The Severed Thread
Even though the night had grown deep, the lights in the academy’s headmaster’s office still burned brightly. Elina Lunespear, the principal of the academy and a distant descendant of a member of the hero’s party, sat at her desk, completely absorbed in her work. No matter how powerful an archmage she might be, as long as she held the position of academy principal, she could not easily escape overtime. Stacks of documents related to the academy’s operations towered on her desk like a mountain, and various reports and proposals captured her attention. Her fingers moved nimbly between the papers, marking necessary sections or adding notes. A serious expression lingered on Elina’s face. Her blue eyes gleamed with concentration as she meticulously examined every character written on the documents. Beneath the lamplight, her fair, delicate skin and golden hair shone even more radiantly.
A soft knock broke her focus. Elina lifted her head and looked toward the door.
The door opened, and her secretary entered the headmaster’s office with careful steps. In her hands was yet another report.
"Lady Elina, I’m sorry to disturb you at this hour, but several urgent matters have come up, so I came to report them."
Elina smiled and gestured for her to continue.
The secretary handed over the document and began explaining.
“First, there was a minor magical accident in the student dormitories. A spell used during an experiment went out of control and caused a small commotion among the students. It was quickly contained, but we need to decide on follow-up measures for the students involved.”
Elina accepted the document and scanned its contents swiftly.
“It appears the student in question attempted an unapproved magical configuration during the experiment. The student is scheduled to be referred to the disciplinary committee.”
Elina nodded.
The secretary began taking notes according to Elina’s instructions.
"Understood, Headmaster."
Next, the secretary handed over the financial report.
“This is the financial report for this quarter. Professor Usrina Lulu is in charge, and there are no major issues, but we need to adjust the budget for some research projects.”
Elina began reviewing the financial report in detail and started taking appropriate measures.
The secretary moved her hand, organizing all the instructions, and Elina expressed her gratitude. Just as she worked late into the night, many people around her were helping her.
Once the secretary left the headmaster’s office, Elina immersed herself in the documents once more. Her sense of responsibility and dedication played a pivotal role in keeping the academy’s daily operations running smoothly. As the night grew even deeper, the light in her office continued to burn brightly.
And in that moment—just for the briefest instant—a strange sensation brushed across her mind. It felt as if a single thread tied inside her head had snapped.
It was the feeling that a magical measure connected to her had been severed. It was the sensation of one of the many, many security spells she had cast breaking—a rare occurrence. There weren’t many places within the academy where she had personally taken the trouble to layer security magic. Most locations that required general security—such as the warehouse where artifacts were stored or the safe in the faculty office containing the next exam materials—were protected by alarm spells that would sound and summon the stationed guards. However, for places that ordinary people must never approach, she handled the security personally.
Examples included her secret laboratory, the hidden passage in the underground aqueduct, the underground archive beneath the library, and several other locations. Of course, her family managed dangerous artifacts and magical tomes from all over the world, but her domain was this academy.
Yet Elina could not easily trust her senses. The strange feeling of the thread snapping had returned to normal almost immediately.
With a sigh, Elina rose from her seat and reached out her hand. A long staff appeared from thin air. It was an item left behind by her ancestor, a hero of the continent and a member of the hero’s party. It had been passed down through the Lunespear family for generations and could only be carried by the family head. And right now, the owner of that staff was Elina herself.
If something had truly disappeared or gone wrong, and no alarm had sounded, then it couldn’t have been an ordinary student. She checked the defensive spells wrapped around her once more, then walked toward the window. The bright moonlight illuminated her, and in the next instant she vanished completely.
“Huff… huff… haaa…”
I really need to build up my stamina. Didn’t I barely run at all?
“Barely… run? Do you have any idea how many floors we just sprinted up? I didn’t notice on the way down, but was it always that deep?”
Well, it would be strange if a place packed with dangerous artifacts and relics was easy to reach, wouldn’t it? And you wouldn’t have even made it down there without me, you know?
“That’s true, I suppose.”
Following Evelyn’s advice, I unlocked the door, hugged the grimoire containing her ego to my chest, and slipped out of the library. Evelyn had taken her own measures as well; on the now-empty bookshelf sat a black book that looked identical to her grimoire. According to her explanation, she had left behind a trace of her power to cause confusion, but honestly, since I couldn’t even use magic properly, it was hard for me to understand.
At any rate, I had managed to reach my dormitory room without any problems so far. Of course, the dorm supervisor had given me a rather severe scolding on the way in, but to me—someone who had already lost all affection for the academy professors—such lectures no longer carried much weight. Thanks to that, my demerit points had increased again, but at this point my mindset was simply that as long as I wasn’t expelled, it was fine.
“Now that I think about it, aren’t you going to turn back into a person?”
Hm? Ah, that form from earlier? What, did you like it that much?
“Well… yeah. It was more my type than I expected.”
Ew… You’re joking, right? Even though hundreds of years have passed, we’re still related by blood, you know?
“What does it matter? Like you said, Lady Evelyn, if I’m a noble with the surname Darkwood, aren’t there noble families that practice incest?”
Ahem. That was ages ago! Anyway, I won’t be able to return to that form for a while. Actually… I might never be able to return. I used up quite a bit of power just to pull you all the way to me, and then I spent almost everything I had left creating that fake grimoire.
So unless there’s a way to accumulate power again, it looks like I won’t be able to go back.
She seemed to have taken my words as a horribly tasteless joke from her descendant and changed the subject, but from my perspective it was no joke at all. Teasing her when she looked so troubled was amusing, but unfortunately now was not the time.
“For now, please start by explaining how you’re going to teach me magic. You said you used up quite a bit of power—does that mean you’ll teach me in the form of a book? Um… but I should warn you in advance that I have absolutely terrible talent for magic. Is that still going to be possible…?”
When I had first received Evelyn’s proposal, I had vaguely assumed that with her help I would be able to learn hypnosis magic. But now that my head had cooled a little, a sudden thought crossed my mind. The fundamental problem was that I was horrendously bad at using magic. Of course I hadn’t lived in a world where magic existed before, but even I had managed to use magic after a year of insane effort. Still, if the best I could manage was a fireball no stronger than a lighter, could I really learn her magic properly?
Yet she spoke as if my worries were ridiculous.
I understand what you’re worried about, but when I say I’ll ‘teach’ you, I don’t mean ordinary teaching. I’m not going to stand in front of a blackboard like one of the academy professors.
“Then what method will you use to teach me…?”
Ha! Have you already forgotten who I am? Here’s a hint—it’s related to my current state!
Her confident attitude was impressive, but looking at her gave me no clues. And seeing me look even more dejected than expected, Evelyn seemed slightly flustered.
Ahem! Get a grip! What kind of life have you been living that you have so little confidence? Where did that bold girl go—the one who stood in front of me earlier and proudly declared she was going to devour everyone?
Evelyn, who had been comforting me, cleared her throat once more and began explaining the method.
I told you my appearance was a hint, didn’t I? The answer is simple. I’m going to transfer the knowledge related to my magic directly into you. Got it?
And the method was far more intense and straightforward than I had imagined.