Chapter 179: Back to Class

"In any case, I was supposed to show you around, wasn't I? Guess I got a little carried away." Eveline stood up from her chair, her expression thoughtful. The moment she did, Magnus noticed her preparing to clap her hands. Instinct kicked in, and he quickly got to his feet—he'd learned the hard way what happened if he didn't.

That instinct proved right. The second he blinked at the sharp sound of her clap, the chairs and tables vanished.

"Well, as much as I appreciate the offer, is there really that much to see?" Magnus asked, glancing around.

"I mean, I already saw the puppets, and this platform isn't exactly huge."

"Of course there's more. You noticed it earlier, didn't you?" Eveline gestured toward the center of the platform, where a section of the floor seemed separate from the rest, as if designed to move independently.

"Oh, right." Magnus stepped onto the section, looking down before glancing back at Eveline.

"So, what's down here?"

"Hmm, quite a few things. For example, the archive where all the predictions go once they're finished." Eveline gestured to the circle of puppets surrounding them before grinning.

"And the specimens you so graciously provided me." Magnus frowned, trying to figure out what she meant. As Eveline stepped onto the platform beside him, a thought clicked into place.

"Oh, Celia already gave you the vampires? I was wondering where they disappeared to." The platform beneath them shifted, moving the second they stopped moving. Just like Eveline had described, it detached smoothly from the rest of the structure, descending like an elevator. Not a single sound came from it—whatever magic Eveline had woven into its design was doing its job flawlessly.

"That's right," she confirmed.

"I have to admit, I wasn't expecting such a generous gift when you returned—on top of all the fascinating things you've experienced on your journey. To think, not long ago, I believed vampires were nothing more than myths and legends. But no... the world keeps opening new doors for me. Nightwalkers, Nyxborne, the Raventhiel... they've gone by so many names throughout history, from old fables to records suggesting they may have once founded entire cities—maybe even civilizations. Of course, much of that has likely been... rewritten over time. They've clearly fallen from grace, but that doesn't make this any less of an incredible discovery."

Magnus listened as Eveline got lost in her own thoughts, and soon, they reached the lower level. It wasn't a long descent. The second floor sat just beneath the first, mirroring it in design but enclosed within solid walls, turning it into an isolated chamber accessible only by the elevator. The ceiling was studded with luminous crystals, glowing with a soft blue light. They dotted the surface like stars, illuminating the space without casting harsh shadows.

As the platform came to a stop, it slotted perfectly into a hole in the floor, seamlessly merging with the second level. Magnus took in his surroundings, his eyes immediately drawn to a stone lectern altar built directly out from the floor. Resting atop it was a book—at first glance, it looked physical, but a faint glow outlined its form, making it clear that it was either enchanted or entirely composed of mana.

Of course, the other striking detail was the steady flow of light—the same light that the papers the puppets wrote on transformed into once they were finished. Every strand of it funneled directly into the book, which sat open, its pages constantly flipping as if sorting through an endless stream of information.

"So this is the archive book Celia mentioned," Magnus mused as he stepped closer.

"That's right. It has enough space to store hundreds of thousands of predictions if it ever comes to that. And little Celia has already gone through nearly all of them. That girl has quite the work ethic—she's even picked up on a few patterns and averages, but I'll let her explain those to you herself." As Eveline spoke, Magnus reached out and let his fingers brush against the book.

Just as Celia had said, all he needed was a thought, and the book reacted. If he wanted to see the very first prediction recorded inside, one of Celia's, the pages flipped instantly to it. Thousands of entries filled the archive, and the fact that Celia had already combed through them all of them was honestly surprising.

"You know, the way you talk about Celia, it sounds like the two of you have been getting along really well," Magnus noted, turning from the altar with a small smile.

"Well, of course," Eveline replied, her tone light.

