We arrive at the office assigned to Duskmere for his work. The assistant professor knocks on the door, announces me, and then closes it from the outside.

  "Come in, have a seat," Duskmere says. His voice sounds relatively kind. That surprises me—I was expecting a dry, curt tone.

  I take a seat in one of the chairs he gestures to, on the opposite side of the desk where he is sitting.

  "I imagine you already know that I'm investigating the events that took place in the water dungeon during the practical exam."

  "Yes," I reply.

  "I've spoken to everyone, and at first, I didn't see the need to call you in. Considering your status as a promising student at this academic institution—something the headmaster has already informed me of—as well as the testimonies about how you helped save Princess Lily's life, it's evident that you had nothing to do with the modifications to the dungeon that I'm investigating. Besides, you possess a medium affinity for light, and your family supports the royal house."

  "I truly appreciate that you don't consider me part of some conspiracy to eliminate either the prince or the princess. Vincent, in particular, is a good friend, and if things get tough in a dungeon, he knows he can count on me."

  "Yes. Well, he knows you're his friend, but he only suspects just how much you saved him in the second dungeon: the pyramid."

  Right. I suppose they've told him my version of events as well.

  I simply nod.

  "In fact," he continues, "I'm not calling you in for an interrogation but rather to thank you for looking out for Vincent."

  "He's my friend. There's nothing to thank me for."

  This time, he's the one who nods. He seems to like my response.

  "I also wanted to ask if you noticed anything that might give us a clue as to whether someone could have tampered with the dungeons."

  "Well, I have no idea about the first one, but as for the second… I think we just had the luck—though I’m not sure if it was good or bad—of stumbling upon a secret level."

  "They say it was your little pup that leaned on the relief that activated it, right?"

  Oh, shit… I’d completely forgotten about that.

  "Yes."

  I focus on keeping my best poker face.

  "Can I see it?"

  "Of course."

  I take him out of my pocket and place him on the desk. The little wolf pup grows to his full size.

  Duskmere reaches out a hand, and the seed of evil—adorably cute—licks him while playing the role of an innocent, playful puppy, something he does incredibly well.

  Well, he's tiny. Maybe that's just how he is, and here I am roasting him for no reason.

  "It's adorable. Just like the headmaster, I don't see anything unusual about it."

  This man probably has a very high-level identification magic. I'm glad the disguise of the divine beast is holding up so well.

  "You can put it away. It really was just luck. And it's not a bad thing for the kingdom—now we have a higher-level dungeon. The crown prince himself is going in with his party to clear it out."

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  The heir? He definitely wants a sword like mine.

  "He should be careful, sir. It's dangerous. If you know what my magic is, then you should know it was a hard-fought battle."

  "Yes, thank you. Well, that's all, Bianca. You may go. If you uncover anything, you know where to find me. And keep up the good work taking care of our prince and princess," he says with a smile.

  Damn. I can't stand this guy, and yet he's smiling at me.

  Because he captured Ronan. That's the reason I can’t stand him.

  I didn’t realize I’d grown so attached to the necromancer.

  Anyway, I say goodbye and head to class.

  At least for now, they still don’t suspect me. From what he mentioned earlier, in whatever court intrigues are happening in this kingdom, it seems the L’Crom counts are in favor of the crown. Good to know. I wonder whose side Sol’s parents are on.

  When morning classes end, I hurry to catch Ronan before he leaves the classroom.

  "I’d like to talk to you once I’m done with my afternoon training. Shall we meet a little before dinner?"

  "As you wish, my lady."

  "Then, half an hour before dinner at the fountain in the gardens."

  Honestly, I had thought about meeting with Vincent too, at least to tell him something, because I feel bad lying to him. But even revealing the channeling and the spirit would still mean keeping things from him.

  I don’t like this—making friends while keeping quiet about the fact that I could be their future enemy. I know I don’t want to be their enemy, nor do I want to take over this kingdom through blood and steel, but I don’t think they’d understand that. They’d probably only see the contract with the seed of darkness and the threat it represents.

  Vincent is the one I’d most like to tell. And precisely because of who his father is, he’s the one I can least afford to. I really wish I could confess that I come from another world, that this was a game, that I was chosen by a divine beast of the wrong god, that they intend to turn me into a demon lord… But I can’t. No matter how much he’s my friend, if he found out, he’d be forced to report me, and I’d end up dead—or worse.

  Another person I’d like to confide in is Mary. She’s incredibly compassionate and kind, and if anyone could understand me and support me in trying to fix this without hurting anyone, it’s her. Plus, she could help me with Ronan. I don’t think he’s a bad person, but last night… If things had played out differently, my opinion of him might have changed. I think talking to her could be a good idea, but I’m not sure.

  I’m referring to a divine beast from the wrong god and to one young woman who, in any similar-themed otome, just with gods instead, would have been a saint.

  I don’t know.

  For now, Ronan is the only one I can trust, and I didn’t even have to tell him—he read everything on the stone slab that first day at the academy.

  Yeah… Trusting a guy who remained completely calm while provoking his roommate to jump out of a window. And who didn’t seem to care if his spell had injured him.

  I sigh.

  I’m on my way to the dining hall, alone, since after talking to Ronan, I went back to my desk for a moment to put away my books. Well, "alone" is a bit of an exaggeration; the guard is following me. As I walk, I check my chart for a second: Yes, I still have mid-level light magic. I’m still me, just as I’ve always been. For a moment, I got paranoid and wondered if I might be corrupting somehow.

  Sensing my unease, the pup peeks out from my pocket and licks my hand, which is nearby. I pet him.

  I don’t have time for silly thoughts. I need to get stronger before that great threat arrives, because something tells me it won’t just be about saving the pup and myself. I’m going to have to be strong enough to protect a lot more people.

  During lunch, a new rumor spreads through the dining hall. Kai Greylark, the guy who gave false testimony against Ronan, has been arrested—not just for that, but also for obstructing an official investigation. I glance over at the table where Sol, Ashe, and Caroline are sitting. The villainess looks mortified. And that’s with Kai covering for her—he hasn’t revealed that she was the one who pushed him to lie.

  The rest of the day passes uneventfully.

  In today’s training—fire magic, since it’s Tuesday—I manage to improve my fire dart spell.

  Congratulations, your Minor Fire Dart has leveled up. It′s now Low Fire Dart. Projectile speed increased by 20%.

  Nice! Though what I really want is to learn fireball. But according to the instructor, unlike the light orb, which was independent, this spell evolves from fire dart. So, until I level it up a bit more, it won’t develop further.

  I’m just finishing my training when Ronan’s voice echoes in my mind.

  "My lady, I hope I am not disturbing you."

  "Go ahead."

  "I went to the city. I have all the components from the list."

  "Great."

  He alone can’t bring them to the goblins—he doesn’t have any stones or permission to use mine on his own. A shame.

  "Remember, on Friday, I have air magic training. Once I’m done, I’ll come get you, and we’ll head to the village together. Oh, and I’ll see you in a bit."

  I’m already looking forward to meeting with the goblins. That +1 to health and damage should make a big difference. Since they’re weak creatures, the boost should be even more noticeable.

  In fact, that bonus could be an insane improvement for a skeleton army. Their health might jump from 2 to 3, and their damage from 1 to 2.

  I’d say whoever gave me this didn’t know what they were doing… but I think they knew exactly what they were doing.