Chapter 36

“Ah…”

Thump! Thump!

Elysia could feel her heart pounding fiercely. Facing the man she’d been looking for, her mind inexplicably went blank, making her feel like an utter idiot.

Soon enough, such questions flashed through her empty mind.

Even if he’s a professor, no man can casually enter the women’s dormitory, so how did he get here?

No, rather, why is he here?

Could it be… that he knew I’d be searching and came to find me…

“Hmph.”

At that moment, a cough broke her train of thought. Turning toward the sound with a start, she saw…

“Princess Elysia, do you have a moment?”

“…President?”

A stunning beauty with fiery red hair, golden eyes, and an overwhelming figure that commanded respect—Ines Karandar, the president of Labyrinth Academy, stood there.

Caught up in staring at the man before her, Elysia hadn’t noticed the president until now.

The president immediately bowed her head upon realizing Ines’ presence.

As a member of the powerful Dragon-blooded Karandar family and one of the strongest mortals alive, Ines was someone even the emperor dared not treat lightly.

Moreover, Ines had accepted Elysia back into the academy despite knowing she was being consumed by a demon and helped conceal it—a true benefactor.

Thus, it was only proper for Elysia to show respect.

“President, it’s an honor t—”

“There’s no need for excessive formalities. Raise your head.”

With those words, the president straightened Elysia. She then spoke.

“However…”

“Shall we go inside? I have something to discuss regarding your situation.”

“Ah…”

At the mention of “her situation,” Elysia’s gaze instinctively turned toward Yujin, who stood smiling quietly nearby.

This must involve Professor Yujin as well. Since yesterday when he intervened, the nightmares, hallucinations, and auditory hallucinations had all stopped.

There was no rejection reaction, unlike using powers extracted from another Transcendent’s artifact.

Perhaps… there might actually be a way. After all, this was also why she sought him out.

“…Understood. Please come in, both of you.”

Elysia decided to invite them in first, seeing no reason to refuse.

“Then we shall intrude.”

“We apologize for the intrusion.”

With that, both entered the princess’s dormitory.

The princess’s quarters were elegant and luxurious but didn’t have much beyond what was necessary.

Still, they took their seats around the spacious room’s table and sofa. The long sofa held Yujin and President Ines side by side, while Elysia sat opposite them.

While observing the empty table, Elysia began speaking first.

“I apologize; I haven’t prepared any light refreshments or tea, so I’m afraid I won’t be able to offer you anything.”

“Not at all. It’s rather amusing to expect hospitality from someone we’ve suddenly dropped in on without warning. If anything, I should be apologizing for coming unannounced.”

“No, it’s my fault. You’re here because of my issues, so I should—”

“That’s enough. Let’s stop this pointless talk. We don’t want to waste time on unproductive conversation, do we?”

“…Understood.”

Cutting off the exchange, the president moved on, prompting Elysia to nod. Still, she couldn’t help occasionally glancing at Yujin, clearly aware of his presence.

Noticing this, the president spoke.

“So, you’re probably curious about the person sitting next to me.”

“……”

“Normally, no male professors—not even faculty members—are allowed in the women’s dorms, but given the gravity of this matter, I made an exception and brought him personally. The reason… you already know, right?”

“…Yes.”

Elysia nodded. Recognizing that she understood the situation, the president reciprocated the nod and continued.

“Have you introduced yourselves yet?”

“I introduced myself privately, but I haven’t formally met the princess yet.”

Finally breaking his silence, the quiet man, Yujin, spoke.

“Well, things were awkward at the time, so let’s reintroduce ourselves. Nice to meet you, Princess Elysia. I’m Han Yujin, the new Magic Studies Professor. As you can guess from my name, I hail from the Eastern Continent.”

“Han Yujin…”

So, he’s from the Eastern Continent. But wasn’t that a place unfamiliar with magic? A Magic Studies professor…

Elysia mulled over Yujin’s introduction. However, no matter how she thought about it, he was completely unknown to her.

It couldn’t be helped. After all, when Yujin’s groundbreaking paper on spatial magic spread across the continent within a week, Elysia had been too preoccupied with her own struggles against the demon within to notice external developments.

After contemplating his introduction for a moment, she placed a hand over her chest, displaying regal poise before bowing her head.

“Nice to meet you, Professor Yujin. I am Elysia von Arsedium, Second Princess of the Arsedium Empire.”

