I walked back the way we came, trying to find the familiar corridors I was used to navigating. Instead, I ended up finding Nico.

  He was leaning against the wall near the staircase that would lead me back to the student areas, seemingly waiting.

  "Hey," I said, hoping he wasn't there for me. Though I knew if that wasn't the case, I probably would never have seen him at all.

  "Do you know how much my family charges for private investigations?" He asked, getting straight to the point.

  "Um... a lot?"

  "No less than ten thousand." He said it with complete seriousness. "Private investigations are tedious and generally considered beneath us, so we charge premium rates to discourage requests."

  "Cool..." I had no real reference for money in this world, but I guessed that meant ten thousand was significant.

  "I was offered twenty," he said, pushing off the wall. "To tail you. I haven't even finished my education yet. Hiring me is generally cheaper than the rest of my family... and yet someone offered double the standard rate."

  So the people following me really weren't just curious students. If someone was willing to pay that much...

  "Did you take it? Sounds like good money," I asked.

  "I'd rather lose twenty thousand than have Aurora angry at me, thank you." He shook his head firmly.

  "Then you're just..."

  "Warning you to be careful. If they're willing to pay this much for information, they could easily decide it's not worth the effort and pay less for an assassination instead."

  "I'll keep that in mind." I wasn't particularly worried, though maybe I should be.

  "Also, the director wants to see you. His office is that way." He pointed down the opposite corridor.

  Now that was concerning.

  "Oh... okay. Thank you. And thanks for not investigating me. I doubt I'm interesting enough anyway."

  "Just try not to die." He told me, then descended the stairs and disappeared from view like he'd never been there.

  The director's office was far more organized than I was used to seeing in faculty spaces.

  Neat stacks of books lined the shelves along the walls, their backs perfectly aligned. A few magical instruments sat on the higher shelves. His desk was immaculate, with three small, precisely arranged piles of documents.

  Director Aldric Stormweaver sat behind that desk, and his presence filled the room.

  He was older, with silver hair that fell past his shoulders and a neatly trimmed beard. He wore heavy robes in deep blue and grey, layered and formal, with the academy's crest prominently displayed. His eyes were sharp despite his age, and when he gestured for me to sit, it wasn't a request.

  "Good morning," he said as I sat down. He picked up the first stack of files and examined them with practiced attention. "I see your performance in classes is... adequate."

  He paused, seeming slightly surprised by whatever he was reading.

  "You're struggling in Professor Theron's courses and swordsmanship, but both Professor Silvani and Professor Emberheart speak highly of your potential." He looked up at me. "I assume you're more of a practical mage than a theoretical one?"

  I was genuinely surprised Silvani had said anything positive about me. I didn't feel like I'd done particularly well in her classes.

  "Well, I guess I struggled at the start, and catching up on theory has been harder than expected."

  "Understandable." He set the papers down neatly and picked up the second pile. "Your entrance examinations, however... are completely absent. Curious. I seem to recall approving your admission despite the lack of test results, but I cannot recall why."

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  His eyes fixed on me with unsettling intensity.

  "You wouldn't happen to possess some form of memory alteration magic, would you?"

  I tried to think of a good excuse and came up blank.

  "Not really, no. It's... something else."

  "Whatever it is, it has certainly attracted attention." He opened a drawer and filed away the second stack dismissively. "But that pile is irrelevant now. Let's discuss your extracurricular activities and the actual reason I summoned you today."

  He glanced at the third pile but didn't pick it up, instead looking directly at me.

  "You allied yourself with Aurora during the team competition, directly opposing the Imperial Prince. You then accompanied her on the official expedition under her direct authority. Following that, you became her... friend, for lack of a better term. And yesterday, you departed on an unauthorized expedition with her and several other students."

  He leaned back slightly, giving me space to respond.

  "Yes, I did all of that," I said, because there was no point denying it.

  "An unknown student of unspecified ability, aligning himself closely with Aurora." He said her name with deliberate weight. "You understand how that appears to certain parties."

  "I'm just her friend," I said carefully.

  "Perhaps. But friendship with Aurora carries implications whether you intend them or not." His expression remained neutral. "I wish to understand your objectives. And to offer the academy's assistance."

  "Assistance with what, exactly?"

  "That depends on what you hope to achieve. But I can assure you, the academy can provide resources and protection beyond what you might imagine." He paused. "Particularly given recent events."

  Recent events. Silvani lying unconscious in that medical room.

  "What do you know about the attack on Professor Silvani?" I asked, turning the conversation.

  "Only what Professor Emberheart has shared, which is limited." His expression hardened. "A corruption mage infiltrated academy grounds and targeted one of my faculty. This is unprecedented and unacceptable."

  "Then shouldn't you be focused on finding them instead of... whatever this is?" I gestured between us.

  "I am capable of addressing multiple concerns simultaneously." His tone carried gentle reproach. "And your recent activities suggest you may have relevant information. You returned from an unauthorized expedition this very morning. An expedition to the site of the previous corruption incident, I presume?"

  He was sharper than I'd given him credit for.

  "We went to examine the runes," I admitted. "Lina wanted to understand how they worked."

  "And what did you discover?"

  I hesitated. How much should I tell him?

  "That corruption mages are experimenting. Creating circles to generate corruption. That the circle at the expedition site was designed to convert mana into corruption." I left out the part about Anya's brother. "We disrupted it."

  "You disrupted it." He repeated the words slowly. "How?"

  "Does it matter? It's broken now. It won't generate more corruption."

  His eyes studied me for a long moment. Then he nodded, accepting my non-answer. He then stood, moving to look out the window behind his desk. "Let’s circle back to my offer. The academy can protect you, Mr. Kai. But I need to understand where your loyalties lie."

  I remembered Aurora's politics lesson. How she'd explained that every offer came with hidden expectations.

  "I'm sorry, but I don't have the influence over Aurora that you seem to think I do," I said. "And even if I did, I think she should choose for herself who she wants to support."

  He turned back to me, something like approval in his eyes.

  "My offer carries no such conditions. I'm not asking you to influence Aurora or push her toward cooperation with the academy." He paused deliberately. "I'm suggesting you consider your own future before concerning yourself with hers."

  "I know accepting would probably be better for me," I said honestly. "But this offer only exists because of how close I am to her. It doesn't feel right to accept it. At least not now."

  "A principled stance." He returned to his desk. "If you change your mind, my door remains open. Though I still have to ask, what exactly do you plan on achieving? What motivates you to seek such risks?"

  I considered the question for a moment.

  "It wasn't really my intention... I just wanted to learn magic and be left alone. But things kept happening."

  "Things don't just happen to people who want to be left alone." He raised an eyebrow. "Allying with Aurora, unauthorized expeditions, private training with Emberheart. Those aren't the actions of someone trying to hide."

  "You're right." I thought about all the times I'd chosen the risky option. "I guess hiding was what I should have done, but it didn't work out that way."

  "So what changed?"

  I remembered Aurora's words about me, how she'd read me so easily.

  "I think... I'm the kind of person who feels like they need to right every wrong." It felt like the most honest explanation. "Even when I probably shouldn't."

  The director examined me for a moment, then glanced at the papers on his desk.

  "That explains quite a bit, actually." He seemed satisfied. He stood, making it clear the conversation was ending.

  I stood, being guided by him toward the office door.

  I made my way back to the student areas, which were still filled with people talking about the attack and what it meant.

  Now I had three objectives.

  Find out who attacked Silvani.

  Heal her.

  And deal with whatever political attention I was attracting.

  I wasn't sure which one was more difficult.