Despite being shocked by the revelation that their spirits were souls of the dead from the Calamity Void, the short walk was already enough for them to stop caring.
The nobility knew no shame, not even when it came to their young. Everything was considered a valid sacrifice, as long as profit was obtained in the end.
The sacrifice of souls was no different.
Four of them, however, seemed unable to erase that fact so easily.
Seraphine, Ruby, and—surprisingly—Lucien and Aveline, of the 8 prodigies, were not capable of acting as if nothing had happened.
Lucien, even before that, had already shown a certain respect toward his knight spirit. Now, Aveline also looked at her spiritual horse with a trace of pity.
The girl noticed Seraphine's gaze and quickened her pace toward the outside of the institute.
Lucien, on the other hand, didn't seem to care about Seraphine and Ruby staring at the way he treated his knight—with deep respect, rather than as a mere servant of a noble family.
Seraphine thought that perhaps this was due to the fact that Lucien's family had also been composed of merchants before the emperor elevated them to low-status nobility.
But that explanation only worked in Lucien's case.
Aveline was the complete opposite. She came from a vassal state of the empire and belonged to a noble family as old as the imperial family itself.
"You know, Ruby… maybe not all nobles are bad."
Seraphine said this while watching Aveline's silhouette disappear around a corner of the corridor ahead.
"What?" Ruby was completely lost in her thoughts.
"Never mind. You've been totally distracted since we left the room."
"You're going to tell me you're not trying to imagine what your spirit was doing when it was alive, more than a thousand years ago?"
Red Death was perched on her shoulder, using his tail to anchor himself around the girl's neck.
"I thought about it for a moment, but honestly, I can't imagine a worm in any kind of heroic role back then."
Worm followed closely behind Seraphine, showing absolutely no interest in the subject.
"I'm thinking about him," Ruby said, pointing at the dragon on her shoulder. "I'm afraid I won't be able to strengthen my bond with Red Death. He only spoke to me to reject the names I suggested during our flight after registration. But now… nothing. Just silence."
"Maybe it's his diachronic pride? Which I don't think is such a bad thing, you know? This one here could use a little more pride," she added, pointing at Worm just a few centimeters behind her shoulder.
"I wouldn't be surprised if you and Worm end up being the first to reach the highest bond. I mean, he actually talks."
"I wish he wouldn't," Seraphine said flatly, looking ahead. "And you shouldn't worry, Ruby. I'm sure your bond with Red Death will grow. Just look at how peacefully he sleeps on your shoulder. I think you just need to get past his draconic pride."
Seeing that Ruby had her own doubts about her pact and spirit helped Seraphine calm down regarding her own.
The two of them were already at risk of being late for practical magic class, so they picked up the pace.
The day outside the institute seemed perfect for an outdoor lesson. Few clouds crossed the sky; it wasn't too hot or too cold, and a light breeze carried the scent of flowers through the air.
They passed by the records building, where they encountered a small group of students shocked by the enormous hole Worm had created earlier. Ruby laughed at their reactions and the theories they invented about how the hole had appeared. After all, Seraphine had already told her who the culprit was.
The practical magic courtyard could be seen up ahead. Several students were already standing in a large circle carved into the ground. Beside them, a woman with hair as gray as the headmistress's was saying something—but she stopped when she noticed the two girls in the distance, followed by the rest of the students who had paused to observe the destruction at the records building.
It seemed she would wait until everyone arrived.
As Seraphine and Ruby approached, they could better see the woman whose hair was as white as the clouds on that spring day. Contrary to what one might assume from afar, it was not the result of age. Her skin, extremely pale, was almost as smooth as that of the students, and even her eyes possessed an unnaturally white hue.
There was no spirit at her side.
It was the unmistakable Professor Grimward.
A former student who had earned her position immediately after graduating, thanks to her exceptional performance during her years at the institute.
The woman was famous for four distinct reasons: being the youngest professor at the institute, her unique appearance, her explosive temperament…
But above all, she was known for her extraordinary magical combat abilities, far surpassing those of the other professors.
The two girls, along with the rest of the late students, were about to get a taste of that temperament.
"For some specific reason, do you think forming a pact with your spirits excuses you from arriving on time to my class? Or did that idiot Thorne keep you longer in the room with his tedious explanations?"
"Calling an idiot someone who was your professor just a few years ago… that's some courage," Seraphine muttered quietly, so only Ruby could hear.
