Chapter 5: Witches
"In the end, I wasn't able to sleep properly, no?"
Kael muttered to his reflection in the mirror, noting the dark spots beneath his eyes.
It was not that surprising, considering how late he'd tossed and turned the night before. He ended up sleeping at exactly 2 am. After that stress he felt from yesterday's incident, he decided to completely forget it.
"But still…"
His gaze then drifted toward the other side of the room, where Allen's bed was perfectly folded in fine crisp as though no one had ever slept there at all.
Kael instinctively scowled.
"To think he didn't even bother waking me up..." he grumbled, dragging himself to get dressed.
By the time he stepped outside, the morning bell had long since rung.
6:47 a.m.
Which meant he was forty-seven minutes late.
He shrugged.
What else was new?
He could almost picture Professor Mayhem's forehead vein popping like an overripe tomato, and the thought alone pulled a lazy chuckle out of him. Though he was sure Professor Mayhem despised him, the man was still Kael's favorite professor.
Perhaps the only reason he showed up to class so faithfully was to annoy Professor Mayhem.
The streets leading to Floridel Academy were strangely quiet today. There weren't many students around. He understood that being late meant most of them were already inside, but he couldn't help noticing the line of men in black suits stationed at intervals along the road, looking more serious than ever.
Kael noticed how each one bore a golden insignia on their chest.
The Royal Guard.
Kael blinked, totally amused.
"...The hell are they doing here?"
They were the elite guards who only followed the King's order, not the kind who loitered around classrooms and libraries. It was weird to see them patrolling around, knowing there wasn't even a war or anything that's happening.
"Did something happen?" For a fleeting moment, unease coiled in his stomach. But just as quickly, Kael shrugged it off. "Eh, not my problem."
When he finally trudged into his classroom, another surprise awaited him.
It was nearly empty.
Normally, at least twenty students would already be seated. Today, however, only a thin scattering number of 10 or maybe 11 remained, and the vibe seems off, or should we say... depressing?
Kael batted an eye.
"...Is class suspended?"
Professor Mayhem's absence was equally unsettling. The man was never late; if anything, he relished being there early to glare at students as they shuffled in.
At that moment, Kael knew something was off.
Perhaps the appearance of the Royal Guards around wasn't just a coincidence.
Before Kael could even take a seat, a girl with short brown hair and round glasses waved at him frantically from the corner.
"Psst, Kael! Over here!"
Noticing her presence, Kael wandered over and sat down beside her.
The girl was Chiisa Mori, though in Kael's head, he secretly called her Little Hamster due to her extremely short height.
She was a commoner, but intelligent enough to secure decent grades that allowed her to stay in the Floridel Academy. She was kind and diligent, earning the spot as their class representative.
It didn't look that way, but Chiisa and Kael were actually quite close. Before exams, Chiisa would often take the initiative to help him study. She is even willing to tutor him and let him copy her homework. To Kael, Chiisa was the ideal classmate — a dream for a dropout like him.
Alas, because of her kindness, he often felt guilty asking her for any favors.
"Did something happen?" Kael asked, dropping his bag carelessly to the floor.
Chiisa adjusted her glasses before replying. "The academy's under suspicion. Apparently, one of the students went missing outside, so they're investigating now. Thus, it wasn't really necessary to attend today's classes..."
"Ah, no wonder the halls are empty," Kael muttered, nodding lazily. "I didn't hear about the news... I was busy yesterday after all."
"But for the royal guards to be here too… was the missing person a prince or princess?" Kael asked one more time.
"Not at all." Chiisa shook her head. "No one even knows who she is. Presumably a lower-ranking noble... or maybe just a commoner…"
Chiisa's voice dropped a bit as she proceeded. "But they're saying it's related to a witch. So even the church had to step in."
Kael raised a brow. "A witch? You mean like… the one in the legends?"
The Kingdom of Floridel clung tightly to one myth... so tightly, in fact, it was rumored to be the basis of their bible. Kael barely remembered the details, mostly because he had little to no patience for fairy tales or religion.
But he did recall this:
witches were said to be born from mankind's darkest emotions, mortals who forged contracts with devils. In return, they could conjure miracles... miracles that demanded ruinous prices.
Any wish granted would always extract karma.
The Floridel Church called it heresy, branding magic itself a blasphemy, a theft of God's authority. But he couldn't help but find it ironic that the kingdom relied on ego shards to create so-called "convenience" that were, for all intents and purposes, also served as 'miracles'.
Not that Kael cared. If anything, he considered himself closer to an atheist.
After all, miracles, devils, magic... they were nothing more than fiction to him. Sure, ego shards existed as proof of something beyond understanding, but Kael believed that once science advanced far enough, people would finally be able to understand what an ego shard truly was.
"What nonsense," Kael muttered aloud, leaning back in his chair.
Never in his life had he encountered a rumor about witches. Though there were some historical books that spoke of their existence, there was still no solid proof to support the claim.
Even so, he could not deny it: the kingdom was merciless in enforcing its doctrines. For the Church to extend its hand into the academy's affairs… perhaps there was more to this than a simple 'missing case.'
"I'll write something to father about this..." Kael murmured to himself
After a few minutes of chatter with Chiisa, the door creaked open, and a sharp voice echoed through the room.
"Class is starting. Everyone, open your books to page 378."
A woman strode in. Blonde hair tied up into a bun, necktie snug, and a blouse that was just a little too revealing to be considered an instructor's outfit.
"Ugh… yikes," Kael muttered under his breath.
Of course, he recognized her. She was quite famous after all.
Instructor Ariel.
The infamous assistant instructor who helps with handling Section 1. Yes, in short, she was still in training, yet some nobles already vouched that she had the capacity to teach.
Kael doesn't agree on their view, though...
She was known after all for her razor-sharp tongue, her breathtaking bias, and her uncanny ability to spot a commoner from three hallways away.
If Professor Mayhem were a ticking time bomb of anger, but at least a reliable and fair professor. Instructor Ariel was a blade that was so unfair, and pointed only at the weak.
In short, she was a scummy impostor who thinks herself in the same league as other professors just because she had already started private tutoring among young nobles at a much younger age.
Kael sank lower in his seat.
'This looks already troublesome... Why is she here?'
As if reading his mind, Chiisa leaned over and whispered, "Since Professor Mayhem's currently being investigated, other instructors have to double up and cover the missing lessons."
"Ah, makes sense," Kael said, nodding slowly. Then he paused. "…Wait. Investigated? Our Mayhem? What'd he do? Did he finally lose it and shove a chalkboard into a student's mouth?"
Chiisa stifled a laugh, but quickly straightened up when she noticed Instructor Ariel's eyes narrowing like daggers.
"Quiet."
Instructor Ariel glared at them, too much it could almost have melted steel... and judging by the way her lips curled downward, she wasn't even trying to hide her disgust.
For the first time in his life, Kael felt a pang of longing.
A longing for the sight of that single heroic strand of hair on Professor Mayhem's head. His temper, his lectures, and his forehead vein, he misses all of it.
'Dear sunshine-headed Professor Mayhem,' Kael thought bitterly. 'Please come back soon...'