“Ah…”
Thump! Thump!
Elicia could feel her heart pounding fiercely in her chest. Standing before the man she had been searching for, her mind went completely blank, as if she had become utterly dazed.
Before long, thoughts began to flit through her now-empty mind.
Even if he was a professor, as a man, he shouldn’t be able to enter the women’s dormitory so freely. How did he get here?
No, more importantly, why did he come here?
Could it be that he knew she was looking for him and came to find her instead…?
“Ahem.”
Just then, a sharp clearing of the throat snapped her out of her thoughts. Startled, she flinched and turned toward the sound. And there—
“Princess Elicia, do you have a moment to spare?”
“…Headmistress?”
A beauty with blazing red hair, golden eyes, and an overwhelmingly commanding presence that naturally drew attention.
It was Ines Karandar, the Headmistress of Labyrinth Academy, who stood there. A figure Elicia had failed to notice until now since she was distracted by the man before her.
Realizing the headmistress’s presence, Elicia immediately bowed.
As the head of the Karandar family, which carried the blood of dragons, and one of the strongest mortals alive, Ines was a figure even the Emperor of the Empire would tread carefully around.
Moreover, Ines was the benefactor who had readmitted Elicia to the Academy and kept secret the fact that she was being consumed by a demon. It was only natural for Elicia to show her the utmost respect.
“It is an honor to meet you, Headmistress…”
“There’s no need for such formalities. Raise your head.”
With those words, the Headmistress straightened Elicia’s posture herself. Elicia then opened her mouth to speak.
“But…”
“More importantly, may I come in? There is something I need to discuss regarding your situation.”
“Ah…”
At the mention of her situation, Elicia’s gaze instinctively shifted to Yujin, the new professor, who stood quietly with a faint smile.
It was likely a conversation that involved him as well. After all, ever since whatever he had done yesterday, she had neither suffered from nightmares nor experienced hallucinations or voices.
Unlike the power drawn from other transcendents’ artifacts, there had been no side effects or rejection.
Perhaps… there really was a solution. That was why she had sought him out in the first place.
“…Understood. Please, come inside, both of you.”
Elicia decided to invite the two of them inside. There was no reason to refuse, after all.
“Then, excuse me.”
“Thank you for having us.”
The two of them stepped into the princess’s dormitory as they spoke.
The dormitory was fundamentally fancy and luxurious, but aside from the essentials, it lacked any extra furnishings or decorations.
Even so, the three of them each took a seat around a table and sofa in the spacious room. Yujin and Headmistress Ines sat side by side on the long sofa, while Elicia sat across from them.
As they settled into their seats, Elicia who had been gazing briefly at the empty table was the first to speak.
“I apologize. I don’t have any refreshments or tea prepared, so I’m afraid I can’t properly offer you anything.”
“There’s no need to apologize. It would be absurd to expect hospitality after showing up so suddenly. If anything, I should be the one apologizing for arriving unannounced.”
“No, there’s no need to apologize. You’re here because of my situation…”
“That’s enough. Let’s not waste time on such idle talk. It would be a shame to spend our time on an unproductive conversation, wouldn’t it?”
“…Understood.”
When the Headmistress cut off the flow of the conversation with her words, Elicia nodded in agreement. Even so, she couldn’t help but glance repeatedly at Yujin, as if she was conscious of his presence.
Noticing this, the Headmistress also spoke up.
“I imagine you must be curious about the person who came with me.”
“……”
“Normally, even a professor wouldn’t be allowed to bring a man into the women’s dormitory so freely… But this matter is serious enough to warrant an exception. That’s why I brought him here personally. I assume you already know the reason, don’t you?”
“…Yes.”
Elicia nodded her head. The Headmistress recognized that she had a general understanding of the situation and nodded back before continuing.
“Have the two of you introduced yourselves?”
“I’ve introduced myself personally, but I don’t believe I’ve heard an introduction from Her Highness yet.”
It was only then that the man Yujin who had been sitting quietly spoke up.
“Well, given how awkward the situation was at the time, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to introduce myself again. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Princess Elicia. My name is Han Yujin, and I’ve recently been appointed as the new professor of Magical Studies. As you can probably tell from my name, I’m from the Eastern Continent.”
“Han Yujin…”
So that’s it. He’s from the Eastern Continent. But the Eastern Continent isn’t exactly known for its affinity with magic, and yet… a professor of magical studies?
Elicia quietly mulled over Yujin’s introduction for a moment. No matter how much she thought about it, though, he was someone she had never heard of before.
It was only normal. During the week following the publication of the thesis on space-time magic, the name Han Yujin had spread widely. However, at that time, Elicia had been consumed by a demon and was enduring a difficult time in solitude. She didn’t have the ability to pay attention to external news.
As she briefly mulled over Yujin’s introduction, she finally placed one hand over her chest and bowed her head as if to show off her imperial dignity.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Professor Yujin. I am Elicia von Arcedium, the second princess of the Arcedium Empire.”
