Standing before the towering Comprehensive Teaching Building of the Royal Magic Academy, Helos let out a long, heartfelt sigh.
Winter Is Coming. The once lush and vibrant academy courtyard had now taken on a touch of bleak, withered yellow.
The cold wind swept up fallen leaves, spinning them across the stone path with a rustling sound.
Helos tightened the thick cloak around herself and looked up at the familiar building before her.
To be honest, it was a bit embarrassing. Although she was technically a student here, since enrolling, the time she had actually spent inside this teaching building could be counted on one hand.
In the past, she had been like a madwoman possessed, spending day and night holed up in the Underground Workshop at the Alchemy Center.
Her mind was filled with nothing but alchemical recipes and forbidden knowledge. She barely even stopped to eat or sleep, preferring to handle everything right at the experiment table, let alone coming here to attend proper classes.
Before returning here, Helos had made a detour to the Alchemy Center.
It was completely transformed.
The once lively place, always billowing black smoke and echoing with the clang of hammers, was now deathly silent.
A massive Magic Sealing Barrier covered the entire building. At the entrance stood a group of heavily armed Imperial soldiers.
Their faces were cold, and they held long halberds, vigilantly watching anyone who tried to approach.
Forget about people—even a fly probably couldn’t get in.
Professor Graham was a cultist and had fled in fear of punishment.
This news was like a bomb, exploding across the entire Royal Magic Academy within a few days.
Who would have thought that the scruffy, kindly alchemy master who was always friendly to students was actually a Chaos Believer plotting to overthrow the Empire?
Naturally, some rumors also pointed at Helos.
After all, she was Graham’s most outstanding disciple and the one who had been closest to him during that time.
“Have you heard? That second young lady of the Olivias family…”
“Shh! Don’t say that! The Dean herself has already spoken—she said Helos is also a victim, that her talent was exploited by that cultist!”
“But…”
Walking along the road, Helos could still catch whispers like these now and then.
Fortunately, Dean Finalais had kept her promise.
That Elven Dean, who had lived for who knows how many years, used some little “methods” only she could employ to forcibly suppress all the unfavorable rumors about Helos, protecting her reputation as much as possible.
Not only that, but the Dean had also given Helos some other considerations.
For instance…
Helos stopped walking and let out a helpless sigh.
She withdrew her gaze from the teaching building and turned to look at the two people beside her.
On the left was a black-haired young man wearing the academy uniform, which somehow gave off the aura of armor.
On the right was a blonde girl in a standard maid outfit, standing straighter than a palace guard.
An absolute vacuum zone had formed within three meters around her.
Passing students didn’t even dare to approach and talk—just one look at those two’s eyes sent them scurrying away.
These two were like a pair of fierce gods, flanking her left and right.
“Hey.”
Helos couldn’t take it anymore. She raised her hand and waved it in front of their faces.
“Can you two act normal?”
“This is the academy! A school! It’s not some forest full of magical beasts or a battlefield!”
She pointed at the classmates casting strange glances their way and lowered her voice to complain:
“Look around! Everyone thinks we’re some weird group! Why are you two standing here like a pair of giant Buddha statues?”
At this moment, Julius was squinting his jet-black eyes, scanning the crowd like a hawk, searching for any potential threat.
Gavi, on the other hand, was expressionless, a faint glimmer flickering in her gray pupils as she observed something.
Hearing the girl’s complaint, Julius withdrew his gaze.
He looked down at Helos, who only reached his chest, without a trace of embarrassment on his face. Instead, he appeared completely serious.
“This is necessary protection, Helos.”
His voice was stern, sounding like he was handling official business.
“Even though Graham has fled, the Chaos Believers lurking in the shadows haven’t been completely eliminated. The academy is full of people and eyes—no one knows where a black hand might reach out next.”
“Mr. Christ specifically instructed that you must never leave our sight.”
“That’s right.”
Gavi, standing on the other side, nodded and took over the conversation.
In her crisp voice, she added:
“The more crowded the place, the easier it is for murderous intent to hide. This is basic guard duty. Master, please understand.”
Helos was left speechless by their one-two punch.
She wanted to say that she was no longer the weak, helpless girl she used to be.
She had the Curse of Silence, a powerful trump card.
And although the Chaotic energy had been suppressed, that didn’t mean she couldn’t use alchemy anymore.
She had tried using some of the unlocked alchemy again. Though the effects were much weaker, she could still use them normally as long as she ensured her own safety.
If it came down to a fight, it was uncertain who would kill whom against an ordinary assassin.
