Following his short stay within the Academy’s infirmary, Ethan had been released without much trouble, except for one thing that weighed on his mind.

  “How long do you plan on following me?” he asked, turning to face the woman staying just a mere step behind him.

  Despite merely walking through the Academy’s halls, her hand remained on the hilt of her sword, and her spirit was on full alert. It even growled at the passersby, prompting them to give Ethan and the girl an even wider berth than usual.

  Still, something was odd. He was used to being ignored, yet this was different. People's attitudes had changed drastically, especially the staff. He could see suspicion in their eyes but also something more visceral—something like fear.

  As for the students, for some reason or other, it was almost as if they enjoyed staring. As they walked, he saw many young girls giggle to themselves. While Ethan wasn’t bad-looking, he knew better than to interpret this as such. Something was definitely odd.

  As for the woman behind him, her face was a mask of stone, betraying no emotions but alertness to her surroundings. Unsurprisingly, her spirit resembled her to a T. It seemed to be a dog, yet its fur was wreathed in flames. One could almost mistake it for a wolf with its size and long, sharp fangs. Still, the resemblance with its owner was uncanny.

  There is no doubt that my sister pushed her onto me. She probably won't budge unless ordered to...

  He had tried countless times to strike a conversation, yet all he received in return was a few grunts when lucky. Most of the time, she merely ignored him, focusing on keeping the both of them safe. Safe from what? Ethan had no idea. He had never been on anyone's bad side in his two years working for the Academy. After all, he simply wasn't worth it.

  “What’s got them all on edge?” Ethan muttered, bothered by all the stares.

  He could feel the tension rising. It felt like the Academy held its breath, afraid of something intangible. As for what it was, Ethan knew it all too clearly, as he had been witness to something eerily similar once before—a death, one easily avoidable.

  It all started two years ago.

  He had just turned eighteen and entered the Endless Library for the first time, beginning his work as a librarian. Due to the means he had used to be granted this post, most of his colleagues treated him coldly—all except for one.

  She was a young girl, not even fifteen. Unlike all the drab adults who were already crushed by the weight of reality, she shone like the sun. Her future was filled with possibilities, and it showed in her temperament. She was amiable and didn't discriminate based on talent or future prospects.

  As expected, she was the only one to welcome Ethan warmly, but at the time, he was young and bitter, resenting his fate. Despair filled his world, so of course he ignored her. All he could think about was to wallow in his own self-pity. This was before he encountered the wordless black tome.

  They never interacted much after that. He never even found out why a girl of not even fifteen could be found within the Endless Library. Usually, acolytes would be forbidden from using their spirits until a year after their awakening ceremony. It allowed the spirit and its contractor to grow accustomed to each other, stabilizing their connection. Obviously, a year had yet to pass for the girl, yet she had already been accepted to the Academy. There may have been something special with her as not even Ethan's sister—a senior at the time—had been granted this honour when she enrolled.

  Anyway, one day, merely two months after Ethan had arrived at the Academy, she was found dead in her own dorm room. Her body showed no signs of trauma, much like the young boy's corpse before being eaten by the forest's wildlife.

  Her skin was pale and cold, her breath inert, and her heart stopped. By all measures, she had perished. As for most of the investigation, almost none of it had been made public. All Ethan knew about the case came from his sister, who was one of the few involved since she was already one of the Archon's guards even before her graduation.

  From what she told him, it was almost as if she had perished in her sleep; her heart had simply stopped beating. However, due to her age, such a thing should have been impossible—or at least highly improbable. There was only one single clue about the case.

  The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  Her spirit was missing, as well as her contract stone. To this day, it has never been found.

  It prompted a month-long search of the entire Academy using countless resources, but with no witnesses or clues, the case eventually became cold. Not even divination magic turned up anything. Whoever was responsible had erased all of their traces.

  It was deemed a case of accidental spiritual suicide, where the connection between contractor and spirit became so unstable that it was severed, bringing the demise of both parties. The contract stone shattered, and the mana contained within was scattered throughout the atmosphere. The spirit was thus returned to its realm, but such came with drastic consequences.

  With time and experience, one can usually mitigate most of the side effects of a spirit's demise, but for a young girl whose connection was still unstable, she took the full brunt of it. When the spirit dissipated, a mana surge was thrust straight into her soul—where the true contract was established. It became too much to handle, and it shattered. She simply perished instantly.

  With time, people eventually forgot about the young genius girl who entered the Academy before her time. Many conspiracies sprouted up around the time, but they, too, faded away. But now, they seemed to have reemerged alongside the memories of that young girl.

  From the outside, the two cases do seem strangely similar. It’s no wonder people became on edge, thinking there might be more to it than they first expected. Still, one thing doesn’t add up. They should have used the same divination on the boy as they did on the girl. How come they haven’t found me already?

