"Professor Thorne, do you have a moment?"

  We're standing outside his office at eight bells in the morning, Freya clutching her necklace nervously while Maribel maintains her usual rigid posture. Thorne looks up from the papers he's organizing and gives our group that intense gaze I've come to recognize from him.

  "Miss Shadowmere. Miss Silverwind. Miss Thornheart. This is unexpected." He gestures to the chairs in his office. "Please, come in."

  We head inside and take a spot across from his desk. The office is pretty typical of a place where someone teaches combat magic. There are weapons mounted on the walls, magical diagrams covering every available surface, and books stacked in piles that probably have some kind of organizational logic that only he would understand.

  "We have a situation," I say. "Freya has an artifact that Maribel claims is disrupting the mana stability in our room. We need an expert opinion on whether that's actually happening and what we can do about it."

  Thorne leans back in his chair. "An artifact disrupting mana stability. That's concerning. May I see it?"

  Freya hesitates, then pulls the necklace out from under her collar. It's a delicate silver chain with a pendant that looks like intertwined branches forming a protective circle. The elven craftsmanship is obvious in the flowing lines and organic design.

  Thorne takes it carefully and holds it up to the light, examining it from multiple angles. Then he puts it on his desk and casts something, a diagnostic spell I don't recognize. Golden light washes over the pendant, revealing underlying magical structures.

  His eyebrows rise. "This is quite remarkable."

  "Remarkably disruptive, right?" Maribel asks.

  "It's really well-crafted. This is ancient elven protective magic, very sophisticated work." He casts another diagnostic, this one producing a complex three-dimensional diagram of the pendant's enchantments. "It's designed to detect and respond to demonic presence. When it senses demon mana, it creates a subtle interference field meant to alert the wearer and provide minimal defensive shielding."

  All heads turn toward me.

  "Hey," I say defensively. "I'm not a bad demon, okay!"

  "I didn't say you were," Thorne replies, still examining the pendant. "Though this does explain why Miss Thornheart is experiencing interference. The artifact is reacting to Miss Shadowmere's presence."

  Maribel looks vindicated. Freya looks guilty. I just feel tired.

  "Can you explain how that works?" I ask. "The whole demon mana versus human mana thing?"

  Thorne sets the pendant down and shifts into lecture mode. "Demon mana and human mana have fundamental differences in structure and density. Demon mana is denser, more naturally integrated into the user's physical form. Demons are born as mages, so they can manipulate mana from birth without needing any training. Humans require years of study to achieve what demons do instinctively."

  "And half-demons?"

  "Variable. Some lean more toward human magical expression, others toward demonic. It depends on the specific heritage and how the bloodlines interact." He looks at me with renewed interest. "You appear to lean heavily toward the demonic side, Miss Shadowmere. Your mana signature has qualities more consistent with full demons than typical half-demon students."

  That's probably because I'm not actually a half-demon but a game character with demon class features, but I'm obviously not sharing that information.

  "Is that unusual?" I ask instead.

  "Somewhat. Most half-demons at the Academy have more balanced characteristics. Your case is distinctive." He picks up the pendant again. "Though I should mention... distinguishing between demon and human mana is extremely difficult even for experienced practitioners. I can sense general qualities but I couldn't definitively identify someone as demon or human based solely on mana signature. Even the Headmaster would struggle with precise identification."

  "Then how does this artifact do it?"

  "It's legendary-tier craftsmanship, Miss Silverwind. Whoever created this pendant had access to magical knowledge and resources far beyond what modern practitioners possess." He hands it back to Freya carefully. "This is an heirloom of significant value. You should guard it carefully."

  "So, what should we do about the disruption?" Maribel asks, bringing us back to the practical problem.

  "Well, changing room assignments is no longer possible. The Academy's housing logistics are finalized and redistributing students would create cascading scheduling problems."

  "Then Freya needs to remove the artifact from shared space," Maribel says immediately.

  "Or you could tolerate minor interference in exchange for your roommate keeping her only family heirloom," Freya counters.

  "It's not minor—"

  "But it's not going to kill you to study with slight mana fluctuation—"

  "It's crucial to have the right conditions for—"

  "Ladies," Thorne interrupts. "If I may offer perspective...hm, the interference is indeed present, but it's not actually harmful. Miss Thornheart, you described it as disruptive, but disruption can be beneficial for magical development."

  Maribel blinks. "How?"

  "Training in variable mana conditions makes practitioners more adaptable. The Academy's controlled environment is excellent for learning fundamentals, but real-world magic requires functioning in less-than-optimal circumstances." He gestures to the pendant. "This artifact provides constant low-level challenge to your mana manipulation. Over time, that will make you more sensitive to subtle magical variations and better able to compensate for environmental factors."

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  "You're saying it's actually helping her?" I ask.

  "I'm saying that the harder you train, the better results you achieve. Miss Thornheart could view this as obstacle to overcome or as opportunity to develop greater skill."

  Maribel is silent, processing this reframe. Freya looks hopeful.

  "So I can keep wearing it?" Freya asks.

  "I see no reason you shouldn't, provided Miss Thornheart is willing to adapt her expectations."

  They look at each other across Thorne's desk.

  "Fine," Maribel says finally. "If it's genuinely contributing to skill development rather than just creating problems, I can tolerate it."

  "Well," Freya says quietly.

  "But I'm keeping an eye on the interference levels, and if they go up beyond what they are now, we'll take another look at this."

  "That's fair."

  Thorne nods, satisfied. "Excellent. Was there anything else?"