"She's intelligent, efficient, learns quickly, and—most importantly—she's surprisingly obedient. Like a pet and an assistant all rolled into one adorable package. And the best part? She got that way through her own efforts. I can't help but admire people like that." The way she spoke, almost made it sound like she was swooning. But the grin on her face and the sharp glint in her eyes told a different story that made him slowly shake his head.

"So, have you thought about taking her on as a disciple?" Eveline's expression shifted slightly, her enthusiasm dimming as she let out a breath.

"Oh, believe me, the thought has crossed my mind more than once. But, unfortunately, she's completely normal—no mana core, no chance of ever developing one, and it's far too late in life for her to awaken an aura. Even though she's absorbing magical knowledge at an impressive rate, she'll never be able to become a mage."

"Hmm... that's a shame," Magnus admitted.

"I can only imagine how excited she'd be to learn. Plus, I'd feel a lot more comfortable leaving her on her own, considering the people targeting me." His gaze drifted to the far side of the chamber, where two magical, tube-like structures stood side by side. Even at a glance, it was obvious they were some kind of containment barriers—though what kind, he couldn't immediately tell. Inside them, however, he recognized the familiar true forms of the vampires he'd captured and imprisoned within a mana construct.

Following his line of sight, Eveline let out a small chuckle.

"Ah, yes. I moved them to a more... secure environment," she remarked.

"When Celia first told me you'd captured two vampires, I never expected them to be in this state. Quite the surprise."

"Yeah, tell me about it," Magnus muttered.

"The bodies we saw are practically corpses, while their real selves—whatever they truly are—pull the strings like puppeteers." Eveline nodded, her expression turning thoughtful as she observed the imprisoned creatures.

"I had a feeling it was something like that. It's interesting... they seem capable of absorbing any form of energy they come into contact with, as long as the exposure is prolonged and the energy isn't already under someone else's influence. That means they can't absorb one another, and magic is highly effective against them, forcing them to disrupt it instead. They also seem able to do the same with physical material that originates from them—breaking it down and reabsorbing it as energy, though at a slower rate. But when it comes to directly absorbing foreign solids, liquids, or gases... I haven't seen any reaction. Which is strange, considering they should be capable of it..." Eveline trailed off, her thoughts drifting.

Magnus listened carefully. Everything she said lined up with what he'd observed, but that last part nagged at him.

"Right... why don't they just go to a lake or something and binge? Convert all that water into energy? If they're so ancient, you'd think at least one of them would've started devouring the world around them by now. Why target people specifically? Drinking blood, feeding off living things... it seems inefficient," he muttered, confused.

Eveline hummed in thought before shaking her head.

"I asked myself the same thing, but I haven't figured it out yet. Then again, I've barely started any real research—just quick observations using sensory magic. I'm sure I'll learn more once I dig deeper." She chuckled to herself at that, which made Magnus cut in.

"Sure, but before all that, can you try getting some information out of them first? You know, before you break them or something. I need to know who their lord is—the one Lady Austra sent them after me for. Plus, their base of operations, how many of them there are, and maybe even Nightshade's internal structure and the locations of their executives."

"Oh? Are you asking me to torture the information out of them?" Eveline teased, her tone playful, though the look in her eyes made it clear she had no issue with the idea.

"Huh? What? No, I- I mean, if you have to, I guess," Magnus muttered.

"I thought you could just use magic." Eveline's amusement faded slightly.

"Hmm, I suppose... though that's much more boring."

She smirked.

"I guess I'll just have to see how their bodies react to different forms of pain later." Taking that as some form of agreement, Magnus nodded.

"Thanks." With that settled, his attention shifted to something else that stood out in the otherwise bare chamber. The walls were mostly empty, save for a single door leading to another area.

"By the way, where does that lead?" He asked, pointing at it.

"Hmm? Oh, that's a testing chamber I built," Eveline answered.

