Chapter 62: Airlights Revealed

Jason Klarok was going through hectic days.

Thanks to having chosen the right side in the struggle for the throne, he had promised himself quite a few privileges.

Now he could confidently operate even in the open, high society.

Of course, he had no real intention of doing so.

“I thought this opportunity would let me get deep into the Imperial Palace.”

Just because the war ended with the Imperial Princess’s victory and Sylvia became Empress, it didn’t mean things were that simple.

Jason knew better than anyone else that this wasn’t a straightforward matter.

That’s why he planned to use this as a chance to extend his reach into the depths of the palace—and he was confident he could.

He had the experience and the ability to back it up.

But the results were disastrous.

The nobles’ attitudes changed overnight.

Those who were loyal to the core showed no cracks at all, and trying to forcibly wedge into a gapless situation was bound to cause trouble.

In fact, the palace’s intelligence had become even worse than before.

It wasn’t hard to guess the reason behind this.

“It must be the Princess’s hidden ability.”

Jason had stayed close to the Princess throughout the civil war.

It was easy enough to know she suffered from a terrible illness linked to her hidden ability.

“Hio Pavlenko didn’t support the Princess for no reason. He must’ve known about this power and wholeheartedly helped her because of it.”

The more he knew, the more mysterious the man called Hio Pavlenko became.

“Anyway, the palace is out of reach for now…”

There was plenty else to worry about too.

With his territory expanded, the amount of information coming to Jason had also increased.

While rifling through various documents full of intelligence, a line of text in striking red caught his eye.

[Top Secret]

Information marked with such red letters carried extreme importance or urgency.

Without hesitation, Jason tore open the sealed envelope and read the contents.

Near Ba’al Forest.

The furrow between the eyebrows deepens.

Heuka appearance.

The first report of the black mist ever witnessed.

***

A head of bright red hair strode energetically down the corridor.

Claire was on her way to Sirbert’s room.

“This is strange. I have to ask.”

It had already been several days since Hio disappeared from the empty basement.

Maybe Sirbert could explain the situation.

Even though Hio told her not to speak about it if possible, Claire thought it wouldn’t matter to Sirbert.

He would surely know where Hio had gone and whether there was any problem.

On her way to Sirbert’s personal office, she met someone familiar coming from the opposite direction.

“Assistant Professor Hoppen.”

A man with a slightly worn and tired face.

It was Hoppen.

“I’m looking for Professor Sirbert. Is he inside?”

Claire asked Hoppen as he approached.

Hoppen’s gaze fell on Claire, and soon the corners of his eyes twisted sharply.

“Hello?”

A greeting unlike any Hoppen.

“Oh, hello…”

Claire was taken aback by the unexpected warmth but Hoppen’s strange behavior continued.

“You’re Claire, right?”

He acted as if seeing her for the first time.

“Hmm… you’re pretty, but don’t you seem too young?”

Muttering incomprehensible words, he scanned Claire up and down with a feminine tone.

Feeling a shiver creep up her spine, Claire sidestepped to avoid him.

“Um… I’ll be going then…”

Trying to retreat quietly, but then—

“Do you happen to know where Hio Pavlenko is right now?”

She had no choice but to stop dead in her tracks at the question.

Covering his mouth with his hand, Hoppen gave a sly smile.

Having never seen this side of Hoppen before, Claire instinctively shook her head.

“Oh, no. I don’t know…”

“Hm? I saw you with him last time.”

“Oh, that was just a brief greeting! Since then, I haven’t…”

Hoppen’s expression briefly hardened before he leaned toward Claire.

“I really hate liars.”

“I swear, it’s true… I don’t know where Hio is either.”

“Hmmm… I see.”

He straightened up and began smiling again.

His overly feminine movements made Claire shiver again.

“Alright, Claire. See you next time, okay?”

With that, Hoppen turned and walked away.

Claire watched his retreating figure, rubbing her goosebump-covered arm before rushing to Sirbert’s room.

“Hio suddenly disappeared from the basement?”

Sirbert was just as clueless.

