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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: The Search for Vinesha
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One of the people I needed to take to the Otherworld.
I brought Eve into the team and pushed off, stepping forward.
"First, we're going to the Department of Magic to find someone."
"Alright. Explain the rest on the way."
Eve said so and readily turned in that direction first.
"A friend named Granthony went to the Otherworld."
I relayed the general situation as we ran.
The Otherworld and Granthony.
And the reason Granthony went to the Otherworld, along with the dangers.
Though a condensed explanation, it was clear that the situation could escalate into a global threat.
Eve listened calmly to everything without asking any questions.
There was no hint of suspicion as she listened to my story.
That was because she, too, had read the sincerity in my face.
"So, the person we're looking for now is Associate Professor Vinesha."
But at my next words, Eve paused for the first time.
She almost instinctively stopped running.
Her eyes wide, Eve stared at me.
"Eve?"
"...Was building a relationship with Associate Professor Vinesha for this very moment?"
She resumed her steps and asked, but her eyes held an uncomprehending expression as she looked at me.
At the same time, her face showed something clicking into place in her mind.
"Hanon Airey, before I came here, I observed your actions in my own way."
As mentioned earlier, Eve had confirmed how dangerous the power I wielded was.
And despite her warnings, I had declared my intention to use it.
"On my first day at Jerion Academy, you jokingly said you'd save the world, didn't you?"
Eve's eyes narrowed slightly.
The words I had casually thrown out echoed in her mind.
She replayed the events one by one to grasp my intentions.
"Looking at this series of events, it feels to me as if you had already foreseen this incident."
I had intentionally intervened in the flow of events so far.
Eve had figured this out with only a few conversations.
Trust the quick wit of a side story's protagonist.
She really did read it well.
'What's with these kids and their sharp wits?'
Typical of an academy filled with geniuses.
All of them were exceptionally intelligent and out of the ordinary.
"Hanon Airey, what's your real goal? Why are you doing this?"
She looked at me, controlling the situation as I pleased, with an expression of unease.
Sorry, but I'm the one who should be unnerved.
Currently, I appeared as a very mysterious figure to her.
I could tell just by looking into Eve's eyes.
'In a way,'
This might be an opportunity.
An opportunity for Eve to become more actively involved in my affairs.
'Eve is Lucas's replacement.'
Her unyielding azure flame could perform similarly to the flame of tenacity.
Even if not perfect, the important thing was that it could somehow fill the void.
'Besides, Eve wasn't part of the original narrative.'
I was confident I could steer the narrative back to the main plot even with Eve's intervention.
In fact, with Eve here, it became even easier to push the story towards the main narrative.
In that case,
"Eve."
I would gladly become the person she needed to unravel the most.
"I have only one goal: to graduate safely from Jerion Academy."
What happens after graduating from Jerion Academy, I don't know either.
But one thing was certain: I could protect the world while attending Jerion Academy.
"So, until then, I intend to give it my all."
My story wouldn't provide Eve with answers.
But at the very least, Eve would become curious about my purpose and try to uncover it.
That much of a catalyst was enough.
'I don't necessarily have to be her friend.'
All I needed to do was create a situation where Eve would have to exert her strength.
"Then, one last thing."
Eve still had a question for me.
"Was it also your intention for me to transfer to Jerion Academy?"
Eve seemed to recall that her transfer process had gone more smoothly than she'd expected.
As she said, my intentions were heavily involved in that.
After all, I'd even used the Chancellor's favor-granting event for it.
But I couldn't tell her that fact directly.
So, I offered Eve a gentle smile.
It was a perfect, practiced smile, meticulously honed since my facial paralysis.
"It's a secret."
By then, the Department of Magic building began to appear before me.
"I'll go ahead."
Before Eve could say anything more, I maximized my leg strength.
At the same time, I activated both Magic Engraving and Iron Body.
The synergy created when the two powers collided.
A massive explosion.
KABOOM!
The explosion that erupted with my leap shook the air.
The sudden blast made students leaving the building turn in surprise, but I had no time to spare.
In an instant, I soared through the air, and the windows of the Department of Magic building came into view.
Without hesitation, I punched through the window.
SMASH!
I broke through the window and rolled across the floor.
I staggered from the impact of the fall, but my body was unharmed.
Glass shards couldn't pierce my Iron Body.
I sharply raised my head.
And before my eyes, I found myself facing an unexpected person.
"...Hanon?"
Standing there was none other than my fiancée, Sharin.
Since returning to Jerion Academy,
Sharin would make a sulky face and quickly leave whenever she saw me.
Even when I sought her out during her light morning sleep, it was the same, so I'd had no chance to speak to her recently.
And now, Sharin happened to be here.
For some reason, I felt a slight sense of déjà vu, just like with Nia.
But there was no time to ask about it.
Every second counted.
Sharin's face lit up with welcome at the sight of me, only to quickly turn sulky again.
