me. I see things others don’t.”

Her red eyes glimmered mischievously between her narrow eyelids.

“So… What do you plan to do, Headmaster?”

“Well… Regarding this matter—”

After a long pause, Sedil began to speak.

Suddenly, a massive barrier enveloped the headmaster’s office, halting the flow of air and blocking all sound. Nothing would leave this room.

When Sedil finally finished speaking—

“Oh my… That’s a splendid idea.”

Adelia was already gone.

All that remained was a single black raven’s feather, resting silently on the desk.

“At times like this, I curse the limitations of my position.”

Sedil sighed, feeling the weight of his role.

Still, as headmaster, he vowed to do everything possible before the entrance ceremony arrived.

With that resolution, he quietly left the office.

***

“Um… Miss, they say that book doesn’t exist.”

[No information available on ‘The Mage of the Hero’s Party.’]

I narrowed my eyes at the message displayed on the screen.

“Then let’s try searching for books on archmages.”

“On it!”

Yurasia cheerfully tapped away at the screen with impressive speed, her fingers flying across the keyboard.

Search, search, search.

A few seconds later, she beamed and pointed at the screen.

“These are the closest matches!”

“Nice…”

A list of books appeared on the screen.

“I’ve already noted the locations. Shall we head out?”

“Yeah, thanks.”

“Hehe, it’s no problem! I’m sure you could have figured it out on your own, though.”

“…Nah. Without you, I’d have broken the thing—or gotten kicked out for yelling at it.”

“Then I guess you’ll just have to stick with me from now on!”

“Or I could just learn to use it.”

Giggling, Yurasia linked her arm with mine and started walking.

“Let’s start with the closest one!”

Half-dragged along, I followed her.

“This place is seriously huge.”

“Right?”

We marveled at the endless rows of bookshelves, packed to the brim with books.

I’d heard rumors about how large the capital’s library was, but this exceeded all expectations.

Calling it “big” didn’t do it justice.

It was enormous.

Without the kiosks, we could’ve spent an entire day just searching for a single book.

Good thing I had Yurasia with me.

“Hmm… B94. It should be somewhere around here.”

Yurasia stopped and began scanning the shelves.

“What’s the title?”

“The History of Archmages.”

“Ah… here it is.”

I pulled out a book with a navy-blue cover and a vertical purple stripe.

The cover felt smooth and new, suggesting it was recently published.

The title read:

[The History of Archmages, Vol. 2]

“What? Volume 2? Is there a Volume 1?”

“Huh? There wasn’t one listed.”

“Well, let’s start with this one, I guess.”

Tucking the book under my arm, I turned to look for the next title.

“Here, let me carry that.”

“You’ve got drinks in both hands.”

“I can still manage!”

“And spill them everywhere? No thanks. Where’s the next book?”

“Let’s see… It’s called ‘The Families That Produced Archmages,’ and it’s over at C34!”

C34 was in the far distance—at least 40 shelves away.

This library was massive.

Even my father’s personal library, which I thought was enormous, was nothing compared to this.

Four hundred years ago, books were so expensive they were reserved for nobles, but now anyone could read them.

“After we defeat the Demon King, I’m going to build a library.”

“A library? There’s already one in the palace.”

“Not that kind. I mean one open to commoners, too. As big as this commander’s castle, at least.”

“Why not just turn the whole palace into a library? Besides, wouldn’t filling a space that big with books cost a fortune?”

“Ronan, once we defeat the Demon King, we’ll have more wealth than we could ever spend. Building a library will be nothing. As for me, I’ll open a casino in the Holy Kingdom. And it’ll serve alcohol, of course. There’s nothing more fun than taking drunk fools’ money. Haa… I can’t wait.”

“That sounds like withdrawal symptoms, you lunatic.”

“I’ll build orphanages throughout the capital—maybe thirty of them should be enough.”

“Sure, orphanages are great, but what if the kids grow up to be like us?”

“Then… I’ll build a big house where we can all live together! Somewhere peaceful, on the outskirts. The capital is too noisy.”

“Sounds like you’ll end up living there alone.”

“What?! No way! We’re all living together! What about you, Ronan? What will you do when we’re rich?”

“Hmm, me? I’ll—”

“Here, say ‘ahhhh.’”

The nostalgic memory faded as Yurasia waved a straw in front of my mouth.

“I’ll drink it later when we sit down.”

“The ice will melt, and it’ll get all watery.”

“I’ll manage.”

“Nope! I won’t allow that! Now, say ‘ahhhh.’”

With the pink straw persistently poking at my lips, I had no choice but to open my mouth.

“…Ahhh, haum.”

Slurp.

“Hehe, do you want to try mine too?”

“No.”

“It’s good, though!”

“I hate sour things.”

Slurp, slurp.

I continued sipping the iced chocolate Yurasia had given me as we made our way toward the next bookshelf.

And then—

“Huh?”

Standing in front of the shelf, I spotted a woman with pink hair.

“Lady Eliaernes Eustetia, I presume?”

The woman had a sharp, intense aura about her. Her presence felt dangerous, as if her mere gaze could pierce through me.