“And Hoppen asked about Hio Pavlenko’s whereabouts?”

That was strange enough on its own.

Why would Hoppen be looking for Hio? Without telling Sirbert even.

“Anything else unusual?”

Hio disappearing from the basement suddenly was strange enough, but Sirbert found Hoppen’s behavior even more suspicious.

Hoppen had seemed odd lately anyway.

“Unusual…”

Claire hesitated, trying to decide where to start with the many strange things she’d noticed.

“His speech and gestures were feminine. It didn’t feel like the Hoppen I knew.”

“Hoppen not acting like Hoppen…”

A fleeting assumption crossed Sirbert’s mind.

“Could it be… Airlights?”

Jijoncheonma’s obsessive stalker, Airlights.

Though Sirbert didn’t know Airlights’ exact ability, he had heard that it could control others.

He only knew that its skills and traits were mental in nature.

‘Could that Airlights have already joined the Heuka side and somehow manipulated Hoppen? Or, more importantly…’

‘Airlights… is a woman?’

The shock of knowing Airlights had even reached someone so close was staggering enough.

But that Airlights was actually female?

That was even more shocking.

“Airlights…”

Sirbert couldn’t be certain, but he had to keep the possibility open.

If Hoppen was indeed Airlights, what was the reason?

‘Why reveal herself to Claire now after hiding and watching all this time?’

Sirbert wracked his brain and came up with only one reason.

“Because her identity will be exposed soon anyway?”

Meaning she didn’t care if she was found out.

No other explanation came to mind.

“Professor…? Who is Airlights…?”

Claire cautiously asked Sirbert, who was lost in thought.

Though she didn’t want to interrupt, curiosity got the better of her.

Sirbert shook his head.

“You don’t need to worry about it. Focus on the joint exam tomorrow.”

It wasn’t a matter for someone of her level.

That was what Sirbert seemed to say.

So Claire was left speechless.

In the end, she gained no answers at all.

“Where had Hio suddenly gone? Was he okay?”

Even Sirbert had no clue.

All she had were the name Airlights and even more questions.

“Yes…”

Claire replied and left the room.

Something… was happening, but she couldn’t figure out what.

Even if she could, she wasn’t sure there was anything she could do.

A long-forgotten feeling of helplessness returned.

Since entering the Academy, her successes had built her confidence, but this was reality.

She was still powerless.

Just like the day when a Heuka lieutenant appeared right before her eyes.

Her fists clenched tightly on their own.

She wouldn’t allow herself to feel that helplessness again.

There was no choice but to become stronger.

“Claire!”

As Claire trudged away from Sirbert’s room, Ravena appeared before her.

“What did the Professor say? You couldn’t find out why he suddenly disappeared, huh?”

Without even asking, Ravena guessed from Claire’s weary steps and expression.

“It’s okay! If he said nothing, it can’t be that serious! First, let’s get lunch and cheer up! You have an important exam tomorrow, so don’t be so down!”

Cheering her on, Ravena led Claire.

The two headed to the student cafeteria for lunch before moving on to their afternoon lectures.

Nothing special happened.

Well, Roland Bernstein showed up somewhere and picked a fight again, but Claire barely heard what was said anymore.

***

After the afternoon lecture came physical training.

Skill users, like knights, had to train stamina, strength, and agility.

Even if not to a knight’s level, they had to meet certain physical standards.

That part of the day was uneventful.

By then, the morning’s gloomy events had mostly faded from Claire’s mind.

The higher and harder the goals, the stronger Claire’s will burned.

After training hard and pouring herself into physical conditioning, evening came.

Back in the dorm, after washing up, Ravena greeted her as usual.

“I’m hungry! Let’s go!”

“Yeah.”

***

After dinner, they walked through the now darkened Academy grounds.

Under the glow of street lamps scattered about, they chatted quietly.

Talking about the exam tomorrow.

Other professors.

Events from the day.

As usual, Roland suddenly blocked their path.

“Where’s that lowly smell coming from…”

‘How did he always know where they were and show up like a ghost?’