  We shake our heads and file out of his office. In the corridor, Maribel immediately heads toward her first class without another word, already refocused on academic priorities. Freya touches the pendant at her throat, clearly relieved.

  "Thank you for suggesting we ask Professor Thorne," she says to me.

  "As long as you two not strangling each other again."

  "That was one time!"

  "One time is enough."

  We part ways and I head to my morning classes, which proceed normally, or as normally as anything proceeds when you're constantly aware of being observed by multiple factions for different reasons. The Penelope situation has quieted down significantly after whatever happened in that alley, her entire group maintaining careful distance like I'm an infectious disease.

  By lunch I'm ready for actual social interaction with people who aren't watching me like a hawk, so I head to the dining hall to meet Celine, Vivienne, and Mara at our usual table.

  "You look tired," Vivienne observes as I sit down.

  "Roommate drama this morning. It's under control now, but it was exhausting."

  "What kind of drama?" Celine asks.

  "The kind involving magical artifacts, mana disruption, and almost getting strangled."

  "Uh, that's concerning."

  "It was resolved by an authority figure teaching us all valuable lessons about personal growth. It was very enlightening.

  Mara is picking at her food without much appetite, which is unusual for her. "Father sent a letter this morning. There was an incident in the kingdom yesterday."

  "What kind of incident?"

  "They captured a demon. A spy who'd been operating undercover for years, apparently working as a retainer for Duke Andras." Her voice is carefully neutral. "The duke discovered the infiltration and turned the demon over to royal custody. Today he's personally executing them as demonstration of loyalty to the crown."

  My stomach drops. "Executing them?"

  "Public execution in the capital square. Father says it's meant to send a message that demon infiltration won't be tolerated, even among noble households."

  "Ah, my Father says the same thing yesterday," Celine chimed in.

  I think about Bella's demon network, about the five generals scattered across the kingdom in positions of influence, about how one of those generals is supposedly Duke Andras himself.

  Diablo is executing one of his own people to maintain his cover, huh?

  …

  "Hey, what do you all think about Duke Andras?" I ask, trying to keep my voice casual.

  Mara's the first to respond. "He's mysterious but powerful. I met him at a ball last year. He's a war veteran, extremely capable in combat magic, and he commands respect even from military families. Father speaks highly of his tactical abilities."

  "He's an extreme Traditionalist," Vivienne adds. "Very rigid about bloodline purity and noble privilege. I don't like his family's reputation either... there are rumors about his son conducting unethical alchemical experiments."

  "His son?"

  "Talese Shernan Andras. He should be about Enid's age now, a third-year student, but he doesn't attend the Academy. He lives at his own estate and has private tutors." She flips through her notes. "The rumors haven't been confirmed, but they're out there. There are experiments on commoners, forbidden magical research, and a general disregard for ethical constraints."

  "What a charming family," I mutter.

  Celine leans forward. "From the King's perspective, Duke Andras is the most loyal noble in the kingdom. His dukedom is considered the most honorable house, and his support is essential for crown stability. That's why this execution is significant, it demonstrates his commitment to fighting demon threats."

  I process this while eating food I can barely taste. The demons have infiltrated so deeply that even the most honored duke is actually a demon general in disguise. They're executing their own people to maintain covers, sacrificing individuals to preserve the larger conspiracy.

  And I'm supposedly leading this operation even though I don't want anything to do with it.

  If I ordered them to stop, would they listen? Could I actually prevent whatever conflict they're building toward?

  The risk would be enormous. It involves me revealing myself as a demon authority figure, taking responsibility for their actions, and committing to either supporting or opposing their plans instead of staying neutral.

  I'm not ready to make that choice yet.

  “Why do you ask, Nyx?” Celine said.

  “Hm, it's okay, I'm just curious.”

  “Well, usually Duke Andras will visit the Academy at the end of the year when there are combat exams. He really likes to see the talent of this kingdom flourish,” Mara continued.

  That's because he's a demon!

  “O-oh, i-is that so? T-then what does he do with those talented people?”

  Mara brightened up. “He invites the three best ones to his dukedom and usually rewards them with artifacts!”

  Huh? That's weird. Why would he reward them with an artifact? Doesn't that help humanity advance? Or could it be... there's a tracking spell? Or is it cursed?

  "Um, I need to go," I say abruptly, standing. "I have to talk to someone."

  "Who? And about what?" Celine asks.

  "Just... clarifying some things. I'll see you later."

  I leave before they can ask more questions and head toward the library. Mika has to explain why she told Enid our meeting was about rebellion. That lie is going to create complications I'm not equipped to handle.

  The library is on the far side of campus, requiring navigation through corridors and across open courtyards.

  I'm about halfway there when I feel it...

  …someone following me.

  This is no coincidence, I'm sure. He kept watching me by staying behind me and walking at the same pace as me. And beneath those footsteps, there was something different. Intent. It was hostile, sharp, and focused.

  I don't turn around or acknowledge their presence. Instead I adjust my route, heading toward one of the older sections of campus where foot traffic is minimal. If someone's following me with hostile intent, better to deal with it somewhere without witnesses or collateral damage.

  The path goes through some pretty isolated corridors until I get to a section that's barely used. The stone walls are showing their age and have been neglected. Perfect.

  I stop walking and focus on the shadows around me, calling up [Shadow Expansion], a spell I rarely use.

  Reality ripples as darkness spreads from my position, consuming light and color until the corridor is wrapped in shadow that shouldn't exist in broad daylight.

  Anyone watching from outside will just see normal corridor.

  But in this bubble of compressed shadow, there are no witnesses to whatever's about to happen.

  I turn around to face whoever's been following me.

  And wait.