19.
The grand event of Premus, the Leap Ceremony, was now less than a week away.
A soft, steady footsteps glided through the desolate corridor—not too fast, not too slow.
Dressed in an ordinary school uniform like any other student, with a neatly arranged robe.
With each step, her long lavender hair swayed gently.
On her chest pin, the name “Iris Lumière” was inscribed.
The petite girl carried a gentle smile on her face.
-toc.
-toc.
Her destination? To see an old friend.
And then…
[Mana Design – Leter Yurt]
[In Office]
“…Hm~.”
The personal office of the newly appointed professor who had been tasked with retrieving this information.
Since the command came from the binding constraints of body and consciousness, Iris harbored no doubts.
-Knock.
“Excuse me~.”
After a couple of knocks, she entered.
She directed her gaze toward the lone figure sitting at the luxurious wooden desk.
“Hello, Professor! I’m Iris Lumière, specializing in healing!”
“…Hello.”
Snow-white hair.
Curved eyes.
Overall, a refined appearance.
A cute yet dignified young girl greeted Iris.
Then came the question:
“Has Evan arrived yet? I thought he’s usually here by this time.”
“He said he’d pop by the dormitory for a bit. He left something behind.”
But he’ll be back soon.
The new professor, showing little interest in Iris, said this while turning their attention back to the papers before them.
Iris quietly sat on the guest sofa and scanned the office.
Her gaze meticulously examined even the patterns on the wallpaper, aiming to gather information.
She sought to assess whether Leter might become a variable in the upcoming events of the Apostles.
Her gaze paused momentarily on the golden emblem-embroidered robe hanging on the standing coat rack.
‘Ancient Dragon, Orpheon…’
Living calamity.
An undefeatable monstrosity.
History books already record how foolish it is to oppose such a name.
It would also be unwise to meddle with a girl adorned with the emblem of an ancient dragon.
There’s no need to invite such a terrifying entity to the Apostle’s plans.
This is why Iris flagged the new professor as someone to watch closely.
Shortly after, knock knock.
A familiar face entered the office after a couple of knocks.
“Evan~.”
“Oh, Iris?”
Iris approached her childhood friend with an open smile, showing no trace of awkwardness.
In contrast, Evan’s face was filled with both surprise and embarrassment.
“Why are you here?”
“I’ve been waiting for you.”
The words that followed from Iris were utterly normal—requests or promises between close friends, nothing more, nothing less.
“We suffered last year standing in line, so let’s go early this time for the Leap Ceremony.”
“Then, at 9?”
“9 is late. Let’s meet at 8:30.”
“Well… okay.”
Having received Evan’s confirmation regarding the Leap Ceremony, Iris lightly waved goodbye and left the office.
Even as the door closed with a creak, Leter’s gaze remained fixed on the papers on the desk.
However…
“Evan.”
“Yes?”
That small mouth wasn’t closed anymore.
“Do you like Iris?”
“Wha, wha? L, like?”
“Hmm. Please answer with a yes or no.”
After a moment, Evan slowly nodded, affirming Leter’s question.
And then, the small shadow gradually rose from her seat and approached Evan.
“So, clear your schedule after the Leap Ceremony. For about a week.”
Patting Evan’s back gently with her small hands, Leter concluded her statement and exited the office.
Naturally, Evan couldn’t fully grasp the meaning of what Leter had just said at that moment.
He merely thought, ‘Maybe she’s suggesting we go on a trip together for a week?’
***
Time passed, and soon there were only two days left until the Leap Ceremony.
As usual, Letter was seated in the study of her quarters, perusing various ancient texts when the reply to the letter she sent a few days ago arrived.
Just the content alone…
｢Interesting. I’ll be arriving at Premus soon. Don’t cause any trouble while I’m gone.｣
“…This is bad.”
Brief but gravely serious, causing her to hastily change into proper attire despite it being late evening.
“Huh? Where to?”
“To see the Dean.”
“The Dean? Why?”
“Because, well…the Lord will be visiting, so I wanted to inform the Dean beforehand.”
“Ah, got it. Be safe!”
Startled by the sudden mention of “Lord,” Isabel didn’t hold Letter back.
After all, Isabel also knew well who their Lord truly was.
Immediately after leaving the faculty quarters, Letter rushed straight to the Dean’s office.
Though she had sent an urgent message via the portable communicator, she couldn’t afford to wait for a reply.
Confirming that the Dean was present, she knocked immediately for this very reason.
