Like with most things Raze did, he had planned for the worst-case scenario.
In his mind, he always envisioned things going sideways, just in case. It was the safest way to operate. So when he made his way into the principalâs office, heâd already considered the possibility that someone might discover his presence there.
Maybe there were magical traps set up. Maybe alarms had been triggered. Maybe the academy had hidden surveillance or enchanted contraptions meant to alert faculty or summon guards in secret.
Yet... none of that had happened.
Everything had gone smoothly. Too smoothly.
Which meant Raze had gotten lucky. For now.
It was turning out to be his best-case scenario. But even then, in the event someone
had
appeared, he was prepared. Prepared to do what was necessary.
That meant eliminating the witness, cleanly, silently. And with his Dark Magic, he could make a body disappear without leaving so much as a fingerprint behind.
He wouldnât even need to cause much destruction. Just a whisper in the air. A flicker of mana. The body would be gone, and no one would suspect a thing.
And if someone
did
go missing? Well, the assumption wouldnât be that the person had been killed, at least, not right away.
It wouldnât be their first thought.
Even if there were traces of a struggle or hints of battle, the way the Central Mage Academy functioned, the way its leaders thought, meant they would never shut down the event.
The pride of the academy ran too deep. The arrogance even deeper.
All it would mean was that Razeâs movements would become a little harder to pull off. But the mission wouldnât stop.
And yet, here he was.
Faced with the one outcome he hadnât entirely calculated for.
Someone had caught him.
And it wasnât just anyone, it was someone he had spoken to just hours earlier. Someone with questions. Someone watching him now with the one expression Raze didnât want to see: suspicion.
"If I told you the truth," Raze said, turning to meet the manâs gaze, "you wouldnât believe me."
His voice was calm. Steady. He stared straight into the manâs eyes.
Tink.
The professorâs brow furrowed as he took a step closer. "Raze," Tink said quietly, shaking his head. "There can only be a few reasons why you were standing outside the principalâs office just now. I saw the seal you drew. You replicated the original barrier spell
perfectly.
"
He paused, clenching his fist as frustration began to rise.
"And based on that... and the timing of our last conversation, my guess is that youâve been inside that office for a while now." His voice dropped lower. "None of the reasons I can think of for why youâd be in there... are good ones."
Tink drew in a deep breath, holding it for a moment.
"But please," he finally said, his tone cracking, "at least tell me why. Give me a reason,
any
reason."
He wasnât accusing yet. Not outright. But the implications were loud enough.
Raze could sense the inner conflict.
Tink had been on his way to the event grounds. He had spent too long in his office and decided to take a short walk around the academy to stretch his legs. Just by chance, he had stumbled upon this moment.
And he had never expected to see Raze standing there.
A transfer student. Talented beyond belief. But also one who seemed to know
everything
about the academy.
Tinkâs mind couldnât help but go to the worst place. He could only assume one thing: that Raze was a spy. Someone planted to move against the academy from the inside.
But even with that possibility gnawing at the back of his mind, Tink didnât
want
to believe it.
Thatâs why he asked. Why he held on.
He wanted Raze to say something, anything, that would give him a reason to doubt his doubts.
"Tink," Raze said suddenly, changing the subject. "You were here when Cromwell was a professor, werenât you?"
The question hit like a brick.
Tink blinked, confused. For a student to bring up that name,
that
name, wasnât just surprising. It was shocking.
"The real name..." he muttered. "You mean Cromwell?"
"Yes," Raze replied. "Thatâs the one."
Tink straightened his posture. "I was," he answered slowly. "But I had only just started. Iâd been a professor for about six months back then."
"Right," Raze nodded. "So you had time to form an impression, but maybe not enough to know everything."
Tink said nothing.
"And that means," Raze continued, "youâve been working with Ibarin for far longer than you worked with Cromwell." His gaze sharpened. "So based on everything youâve seen. Everything you know. Tell me this, do you think Cromwell
really
did what they said he did?"
The air between them shifted.
"Do you think itâs possible," Raze went on, "that Ibarin set up Cromwell? That he framed him, just so he could take the principal position for himself?"
Tink didnât answer right away.
Even with everything swirling in his mind, he took the question seriously.
If heâd been asked years ago, back when the accusations first surfaced, his answer would have been simple. At the time, his impression of both professors was the same. They were good men. Dedicated to their work. Highly respected.
But over the years... things changed.
He had witnessed things, subtle things. How Ibarin claimed credit for research he didnât author. How professors with potential mysteriously faded from the academyâs spotlight.
They werenât expelled or punished. But they stopped being mentioned. Stopped rising.
And somehow, even when they joined other institutions, their projects would collapse.
Entire operations mysteriously shut down.
No one talked about it.
No one dared.
Because they all knew, it was Ibarin.
"Iâll give you my answer," Tink finally said. His voice was quiet, but resolute. "Based on what I know now... yes. I think itâs possible. I think Ibarin could have done something like that."
Raze didnât react. He just listened.
"But just because something is
possible
..." Tink continued, "doesnât mean itâs true. I still donât understand, why are you asking me this?"
Raze raised a hand and touched his face. He had made his decision.
He would try the peaceful route, one last time.
"I told you before," Raze said. "That if I told you the truth, you wouldnât believe me."
His hand dropped back to his side.
"I am Raze Cromwell."
*****
*****
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