Chapter 278: Way Too Many Strange Things

Noah took a slow breath, calming himself.

The thought was absurd.

Cecilia couldn’t be the Lady in Dark. She had no trace of abyssal essence.

He’d felt her mana before, and it was clean, not to mention bright.

Nothing about it bore that suffocating, oily pressure the Lady carried.

Besides, she’d saved his life more than once. She’d risked her position for him. If he started doubting her, then who was left to trust?

He forced the tension from his shoulders and smiled.

“Actually, Professor,” he said, leaning back into his seat, “I came to discuss something else.”

Cecilia looked up from the stack of papers on her desk, her expression knowing. “Your schedule?”

He nodded. “Pedigree & Etiquette. And Diplomacy & Rhetoric. I was wondering if we could… maybe remove them.”

Cecilia arched an eyebrow, her lips twitching with amusement. “Remove them? After all the trouble I went through to make sure you got them?”

“I just don’t see the point,” Noah said. “I’ve never once used etiquette or diplomacy in a fight. They don’t help me in the field, and—”

“And you promised to be a model student this semester,” Cecilia interrupted gently, her tone firm but not unkind. “Being a model student also means keeping your promises, Noah.”

“Besides,” she added, smiling faintly, “not every battle is fought with fists or spells. Some are won with words. Didn’t you learn that at the Winter Ball?”

“And yet, those mages didn’t use Diplomacy & Rhetoric to kill the dragon, did they?” Noah scoffed.

Cecilia chuckled in response. “Those were different battles and you know it.”

Noah groaned quietly and rubbed the back of his neck. “You’re not going to budge, are you?”

“Not even a little,” she said, her eyes glinting with humor.

He sighed, standing from the chair. “All right, I’ll stick with them. But I reserve the right to complain later.”

“Noted,” Cecilia said, returning her attention to her papers.

Noah lingered a moment, studying her face. She looked the same as always, which was composed, warm, and unbothered.

There was no flicker of tension, no hidden worry, and definitely no sign that anything was amiss at the academy.

Reassured, he turned and headed for the door.

“Goodnight, Noah,” Cecilia called softly behind him.

He paused only long enough to nod before stepping out into the quiet hallway.

The door closed behind him with a soft click, and he headed out of the building.

[][][][][]

A gentle gust of wind stirred the curtains of Cecilia’s office.

A shadow passed across the window, and a moment later, a small black bird swept inside, wings cutting gracefully through the air.

It landed on the edge of Cecilia’s desk, feathers shimmering faintly with mana.

Then, with a ripple of light, the bird’s shape shifted and elongated, feathers turning to fabric, and wings to arms.

When the glow faded, Professor Faye stood there, brushing a stray gray strand of hair from her face.

“Faye,” Cecilia said warmly, setting aside the notes she’d been reading. “You could have used the door.”

Faye smiled in response.

“Old habits. Besides, this was faster.” She stepped closer, her expression turning serious. “I came because I thought you should hear this directly. It’s about one of your mentees. Noah Webb.”

Cecilia straightened in her chair, immediately alert. “What about him?”

“I ran a diagnostic on him earlier today during class,” Faye said. “His mana structure is… irregular. Completely irregular, actually.”

“Explain.”

Faye folded her arms. “There are two possibilities. Either he’s advanced far beyond the level he claims, and his body hasn’t fully adjusted, or he’s hosting something foreign inside him. A parasite, perhaps. But I checked twice. No traces of any invasive entity.”

Cecilia’s brows knit. “If he had advanced that far, you’d see the physical signs of soul burn. His veins would be unstable, and his mana control a bit frayed.”

“Exactly,” Faye said. “That’s what makes it strange.”

“The irregularity isn’t destructive, it’s contained. It’s like his mana is flowing through two systems at once, both alive and perfectly functional.”

Silence stretched between them.

Cecilia tapped a finger lightly against her desk, lost in thought.

“I’ll look into it,” she finally said. “I’ll have him undergo another diagnostic, quietly. Thank you for bringing this to me.”

Faye smiled, the lines at the corners of her eyes softening. “Good. I knew you’d take it seriously. Ah, but isn’t it your turn for patrol duty tonight?”

“It is,” Cecilia admitted, rising from her chair. “And thank you again, Faye.”

With a nod, Faye’s form shimmered once more, shrinking back into the black bird.

It gave a soft cry and swept out through the open window, vanishing into the night.

Cecilia sat back down, her expression thoughtful.

Noah’s irregular mana… it made sense as he’d already reached B-rank. Still, something about Faye’s words stuck in her head.

Just to be sure, she would run the diagnostic herself.

Her eyes drifted to the sky outside her window. Just like Faye had said, she was the one on patrol duties tonight.

She stepped out of her office, the cool night air brushing against her face.

The campus was quiet now, with very few lamps burning along the paths that cut through campus.

Her boots made no sounds against the stone paths as she began her patrol.

The guards stationed along the main walkways saluted when she passed, and she nodded to each in turn.

Most of them were young, newly assigned to the academy after the events in the capital.

Their eyes were alert but wary, and Cecilia could tell they didn’t yet trust the peace that had settled over the school.

Truth be told, she didn’t either.

Her patrol took her through the dormitory grounds, across the gardens, and around the outer walls.

Everything seemed undisturbed.

There were no footprints where there shouldn’t be, and no suspicious traces of magic. Just silence.

And tonight, there was no moon in the sky. All that could be seen was a thick black veil of clouds hanging low and heavy.

It was the perfect night for what she needed to do.

Turning away from the main paths, Cecilia headed towards the far side of the academy grounds, where the trees grew denser.

The pond lay beyond them, hidden deep within the oldest part of the forested courtyard. The water there was dark and still, reflecting nothing.

This was the place her brother had written about. The deepest pond on campus.

Cecilia paused at the water’s edge, scanning the area carefully.

There were no mana signatures nearby, which meant no one was watching.

She murmured a spell under her breath, her hands glowing faintly as a thin veil of heat wrapped around her body, driving away the chill.

The water-repelling spell shimmered briefly across her skin, forming a faint barrier between her and the cold below.

She took one last glance at the dark trees surrounding the pond, then exhaled slowly.

“Let’s see what you left for me, Cillian,” she whispered.

And with that, Cecilia stepped forward and dove soundlessly into the water.

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