As I stand in front of a door, a soft exhalation leaves my lips.

The entrance appears far grander than what you would see in the residence of junior or even senior professors. Even the residences of Deans do not have as much pristine glory as the small mansion, which I currently observe with silence.

After preparing myself, I softly knock on the door and wait for a response.

Then—

"Come on in, Javier." An elderly voice seeps out.

A small smile forms on my face, and I enter the residence with barely an ounce of hesitation.

Only very few people call me by my first name, not adding honorifics, titles, or my fallen household's name

My friends are one, but also my superiors.

I am in the presence of the latter, the most powerful man within the four walls of the Royal Academy—Count Blake Winchester.

He is the current Head of the Royal Academy and somewhat of a mentor to me.

Without him, I couldn't have secured the position of Senior Professor.

No, even before then.

Without him, I couldn't have graduated with as many accolades and accrued merits to my name.

He was the one—among the likes of Anna—who ensured I wasn't deprived of what I worked so hard for, even though it had never been done before.

For that, I will always be grateful.

I enter his residence, and I'm immediately greeted by a wonderful living room, so distinguished in form and presence. The Count is seated on a sofa, drinking tea. The moment he spots me, his wrinkled face forms a smile, and his small eyes shrink even further.

His bright blue eyes maintain their youthful glow, and his gentlemanly demeanor makes him appear far gentler and easier to approach than most men.

I simply respect this man too much.

"It's been a while, Count Blake. I hope my visitation isn't too abrupt. It is quite late…" I am just coming from the staff meeting, so it's already nighttime.

Still, since the Count already told me that I could visit at any time, and I also used Clairvoyance to confirm that he is awake, I decided to take the opportunity to visit. If I didn't visit tonight, I'd be too swamped with work later on to make a proper house call.

"Oh, it's no problem at all. I told you, Javier… you can come here any time!"

I nod and smile.

I never knew my grandfathers, so anytime I interact with this man, I always feel that sense of filial affection, as though he were a senior member of my family.

"Come, sit…" He beckons me to sit right next to him. "Marci will make you some tea."

Marci is the head housekeeper in this residence.

I know her quite a bit.

At Count Blake's words, I make myself comfortable.

Before long, as has become a normal thing between us, we start to discuss many topics involving the Randalorion Kingdom. The Count is well-versed in politics and history, so I always find myself learning new things from him.

It is never a boring moment with him, and I appreciate his company because of it.

Then—

"Klaus wants to become the next Head of Academy during the Winter Elections…" Inevitably, the topic of Klaus Gerondester finally leaves my lips.

This is the true reason I have come to visit Count Blake tonight.

The old man is wise and insightful, so he must have already figured it out as well.

There's no need to beat around the bush.

'Although Count Blake wasn't in the staff meeting, he has so many eyes and ears that I'm sure he knew about everything we discussed….' I smile at the man while waiting for his response to my statement involving Earl Klaus.

As for why he didn't attend the staff meeting, it is one of the school policies.

The Head of Academy cannot attend staff meetings because it makes the staff less likely to speak their minds and make enemies of the Head. If said staff defies the will of the Head of the Academy, they could be relieved from duty, suppressed, or made to take on difficult roles in the Royal Academy as punishment.

Also, because of the potential punishment that comes from defiance, most staff with dissenting views would rather be quiet, which would defeat the spirit of the meeting.

The staff meeting is an open ground for discourse and disagreements.

It would be unfair to silence everyone like that.

Of course, this is all merely a veil.

Count Blake Winchester still has access to all the information from the meeting, and even if he was present, he couldn't carelessly take action against dissenters if they belonged to the Noble Faction and had sufficient backing.

The real reason this policy was made was to weaken the Headmaster's presence, reducing the pressure he has in the minds of the staff, and facilitating a more subtle takeover.

But, even though this was the intention, Count Blake has never once lost an ounce of presence.

It's just that he is advancing in age and should be retiring soon.

This has allowed the hungry wolves to come out of their den, seeking to devour his position.

'But what does he think about this…?'

"I will be retiring soon anyway. I could delay it, but it's not like I intend to hoard the position of Headmaster…" He speaks rather carefreely, smiling broadly as he sips his cool tea.

'Really? So you don't mind?' My thoughts echo in my mind.

He seems to have noticed my skepticism towards his earlier statement, so he laughs lightly, quickly shaking his head.

