The soft yellow glow of the magical desk lamp filled the room with a calming atmosphere, but Maria's mind was anything but calm.
Outside, the autumn wind howled against the windows.
At her desk, she studied the two open books, brows knit tight.
One book lay open to "Zoology of the Cursed Lands". She had combed through hundreds of pages, seeing images of Dire Wolves, Storm Eagles, and venomous reptiles, but there was no trace of a creature resembling that black cat with three tails.
Nothing... not even a mention. Is it a new species? Or so rare they don't include it in textbooks?
Frustrated, she closed the zoology book and set it aside.
I need to go to the library tomorrow. The old archives section. There must be something there.
She sighed and pulled the second book forward: "Tactics of Alverin's Hundred-Year Wars".
Tomorrow was the midterm strategy exam. She had to memorize the military tactics of past armies.
"Wow, Maria! I can't believe you're so calm!"
Sarah's voice broke the silence. She was lying on her stomach on her bed, kicking her legs in the air and vigorously chewing the end of her pen.
"I'm dying of stress! Did you hear what tomorrow's exam is? 'War Simulation'! That scary General Gregory is going to be the supervisor. They say he treats students like real soldiers."
Without lifting her head from the book, Maria said:
"Stress doesn't help, Sarah. It only makes things worse."
Sarah rolled over and sat up. Her eyes were wide.
"Focus? How can I focus when I might get matched against Damian?"
At the mention of Damian's name, Maria's ears perked up slightly.
Sarah continued:
"All the first-years are talking about him. They say he even defeated upperclassmen in private training maneuvers. He's a strategy genius! They say he moves his pieces as if he's reading his opponent's mind."
Sarah shivered and wrapped the blanket around herself.
"God, I hope my name doesn't come up against his. If I get matched with him, he'll checkmate me in three seconds and then give me that cold, scary look... Oh no! Even thinking about it gives me goosebumps."
Maria twirled her pen on the paper.
Damian... so he's strong in mental warfare too. No surprise. Someone who spoke those words by the memorial wall doesn't have a superficial view of war.
She lifted her eyes toward Sarah.
"Don't be afraid, Sarah. Damian might be a genius, but he's not invincible. Every fortress has a weak point."
Sarah asked with surprise:
"You... aren't you afraid of going up against him?"
Maria closed the history book. There was a cold glint in her eyes.
" Fear wastes time. I prefer to fight the strongest. That way, I find my own weaknesses sooner."
Sarah shook her head.
"You're really strange, Maria... but I wish I had your courage."
"It's not courage, Sarah. Just... habit."
The lamp dimmed under her touch.
"Go to sleep. We have a long day tomorrow. I have to make a trip to the library before the exam too."
"Before the exam? Will you have time?"
"I'll make time."
Maria lay down, but her mind was awake. Half occupied with Damian and war strategy, and half occupied with that wounded creature waiting in the cold.
***
Autumn at Alverin Academy had taken on a more serious tone. Midterm anxiety was written all over the students' faces.
Maria was walking toward the library with an armful of books on "Botany", "Medicinal Properties", and "Zoology of the Cursed Lands". Her mind was still on that small black creature. How was its wound? Had it found food?
At the turn of the corridor, suddenly someone came rushing from the opposite direction.
"Oh, sorry!"
The collision was inevitable. The books slipped from Maria's hands and scattered on the floor.
Maria sighed. Not out of anger, but out of fatigue.
Great. Just what I needed.
She crouched to gather the scattered books. Another pair of hands, with fair and well-groomed skin, reached the books before her.
"My fault. I was distracted."
She looked up. It was a familiar face, a boy with shining golden hair and bright blue eyes.
Prince Arthur Valerion.
Maria quickly gave a short bow (a habit Master Simon had drilled into her brain).
"Good morning, Your Highness."
Arthur had a genuine, warm smile on his lips.
"Forget the formalities, Maria. This is the Academy, not the palace. Arthur is enough."
He handed the books to Maria, but his gaze lingered on the title of one of them: "Zoology of the Cursed Lands".
Arthur's eyebrows went up.
"You chose an interesting research topic. First-years usually go for 'History of Alverin' or 'Fundamentals of Magic'. Why monsters?"
Maria took the book and pressed it to her chest.
"Because past glories don't protect us, Your Highness, but knowing the enemy's teeth does. Master Simon always said the West is still unknown."
Arthur nodded. His gaze darkened for a moment, as if a burden heavier than his age was on his shoulders.
"True. My father always says we fear the North (Seragonia), but true terror always comes from where we least expect it."
