Bathroom. I needed a bathroom, and I needed it now. The urgent, twisting cramp in my gut was a stark reminder that I was not truly Kaiser-Licht. While some of his mannerisms had seeped into me, at my core, I was still Kim Min-jun, and my body was rebelling against the accumulated stress I hadn't even consciously registered.
This biological imperative was excruciating. Nevertheless, on the outside, I maintained a perfect, measured gait. My insides were a knot of desperation, but my expression remained placid as I scanned the hall. It was then that I saw her, a woman standing at the far end of the long corridor, watching me.
I walked toward her, and she remained perfectly still. As the distance between us closed, I was the one who stopped, just an arm’s length away.
"It's been a while," Isolde said, inclining her head first.
She was a striking woman, with hair like spun moonlight and eyes the color of glacial ice. Her presence immediately brought to mind a blood-soaked image I’d once seen on a monitor. In eight of the sixteen simulated deaths I had run for Kaiser-Licht, this woman had been the cause.
“…Yes, it has,” I replied.
Her name was Isolde. She was this body’s fiancée. She was also a named character destined to become the world’s finest knight.
“Have you been well?” she asked.
It wasn't a question I had an answer for.
A servant would have wilted under my gaze and fled. Isolde, however, simply waited. I had no choice but to respond.
It was the best I could manage, but my clipped answer seemed only to irritate her. She took a slow breath.
“A week ago,” she said, her voice low. “Do you remember the promise you made me?”
I held my ground, meeting her gaze directly. In those deep, beautiful eyes, a clear hostility smoldered.
“You broke it,” Isolde continued.
I said nothing. It was a promise I knew nothing about. I gave a slight nod and tried to step around her.
Isolde shifted, blocking my path.
“Are you running away?”
I was, in fact, trying to run away. My bowels were in revolt. In a situation this volatile, saying anything would only make things worse.
“Are you really going to do this to me again?”
But she wouldn't let me go. She glared at me, her face a mask of cold fury. My usual detached approach was failing spectacularly.
“…What was the promise?”
I genuinely didn't know, so I asked. The question, however, seemed to unleash a fresh wave of her anger, a coldness that made my skin prickle.
A maddening itch bloomed across my back, hot and insistent. I wanted to scratch, but this body, shackled by the ironclad rules of Noble Etiquette, refused to permit such a vulgar action. I forced myself to speak, a hint of awkwardness coloring my tone.
“I am asking you. I was ill with a fever for some time. I must have forgotten.”
“Hah,” she breathed out, a sound of resignation and utter hopelessness. It was a sigh freighted with something heavier than just anger.
“…Damn it. This is who you are, after all,” she said, her voice laced with a frigid contempt, sadness, and disappointment all directed at her fiancé. “Go.”
She stepped aside. I walked past, close enough to brush her shoulder, and I could feel her gaze drilling into the back of my neck the entire way.
Leaving the corridor, I found the VIP bathroom. My eyes darted around, paranoid someone might follow. Only after confirming I was alone did I finally relieve myself.
“Phew, I nearly lost my mind from the itching and the… urgency.”
As my body finally unclenched, I raked my nails against my back and neck. The need to find a proper time and place just to scratch an itch was exhausting. No wonder Kaiser-Licht died so young.
Isolde remained standing for a long time after Kaiser-Licht was gone. The rage inside her burned like an unquenchable fire, and she was struggling to bank the flames when another, uniquely unpleasant person appeared—the Chairwoman of the Kaiserliche Akademie.
She was a young mage of the Ethereal rank, just below the pinnacle of Eternal, and a strong candidate for Archmage. She was also, in Isolde’s opinion, the most spiteful person she knew. The moment she spotted Isolde, the Chairwoman’s hands flew to her mouth in a gesture of playful surprise.
“Well, look who it is! If it isn’t Professor Kaiser-Licht’s fiancée!”
Isolde gave a silent nod. She knew arguing the point—that they weren’t married yet—was useless with this woman.
“I so enjoyed his lecture! As expected of the Head Professor, his explanations were marvelous! I wish I could command a room like that.”
“I know. I was watching, too.”
Isolde tried to cut the conversation short, but the Chairwoman pounced on her words.
“Oh, you were watching? Here to support him, were you? Have you two finally gotten closer?”
Support was the furthest thing from her mind. She had come today to see for herself if Kaiser-Licht would keep his promise. She had told him, plainly, that if he kept his word—if he stood before everyone and confessed his deceit, begging for forgiveness—she would stand by him, even if the world turned against them.
It wasn't about family honor or appearances. It was about her conviction as a knight, a principle that stood above all worldly concerns. That was all. And he had agreed.
“What’s the long face for? Today’s lecture was a triumph,” the Chairwoman pressed, her tone mocking.
Isolde ground her teeth. Kaiser-Licht had broken his promise completely. He had paraded a success built on stolen talent, never once showing a hint of repentance for his corruption.
He didn't even have the courage. He had left her no choice but to finally give up on him. He could live forever in the miserable web of lies he had woven for himself.
“You’re no fun today. Well, take care! I’m off!” the Chairwoman said, pouting as she walked away.
Isolde remained rooted to the marble floor, a whirlwind of emotions threatening to swallow her whole. His von Falkenberg blood and her von Waldenburg blood. Someone’s words from long ago echoed in her mind.
