Victor slowed his steps, staring at Elara. Lizbeth, perched lightly on his shoulder, seemed to notice the sudden shift in atmosphere; her tiny fingers curled against the fabric of his robe, while her wings folded.

  Elara stood motionless at the entrance, keeping her posture straight, hands clasped neatly before her. And yet, there was a strange resolve in her expression and a faint tug at her lips, as though she wanted to speak but held herself back. The sunlight caught the silver threads in her dark blue hair, making her look both weary and sharp at the same time.

  Victor’s gaze locked with hers, and he immediately understood. She was pushing against his {Mind Programming} spell, struggling to shake it off completely. As a matter of fact, her power was nearing the peak of third-stage Initiate Attunement. He had known this day would come ever since he deliberately handed her the Myriad Elements Method as a test to see what she would do.

  “Assistant Professor Elara,” Victor said at last, his voice calm but carrying a headmaster’s authority. “It seems you were expecting us.”

  Neither he nor Lizbeth had sent word of their visit to the Alchemical Hall, yet here she was, positioned at the threshold as though anticipating their arrival. She could not have known their schedule. The only explanation was that she had seen them approaching from afar and chosen to wait.

  Her eyes flickered in a flash of recognition, the kind that belonged to the woman who had once been his friend before betrayal poisoned everything. “I thought it best to welcome you, Headmaster,” she replied politely.

  Lizbeth tilted her head, whispering softly near Victor’s ear. “Master… Her aura doesn’t feel bound anymore. Are you sure you still have control over her?”

  Victor’s lips curved, offering no reply to her question.

  Elara’s gaze turned briefly to Lizbeth, then back to Victor. “The Alchemical Hall is prepared for inspection. However…” she paused, as though the words were caught in her throat, “…there are matters I would like to speak with you about privately.”

  Victor noticed a trace of defiance in her voice, and it stirred a spark of satisfaction within him. This was precisely what he had been waiting for.

  “Privately?” he asked. “A curious request from one who has already betrayed me. But very well, lead the way.”

  For an instant, her eyes betrayed her. Pain, anger, and perhaps even regret flared within them, only to be quickly veiled behind a mask of composure as she bowed her head with grace. “As you wish, Headmaster.”

  Players, both inside and outside the building, had begun trickling toward the entrance as they noticed Victor and Elara standing together. To them, it was just another scripted interaction, another storyline waiting to be triggered.

  “Hey, look at that. The Headmaster’s meeting with Assistant Professor Elara, the one in charge of the Alchemical Hall.”

  “Ooh, does this mean there’ll be changes here too? I heard from players in the Magic Botanical Garden that its interior just got expanded.”

  “Huh? Don’t be dumb. How can the inside of a building expand without the outside getting bigger too?”

  “Tsk, tsk, tsk. You must be new here. Of course, it’s magic. Go back to playing Fortnite or something.”

  Victor ignored the players’ chatter and followed Elara through the arching corridors of the Alchemical Hall until they reached a heavy oak door. Without a word, she pushed it open, holding it long enough for Victor to step through. Lizbeth fluttered her wings but remained perched on his shoulder, her eyes glittering with mischief as she whispered something only he could hear.

  Elara’s private alchemical lab smelled faintly of herbs and burnt minerals. Rows of glass vials and alchemical equipment shimmered under faint light, and chalk runes covered half the stone floor.

  “Headmaster,” Elara said slowly, shutting the door behind them. “Thank you for granting me this private moment.”

  Victor sneered. “Granting you? You demanded it. Don’t pretend otherwise.”

  Her expression stiffened, but she didn’t deny it. “I’ve… remembered pieces. Fragments of that time. The Thornwood Forest. The betrayal. Graviel. Everything that we… that I did to you…” Her voice wavered for a heartbeat, though she forced it steady again. “And you, standing before us when you should have been dead.”

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  Lizbeth snickered, her wings twitching in amusement. “Ooh, she remembers. Master, isn’t that inconvenient?”

  Victor ignored her, dropping to a mutter. “So, the fog is thinning.”

  “It is,” Elara admitted. She clasped her hands tightly in front of her, knuckles pale as bone. “I don’t deny my part. I sided with them. I signed the magic contract. I stood there when Graviel struck you down. And…” Her eyes flickered, haunted by memory. “I was the one who led you to that meeting. I delivered you to them.”

  “So, what now?” Victor asked, stepping closer. His tone was calm, yet there was a quiet blade hidden within as he enunciated each syllable of his next words: “Do you wish to rebel against me?”