"After you left, Celia and I got curious about the effects of the Knockout Brick—specifically, how it induces a knockout state in different objects aside from teacups. So I created a controlled environment where we could run tests safely using the fragment of the brick you left here. We haven't done too many, since the results can be... unpredictable and troublesome to deal with, even for me. But I can say they're quite interesting." Magnus perked up at that. He'd been wanting to test the Knockout Brick for a while but never had a safe place to do it.

After all, it was a glitch. If it caused or created something he couldn't control or get rid of, he could end up exposing the Knockout Brick—or worse, getting himself killed. But if there was a controlled environment, that changed things.

"I'm guessing you two took notes I could look at?" Magnus asked.

"Of course," Eveline replied matter-of-factly.

"Great. That'll make the weapon I plan on getting created soon even more useful," Magnus said as he walked back toward the elevator-like platform that would take him up to the first floor.

"You're staying here?" He asked, noticing Eveline hadn't moved to join him.

"Well, you did ask me to extract information from those two vampires," she reminded him.

"And as it happens, I've got some free time." She raised a hand to her lips, barely hiding how eager she was to get started.

"Fair enough." Magnus stepped onto the platform but paused before it began to rise.

"Oh, one last thing. You mentioned that tomorrow's class would cover something called mana scaling—that it's key to being a mage at the Adept level. What exactly is that?" As the platform started its slow ascent, Eveline simply tilted her head and smirked.

"Nuh-uh-uh," she chided.

"Like I said, Magnus—spoilers. But trust me, I think you'll find the class very enlightening. Especially with your abilities." He wondered what she meant by that, but before he could say another word, Eveline disappeared from view as the platform reached the first floor, leaving him once again surrounded by the white void of the Alternate Space.

Useful for a person with my abilities, huh? So, I guess that means she thinks I can use the Command Console to replicate it, right? Well, in that case, I've got even more reason to attend class tomorrow.

=====================================•=====================================

Year 348 of the Great Sundering Era, 2nd Month, 2nd Day of the Mistveil Cycle.

"Ah, man… I've missed this," Magnus muttered as he stretched in bed, letting out a satisfied sigh.

His dorm room was quiet—no rustling, no background noise—just the stillness left behind after Celia had gone home last night. He wouldn't see her again until after classes. A strange pattern of light danced across the walls, the glow of the morning sun reflecting off him in a way that anyone would call unnatural.

After lying there for a bit longer, soaking in the soft comfort of his bed, he finally forced himself to get up. It felt odd not having to wake up and immediately do some kind of maintenance on himself. He even caught himself heading into the bathroom to prepare a bath—only to remember he didn't need to do that kind of thing anymore, at least not often. Instead, all he had to do was slip into a fresh uniform, and he was ready for the day.

Once dressed, he stepped out of his dorm, made his way downstairs, and exited the building, heading toward the cafeteria. It was mostly out of habit—just like nearly running a bath. As he was now, he didn't actually need to eat breakfast, but at the same time, it wasn't like a few bites would instantly fill him up either. His body had become extremely energy-efficient. Eating still gave him an extra boost, but skipping a meal didn't have much of an effect.

Essentially, food had become something purely recreational for him—not that he minded. As packed and exciting as his time with Seraline had been on their assignment, and as much as he'd gotten used to living outside of Takerth Academy, nothing beat the food and comforts they had here.

So, after indulging in what had to be the fluffiest pancakes he'd ever tasted, he made his way toward the academy's main building. As he walked through the grandiose halls, he caught the occasional odd look before turning down the corridor where classrooms were slowly filling with students.

That was when he noticed something he hadn't paid much attention to before—some classrooms were packed, while others were only half full, or even nearly empty.

I guess our class wasn't the only one that had students reassigned.

Ever since the Live Examination, where everyone's talents and potential had been put on full display for the academy staff, class placements had shifted. Those with the most talent and potential—for example, himself, Luden, the twins, or any others nearing or already at the Adept-level—had been allowed to stay in their usual classrooms. Meanwhile, students with more average capabilities had been relocated to other classes alongside others at their level.

