Professor Hein’s thoughts were still untangling themselves when Nolan’s voice slid in beside him like a whisper with weight.
"Did you know they were a scam too?"
The words struck clean through the fog of his reflection. Hein blinked, his shoulders twitching slightly from the jolt. He turned, caught in a mont of vulnerability, then slowly composed himself, hands adjusting the hem of his sleeves like it could smooth out the disarray inside his mind.
"Yes," Hein finally replied, steady but a shade quieter than usual. "Yes, I knew."
Nolan tilted his head, brow rising in quiet amusent, but he said nothing, inviting explanation with a gaze as calm as a still lake.
So Hein sighed—a long, reluctant breath—and began to speak.
"It started four weeks ago. One of the interns in the Artifact Registration Office ca across a relic that, by all initial scans, registered as Class Three. However, it lacked any resonance signature.
"That’s impossible. Class Three artifacts always echo—unless they’re illusions. So we dug deeper. Then ca more reports. Petty ones, scattered, dismissed by city enforcers. A girl bought a familiar egg that lted into sli two days later.
"A rchant acquired a ’fire blade’ that turned out to be tempered copper under a heat enchantnt. Isolated incidents... until the sa nas kept popping up. Ravas. Eastbank Consortium."
Hein’s voice darkened.
"Principal Duldor suspected sothing larger. But the scam was clever—they moved locations, changed nas, wore mana-concealing talismans. I was asked to investigate... because, well, no one expects soone like . I rarely leave my quarters. I don’t teach classes anymore. People forget my face, even if they rember the title. I’m the perfect invisible man."
Nolan gave a slow, exaggerated nod, arms crossed and eyes amused. Hein ignored the theatrical motion and continued, words tumbling faster now that he had begun.
"I traced fluctuations in mana licenses. Anyone dealing in magical artifacts must register temporary rchant access if they want to display publicly. These scamrs bought out short-term passes, but always under forged identities. Every ti I ca close, they slipped. Until today. I found a duplicate application cross-signed by a forged Eastbank sigil. It brought here. I didn’t expect Ravas to be bold enough to show himself... but more than that, I didn’t expect you."
Hein finished, exhaling. His posture loosened, his voice dropping. "You kept playing. Even when the crowd grew bored. Even when the boxes were clearly fake. You watched them... but they didn’t watch you. That’s the difference. That’s what made suspicious. And yet..."
He trailed off, unsure.
Nolan’s expression didn’t change. He just continued to nod and nod, almost too much, eyes wide and serene as though Hein were explaining a children’s bedti story.
When the silence lingered long enough, Nolan finally spoke.
"You’re not afraid I’m one of them?"
The question wasn’t sharp, but it landed with precision.
Hein blinked. "Excuse ?"
"I an," Nolan shrugged, "you just told all that. But what if I were part of the scam? Wouldn’t that make you a liability?"
Hein opened his mouth. Closed it. Opened it again.
Nolan smirked.
"See?" he added, softly. "Why did you tell all that?"
Hein stared at him, stunned. His words returned, faint and unsure. "I... don’t know."
A beat passed.
Then Nolan broke into a chuckle—a rich, bubbling sound that turned heads a few feet away. His eyes crinkled with mischievous delight. "Relax, old man. I’m not with them. Though, I must say, you make a terrifying spy."
Hein narrowed his eyes, still baffled.
"Well, how about this then," Nolan said, changing gears so fast the conversation lurched. "Give your egg."
"What?"
"Give the egg."
"Why would I do that?"
"You’re not going to use it. You know it won’t survive anyway. Co on, I saw your face earlier—you already gave up on it."
Hein’s mouth opened to retort but hesitated.
Yes... that was true.
That cursed egg had already been declared lifeless by two independent beast assessors. It had no future. Even its internal mana frequency was weak, inconsistent. Barely a flicker of life. As far as Hein was concerned, it was a morial to a failure, not a prize.
Still, the way Nolan asked—so direct, so eager—it irritated him for reasons he couldn’t articulate.
"No," Hein said. "Why would I give you this?"
Nolan lit up, smiling wide like he’d anticipated that.
"Because," he said, drawing the word out, "since I was young, I’ve had this strange... well, let’s call it a hobby. I collect beast eggs that don’t hatch."
Hein blinked. "What?"
"Yeah," Nolan nodded solemnly. "I find them fascinating. All that potential, all that mystery. So I collect them."
There was a pause.
"And then I eat them."
Hein just stared.
"They taste weird," Nolan added, completely deadpan. "So are bitter. So are gooey. So explode when you boil them. It’s an acquired taste."
Hein’s mouth hung slightly open, torn between indignation and speechlessness.
"Are you serious?"
"Deadly."
"That’s ridiculous."
"Then give the egg."
"No."
Nolan grinned again. "Alright, alright. How about this—I’ll buy it off you."
Before Hein could react, Nolan produced a pouch and counted fifty Mana Crystals into his palm with exaggerated flair, one by one. Each glead in the afternoon sun, clicking softly together as he stacked them.
"Here," Nolan offered, both palms extended. "Fifty crystals. A fair deal for a dead egg, don’t you think?"
Hein flinched.
Fifty? That was nearly the full value of a functioning low-tier artifact. Even if the egg had been whole, this price was ridiculous. Hein stared, unsure whether to be impressed or concerned.
"You’re really going to pay that much?"
"Yes," Nolan said, eyes still twinkling. "Because I want that egg."
"But it’s—"
"—already half-dead, I know. But I want it."
Hein narrowed his gaze. "Why?"
"You said it yourself," Nolan answered smoothly. "I’m not going to use it. So why not give it to ?"
"You could just wait until it dies."
"I don’t want a corpse. I want it now."
"You’re insane."
"Possibly."
Hein hesitated. The truth was, he didn’t want the egg. Not anymore. It was a failed purchase. A bitter reminder of foolish hope. But handing it over now, after this bizarre exchange, after everything... it felt humiliating.
Nolan watched his silence, unblinking.
And then Hein groaned, shoulders sagging.
"Fine! Take it!"
He shoved the egg into Nolan’s hands with a look of utter defeat.
"Don’t want your damn crystals," he muttered. "Just go."
The mont the egg left his grip, Nolan spun in a little circle and raised it above his head like a trophy. "Yes! Victory!"
Hein scowled, but there was sothing almost infectious about the way Nolan celebrated, bouncing slightly on his feet like a boy who’d won a fairground prize.
So fast. So shaless.
"Unbelievable," Hein muttered.
And as Nolan turned away, cradling the egg like it was precious treasure, Hein couldn’t help the thought that blood, unbidden and uneasy, in the back of his mind.
Was that part of his plan too?
He sighed, rubbing his temples.
Looking at Nolan again, head convinced he was tricked again!
Damn!! Too shaless.
Then, Hein would turn around, walk slowly, and curse that soday he would get them all back.
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