"Why are you... here?"
"Sharin, do you know where Associate Professor Vinesha is?"
Sharin's eyebrow twitched at my question.
Along with that, a chilling coldness settled over her, completely unlike how she usually looked at me.
For a moment, I felt a chill colder than an Elder Dragon's magic.
Beneath Sharin's dark blue hair,
Sharin's cold eyes stared at me.
"Why are you looking for that person?"
For some reason, I felt like I'd die before the world did.
***
In front of the Department of Magic professor's office.
I stood facing Sharin.
The coldness emanating from her constricted my throat.
Anyone could plainly see her extreme displeasure.
If I handled this wrong, it would be disastrous.
"Sharin."
I barely managed to speak, calling her name.
Sharin simply stared at me.
It was the first time in my life Sharin had glared at me like this.
My throat constricted, and I swallowed hard.
"I need your help."
At that, the chill emanating from Sharin slowly faded.
She looked at me calmly for a moment, then placed her hands on her hips.
"What is it this time?"
For some reason, I sensed a hint of smugness from Sharin.
It was as if she was indispensable to me.
Sharin's mood lightened.
Looking at her face, she seemed to be in a better mood than before.
Watching her react so strongly to my words briefly complicated my thoughts, but this wasn't the time for that.
"Will you help?"
When I asked cautiously, Sharin slightly shrugged her shoulders.
"Hanon and I are fiancés. Fiancés help each other, right?"
Well, that was a very helpful reason.
Sharin asked as she restored the window I had broken.
"So, what's going on this time?"
"Granthony went to the Otherworld. It seems he was taken by a transcendent being from the Otherworld."
Even if not as much as Spirit Weavers, mages knew a lot about the Otherworld.
As mages had to deceive the world, they also had to study the Otherworld.
That's why Sharin's brows immediately furrowed.
Her Mirinae could pierce even the deepest veils.
She must have already known about Granthony's unique trait, 'Otherworlder.'
And she would naturally know its dangers.
"You're looking for Vinesha, that woman, for that reason?"
"Yes, Associate Professor Vinesha handles magic related to the Otherworld."
Sharin herself had seen Vinesha cast magic on the first day.
So, she immediately understood what I meant.
"Associate Professor Vinesha is probably in the Department of Magic research lab."
Sharin turned and levitated herself.
Using magic in the hallway was forbidden, but there was no time to worry about such things.
"Let's go."
As expected of Sharin.
Recognizing the gravity of the situation, Sharin immediately joined me in searching for the Department of Magic research lab.
The door swung open with a thud.
Sharin and I entered the Department of Magic research lab through the open door.
However, only a few students remained in the lab; Vinesha was nowhere to be seen.
"Huh, Sharin?"
"What's wrong?"
The students inside expressed their confusion.
I quickly asked them,
"Where did Associate Professor Vinesha go?"
"What, it's that lightning punk."
"That... scoundrel?"
I'd forgotten that I had the worst impression among the students of the Department of Magic.
"He's my fiancé."
At that moment, Sharin warned them, their attitudes all equally sharp.
I hadn't expected Sharin to look out for me in this way.
When I looked at Sharin with a surprised expression, she glared at the students.
It was a warning not to badmouth me anymore.
"She, uh, she just left, saying she finished her research a little while ago."
The students answered, albeit reluctantly.
None of them wanted to get on Sharin's bad side.
"Thank you."
I offered my thanks and immediately went outside.
However, I didn't know where Vinesha had gone.
"Hanon, wait."
Then Sharin stopped me.
"I'll use a tracking spell."
"Woah, upperclassmen?"
As Sharin was about to use her magic, someone popped out from around the corner.
It was a face I knew.
Midra Fenin, the second-best in Martial Arts among the first-years.
He was a junior who was also from the student council.
Midra was carrying a few boxes with the student council emblem, perhaps for student council duties.
"Midra."
"Hanon senior, are you here for something?"
Midra tilted his head, looking between me and Sharin.
"Midra, did you happen to see Associate Professor Vinesha on your way here?"
"Oh, Associate Professor Vinesha just went down these stairs."
Midra motioned with his chin towards the stairs he had just come up.
As soon as our eyes met, Sharin and I immediately turned towards the stairs.
Midra quickly moved aside to let us pass easily.
"Go find her quickly, seniors."
Midra looked at us and offered a gentle smile.
That inscrutable smile bothered me, but time was of the essence.
I almost flew down the stairs and landed.
At that moment, I saw Vinesha's back, humming a tune as she walked down the hallway.
She was still dressed in an outfit with many ribbons.
"Oh, this feeling..."
Just then, Vinesha stopped dead in her tracks.
Then she sharply turned her head in our direction.
"My Darling!"
Does she recognize people by their aura?
What an incredible ability.
"And..."
Vinesha's eyes changed in an instant.
"You vixen."
Instead of eyes dripping with affection towards me, coldness settled in them.