  This was the one point Ethan couldn't make sense of. Even as he erased the physical traces of his presence at the crime scene, he knew he couldn't escape divination. All of it was merely to buy himself time. But unexpectedly, he didn't find himself locked in prison; he was simply followed by his sister's hound.

  Ethan was still unaware of what had transpired, of the mysterious figure hidden by a sea of stars. Of course, this was no doubt himself, yet no one knew the truth. They merely believed that an unknown figure had infiltrated the Academy's grounds and attacked one of its students. Rumour spread that it might also have been responsible for the death two years prior. Unaware to even Ethan himself, only one entity might know the whole truth of the matter.

  “Alright, enough!” Ethan said, his patience at his limit as he turned to face the small woman.

  She had stopped just a step away from him, only to look up. Contrary to her stiff expression, her eyes shone with something not dissimilar to his own: Purpose. He couldn’t help but be moved. He felt something stir inside him as he looked down at the sturdy woman.

  She was by no means ugly, yet the large scar on her face couldn't help but frighten most who dared to look her way. Her muscles were also much too bulky for her frame, resulting in her proportions being slightly off, especially since she didn't possess much bosom to speak of. Instead, her chest seemed as hard as steel, almost threatening to rip her uniform in half. All in all, a very peculiar woman. Ethan couldn't help but wonder how she felt serving under his sister. The two couldn't be further apart.

  “My apologies,” Ethan said, his voice cracking slightly as he took a hurried step back.

  He could see her frown in silence, but Ethan couldn't help himself. Despite it all, he couldn't help but be slightly embarrassed. She had stopped much too close—so close that he had felt her breath on his face as she raised her head. Contrary to her brutish appearance, she smelled of flowers—lilies, to be precise. It was sweet and almost overbearing. He nearly became drunk on the scent.

  What’s happening here? Am I so starved of women?

  Ethan's cheeks grew slightly redder as he turned to the side, trying to compose himself. It was a fact that Ethan was unaccustomed to women. Although he had interacted with many beautiful women before, be it his sister, former fiancee, or even someone like Liliane Hoffman, none had been as close to him physically as this one—especially her face.

  He had never felt the urge, never sought any other woman. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he believed that when he gained the ability to use magic, his life would be back on track, and Beth would be his once again. But now, after what had just happened, he began to doubt whether those were mere delusions, whether he could regain his perfect life...

  She remained silent, purely observing him, yet Ethan became slightly flustered by such an innocent gaze. His frustration had faded, replaced with a slight interest in this bulky woman. Despite it all, Ethan knew himself well. She wasn't his type; besides, he could clearly see the ring on her finger. There was nothing to hope for here.

  After taking a few long breaths, Ethan finally turned toward her, gazing into her eyes. Yet, as expected, he saw no desires, just pride—pride in the fact that she was needed by someone she respected, just like a loyal hound. In fact, the eyes of the spirit at her side were a mirror of her own, ready to leap at any moment, even trading its life without any hesitation to protect its master or anything it cherished.

  The spirit was beautiful, loyal, and fierce. It was tall for a dog, rising up to Ethan's hips, yet from all angles, it was a ball of muscles strangely similar to its owner. It wasn't that surprising, as most spirits resembled their contractors, but this pair was even more so.

  Their compatibility must be off the charts. No wonder my sister keeps her by her side...

  The spirit must have caught Ethan’s glance toward it as it soon began barking, prompting the small woman to tense, hand coiled around the hilt of her sword. Ethan felt the atmosphere shift. Although it wasn’t as much as killing intent, Ethan felt a sort of field spread around the woman, engulfing Ethan within as if she had constructed her own territory—a world he couldn’t escape from. He knew that if he were to try, he would be ripped apart by the growling spirit at his feet.

  However, all this sudden intensity wasn't directed toward him but slightly to his back. He turned, only to find that a crowd had suddenly gathered around them, made of students from all different age brackets. They seemed to have nothing in common except for the expression on their faces. They were filled with amusement and expectation, almost as if anticipating a good show.

  Ethan had a bad feeling about this. Most people had only ever ignored him, but this was the first time he had found himself surrounded while in the Academy. Unfortunately, his bad feeling would prove to be right.

  Soon after, the crowd parted, revealing a figure slowly walking toward him, accompanied by many others. They all possessed a strong presence, as did the spirits hovering over them as if to make their presence known, yet they all paled when compared to the one standing in the middle.

  Ethan instantly recognized him, as he had seen him only two weeks prior. Much like himself, he was the son of a Magister, but its current heir. He was also Beth's current fiancee, Lord Nicholas Howe.