Since he was someone personally brought by the Headmistress and had also partially solved her problem, she decided it was only proper to introduce herself respectfully.
Hearing her words, Yujin smiled gently and replied,
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness. Fortunately, you seem much better than you were yesterday.”
At that comment, Elicia flinched.
His words brought back memories of the day before. The time she had lost control when she was overcome by demonic power, and the despair that had brought her to tears. She even remembered how she had rejected him as he approached and screamed at him in the process.
Recalling her disgraceful behavior from then, her face flushed as she spoke.
“…I would appreciate it if you could forget about what happened back then.”
“Haha, if Your Highness asks me to forget, I should do so.”
“Ahem.”
At that moment, the Headmistress cleared her throat to interrupt and shift the mood.
“Well, it seems the introductions are more or less complete… Princess Elicia, may I ask you a few questions?”
“Ah… yes. Of course.”
Elicia quickly composed herself and turned to the Headmistress, who began to speak.
“First of all, I want to let you know that Professor Yujin here is already aware of your situation. So please don’t be too startled when I bring it up in front of him.”
“Yes, I understand.”
After all, when they had met yesterday, Yujin had immediately seen through the fact that a demon had taken hold of her body. It was also possible that the Headmistress had already told him everything in detail.
The Headmistress continued,
“For now… you don’t seem to be suffering too much. In fact, you actually look a bit more at ease.”
“…To be honest… yes, that’s true.”
“Have you had any nightmares?”
“No, I haven’t had any nightmares.”
“Any hallucinations or auditory illusions?”
“I haven’t seen or heard anything.”
“Then, do you have any idea why that might be?”
“That’s…”
At that question, she glanced briefly at Yujin. The Headmistress nodded her head.
“It’s exactly as you suspect. The reason lies in Professor Yujin here, whom you met yesterday. He took certain measures to address your situation.”
“Certain measures…”
At those words, she gently touched the flower that had bloomed over her right eye and asked,
“What exactly do you mean by ‘certain measures’?”
“It’s quite simple. I sealed the demonic power that had taken over Your Highness’s body.”
“……”
It was Yujin who answered her question. After hearing his response, Elicia stared blankly for a moment before asking,
“Is that… even possible?”
“I regret to say this, but if it weren’t possible, Your Highness would still be suffering from immense mental torment even now.”
“……”
It wasn’t a false statement, so she couldn’t refute it. In fact, she was certain that if it weren’t for the “certain measures” Yujin had taken, she would have woken up as usual from nightmares, plagued by hallucinations and auditory illusions.
However, putting that aside…
“But… none of the imperial court mages could manage to do such a thing. Not even the Headmistress…”
“That’s…”
The Headmistress felt herself at a loss for words. She knew she couldn’t achieve such a feat herself. After all, this wasn’t just any ordinary matter; it involved the seed of a transcendent being.
To seal the power of such a transcendent being? That was nearly impossible within the realm of mortals.
Both the Headmistress and Elicia knew this truth all too well. Perhaps Elicia understood it better than anyone. After all, she was the one carrying the seed of a demon.
“…I remember the magic Professor Yujin used yesterday.”
Elicia, after saying those words, stared intently at Yujin.
He still wore that faint smile and his eyes narrowed as if they were closed, making it impossible to discern his true intentions.
“I may be ignorant when it comes to magic, but even I could tell at a glance that it was magic far beyond human capability. I couldn’t even begin to comprehend its structure or how it worked.”
“……”
“I have one question for you. Professor Yujin… are you truly human?”
At that question, Yujin’s smile deepened. For a moment, Elicia flinched at the sight of that smile, but Yujin soon began to speak to her.
“Your Highness, while I may be a professor, I’m not the type to patiently explain every little thing and guide someone step by step. If anything, I’m the one who tends to ask questions.”
“……”
“I am under no obligation to explain any of this to you, Your Highness. Frankly, I have no intention of explaining it, either. But there is one thing I will say to you.”
Yujin continued with his usual inscrutable smile.
“Your Highness, do you wish to resolve your own problem?”
“…That’s…”
Of course, she did. Who would want to continue living as a host to a demon? While someone like a dark mage might see it as a source of glory, she certainly did not.
More than anything, she didn’t want to keep living in agony like this, only to eventually be consumed and erased by the demon.
“If so, then I will make you an offer you can’t refuse.”
Understanding her answer without her needing to say it, Yujin smiled and continued.
“I will help you resolve this problem. In exchange, Your Highness will have to grant me one thing I desire.”
As he said this, Yujin extended his hand toward her.
“Ah…”
Elicia felt as though it was something akin to a demon’s contract.
Sweet beyond measure, yet equally dangerous… a trap, like a spider’s web.
Looking at it, she wondered if perhaps she had been deluding herself about something.
A childish fantasy. Like the princes in the fairy tales her mother used to tell her when she was young.
Of course, this wasn’t anything like that in reality.
And yet, she quite literally couldn’t refuse him…
“…Yes.”
In the end, she took hold of the hand extended for that contract.
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