The change helped prevent anyone from being held back when professors introduced advanced concepts that outpaced most of the class.

I guess it also serves as another type of ranking system in a way. The fewer students in a classroom, the more likely they were to be the kind of geniuses who'd make a name for themselves in the future.

With that thought Magnus stepped into Class 3-B—his class. At the front of the room, Eredim glanced over and waved him in.

"Magnus, wonderful to see you joining us for class again," he said.

"I'm glad to be back, Professor Eredim," Magnus replied, glancing around the classroom. He quickly spotted familiar faces—Sylas and Syrna, the latter waving at him, to which he casually waved back. Nithra was in her usual spot in the back top row, though she wasn't dozing off. Unlike before, she actually seemed engaged—or at the very least, awake.

It looked like Lazitha had completely changed her attitude toward classes. First, she slept through them entirely, then only partially, and now she was fully alert. Magnus still had no idea how she managed that.

Nithra was something of an enigma to Magnus. She was clearly talented—just a step below Luden when it came to wielding magic, yet her comprehension ability was even higher. But she hadn't participated in the Live Examination. Magnus doubted she'd been eliminated in the preliminaries, which meant she must have chosen not to apply. And yet, she was still here, in a class filled exclusively with Pseudo-Adept mages and knights on the verge of reaching the Adept-level. That meant the academy had recognized her abilities regardless.

I really don't get how geniuses think…

That was when Magnus's gaze landed on Luden, who was already looking back at him with his usual passive smile.

"Hey, Luden," Magnus greeted as he made his way to his seat.

"You seem to be in good spirits," Luden noted, leaning back slightly in his chair.

"I was surprised when the twins told me you were here."

"Oh, so that's how you found out. They mentioned you've been busy practically every day now," Magnus said.

Luden nodded.

"That's true. Having a mentor and private lessons on top of my usual classes and duties outside the academy takes up most of my time. But it's necessary if I want to maintain my position. But all of that aside, I imagine you want to discuss a few things soon, right?" As always, Luden had read his intentions right away. His sharp eyes scanned Magnus up and down, taking note of the subtle changes in his appearance, though he didn't comment on them.

"That's right," Magnus confirmed, lowering his voice.

"I won't go into detail here, but it has to do with the mercenaries hired at the celebration." Luden's expression shifted slightly as he turned his gaze toward the front of the classroom.

"I see," he murmured.

"In that case, we both have news to share. I'll ask Lazitha to reschedule my private lessons today so we have time to talk. But for now, let's keep this discussion off the academy grounds—at least while we're friends." Magnus caught the unspoken meaning behind that last word. When they discussed this, it wouldn't be as Magnus speaking to Luden—it would be Cain. That was the agreement they came to when, in regards to Luden offering his assistance.

"Right," Magnus agreed, shifting his focus forward as well.

Eredim, preparing to start the lesson, turned his attention to Magnus.

"Magnus, since you've missed quite a few classes, you might be a bit behind. Just do your best to keep up, and I'll prepare some material for you tomorrow to review everything we've covered so far in class. I imagine memorizing it won't be much trouble for you, will it?" Having taught Magnus for as long as he had, Eredim was well aware of his near-inhuman memory.

"Of course, Professor," Magnus answered with a nod.

"Good," Eredim acknowledged before moving on.

"Oh, and before your second class with Lazitha, I'll ask her to briefly go over what she's covered so far—though I imagine she'd do that anyway once she sees you." With that, the lesson began. But as Eredim lectured, Magnus couldn't help but think back to what Eveline had told him in the Alternate Space.

Leaning slightly toward Luden, he lowered his voice.

"Hey, what exactly are we learning in Lazitha's class right now?" Luden glanced at him, smirking slightly.

"What every Adept-level mage has to learn. Their greatest tool," he answered.

"Teleportation."