Thud.

A young girl’s body crumbled slowly, collapsing into a field of flowers.

With one eye closed, her even breathing gave the impression of a sleeping princess in a fairytale.

Yujin looked down at her still form for a moment before straightening up.

『In the end, you didn’t go all the way.』

Tiamat’s voice echoed beside him as she observed the scene. Yujin shrugged.

"I didn’t completely abstain from intervening. I did seal her magi after all."

『Even so, this girl is already transforming into a demon. More precisely… the window to remove the demon’s seed has long passed. Both her body and soul are no longer entirely human.』

"That’s why I only sealed the magi. If I had tried to extract the seed outright, the young lady would have died."

According to Yujin’s assessment, the corruption had already surpassed its critical point. The demon’s seed and the girl had long since become one.

At this stage, separating the girl from the demon was impossible.

Tiamat continued.
『At this point, the girl and the demon are indistinguishable. What torments her isn’t some external entity, but a second self born from her own weakness and malice, created and nurtured by the demon’s seed. It’s her inner darkness that’s consuming her mind and soul.』

“Hmm… Is it too late then?”

『Sealing the magi may have bought her some time, but ultimately it’s just that—time. Without magi, her condition will likely deteriorate further. After all, magi is the fundamental essence of a demon’s existence.』

"A tragic case."

Yujin muttered, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

If he had to compare, the girl was like a terminal cancer patient.

Had treatment been administered early, she might have been saved. But at this stage, the malignant cells had grown unchecked, leaving no viable options.

Unless, of course, one could turn back time itself.

But…

『I’ve told you before, haven’t I? The timeline of transcendents is absolute. Even for transcendents, meddling with absolute time isn’t easy. If it were, everyone would have interfered during the Great War to secure their victory.』

Even with the nearly omnipotent authority of a dragon, interfering with the timeline of a transcendent was no simple matter. Perhaps not entirely impossible, but…

『You do possess my mana, Yujin. It’s possible that you could tamper with the half-realized timeline of this incomplete transcendent. But rewinding her time to undo her transformation? That’s unlikely.』

Tiamat emphasized that the girl, already halfway to becoming a demon, could not be rewound to a state of humanity. The birth of a transcendent could not be so easily undone.

"So, does this mean there’s no way at all?"

Even terminal cancer patients had chemotherapy as a last resort.

Though grueling and often futile, chemotherapy was at least a desperate attempt to extend life.

Yujin wondered if there was a similar option for this girl.

『Restoring her body to humanity is impossible. But fortunately, she has retained her sense of self.』

"By that, you mean…"

『Within her, a second self has likely emerged—a persona born of her inner weakness and malice, nurtured by the demon’s seed. To maintain her identity, she must either accept it, overcome it, or learn to coexist with it.』

“I see.”

In other words, she could assimilate with her demonic persona, resist and defeat it, or strike a balance to coexist.

"Assimilation seems the easiest option. The other two would require her willpower to at least match that of the demonic persona, and from what I’ve seen, she’s struggling."

『You’re correct. However, assimilation risks compromising her identity. There’s a chance her sense of self could change entirely.』

"Troublesome."

『There is a way you could help her, but now may not be the right time to bring it up.』

As Tiamat finished speaking—

Rustle!

The sound of hurried footsteps cutting through the garden reached them. Yujin had already turned his gaze in the direction of the commotion.

"The magi trail leads here!"
"Damn it… Your Highness!"

Two women burst through the garden bushes.

***

Earlier, at the student dormitory.

"He's not here, Headmistress."

"Damn it… Were we fooled?"

Headmistress Ines and Professor Reina had rushed to the student dormitories after Yujin’s cryptic words had unsettled them.

But Yujin was nowhere to be found.

Instead, all they discovered were a few students sneaking into the opposite gender’s dormitory for clandestine rendezvous.

Realizing they’d been misled, both women came to the same conclusion. They had been tricked.

Though Yujin had no intention of deceiving them, his ominous statement had left them with no choice but to act.

But in the end, they found neither Yujin nor any sign of an immediate threat—just embarrassed students caught in the act.

For the headmistress, the situation was mortifying.

‘Damn kids! I’ve never even held a man’s hand, and here they are already—!’

The sight of the students’ passionate trysts filled her with righteous indignation.

"Headmistress, please take a look at this."

At that moment, Reina handed something to Ines.

"...This is?"

"It seems to belong to a student."

A white cardigan. Ines’s expression darkened.

‘Could he have already abducted his target?’

And if the target was…

"Professor Reina, where did you find this?"

"This way."

Reina’s grave tone matched Ines’s as they moved quickly.

Arriving at a different part of the dormitory, Ines felt a faint yet unmistakable presence. Her worst fears were confirmed.

"This… This is the Princess’s magi, isn’t it?"

"Excuse me?"

The faint remnants of Alicia’s magi lingered in the air.

Though subtle, it was enough to catch Ines’s attention due to her heightened senses as a descendant of dragons.

Without hesitation, Ines followed the trail of magi.

"Follow me!"

Reina trailed behind her as they raced through the dormitory and into the academy’s garden.

"The magi leads here!"
"Damn it… Your Highness!"

Bursting into the garden, they stopped at the sight before them.

In the center of the moonlit garden stood Yujin, his dark hair gleaming under the night sky, his narrow eyes giving away nothing.

Before him lay Alicia, collapsed and unmoving.

To any onlooker, the scene would appear ominous, and both women immediately assumed the worst.

Actions preceded words.

Reina rushed to Alicia’s side, cradling her, while Ines stepped between them, confronting Yujin.

"What is the meaning of this? What did you do—!"

"Shh."

As the Headmistress raised her voice, Yujin lifted his index finger to his lips. The gesture made her pause.