"But his idiotic mistake of stealing my class time doesn't justify your idiotic mistake of being late."
The professor approached the group that had arrived late.
"You latecomers will spend the class performing saturation attacks on the dummies. And don't you dare stop before you've exhausted every last bit of your mana reserves."
The professor's white eyes were as malicious as Worm's.
Both Seraphine and Ruby—and all the other punished students—hated the punishment, but none of them had the courage to defy her.
Saturation attacks, which consisted of the continuous execution of basic spells until total mana exhaustion, were the professor's preferred disciplinary method.
It was especially cruel, as fifth-year students still lacked sufficient practice in sequential spellcasting, even with the simplest spells. This often resulted in mental confusion or spell failure.
But what terrified students most was the state they were left in after complete mana depletion. Many ended up in the infirmary due to collapses, fainting, or nausea.
There was an unspoken rule among students: avoid irritating Professor Grimward at all costs.
There was no discussion, no attempt at dialogue. The punished students immediately headed to their respective training dummies.
One by one, they began launching basic spells at their targets.
The gazes soon fell upon Seraphine, who had the smallest mana reserves among them. She had never managed to last very long whenever she was unlucky enough to receive this punishment.
"Ha… another one of your saturation punishments, Miss Grimward? The nurse always gets stressed when you apply those," said a female voice approaching the courtyard.
"Headmistress. Yes, these idiots arrived late. On the very first day after invocation, no less. I had excellent topics planned for them today, but nothing that a little magical unconsciousness can't fix."
The young professor's tone shifted so drastically that it was obvious she feared the headmistress.
"Don't be so cruel, Miss Grimward. This year's invocations were rather turbulent."
The headmistress fixed her eyes on Worm now that she had reached the courtyard. Emerald, the headmistress's dryad, did the same. They both seemed to fear that Worm might retaliate if his mistress suffered too much from the punishment.
However, nothing happened.
He remained quietly at Seraphine's side while the girl relentlessly cast spells at the dummy. He didn't even seem to notice the existence of the rest of the world.
"This isn't cruelty, Headmistress. It's a punishment that may be useful to them in the future. Experience with saturation attacks can be extremely beneficial once they gain access to their spirits' mana reserves. I wouldn't waste my time with frivolities like gratuitous cruelty toward students."
The professor adopted a dignified posture, trying to give weight to her argument.
"Very well, Miss Grimward. I'll simply stay here and observe the rest of the class. It would be a waste to remain in my office on such a beautiful day. Besides, Miss Felicia seems determined to saturate me as well… with documents to sign."
The headmistress forced a laugh.
It was clear, however, that she was there to observe Seraphine's first class after forming her pact with Worm—whether out of concern for student safety or curiosity about the anomalous spirit.
The students who were not being punished were instructed to engage in small duels in pairs on the lawn beside the courtyard.
The professor guided them on how to identify openings for attacks and predict the right moment to raise barriers. The headmistress, however, did not hide her interest in Seraphine and her spirit. She would remain there until the girl's mana was exhausted—perhaps fearing what Worm might do if his mistress collapsed.
But unlike previous occasions, Seraphine was not the first to fall.
She didn't even seem confused by the continuous casting.
The other students, however, began to suffer the effects.
Spells failed.
Incantations misfired.
One fell.
Another.
And another.
Until only Seraphine and Ruby remained.
That Ruby lasted so long made sense, given her abnormal mana reserves.
But Seraphine?
It made no sense.
Then…
She looked at the master's circle on her hand.
She didn't need to think any further.
She had her theory.
But she wouldn't stop.
She couldn't stop.
All that mana.
She felt her basic spells growing stronger.
It was intoxicating.
Ruby finally collapsed.
Seraphine continued.
She knew exactly where that seemingly infinite magic was coming from.
And now, Worm watched her with malice as she desired more and more.
Greed overtook her.
But she didn't care.
He was her Worm.
It was her magic.
And no one else's.
For a moment, she was no longer the worm-girl.
The powerless girl.
The girl with little mana.
Worm felt Seraphine's ambition flowing.
It felt as though he could remain there for hours.
But something on the ground caught her attention.
Ruby had fainted, clutching Seraphine's foot.
Seraphine immediately stopped casting spells.
Everyone looked at her strangely.
As if she were no longer the same person.
Everyone, except Worm.
On his face?
Pleasure.