"Of course, I don't want someone like Klaus in such a position. To be honest, Javier, I wish someone like you could become the new Headmaster." His voice is sincere, devoid of any drop of flattery or ill intent.

I can feel that Count Blake is genuine.

But, he also feels powerless.

He is up against the will of a Duke here, so there's nothing he can do.

As for me, I'm not even an Erudite Scholar, not to mention a Grand Scholar, so there's no hope for me to seize such a position from the Earl.

'It looks like I'll have to make a move on my own to disrupt Julian's plans…'

My brows crease up as I seriously consider it.

What can I do?

I have a few options at my disposal at the moment, but the cleanest would be to cure his father, Marcus Ravenwood, from his stroke. Doing that will return power to Duke Marcus, who I believe will make better and more farsighted decisions than Julian.

But—

'Is that really the best option?' I sigh softly.

Duke Marcus Ravenwood is by far more sensible than Julian. He won't sell out the Royal Faction and disrupt the balance of the Randalorion Kingdom. But… he is a far shrewder man than Julian, which means he will be a more problematic enemy to have.

I'm not sure we will be enemies, but… it's possible that Duke Marcus despises me already.

Maybe even more than Julian does.

After all, two of his children are dead because of me.

'He killed a man for taking his daughter's purity. But that daughter of his is dead, alongside his first son. How would he feel about the man responsible for it?'

I have to think about this carefully.

But, with the way the situation has already turned out, I might as well take a chance on Marcus.

At least, that will resolve the immediate problems.

I can handle the later issues when they come, since I would have fully digested all the assets I gained recently, and my alliance with the Royal Family will hopefully have solidified by then.

'But this leads to another problem… Curing the stroke.'

Julian claims to have already tried all manner of medications and Potions, but none of them were effective. If I wish to cure the Count, I'll need better Potions, preferably innovative ones specially made with the Duke's problems in mind.

This… is something I can likely obtain from a Leviathan.

'Other than the deceased Count Kaelen, the Royal Family is my only clue involving Leviathans.'

Count Kaelen was approached by Zarius, and the Royal Family's history is likely steeped in the existence of a Leviathan. There should be others in the Randalorion Kingdom like the former, likely visited by a Leviathan or being Leviathans themselves, but I have no way of knowing who they are.

So it's better to focus on what I can do at the moment.

'I'll have to visit the Royal Palace sooner than I expected in order to get the information I need.'

After discussing with Count Blake for a little longer, even drinking tea and thanking Marci for the hospitality, I finally bid farewell and left for my residence.

Ht was certainly a refreshing visit.

Now, for my plans…

'I was going to wait until the end of the Summer Term, but the situation is growing more intense as time passes. It looks like I have no choice but to take a Leave from the Academy and solve this problem once and for all.' With a sharp mind, I resolutely decide to look for my soonest opportunity to revisit the Royal Palace.

**************

"He's progressing quite well…"

Within a vast and foggy hall, with a strange, distorted, and senseless atmosphere that gives it the appearance of a temple, a mausoleum, and an observatory, a woman clad in black sits.

She silently watches a brilliant sky painted with constellations of events and a series of interconnected paths. Her golden gaze, a pale complexion, and a gothic demeanor, her quiet observance of the cosmos bears a chilling resemblance to that of a supreme deity.

The ornate throne she sits on glistens with multiple colors, and the fog around her thickens the more she observes the world above.

'The Grimoire I had Esther obtain has allowed him to advance in solving Deficiency. He now has a Senior Alchemist at his disposal, and although Freya makes a good Diviner, she's not the most satisfactory option. She's served her purpose and can be disposed of at any time. There's also the Manticore from the Zema woman, which will be the key ingredient in making that vital Potion, and there's the matter of…' Her thoughts endlessly flow as she calculates everything with frightening precision.

She watches all that happens with ruthless efficiency.

'So far… so good.'

But—

'How long before he notices? These little changes made regarding a small cog hold no significance and have a very negligible difference to the overall plan, but someone as meticulous as him… hmm…'

For a moment, Anastasia Evernight—the ruler of this Observatory—pauses.

Her eyes rest on someone else in the room.

An existence.

Very loosely defined, hidden, and sustained by the fog enveloping the entire realm.

Anastasia smiles at him.

"What do you think about this, Javier?"

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