"Please... lower your voice, Headmistress. A student is sleeping just behind you, isn’t she?"

“…!”

Her instinctive reaction was to glance behind her. To Ines, Yujin's words sounded clear as day:

—There’s a vulnerable student behind you. Surely you wouldn’t pick a fight here, would you?

Gritting her teeth, the Headmistress turned toward Reina and issued a directive.

"Professor Reina, take Princess Alicia to a safe place immediately."

"…Understood."

Reina knew her presence here might only hinder Ines, so she said no more and carried Alicia away without hesitation.

"Oh, Professor Reina Sahart."

"!?"

Yujin’s voice halted Reina mid-step. Turning stiffly, she looked at him. Yujin smiled and spoke calmly.

"Please tell Her Highness when she wakes up—if she ever needs help, she’s welcome to seek me out anytime."

"…"

To Reina, those words carried a sinister undertone:

—Even if you’re harboring a demon, you’re always welcome here.

Feeling a chill crawl up her spine, Reina said nothing and hastily left the scene.

Now, only Yujin and the Headmistress remained in the garden.

Yujin glanced toward the direction Reina and Alicia had disappeared, muttering to himself.

"So, she’s a princess… far more important than I expected. I didn’t realize."

"What is that supposed to mean? Are you trying to feign ignorance now?"

The sight of Princess Alicia lying unconscious in the moonlit garden, with Yujin calmly standing over her, would look suspicious to anyone.

Especially to Ines, who was already wary of Yujin.

"Pretending to be clueless? I honestly have no idea what’s happening myself," Yujin replied smoothly. "If you’re worried about misunderstandings, let me clarify—I happened to stumble across Her Highness by chance."

"That’s… no, never mind."

Ines felt as though she were being drawn into his pace. She lacked concrete evidence against him. All she had were the circumstances: Princess Alicia, already a target for dark sorcerers, found collapsed near Yujin.

Still, there was enough reason to question him thoroughly.

She calmed herself and began her interrogation.

"Very well. Let me ask you a few questions."

"I’m listening."

"Why did you delay contacting us after arriving at the academy? Didn’t I ask you to inform us once you’d settled in?"

That detail had struck her as odd. She had left instructions to contact her upon arrival, promising to send someone to escort him. Instead, Yujin had casually announced his presence long after his arrival.

"It’s nothing significant," Yujin replied with a faint smile. "I just thought it would be rude to trouble you to come pick me up, so I made my own way here. Ah, I apologize for the delay. I got caught up admiring the academy grounds and planned to contact you after a little exploration."

His answer was suspicious in its simplicity, and Ines narrowed her eyes as she pressed on.

"The academy grounds are surrounded by spatial distortions. How did you arrive so quickly without a portal escort?"

"I used spatial magic, of course. The distortions weren’t particularly challenging to navigate."

"That’s…"

Ines hesitated. She realized that for Yujin, a mage who pioneered space-time magic, bypassing spatial distortions might truly be trivial.

But no amount of reasoning could absolve him of suspicion.

"What about your earlier statement—telling us to hurry to the dormitories? What did you mean by that?"

"Ah, that was just a lighthearted joke," Yujin said nonchalantly. "I’m not a dorm supervisor. If I were to wander into the dormitories by mistake, it could cause some trouble, don’t you think?"

"…"

A lighthearted joke? The words had carried far too much weight for something so trivial.

"And why were you with Princess Alicia?"

"I encountered Her Highness by chance."

"By chance? Are you telling me it was mere coincidence that a princess’s cardigan was found near the dormitory, and then you happened to meet her in the garden? Why would she have dropped her clothing if it were just a chance encounter?"

Ines lifted the white cardigan, her expression stern. Yujin raised his eyebrows slightly.

"Hmm… I see. I wasn’t aware of that. It seems Her Highness is more careless than I expected."

"…"

Though Yujin’s tone suggested genuine surprise, his words carried a subtle mockery that unsettled Ines further.

"Perhaps she dropped it unknowingly?" Yujin suggested with a shrug.

"Do you honestly think that explanation makes sense?"

"Unfortunately, I have nothing more to offer."

"…"

Ines clenched her fists as she stared at him. She decided to ask one final question.

"Why was the Princess collapsed here?"

"Ah, that."

Yujin glanced up at the moon as if pondering her question, then casually replied, "It seems a demon has taken root within her."

"…What? What nonsense are you…"

"Fascinating, isn’t it? Why would someone as esteemed as a princess succumb to demonic corruption while residing at the academy?"

"…!"

Ines froze at his words.

The fact that Princess Alicia was harboring a demon was one of the empire’s most closely guarded secrets. Even the polytheistic church, which advocated for her immediate execution, had refrained from making it public to avoid mass panic.

If this information were to leak—especially with someone as infamous as Yujin spreading it—it could lead to catastrophic consequences.

The academy would be accused of harboring a demon-possessed royal, the church’s radical faction would seize the opportunity to act, and chaos would ensue both within and outside the academy.

"Why would you bring this up?" Ines asked, her voice tinged with unease.

Yujin smiled faintly. "Why indeed? Perhaps you, Headmistress, are in the best position to answer that."

"…"

Ines’s suspicions solidified. She realized that Yujin was subtly implying his awareness of the precarious situation.

If he chose to speak publicly, the consequences would be disastrous.

There was only one solution: to ensure that Yujin couldn’t speak freely about the matter.

Vwoooom!

The air around Ines shimmered as her mana surged.

"Did I strike a nerve?" Yujin said with a wry smile.

"Then I suppose I have no choice."

For the first time, Yujin’s crimson eyes opened slightly, glinting ominously in the moonlight.