Meanwhile, back in the headmistress’s office, Arthur sat on the deep cushions of the Chesterfield couch. Near the window, Alice stood watching him intently.
“Arthur,” she called out, her voice instantly snapping him from his trance.
“Hm?”
“It's about James," Alice said, leaning against the frame. "He may be an idiot, but he never comes unprepared to a formal duel. Your first clash with him was a surprise—which I’ve since wiped from his and everyone else's memories—but he takes sanctioned matches seriously.”
Arthur leaned forward. “I take it he relies on forbidden magic to win?”
“Exactly.” Alice nodded. “Thanks to Eleanor’s undercover work in the Sideropyr kingdom, we know James keeps a personal dark alchemist. The man brews specialized enhancers, and James regularly drinks them to secure his victories.”
So James isn't just arrogant; he's reckless, Arthur thought, his eyes narrowing. A compound like that would deteriorate his body over time. Even if he only takes a few, the toxic effects would accumulate... Wait, that explains his volatile behavior.
He looked back up at the headmistress. “How long has this been going on? Do we have an estimate on how many vials he's consumed?”
Alice crossed her arms and closed her eyes, resting back against the luxurious wall. She paused briefly before answering. “According to Eleanor’s intel, James fought in at least five formal duels over the years leading up to the great war. He hasn't stopped.”
“Did she catch the color of the fluid?”
“She described it as thick and dark," Alice noted grimly. "The kind of sludge that would choke you if you swallowed it too fast.”
Thick and dark... Arthur's chest tightened as a grim theory clicked into place. Could he be consuming demon blood?
“Aunt Alice?”
“Yes?”
“Is it possible he’s drinking extracted demon blood?”
Alice opened her eyes, her gaze heavy. “That was my exact assumption.”
“Consuming demon blood would explain why his behavior has become so extreme,” Arthur noted. “It's likely deteriorating his mind.”
Alice nodded grimly. “I’ve suspected that for a while, but I can't formally accuse them without physical proof. Eleanor’s intel is just words for now. Plus, King Blackwood regularly bends the law to fit his own agenda.”
Her expression darkened further. “I also have a sinking feeling... that this might be the secret behind the Sideropyr military. It would explain why their soldiers are unusually strong, and how they managed to fight the demon army without suffering thousands of casualties.”
Arthur scoffed. “Typical power tripping.”
A soft laugh broke through Alice's serious demeanor. “You know, Arthur, you are incredibly mature for your age.”
Arthur chuckled, a knowing look in his eyes. “Age doesn’t define maturity. Experience does.”
Meanwhile, out in the forest Flora had created, Eleanor strolled around the outskirts to check if her barrier was successfully repelling the demons.
As she walked down the tree-filled path, an abnormal frequency rippled nearby. A moment later, dozens of lesser demons materialized before her.
Interesting. So demons are still managing to sneak past the barrier I fortified, she mused.
With a simple flick of her finger, she ignited the area. Brilliant blue fire erupted, instantly engulfing both the demons and the surrounding trees. Yet, the moment they died, dozens more materialized, relentlessly charging through the smoke.
Huh. Whoever this Demon Lord is, they’re pretty good at hiding their frequencies. Eleanor smiled slightly. Sorry, Flora, but a little bit of fireworks won't hurt.
She snapped her fingers. The blue flames roared, swelling and spreading across the nearby canopy before swirling into a wrathful, flaming hurricane. It acted like a total meat grinder, sucking in and vaporizing the waves of demons as fast as they could spawn.
Once the horde was turned to ash, several larger fiends appeared. These were muscle-bound brutes, heavily armed and wielding massive greatswords.
Hm? These ones look tougher...
Eleanor traced a few swift hand gestures through the air. The raging blue hurricane reshaped itself, splitting into two pairs of massive dragon heads. They roared forward, colliding with the larger demons and violently vaporizing them in an instant.
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It’s not normal for this many demons to appear without a Demon Lord nearby, she analyzed, looking around the charred clearing.
Hidden nearby, completely invisible, Asmodeus watched in absolute shock. “This blonde mage is crazy… She’s so destructive,” she muttered to herself.
Eleanor’s head snapped toward the exact spot where Asmodeus was hiding.
There’s a Demon Lord nearby.
Eleanor began walking directly toward the concealed entity.
“What the hell?! Even she can detect my presence?!” Asmodeus clicked her tongue and snapped her fingers, instantly teleporting away.
Eleanor paused, tilting her head in confusion. “Huh… It’s suddenly gone.”
A few hours later, the heavy door to the headmistress’s office swung open. Eleanor strode in confidently, with Flora trailing closely behind her.
Alice and Arthur both looked up as they entered.
“Headmistress!” Flora gasped, catching her breath.
“Alice!” Eleanor called out simultaneously.
It didn’t take Alice long to read the tense expressions on their faces. Her eyes narrowed instantly. “I assume you two encountered a Demon Lord? Or at least detected a signature frequency?”
The two mages nodded in unison.
Alice turned her sharp gaze toward Flora. “Do you have any idea which Demon Lord it was?”
Flora shook her head automatically. “I only caught their frequency for a brief moment before it vanished. It didn't linger long enough for me to analyze the signature, unlike our encounter with Beelzebub.”