“With Kaiser-Licht’s magical skills and Isolde’s talents as a knight, their union would be a boon to both family lines.”
But both families eventually discovered the truth: Kaiser-Licht’s talent was only average. He had fooled the world, claiming the title of Genius in Spell Interpretation and securing a professorship, but his notable achievements had dried up after a certain incident.
If either family had been less powerful, the fallout would have been explosive. But they were proud nobles, so they buried the truth. The engagement wouldn't be broken unless one side formally refused, and even then, Kaiser-Licht’s fraud would not be exposed. That was why Isolde had believed he had to be the one to correct it.
Today, he had shattered that hope. Now, she would have to be the one to end this wretched engagement herself. Their relationship was finally over.
"My lady," a low voice said from behind her. It was Reinhart, a knight whose face was perpetually obscured by his jet-black hair. Isolde shook her head without turning.
“I’m fine. It’s time for my lecture. Let’s go.”
She began to walk, a retinue of knights falling in step behind her slim back. Isolde, a direct descendant of the prestigious von Waldenburg family—a name synonymous with the masters and holy land of knights—was also scheduled to lecture today. Unlike Kaiser-Licht’s, hers would be a practical demonstration of swordplay with the students.
Among the knights following her, one suddenly stopped. Through the curtain of his long, dark hair, his red eyes gleamed. He turned slowly, his gaze fixing on Kaiser-Licht’s distant, retreating figure. A cold, murderous intent focused on the back of Kaiser-Licht’s neck.
Isolde’s knight, Reinhart, felt a sense of clarity settle over him. After countless days of anguish, he had found the answer. It was a resolution made for his master’s sake, an act only he could perform. He would kill that vile, fraudulent man. He would cut his throat and dismember him, and in doing so, he would bring his master peace.
In the campus cafeteria, Epherene Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel sighed, poking listlessly at her omurice.
She had tried to humiliate Kaiser-Licht. His famed Spell Interpretation ability was a fraud, stolen from her father. She’d thought that by challenging him with a new spell, on the spot, he would panic.
The risk of making an enemy of him had been obvious, but he had effortlessly turned her own attack against her. No one could have predicted he would humiliate her in front of the entire hall just for failing to state her name. He was not to be underestimated.
“It was so embarrassing…”
The sound of mocking laughter still echoed in her ears. But she had made one small bit of progress.
“Pfft. Enchantment, my ass,” Epherene Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel smirked.
He was clearly out of his depth. Claiming it was Enchantment magic was absurd. Of all the categories, that one was notoriously difficult.
It required a colossal amount of mana to deceive a person’s perception, making it wildly inefficient. Most Enchantment spells required a medium; casting one without a medium was considered almost impossible.
“What an idiot. A complete and utter idiot.”
As she muttered this to herself with grim satisfaction, a loud voice called her name.
“Epherene Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel! Epherene Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel!”
She looked up to see a few of her classmates from the freshman mage orientation.
“Thanks to you, we figured it out!” one of them exclaimed.
“Huh? Figured what out?” Epherene Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel blinked, completely lost.
“That magic spell at the dormitory entrance last night!” another one shouted, clapping a hand on her shoulder.
An unidentified spell formation, drawn in red mucus, had appeared at the entrance to the mage dorms. It hadn’t been reported to the administration and was initially suspected to be demonic. It had since become a competitive project for the freshmen, each group trying to be the first to interpret it.
“What do you mean? I didn’t do anything.”
“Come on. You’re the one who asked Professor Kaiser-Licht about it,” her classmate replied.
Epherene Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel was baffled. She hadn’t asked anything. She’d just wanted to trip him up, but now the conversation had taken a bizarre turn.
“Wow, we were all too scared to ask him. You’re really brave, you know that?”
“Huh? No, wait. That magic… it was really a barrier?” Epherene Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel asked, a sense of shock dawning on her.
Did that mean Kaiser-Licht was right?
“Yeah, it was! Once we restructured the formula assuming it was a barrier, it fit perfectly. Wow, Kaiser-Licht is amazing, isn’t he? How did he know it was Enchantment magic without even a medium?”
Epherene Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel’s jaw dropped. She could only stare, dumbfounded.
“Thanks for the help, Epherene Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel. We’re submitting the report soon. We’ll put your name on it, too,” one of them said.
“Eh? Oh, you don’t have to… But, o-okay. You can include my name.”
They left in a cheerful group, smiling. Epherene Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel stared blankly after them. They were kind people, offering to share the credit when they could have kept it all. The situation, however, was anything but ideal. Kaiser-Licht’s reputation had only grown stronger.
“He just got lucky, right? A lucky guess?”
Denying reality, Epherene Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel pulled a paper from her backpack. It was a syllabus for an upcoming semester at the Argent Spire.
Understanding the Properties of Element Magic
Grade: Advanced class for Debutants only (5 credits)
Professor: Kaiser-Licht von Kaiser-Licht
It was Kaiser-Licht’s class. Her own properties were not elemental, but that didn’t matter. Elemental magic was fundamental to everything, and as the old saying went: “Know the enemy and know yourself; in a hundred battles you will never be in peril.”
“You just wait…” Epherene Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel Hebel growled, her eyes fixed on the syllabus.