Inside the archives of the Titan Prosecution Office.
Located on the first floor of the main building, this room had no windows and was perpetually filled with the scent of parchment mixed with mothproof herbs.
Belinda stood in the narrowest aisle between the archive shelves, her back against dusty old trial records. Between her fingers, she toyed with a Bronze Titan Badge.
The back of the badge was engraved with her identification number and the date she joined the office; on the front, her thumb repeatedly traced the pattern symbolizing judgment.
“Why?”
Belinda asked, though she wasn't alone in the room.
Standing behind her, Silas had his hands in his pockets, his expression calm.
“You might want to be more specific.”
Despite his words, Silas had already guessed the nature of this conversation on the way there.
“Erylin... why did she get a zero?”
“What does her getting a zero have to do with you?”
Belinda shoved the badge back into her pocket, her icy gaze fixed intently on the man before her.
“Erylin’s transcripts have always been perfect. Her name is always on the first line of every bulletin board!”
“She was supposed to keep shining!”
“But now everyone is whispering that Erylin, the strongest mage of the third year, actually got a zero!”
“Some are saying she’s neglecting her exams, that she’s slackened in her studies, that her strength has regressed—some are even saying she doesn't deserve her spot as an honors student!”
“My God, that’s Erylin! How could she be defiled like this? She was supposed to be the most radiant existence! Whether it's her looks, her grades, or her talent, everything should be perfect!”
“Any name that slanders hers should be scrubbed from this academy!”
Belinda’s voice dropped to a near-hoarse whisper, every word sounding as if it had been scorched in her chest.
Silas adjusted his glasses and spoke. “Keep your pathological control issues to yourself.”
Belinda gave a light chuckle and pulled a file from the wooden shelf beside her.
“Don’t think I don’t know. Besides you and Lillian, there was one more person in Erylin’s team.”
Name: Ain Aldric
Status: Guest student
Rank: Tier 1 Mage
Judgment Record: Subject openly cast forbidden magic in the teaching building. Given there were no casualties and the subject was delirious at the time, it was determined the high-risk magic was not used maliciously. However, due to the severity of the incident, a final verdict will be issued next month!
“My God... a pure angel reaches out to a demon, only for the demon to drag the angel into hell.”
“Tell me! Is it because of this guy named Ain? Did he endanger Erylin with forbidden magic again during the exam?!”
“And that bitch Lillian! Did she drag Erylin down during the exam too?!”
Silas shrugged.
“If that were the case, Ain would have likely been expelled by now, and his records wouldn't even be here.”
“And I suggest you don’t let Erylin hear that last sentence.”
“Even if Ain did hurt her, Erylin is a member of the Typhon Chain. She is more qualified than either of us to punish a criminal.”
Belinda’s gaze remained icy, and her hand tightened around the file.
“Erylin’s hands shouldn't be defiled by such trash!”
Silas leaned against the wall by the archive shelf, tucking his judgment grimoire into his belt. He remained silent for a moment under Belinda’s scrutinizing gaze.
“You want to know the reason? It’s simple. Erylin couldn't defeat the Tier 3 magical beast in the exam area.”
“That creature should have been classified as pseudo-Tier 4.”
Belinda narrowed her eyes slightly; she believed Silas’s words.
“Then why aren't your names on the withdrawal list? If it was pseudo-Tier 4, you couldn't have escaped it. You would have had to wait for a mentor’s rescue.”
“Because someone defeated it.”
“...But that person wasn't Erylin.”
Silas waved his hand and walked toward the door.
“Whether you want to find trouble for Ain or anyone else, it’s none of my business.”
“Goodbye.”
Belinda was left alone in the room. She pulled the bronze badge representing the Titan Prosecution Office from her pocket again.
The difference was that this time, the badge was stained with red powder.
“Ain... I should have eliminated you the first time you offended Erylin! I should have made sure you could never speak again the first time you called her name!”
“And Lillian, that bitch who hangs around Erylin all day—a useless waste with only Tier 2 strength!”
“A piece of livestock kept in a pen, allowed into the house only because of her master’s pity, and now she’s hallucinating that she can sit at the table and dine?”
“Damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it!”
Belinda frantically scratched her arms until several bloody streaks appeared before she finally stopped.
She held the badge up to her eyes, the bronze surface reflecting a distorted, twisted face.
“Erylin’s hands shouldn't be stained with such filth.”
“It’s fine. I’ll clear it out for her.”
...
Ain stepped out of the Hermetica laboratory and found that the sunlight had reached the highest point of the atrium dome.
Violet had insisted on dragging him along to verify two sets of parallel samples all at once, terrified that their earlier success had just been a fluke.
Rubbing his wrist, which was sore from Violet’s grip, Ain couldn't help but sigh.
“I guess potion-making is pretty exhausting after all.”
Ain recalled his original purpose.
He had intended to go to the library to find literature on Contract Spirits.
Instead, he had run into Violet.
Seeing her table covered in potion-making materials, Ain had simply decided to help her complete the experiment while taking the opportunity to gather information about the major.
“At least I’ve secured a backup plan.”
Ain breathed a sigh of relief, then suddenly remembered the purple-haired girl he had met before going to the library.
“Fato, gvidas min. (Fate, guide me.)”
Several small magic circles slowly emerged. A moment later, a deck of Cards of Canal appeared out of thin air, landing steadily in Ain’s hand.
“Who was that student?”
After a flash of light, only one Card of Canal remained in Ain’s hand.
【17】The Star
Mortal Card
Upright: Hope and opportunity, transformation after the storm, a bright and promising future.
Reversed: Inverted direction, wrong guidance, lost hope.
“So it really is... the Eye of the Astral Splendor?”
Ain looked down in thought, recalling the scene of his earlier encounter with the girl.
Just because she saw the Cards of Canal in my hand, she came to me for a divination and was even willing to spend a Corona Gold coin?
Isn't she a bit of a sucker?
It wasn't until he saw the girl’s brooch that Ain had some suspicions.
Three stars twinkled under the night sky, with the largest star covering most of the brooch’s surface.
Perhaps a normal person wouldn't recognize such a pattern, but Ain certainly did.
That was the Eye of the Astral Splendor, a faction that wasn't supposed to appear until the fourth act of the original plot.
The Eye of the Astral Splendor was a gathering place for Divination Scholars. If an expert like her came to an amateur like me for a reading, then her purpose definitely wasn't the divination itself.
That was why Ain had quoted such an exorbitant price, to test her background.
To his surprise, she was actually willing to spend three full Corona Gold coins.
Since she was being so generous, Ain had gone along with her wishes and performed a reading.
Was it a test? Or was there something about him that attracted her?
Regardless, Ain felt that making contact with the Eye of the Astral Splendor wasn't a bad thing.
It was always good to have another heavyweight to rely on.
Suddenly, Ain felt an impact in front of him, followed by a girl’s cry of surprise.
“Oh!”
Sheets of white paper scattered into the air, and several magic-related books tumbled to the ground. A girl sat slumped on the floor, one hand clutching her head.
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I was lost in thought just now. Are you alright?”
“I’m fine, I also...”
The girl took Ain’s extended hand. Once she saw his face clearly, she gasped.
“Ain?!”
Ain also recognized the girl before him.
“Huh? Lillian? Isn't Erylin with you?”
As he spoke, Ain leaned down to pick up the scattered papers and books. After tidying them up, he handed them back to Lillian.
“Sorry about that. I wasn't watching where I was going and bumped into you.”
After hearing the man’s apology, Lillian was momentarily at a loss for words.
Why was he here?
Rate on N.U.
