Brian seed angry, yet he didn't act recklessly or cause a scene in the academy. He went to William's quarters to speak with him privately.
"What do you rember from yesterday?" William asked.
Sitting in the chair inside William's room, Brian placed a hand on his forehead, trying to recall as much as he could from the previous night. It wasn't easy.
"I rember we drank and talked about random things, and then you asked so personal questions—like wanting to know what kind of work I do here."
William then said, "And do you rember the reason I asked that?"
Brian couldn't answer right away. William nudged his mory.
"It was because I'm investigating the people at the school, rember? The headmaster put in charge of the investigation. You know, to uncover more about those spies."
When Brian heard that, it was as if sothing clicked in his mind.
"Ahhh, I rember now. Yes, I understand. But why the hell did you try to enter my mind? Didn't you trust my word?"
The way Brian spoke was peculiar. Deep down, he wasn't certain William had actually entered his mind. He knew the attempt had happened, but Brian didn't believe William had the ability to break into his mind so easily.
There were very few people who possessed such a skill.
"Yes, I won't deny it—I really did try, just to see if you were telling the truth. But I couldn't get into your mind. Your ntal defenses are stronger than most."
William flipped the situation, even turning it into a complint. Brian seed to enjoy the praise, his expression shifting from confusion and anger to pride.
"You noticed that? You see, bearers of divine magic like are truly different. Did you know you have to be chosen to wield such a gift? It's really for the few…"
"Divine magic? What's that?" William asked, feigning confusion.
He already knew Brian used that kind of magic and had so knowledge of it himself. But William noticed Brian wanted to talk more about his powers—and even boast about them. That was why he asked. It was the best way to make him forget what had happened the night before.
And it worked, because Brian began speaking about other things afterward.
"The so-called mysterious mage has already arrived at the academy," Brian said. "But there's nothing mysterious about her. I know her very well."
"Her? It's a woman?" William asked.
"Yes. Did the headmaster tell you anything about her?"
"Nothing. He only said a mysterious mage would arrive at the academy, and that I should ignore this mage's presence. I thought that was a bit strange."
William would be acting as the supposed headmaster for a ti, and he was expected to simply ignore the presence of an unknown mage. That didn't feel right to him.
"You can go talk to her if you want," Brian said. "It's not like she's crazy or anything. Besides, the headmaster surely ntioned you to her, so maybe you'll find it easier to speak with her."
Before leaving the academy, the headmaster had made it clear to all the guards and administrative staff that William was the one who would be in charge for a while. This was to ensure everyone was on the sa page.
The students had no idea about this, but it hardly mattered. Since classes had been essentially canceled, they only had to remain inside the school without causing trouble, continuing their studies on their own.
In the end, Brian left after clearing up the doubts he had. William also stepped out of his quarters, heading off to look for the supposed mage who had arrived at the academy.
He was a little confused.
"The mage created the barrier that's holding the Lich, but he never told whether the one who captured him was a man or a woman. Am I dealing with two different people?" William wondered.
The only way to know for sure was by asking the Lich directly. But William couldn't go there at that mont. It was dayti, Brian was nearby, and there was that mysterious mage whose level of power he couldn't even guess.
Going there would be foolish. Soone would notice, and that could be fatal. William had already almost been discovered by Brian, so he wanted to avoid doing sothing reckless like that.
So, after leaving his room, William went in search of the mage who had arrived at the academy. She wanted to be alone, so it wasn't as if William knew exactly where she was.
That was inconceivable, considering he was the acting headmaster. Luckily, the guards knew where she was and gave him her location.
"She ntioned she was hungry when she arrived and wanted to know which restaurant was open. I think she must be there," one of the guards told William.
William headed toward the part of the academy that had several restaurants. On the way, so students approached him.
"Professor William, do you know where the other teachers went? The headmaster didn't say anything, and we can't find him!"
Apparently, the headmaster hadn't explained things properly to the students. They knew classes would be suspended for a while because the teachers had commitnts, but no one knew the reason. Being "trapped" inside the academy, they were already starting to think sothing serious was happening outside.
It wasn't just one student who asked William this. Groups began to gather around him, waiting for an answer. He decided to leave that for later.
"I'm acting as headmaster for now," he said, his voice loud enough for everyone to hear. "Tell the students that we'll have a eting in the main hall after lunch. I'll share what I know with you then."
Not that he had much to share. William only wanted to make sure the students were aware of what was happening. He still couldn't believe the headmaster had simply left without properly informing them.
"Was it laziness, or is he trying to test ?" William wondered.
The students were happy that soone would finally give them an explanation. That group quickly spread the ssage to ensure most of the students would attend the eting.
William hadn't called everyone to the eting just yet because he had more important things to do. He headed toward the restaurants.
So were closed, so he only checked the ones that were open, asking about the mage who had arrived at the academy. It wasn't hard to find her—after all, she was the only unfamiliar mage that no one was used to seeing.
She was seated in the seafood restaurant. Her hair was a vivid, fiery red, as were her eyes. Her skin was bronzed, as if she were soone who spent a great deal of ti in the sun.
William stopped near her and said, "May I sit here?"
The mage looked at him and replied, "You're William, right?"
He could feel her gaze lingering on his missing arm. That was how most people recognized him within the academy.
"Did the headmaster talk about ?" he asked.
"Yes, he did. But I don't know why you're here. I have nothing to share with you."
It wouldn't be easy to get any information out of her.
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