Since he was personally brought by the president and had already helped alleviate some of her problems, it was only fitting that she greet him respectfully.

Upon hearing this, Yujin smiled warmly and replied.

“Nice to meet you, Your Highness. You look much better today than yesterday, thankfully.”

Startled.

His comment reminded Elysia of the previous day: losing control and succumbing to the magical energy, despairing and shedding tears, and even yelling at him when he tried to approach her.

Thinking about that embarrassing episode caused her face to flush red as she said:

“…Please forget about what happened then.”

“Haha, if Your Highness wishes me to forget, I shall.”

“Ahem.”

Interrupting the moment, the president cleared her throat again to change the atmosphere.

“Now that introductions are done… Princess Elysia, may I ask you a few questions?”

“Ah… Yes, of course.”

Regaining her composure, Elysia looked toward the president. The president continued.

“Firstly, let me clarify that Professor Yujin here is already aware of your condition. So, don’t be startled if I bring it up in front of him.”

“Yes, I understand.”

When they met yesterday, he instantly grasped the demon consuming her body. He might have even learned everything from the president afterward.

The president spoke.

“First off… you don’t seem to be in much distress right now. In fact, you appear somewhat relieved.”

“To be honest… yes, that’s correct.”

“Did you experience any nightmares?”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Any hallucinations or auditory hallucinations?”

“I neither saw nor heard anything.”

“In that case, do you have any guesses as to why?”

“That would be…”

At this question, she glanced at Yujin. The president nodded.

“You’re right. This is thanks to the measures taken by Professor Yujin here during your encounter yesterday.”

“Some kind of measure…”

At these words, she gently touched the flower pinned to her right eye and asked.

“What exactly do you mean by ‘some kind of measure’?”

“It’s simple. I sealed the demonic energy infiltrating Your Highness’ body.”

“……”

Yujin answered her question. Hearing this, Elysia momentarily froze before asking:

“Is that… even possible?”

“Unfortunately, if it weren’t, Your Highness would still be suffering mentally right now.”

“……”

It was undeniable and left her unable to argue. She had indeed believed that, without Yujin’s intervention, she would’ve woken up plagued by nightmares and tormented by hallucinations and auditory hallucinations as usual.

That said…

“Yet… none of the royal court mages could achieve something like this. Not even you, President…”

“That’s…”

The president hesitated, realizing the truth in her words. Even she doubted her ability to accomplish such a feat. After all, it involved sealing the seed of a Transcendent.

Sealing the power of a Transcendent? That was beyond the realm of mortals.

Both the president and Elysia were aware of this fact. Perhaps Elysia herself understood it best, given that she carried the Seed of the Demon within her.

“…I remember the magic Professor Yujin used yesterday.”

Saying this, Elysia stared intently at Yujin.

Although she was no expert in magic, the spell he cast was clearly beyond human comprehension. Its form itself was impossible to fully grasp.

“One last question. Is Professor Yujin… truly human?”

At this question, Yujin’s smile deepened. Addressing the slightly startled Elysia, he spoke:

“Your Highness, I’m a professor, not someone who gives detailed explanations or reminds people of obvious truths. If anything, I’m more inclined to ask questions.”

“……”

“I have no obligation to explain this to Your Highness, nor do I intend to. However, I will say one thing.”

Yujin continued, still wearing that enigmatic smile.

“Does Your Highness wish to solve your own problem?”

“…Of course.”

Naturally. Who would willingly live parasitized by a demon? Even black sorcerers might consider it an honor, but she certainly didn’t.

Above all, she didn’t want to eventually disappear, consumed entirely by the demon while enduring such torment.

“In that case, I’ll make you an offer you can’t refuse.”

Realizing his intent, Yujin continued with a smile.

“I’ll assist you in resolving this issue. In return, Your Highness must grant me one favor.”

As he extended his hand, saying this…

“Ah…”

Elysia felt it resembled nothing less than a demon’s contract.

Exceedingly sweet, yet perilous… like a spider’s web, a cunning trap.

She wondered if perhaps she had been indulging in some childhood fantasy.

The fairytale image of a prince, spun by her mother’s bedtime stories when she was young.

Reality, however, was far from that.

But she, literally, had no choice but to…

“…Yes.”

Take hold of that contractual hand.