  Elara’s lips pressed into a thin line as she spoke with unflinching sincerity. “I want the truth. Why did you spare me? Why not strip me bare, as you did to Jared and the others?”

  That question had troubled Victor as well at the time. It hadn’t been out of pity since leaving her conscious, yet powerless to do things according to her will, was a far greater torment than turning her into a mindless puppet. And yet… he had not tightened the spell even when he realized it was loosening. Perhaps the reason was…

  Finally, he spoke. “Because you hesitated. That’s the only reason you’ve been shown a shred of mercy. I know Graviel and the Merlin family cornered you. While you are not free of guilt, you weren’t the one pulling the strings.”

  Elara shivered but held her ground. “If you think I’ll remain your pawn forever, you’re mistaken.”

  Victor chuckled, turning his back to casually inspect a row of vials. “Mistaken? No, Elara. This isn’t a choice that you can make as you please.”

  Lizbeth giggled softly. “Pfft. That’s right, it’s better to just keep her as an NPC in the game.”

  Elara clenched her teeth and gripped her hands, knowing full well what she had gone through all this time. “I don’t want to be a puppet. If you swear never to bind me under that mind-control spell again, I will give you my loyalty willingly. I’ll even help you to make the Montana Magus family swear fealty to you.”

  As an important NPC, Elara was well aware of the situation within the Sanctum. The Merlin family had already been crushed by Victor’s forces; if he wished, he could obliterate the smaller Montana family with nothing more than a flick of his hand. Swearing fealty to Victor at this moment was the wisest decision she could ever make. Aligning her family with Victor might not only save her life but also pave the path forward, but more importantly, it would ensure her clan’s place in the future he was building. After all, she knew best what Victor’s academy was capable of.

  “Ha,” Victor scoffed in disdain. “So you want to sell your family just to save your skin? How very classic.”

  “If that is what it takes to prove my sincerity, then yes,” Elara replied without hesitation. “Besides… I know my family will be useful to you.”

  And she wasn’t wrong. The Montana Magus family, though lacking in battlefield prowess, had long been renowned across the kingdom as premier Alchemists. They were one of the main producers of high-quality potions and elixirs in the kingdom. If their Magi had been more skilled in combat, their influence might even have rivaled the Merlin family’s.

  Victor weighed her words in silence. Her fear was obvious, but so too was her pragmatism. He had no use for groveling puppets who brought him nothing, but a family of Alchemists under his banner was a worthy gamble.

  At length, he spoke. “Very well. But words are cheap, Elara. If you want me to trust you, you’ll have to bind yourself with more than simple promises.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You will swear a magic oath under the Primordial One,” Victor said. “Only then will I believe your loyalty is genuine.”

  Elara stiffened. A magic oath of that level was no trifling matter. It meant staking her life, and the vow could not be broken without incurring dire consequences, which was usually death. Even Graviel’s contract had not invoked the Primordial One, for such a thing was far more difficult and almost impossible to break.

  “I…” She hesitated, then drew a steady breath. “If that is the price, then so be it.”

  Victor smirked faintly, satisfied. “Good that you understand your situation. Then sign this magic contract.”

  From his interspatial ring, he produced a rolled parchment etched with glowing runes. Though the System shop sold contracts like these at steep prices, Victor hadn’t needed to spend his academy points — he had looted several from Fernando’s ring, and others from Magi that he and his forces had slain.

  A magic oath could be bound verbally or through such contracts. Spoken oaths were weaker, typically used for confessions or minor pledges. But for matters of life, death, and allegiance, only a written contract — having the trace of the Primordial One’s power — would suffice.

  Victor watched Elara as she took the offered contract with trembling hands. She unfurled it carefully and began reading the script written in the ancient tongue of the Magi. The terms were simple yet absolute: loyalty to Victor Asteriscus, strict secrecy regarding all academy affairs, and no betrayal of his will under any circumstance. Violation would result in the Primordial One’s judgment, which was the obliteration of body and soul.

  “So absolute…” she said quietly.

  “Swear fealty, serve me loyally, and in return, I won’t reapply the spell,” Victor said coldly. “But betray me again, and the contract will do far worse than burn your soul.”

  Elara exhaled. “Fine. Let it be done.”

  She infused her mana into the contract. The runes ignited in pale blue light, then dissolved into motes of energy that surged into both their chests, embedding the oath deep within their spirits. Victor felt the familiar sting of oath-binding magic settle into place. Even for someone of his level as a Nexus Temporal Magus, it felt powerful and absolute.

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