At this point, Claire suspected he might be secretly following them.

“You’ve been sneaking after us, haven’t you?”

“W-what are you talking about? Why would I follow you lowlifes…”

“No friends, huh?”

“I’m Roland Bernstein…”

The street lamps above and the magical stones glowing in the flower beds cast a pleasant atmosphere along the path.

Claire, Ravena, and Roland were veering off this road a little.

Taking a shortcut, darker but faster, avoiding a longer detour.

It was a path they’d always taken without issue.

Except today, someone was waiting for them in the middle of the dark road.

“Finally, you’re here.”

A chilling voice.

A man mimicking a woman’s voice and tone, unnatural and eerie.

“Assistant Professor?”

It was Hoppen.

Ravena and Roland looked at him with suspicion, while Claire tensed and stopped walking.

Only Claire knew Hoppen was not himself.

She eyed him warily as he approached with that familiar smile.

“Something about this just doesn’t sit right with me.”

That voice and behavior.

This was not the Assistant Professor Hoppen Claire knew.

The name Sirbert had murmured—

“Airlights.”

“Hey, you guys. Hio Pavlenko met all three of you that day he came here, right?”

Airlights.

“So, just one question.”

Hoppen slowly approached.

Eyes curved like a fox’s.

A meaningful smile.

“Do you know the name Jijoncheonma?”

Roland and Ravena looked confused.

Claire flinched without meaning to.

“Ah…?”

Hoppen’s head turned slowly toward Claire.

“You know him?”

A sinister crimson gleam flashed.

“Is that all?”

Six magic tomes lay before Hio.

***

[Basic 3rd Circle magic.]

[Lock — seals doors or boxes.]

[Unlock — opens sealed things.]

[3rd Circle wind magic.]

[Levitation — blows away objects or targets.]

[Feather Fall — slows falling objects or targets to feather-light speed.]

[3rd Circle illusion magic: Illusion.]

All 3rd Circle tomes Hio acquired while roaming the Tower of Mages.

He had enough offensive skills, so he picked only those useful and not triggering his Hidden Trait penalty.

The last magic tome was recommended by Furnel.

— Cancellation. Cancels magic or status ailments caused by magic.

“Does this actually come in handy?”

Learning magic that cancels magic in an era where magic was fading seemed wasteful.

He asked, but Furnel was adamant.

“You need to broaden your thinking. Don’t just consider the fixed effects of learned magic. Understand the principles.”

The point was to grasp the principle of cancellation—that is, cutting off the opponent’s magic power—and apply it.

Not just magic, but skills also activated by magic power.

“Obviously, instant-cast or high-magic-cost skills can’t be canceled, but ongoing or sustained skills can be interrupted.”

It was hard to grasp the concept from explanation alone; it would only be clear through practice.

Still, Furnel’s firm advice always had reasons behind it. He was trustworthy.

“Then, with Cancellation, that makes six in total.”

He filtered and selected six magic tomes to minimize unnecessary symbol use.

The rest were attack magics or ones impossible to learn at the 3rd Circle level.

Although he was now a formal mage, it was still only the beginning.

Among them, the most promising was illusion magic, Illusion.

Magic was the best way to attack without triggering the Hidden Trait penalty.

How many tricks had he tried to get around that?

One of those was gaining mental-type skills.

「Hidden Trait – Violence is Not Allowed!」

「You must not commit violence against any intelligent living being.」

「Causing physical harm or injury triggers penalties.」

「Penalty – All Skills Deleted」

The Hidden Trait only considered physical harm as violence.

If mental harm counted too, he wouldn’t dare even speak carelessly—words would count as verbal abuse.

Anyway, that was why Illusion would be Hio’s best-fitting magic.

“I’ve learned Phantom Steed, Ghost, and Wraith summonings too… Once I master this, my 3rd Circle magic set will be pretty much complete.”

— “The birth of an unprecedented mixed-breed mage. Heh heh heh.”

Laughing quietly, Hio opened the first book.

He began with illusion magic, Illusion.