Ximo truly hadn’t noticed anything off about Melrose, except when she accidentally grabbed the wrong item. She keenly noticed Melrose’s brief panic, but she didn’t catch what Melrose had pulled out.
“Saint-Level Magigear?” Xiliya rubbed her chin. “I’ve collected quite a few ancient rune magics in the past and pored over many ancient texts, but I’ve never heard of Saint-Level Magigear. Are you sure you didn’t remember wrong, Ximo?”
As it turned out, amnesia was the ultimate excuse. Ximo’s cover was that she seemed to recall seeing the term Saint-Level Magigear in some ancient text, though she couldn’t remember clearly.
“Hmm… fine, but I’m really powerless here. This thing doesn’t even have a formed Magic Circuit. I can’t assess its value. You could try asking Instructor Shasta. As a Great Blood Clan that’s lived for a long time, she might know something.”
Ximo’s expression turned strange, and seeing this, Xiliya quickly added some reassurance.
“Don’t worry. Instructor Shasta just looks a bit fierce, but she’s actually a trustworthy good person. And you’re her Assistant Student, so having her check the item won’t be a problem.”
That wasn’t the issue at all! Xiliya wasn’t in the Beginner Class, so she didn’t know what had happened in class today. Going to ask for help right after angering her would make Ximo feel too awkward.
—
But the next day, when Ximo went to see Shasta, she still brought the Crystal Ball along. It was her weekly routine check-up day.
“The mocking is one thing, but no student has ever dared to blatantly zone out in my class… Take off your clothes and get on the bed!”
Shasta spoke in a harsh tone with lines that were easy to misunderstand. Ximo knew she was probably annoyed about wasting her time—the table was covered in half-disassembled Magic Puppet parts.
Perhaps because Shasta was in a bad mood, this check-up was especially painful. Moments later, Shasta stood up and elegantly wiped her mouth.
“You’re recovering pretty fast? No need to come next week. You haven’t even studied magic, yet your body’s magical adaptability is surprisingly good?”
Perhaps it was because System had boosted her magical talent? Ximo guessed.
“Jeez, I can’t believe you haven’t learned any magic at all. Am I supposed to teach an Assistant Student basic magic from scratch now?” Mentioning this got Shasta riled up again. “I should just ask Principal Meier to swap you out!”
Ximo silently got up. The question about the Crystal Ball that she’d meant to ask got swallowed back down because of Shasta’s temper. Why did she always feel like Xiliya’s judgment of people had been off ever since coming to the Academy?
“Do you have something to say? Don’t hem and haw.”
Unexpectedly, Shasta saw through Ximo’s hesitation. Her impatient words made Ximo’s hand tremble while dressing—and the Crystal Ball in her pocket dropped to the floor with a dull thud.
“What’s that?”
“Ah, this is…” Ximo swallowed and braced herself. “This is a Magitool I picked up a couple days ago. I wanted you to take a look at it…”
“Is this some kind of appraisal service?” Shasta grumpily picked it up and spotted the issue at a glance. “What’s there to look at? You got duped by this half-finished product without even a proper Magic Circuit?”
Then Shasta glanced at the Crystal Ball again, but that one look made her frown and stand there silently.
Feeling guilty, Ximo assumed Shasta was angry and carefully worded her response. “Sorry, Instructor Shasta. I didn’t mean to trouble you. If you don’t want to handle Assistant Student duties, that’s fine. And forget about appraising it…”
Ximo reached to take back the Crystal Ball, but Shasta suddenly yanked her hand away like she’d been shocked.
“Who said I wanted to swap Assistant Students?”
Shasta’s attitude flipped in an instant. She grabbed Ximo’s outstretched hand and flashed a warm smile. “How about being my Assistant Student for life?”
“Eh?”
Ximo jumped in surprise. Shasta’s hand was very cold, and her tone was sincere—not sarcastic at all. But her gaze never left the Crystal Ball.
“Didn’t you want me to check it? Leave this with me for research. Pick it up next time you come.”
She’d just said Ximo didn’t need to come next week, but now Shasta was like a different person, extra enthusiastic toward Ximo, as if the sour face from earlier hadn’t been hers.
Ximo then watched as Shasta cradled the Crystal Ball back to the table. With a bold “whoosh,” she swept everything off it, grabbed a magnifying glass, and began examining the Crystal Ball intently.
Ximo stood stunned for a moment before realizing Shasta had no intention of talking to her anymore. She could leave.
Instructor Shasta really was an eccentric person…
Ximo was just about to leave when three even knocks came from the door.
“Thanks, but I have no time to receive visitors this week. Don’t come looking for me for the next week!”
Shasta shouted without turning around, clearly not in the mood to deal with it.
“Instructor Shasta, it’s me. Got a moment to chat?”
Shasta: “…”
So Shasta reluctantly opened the door. Standing outside was the kindly Principal Meier.
“Ximo’s here too. Sorry to interrupt, but I have some important matters to discuss with Instructor Shasta…”
“No problem. My check-up’s done, and I was just leaving. Bye, Principal~”
After Ximo left with perfect timing and closed the door behind her, she hesitated for a moment before pressing her ear against it to listen.
“…the matter still hasn’t turned up any results. The Academy checked everywhere around the Mist Forest—no signs of intrusion…”
The Principal inside deliberately lowered his voice, but Ximo caught bits and pieces.
“Do you think it might be someone from the Academy?”
“It could also be an outsider intruder who left no traces, but that’s even worse. In any case, I need someone I can fully trust to keep an eye on this…”
Shasta didn’t reply. Ximo couldn’t imagine her expression now—probably thinking it was too much trouble?
So from what the Principal said, there was a mastermind behind the Mist Forest incident, and it might be someone from the Academy?
Ximo didn’t know how tight the Imperial Capital Magic Academy’s defenses were—virtually impossible for an intruder to sneak in perfectly without a trace. The Principal’s conclusion seemed very plausible.
“I won’t notify anyone else in the Academy about this for now. You too, Instructor Shasta… And Ximo, since you’ve overheard so much, please keep it confidential.”
Ximo’s heart skipped a beat. Her eavesdropping had been discovered? When? She hadn’t given anything away, had she?