First Beelzebub, then Leviathan, and now a third has appeared in the span of a few days, Alice thought, her mind racing. Based on the scale of these incursions, whoever this Demon Lord is, they are simply testing the waters. Most likely measuring our capabilities.
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Alice nodded to the two mages. “It’s alright. Whoever you encountered was simply far more careful about hiding their signature than Beelzebub was.”
Eleanor crossed her arms, her expression serious. “What's our move, Alice?”
“Remain vigilant and continue monitoring the perimeter,” Alice instructed calmly. “Any Demon Lord who wishes to actually breach our magic barrier will be forced to reveal themselves. They can't draw enough ambient power to break it if they are actively trying to suppress their presence.”
Later that night, Arthur lay in his room, staring up at the dark ceiling.
Two crisp knocks echoed from the door.
“It’s open,” he called out.
The door swung open, revealing Alice standing in the frame. Even late at night, she still wore her signature uniform—a crisp, fitted white button-up blouse tucked into a tailored black pencil skirt, paired with sheer black thigh-high stockings and elegant heels. Her striking silver hair was swept into a neat side braid that rested over her shoulder, exposing the elegant curve of her neck, while a pair of sharp, silver-rimmed glasses sat on the bridge of her nose.
She stepped inside, quietly closing the door behind her before sliding her glasses up slightly. “How many spells do you know so far, Arthur?”
Arthur shrugged, propping himself up. “To be honest, just a little over a dozen. But all of them are strictly for combat or hunting.”
Alice nodded, extending her hand to offer him an ancient, leather-bound book. “Here. You’ll need this for your duel against James.”
“Oh?” Arthur accepted the grimoire, immediately cracking it open to scan the dense pages. His eyes widened, and he looked up at her in disbelief. “This is…”
“Your father, George, mentioned in his letters that you are an incredibly fast learner,” Alice said softly. “He said you often master magic entirely on your own.”
A genuine smile broke across Arthur's face. “Thank you, Aunt Alice.”
“Are you planning to sleep anytime soon? Or would you like to test those spells out right now?”
He chuckled, a spark of anticipation in his eyes. “Well, I’m a bit too excited to sleep.”
Alice smiled back. “Follow me.”
With a fluid sweep of her hand, she tore open a shimmering portal and stepped through. Arthur followed without hesitation.
On the other side, they were greeted by a surreal landscape of upside-down, withered buildings that looked completely abandoned yet oddly artificial. Above them, a heavy sky choked with dark purple clouds hung in absolute stillness.
“Where are we?” Arthur asked, adjusting to the strange gravity.
“A pocket dimension,” Alice replied, her voice echoing slightly. “An artificial realm forged entirely from raw mana.”
She gestured toward the frozen canopy above. “Time flows differently here. That is why the clouds never drift, the structures never decay, and the ground remains untouched. You can train here for as long as you need.”
“So… time is frozen in here?” Arthur asked, looking around the surreal landscape.
Alice nodded. “Yes. We won't age, and when we step out, it will be as if we only left for a split second. The difference? All the knowledge and memories we gain in this space—we keep all of them.”
She gazed up at the distorted, purple sky. “This is why I practice my spells here so often.”
Arthur stared at her in utter disbelief. “You must have mastered thousands of spells at that rate.”
Alice chuckled. “Only two thousand five hundred and seven, to be precise.”
“Do you bring Eleanor and Flora in here too?” he asked.
She nodded. “Yes, I let them train here as well. Even as high-ranking mages, we are always eager to learn something new.”
“Let’s practice your control over the golden phoenix flames before diving into other offensive magic,” Alice instructed.
Arthur nodded eagerly. “Sure.”
“Extend your hand and try blasting those flames against these targets.” Alice snapped her fingers. Instantly, dozens of massive stone golems materialized from the scattered rocks on the ground.
Arthur held his hand out, but before he could even release the fire, the golems rushed toward their position.
He didn’t panic. Keeping his composure, he unleashed a roaring torrent of golden fire. The flames fanned out in a wide arc, instantly vaporizing the stone constructs into drifting ash.
Alice nodded, analyzing the residue. “I see. Your golden flames operate much like standard fire magic, but the potency is vastly superior.”
She turned her sharp gaze back to him. “Now, try visualizing that same flame in a concentrated area. Compress it into a dense, cylindrical beam. Think of it like a massive laser.”
Arthur nodded, adjusting his stance as he raised his hand once more.
Focusing his mind, he channeled the raw energy. A second later, a blinding beam of golden torrent fire erupted from his palm like a massive laser. The strike punched straight through dozens upon dozens of abandoned buildings in a flawless line, leaving behind a glowing, molten tunnel that choked the purple sky with thick black smoke.
Arthur looked out at the path of sheer destruction he had caused, his face a mask of disbelief.
“I didn’t know I could do that,” he admitted, turning back to her. “I was just winging it until now.”
Alice laughed softly, her eyes twinkling behind her silver-rimmed glasses. “There are many ways to cast magic.”
She gestured toward the smoking, ruined structures in the distance. “You just have to be creative.”
To Be Continued…