Arthur stepped closer. Students passing by looked with surprise. The Crown Prince with the "Mana-less Girl"?
"Maria... haven't seen you much. After that day at the mana test... we didn't get a chance to talk."
"I mind my own business, Your Highness. It's safer this way."
"Safer? Maybe. But lonelier."
Arthur put his hand on Maria's shoulder.
"The midterm exam is close. I heard it's going to be a 'War Simulation'. If you need any help, or if you want to team up... I'm here."
Maria looked into Arthur's hopeful eyes.
A tempting offer. Teaming up with the Prince means political safety, but at the same time, it means a huge target on my forehead.
"Thank you, Your Highness. But I'm used to carrying my own burdens."
Arthur removed his hand, but he wasn't upset. As if he expected it.
"Alright. But don't forget... even the strongest fortresses have a gate for supplies to enter. If you close every gate, you'll end up starving."
The Prince said goodbye respectfully and left.
Maria watched him go.
Supplies... an interesting metaphor. But in my world, they poisoned the food too.
***
Maria left the bright reading hall of the library behind and entered the narrow corridors of the archives section. This was the realm of silence; a silence pressed in, thick enough to swallow breath.
Rotting paper and old leather clung to the air.
Tall wooden shelves stretching up to the dark ceiling blocked the light like the walls of a labyrinth. The only source of illumination was floating mana particles drifting down from dim lamps.
Maria was looking for a book on "Rare Magical Felines" or something similar to get information about that creature. She ran her finger along the spines of thick books.
I have to figure out what you are... and why you have three tails.
Suddenly, the creak of a door hinge from the end of the corridor scratched the silence. But as far as Maria could see, there was no door there. Suddenly, one of the shelves at the end of the corridor moved.
Following that, the sound of heavy boots trying to be silent, but making a jarring noise on the old wooden floorboards, was heard.
Maria's bodyguard instincts screamed: Hide!
She immediately shoved the book she was holding back into its place and hid herself in the dark gap between a large shelf and the wall. She held her breath and lowered her heart rate.
Two men in gray uniforms and thick leather aprons passed by her shelf. They smelled of chemicals and stale blood.
"I'm telling you, this is gonna blow up in our faces! It's madness!"
The first man, whose voice trembled, constantly checked behind him.
"If the Headmaster or the Royal Guard find out that Master Varon is keeping something like this in the Academy, we'll all get fired!"
The second man, who was taller, replied with a scornful tone:
"Shhh! Keep your voice down, idiot. Don't be scared, it's just a cub. Its teeth haven't even fully come in yet."
"Just a cub?! That's a mutant 'Shadow Stalker'!"
In the shadows, Maria pricked up her ears. Shadow Stalker?
The first man continued:
"I saw its file. Master Varon bought this smuggled from the 'Xenia Black Market'. Do you know the trait of this breed? When it matures, walls and cages mean nothing to it. It can dissolve into shadows and move between them. If it grows up, no one can catch it."
"That's why the Master wants to dissect it now. The Anatomy class is just an excuse."
"What about now that it's escaped? What if it bites someone? The whole campus will be quarantined."
"Don't worry. We'll find it. I set a trap behind the abandoned western building. Right where there are lots of shadows, it probably took shelter there."
The footsteps moved away and faded into the darkness at the end of the corridor.
She stepped out from the shadows. Her body was stiff, but not from fear... from anger.
Laboratory? Dissection?... So, my guess was right, it wasn't a wild animal, it was a unique magical creature.
The pattern sharpened. That terrified look, that deep wound, and that desperate escape.
That small creature was a "lab specimen" meant to be sacrificed for a Master's ambition. Someone who had bought it to cut it into pieces to advance his research.
It ran from death...
Suddenly, the image of the abandoned warehouse and David's smile came before her eyes.
"Sorry Senpai... but you're just a burned asset."
Maria ground her teeth together.
A deep sense of empathy squeezed her heart. She and that creature were both victims of those who saw them as "expendable" and "tools."
Not again. I won't let them find you, little one. I won't allow an innocent to be sacrificed for someone else's filth again.
Maria made her decision. She already knew what she had to do.
She had to reach the western building and find the trap before Master Varon's subordinates.
But she glanced at her pocket watch.
Damn it... the midterm exam. If I'm absent, I'll be expelled and can't protect it anymore.
She had to win on the battlefield first, and then immediately start her own real war in the shadows.
She handed the books she had with her to the librarian and exited the library with quick, determined steps.