But thinking about the previous loss of control and that these two were only acting so paranoid for her own safety, Helos swallowed the retort that had risen to her lips.
“Alright, alright. You’re both right.”
Helos waved her hand helplessly, choosing to compromise.
“Do whatever you want. Just don’t follow me into the restroom.”
She sighed, composed herself, and started walking toward the teaching building.
Regardless, life had to go on, and classes had to be attended.
She couldn’t just hide at home forever out of fear.
But just as she intended to report to her class, a hurried figure emerged from the entrance of the teaching building.
It was a young woman wearing a light green mage robe, clutching a thick stack of textbooks.
This was Miss Emilia, the teacher responsible for the basic course in Ancient Rune Studies.
Emilia seemed to be in a hurry to get somewhere and was walking quickly.
But when her gaze swept over the trio at the entrance, her steps halted abruptly.
Seeing the silver-haired girl caught in the middle, Emilia’s eyes lit up.
“Helos?!”
She called out in surprise, barely managing to keep her books from slipping, and quickly hurried over.
“Oh my goodness! It really is you! You’re finally back!”
Emilia’s face was filled with genuine concern.
“The Dean told me you were unwell and had been at home recovering. How are you now? Feeling better? Any discomfort?”
Helos had taken a long leave of absence.
All she had been told was that Helos was ill and needed rest.
As for the specifics, they involved secrets of the Royal Palace and the Church, so an ordinary teacher like her naturally had no way of knowing.
Seeing the enthusiastic Miss Emilia getting closer, Helos’s expression shifted slightly.
She instinctively stepped back.
“Stop!”
Helos extended her hand, making a halting gesture.
“Teacher! Please stay right there! Don’t come any closer!”
Emilia was taken aback by her sudden reaction, her footsteps halting two meters away from Helos.
“What… what’s wrong?”
The teacher looked at a loss.
Helos looked at the confusion in the other’s eyes, inwardly groaning.
Her body was now a massive “Magic Black Hole.”
Ever since that Black Ring had been severed, her Curse of Silence had been in a fully released state.
Miss Emilia might only be a basic course teacher, but she was still a proper mage, with a constant flow of mana surging around her.
If she lost control and drained all the mana from the teacher’s body, that would be a real problem.
“Well…”
Helos gave an awkward smile, trying to come up with a reasonable excuse.
“Teacher, don’t misunderstand. I’ve developed a… um, allergy to mana. The doctor said I can’t be too close to others for a while, or I’ll break out in hives.”
“A… mana allergy?”
Emilia blinked, clearly hearing of such a strange condition for the first time.
But seeing Helos’s serious expression and the stern black-haired guard beside her, she didn’t press further.
“Well, all right. Be sure to take care of yourself.”
Emilia nodded. Then, as if remembering something important, her expression turned a bit strange.
She looked at Julius standing to the left of Helos.
This black-haired young man was wearing a newly issued academy uniform, but his powerful aura didn’t seem like that of a student at all.
She then looked at Gavi on the right.
Though the blonde girl was in a maid outfit, her eyes were as cold as knives.
Then she looked at the helpless Helos.
Oh my, these three were all now her students?
“Um, Helos.”
Emilia hesitated for a long moment before finally forcing out an awkward sentence:
“Even though you’ve just returned and have a lot of enthusiasm for learning, that’s great. But… you might have to put off attending classes for now.”
“Huh?”
Helos was stunned.
“Why? Didn’t I already end my leave?”
“It’s not because of that.”
Emilia shook her head.
She pulled a document stamped with the Dean’s seal from her pocket and handed it over—of course, from two meters away, she handed it to Julius, who stepped forward.
“This just came down a moment ago.”
Emilia explained.
“Given your special circumstances… and the need to have these two with you as… study companions.”
She pointed at Julius and Gavi.
Ordinary dormitories obviously couldn’t accommodate a group like this, and it wouldn’t comply with academy rules.
“So, Dean Finalais specifically arranged something.”
Emilia looked at Helos with a complicated expression.
“From now on, your dormitory will be moving to a slightly different location.”
“Starting today, you will be moving out of the Comprehensive Research Academy’s student dormitory area.”
“Then where are we staying?”
Helos had a bad feeling.
Emilia raised her hand and pointed toward the deepest part of the academy, a secluded area surrounded by dense forest, normally off-limits.
“The Old School Building.”
She slowly spoke the name.
“In other words… that legendarily haunted, the only remaining independent dormitory in the academy—the ‘Rose Pavilion.'”