The library was the place that most students and teachers frequented. It was just perfect for reading and writing, which the students had to do daily.
William chose to go there because the teachers also visited the library. The place was divided into sections, with one reserved for teachers only. It gave them so privacy.
When William walked into the library, people looked at him. Only a few students were reading, since most were still in class.
Even the librarian gave William a curious look. She seed to be in her twenties, with deep blue eyes and long blond hair that made her stand out.
She was beautiful, and William couldn’t help but notice.
"Excuse ," he said as he walked up to her. "Could you help ?"
Unlike the teachers who saw William as a threat, the librarian welcod him with a warm smile. "Of course! What do you need?" she asked.
William got right to the point. He didn’t want to waste anyone’s ti.
"The other teachers aren’t... well, fond of , if I could say that. I only wish to know more about them, like their nas and who I should avoid," he said.
All he really wanted was the na of his target—the person the necromancer cult wanted dead.
He didn’t care about the others. No one would start a fight with him inside the academy, so there was no reason to worry. A few rumors wouldn’t keep him up at night.
"Oh? Really?" the librarian said with curious eyes, "I overheard about a teacher getting into trouble with you during breakfast. Anyway, follow . We should talk in a private space."
She liked gossip and talking about other people, so when William asked for her help, she was happy to assist.
The librarian led the way to a staff-only area. They were alone there, since no one else ca by at that ti.
"I’m Nina the librarian, by the way," Nina said, "I know you’re William, but it’s nice to et you in person."
Nina smiled at William again. He noticed her white teeth and thought her face looked even prettier when she smiled.
"It’s a pleasure to et you as well," he said.
"Would you like so tea?"
"That would be wonderful."
Their conversation was simple, but William already liked her. Unlike the teachers who were so hostile to him, she seed unconcerned.
Still, William stayed alert for anything unusual. He wasn’t stupid or naive.
The room she brought him to was small but pleasant. A few dark wooden tables stood around. The best part was the view. From the third floor, a large glass window looked out over the academy’s courtyard.
Nina arrived with two cups of tea. She brought them so quickly that it was obvious she had prepared the tea ahead of ti.
They sat at the table by the window. William gazed outside at the grass, the trees, the paths, and the students passing by. Soon, a light rain began to fall.
"Let’s begin with the main teachers, the ones you’ll see every day," Nina said.
She launched into animated stories about the usual teachers, and William listened closely. Though his real interest lay elsewhere, gathering details about the rest could only help.
Nina’s voice was soothing, and paired with the pleasant scenery, William felt his mind unwind for the first ti in days.
But Nina never ntioned the teacher he was hunting. Clearly, his target was not one of the prominent figures who road the academy halls.
"That is not good..." William thought.
Taking out a teacher without raising suspicion was already a challenge. Eliminating one who kept to the shadows would be nearly impossible.
"Now, there are a few teachers that often co and go," Nina said, "I know a few things about them, but not as much as I do about the others. Do you want to know about them too?"
Three teachers seed to haunt the academy more than inhabit it, their presence so rare that so students doubted they existed at all.
Brian Cesar was the most enigmatic of the trio, a shadow among shadows. Naturally, he was the one William had been assigned to eliminate.
"Brian is strange... No one knows what he actually does in the academy," Nina said, "I saw him a few tis during the night from this window, and he often disappears. So say he goes underground sotis. I don’t know, maybe he is a monster... Like a werewolf!"
Rumors like these often swirled through the academy, but in a world where mages could slip into animal forms, William found it hard to rule anything out.
"When was the last ti you saw him?" William asked.
"Maybe four nights ago?" Nina said, "I rember seeing him at around 11 pm. But it was just for a brief mont. I have no idea where he went."
She could tell William’s curiosity about Brian Cesar ran deeper than anyone else’s, but she brushed it off. To her, he was simply fascinated by the academy’s most enigmatic teacher, which seed perfectly ordinary.
It never crossed her mind that William might be a spy sent to end Brian’s life.
"Well, thank you for the information, and the tea," William said as he got up, "I’ll be sure to co back here often."
Nina savored the rare pleasure of William’s company. Few people ever visited just to chat about ordinary things instead of simply seeking help with the books.
"Please, do co back," she said, "you are more than welco here."
Afterward, William slipped away, making his way back to his room.
His room was in the sa building as the other teachers, but as he climbed the stairs, he passed them in silence. Their eyes followed him with suspicion, offering nothing but cold, unfriendly stares.
Once inside, William paused by the window, letting his gaze drift beyond the glass as he mapped out his next move.
"This mission might be harder to accomplish than I had thought," he realized.
That was why the note didn’t set a ti limit for him to finish the mission. It would be tough to kill Brian Cesar, and even tougher to do it without getting caught.
William had believed his stay at the academy would be brief, but he was quickly learning just how mistaken he was.
With little to occupy him before nightfall, William turned to his secret necromancy books, their pages safely concealed by a clever cloaking spell.
He spent the afternoon and early evening poring over theory, but the itch to practice real magic grew. William knew he needed a hidden place to truly unleash his spells.
Necromancy spells were forbidden and frowned upon, so William couldn’t just practice them inside his room. The academy had ways of knowing if he was practicing those spells.
When his studies finally ended late at night, William rembered Nina’s story about seeing Brian Cesar in the moonlit courtyard. Maybe tonight, he would catch a glimpse as well.
He lingered by his window, eyes scanning the darkness for any flicker of movent that might reveal sothing.
Ti crawled as he gazed out his window, restless and wild-eyed. Only the guards moved below, their routines offering no hint of anything unusual.
Then, a new silhouette appeared. William’s heart quickened; it could only be Brian.
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