Every second counted in delivering the news of the Ancient Dragon’s impending visit to the Academy.
‘Of course, he’ll probably stick around to check out the Leap Ceremony.’
Within mere seconds, she finally met Dean Ainel.
Puzzled by Letter’s sudden request for a meeting, Ainel inquired about the matter, given the late hour.
“Is there a problem with the Leap Ceremony?”
“Ah, it’s not a problem… Is it?”
“Hmm?”
“Well, Lord Orph… No, our Lord will be visiting the academy.”
The instant the mention of the Ancient Dragon came from Letter, Ainel’s face froze within seconds.
By the time the regretful remark about possibly viewing the Leap Ceremony was added, Ainel sighed deeply.
Simply because no one can defy the will of the Ancient Dragon…
“For now… understood.”
With a light sigh, he nodded.
A sense of guilt arose naturally from this interaction.
‘Sorry to bother you…’
Upon reflection, Letter’s correspondence with Orpheon wasn’t due to the Leap Ceremony but rather for her students.
Nevertheless, since the outcome resulted in “an Ancient Dragon’s visit to the Academy,” it became Letter’s responsibility to ensure Orpheon behaved properly.
Consulting measures concerning her students while avoiding harm to the academy was necessary.
Hence, upon Orpheon’s arrival the next morning, she promptly brought him to her office for this reason.
Of course, for Irina, Letter’s assistant, and Evan, it was a shock to faint.
They merely came to Letter’s office early in the morning as usual, only to find the mighty Ancient Dragon casually sitting on the guest sofa with crossed legs.
“Does the tea suit your taste…?”
“It’s passable.”
Despite being royalty, Irina found it difficult to engage in even a single conversation.
Strictly speaking, they’ve known since the opening ceremony that Letter and the Ancient Dragon shared a close relationship, but…
“I’ll be teaching shortly, please wait here.”
“Hmm, isn’t there a café nearby with good drinks? Can I take a quick detour?”
“No, you can’t. You’ll kidnap me back to your lair if you like it.”
“Well… I won’t deny that.”
“See?”
Seeing the real Ancient Dragon Orpheon rendered them speechless.
Regardless of his outward appearance, which seemed like a sharp-looking man, the form was merely superficial.
Thus, neither Irina nor Evan dared to intervene in the conversation between Letter and the Ancient Dragon.
They could do nothing more.
“Alright, then. Class time is almost here.”
The hesitant steps of Letter’s assistants followed her as she moved outside the office.
Only after confirming that the Ancient Dragon wouldn’t follow did Irina and Evan breathe a deep sigh of relief and ask Letter what had happened.
However, Letter couldn’t provide detailed explanations.
Clarifying the complex relationships between Letter, her students, and Orpheon required quite an extended conversation.
Moreover, Letter was currently concealing her true identity.
“Um, I exchanged some personal consultations via letter, but somehow the remote consultation turned into an in-person one.”
Ultimately, Letter conveyed highly condensed information to her assistants.
Simultaneously, she made it clear that she herself was in a perplexed situation.
Fortunately, Irina and Evan understood Letter’s predicament.
It seemed evident that even Letter couldn’t defy the will of the Ancient Dragon.
“G-good luck, Professor.”
“…Thank you for the kind words.”
Eventually, as the trio reached the auditorium…
Orpheon, still alone in the office, sensed thick and sinister energies approaching from all sides.
“You’ve certainly shown off your tricks…”
What confronted him were shadows of sorcery.
Primarily surveillance-oriented spells spread throughout the office.
Realizing instantly that these tricks were all Carian’s doing, Orpheon raised his hand to dispel them.
However, upon further thought…
‘Asher must have noticed this; surely my friend hasn’t missed it…’
Since it seemed unlikely that Asher hadn’t detected them,
Orpheon decided to leave the spells undisturbed.
After all, the sole target of these spells was Leter Yurt.
‘Perhaps deliberately letting everything show to eliminate suspicion…’
In conclusion, Orpheon remained quietly in the office until Letter returned.
Although he felt like wandering around the academy, the cost would likely be too heavy.
The vast grounds of the academy also radiated the aura of an Elemental King.
Whether it was fire or ice remained unclear, but if it was ice, it would be quite troublesome.
Most importantly, due to the intriguing situation unfolding in the academy’s basement,
It was better to sit quietly and observe the underground developments rather than wander against his friend’s wishes.
“L, Lord Rakael, save me─”
-Pooook!
“Guhhh…”
“You have served a false deity. Alas.”
“…What a racket.”
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