Esdeath slept soundly on her bed, her breathing calm and deep. In her dreams, she once again saw her constellation — a woman bound to a huge tree by ropes, her delicate hands still playing the harp. The soft tune filled the dream world, beautiful yet filled with pain.
"When the blood moon ascends, its crimson glow will light the sky,
And the heart of the demon, pulsing, dark, shall you defy.
A fate intertwined, both cruel and divine,
You shall consume him whole, his power made thine.
Yet the stars above will weave their schemes,
Constellations aligning to shatter your dreams.
Thou shall succeed. Thou shall succeed.
To the world that wronged me, hear my hymn,
Your sins will drown in the echoing din.
The harp shall sing, the strings will cry,
Justice reborn in the crimson sky.
Raise the throne beneath your feet,
Turn the tides of karma, make the cycle complete.
For those who scorned, who cast shadows deep,
Bestow the reckoning, make the strong weep."
As the last verse ended, the constellation's gentle face twisted with anger. Her voice broke, repeating the same words again and again. "Hate... I hate..."
Esdeath's eyes opened wide. She sat up quickly, clutching the bedsheet to her chest to cover her bare body. Her breathing was heavy, her skin glistening with sweat.
She glanced to her side and saw the bed empty. Lortell was already gone — probably off to work early again.
Turning toward the window, Esdeath clenched her fist. "Stop reminding me... I don't have amnesia. It's been days since I slept properly!" she muttered. Her voice sounded tired and sharp at the same time. She yawned and rubbed the red dark circles under her eyes.
Those dark circles had returned, just like before when Fable had entered her body and forced her into training and good sleep routine, It had decreased a little and now it came back again.
Even though Esdeath's strength was growing fast — her power nearing A-rank — her heart couldn't handle the load. During sleep, mana returned to her heart and went into a auto stealth state, but the pressure was too much. It made her heart ache and left her breathless whenever she woke up. The risk of her heart bursting in her sleep grew stronger each night.
And of course, another reason she was so tired was Lortell's energy in bed but Esdeath would rather die than blame her for that, though.
"I hope Igret delivers a dragon heart to me soon, or else I'll have no choice but to hunt one myself," Esdeath muttered to herself, sighing deeply as she got up from bed. Her tone carried both annoyance and tired determination.
After taking a refreshing bath and eating a short breakfast, she chatted briefly with Selene before leaving for the academy.
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Meanwhile, inside the principal's office, things were far from peaceful. Papers were stacked high across the large wooden desk, and the sound of pens scratching filled the air. The newly appointed principal, Kaya Lysandria, sat in the center, her brows furrowed as she read through documents. Beside her were Vice Principal Lortell and Professor Lilith, both buried in paperwork.
These days, the workload in the academy had become overwhelming. Not only did they have to handle daily reports and management issues, but they also had to prepare for the upcoming written and practical exams. The teachers were busy making question sheets, and discussions about what kind of tasks should be assigned for the practical exams went on endlessly.
Even though some of them were powerful — rank A awakeneds — they lacked real experience in academic administration. Kaya, being new to the role of principal, looked both serious and slightly nervous, trying her best to live up to her new authority.
But the one who looked completely drained was Lortell.
"Urgh… I have my archduke duties, plus my company work piling up. And now this academy stuff too? How am I supposed to find time for even a single day vacation?" she groaned, rubbing her temples. Her hair looked a little messy, and her tone was half whining, half frustrated.
Handling three roles at once — vice principal, archduke, and business owner — was far too much, We are not even including the amount of land and resources that she had to manage. Thankfully, she could rely on her managers to handle most of her company affairs, or else she'd probably collapse from exhaustion.
"Stop worrying about such pitiful things," Lilith said calmly, not even lifting her eyes from the stack of papers in front of her. Her expression was as emotionless, her pen moving smoothly across the page.
Lortell's lips twitched. "Stop reading my thoughts! And this is all your fault anyway! You just had to say, 'Each year exams have always happened on this period of time, and this year will be no different!'" she complained, mimicking Lilith's tone in an exaggerated, mock-serious voice. She even made a strange face to match her teasing, puffing her cheeks and narrowing her eyes dramatically.
Lilith, however, didn't seem bothered at all. She let out a small sigh and said, "You can have a longer vacation with Esdeath once we finish everything on time."
".... ", Lortell froze for a moment, her pen hovering in the air. Her eyes went blank, her mouth slightly open. Then, in an instant, she shot up in energy, her hands moving so fast they blurred. "Let's get this work done already!" she said, her voice filled with sudden enthusiasm.
From the principal's seat — the same one Elara once occupied — Kaya tried her best to hold back her laughter. Watching the two women act like this made it impossible to stay serious.
"Why are both the vice principal and the former vice principal so… unprofessional?" Kaya muttered under her breath with a helpless smile. "Is this some kind of academy tradition?"
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The classroom was filled with noise and chatter, but the moment Maruti and Esdeath entered together, the whole room fell silent. All eyes instantly turned toward them.
It was no surprise — after Maruti's sudden and shocking statement that *"black is divine"*, the entire kingdom had split into two groups. Some supported her strongly, calling her the "True Blessed of Seraphine," while others thought she had gone too far and was spreading false beliefs.
For days, reporters had been trying to enter the academy to meet her, but strict rules now kept outsiders away. Still, Maruti had become the biggest topic in every paper, talk show, and even casual gossip. Every day, more people came forward talking about her good deeds — her charities, her kindness, and her simple lifestyle.
Inside the classroom, students acted no different. Some brought her small gifts like flowers, sweets, and letters, believing these offerings would bring them blessings from the goddess Seraphine. Others approached her for advice or to ask silly questions about their personal lives.
"So creepy," Maruti thought, forcing a polite smile and keeping her irritation hidden.
She and Esdeath quietly sat at their seats — second last in the middle row. On Maruti's desk were already stacked chocolates, flowers, and colorful ribbons.
"It's good that you're getting popular," Esdeath said casually, settling down beside her.
"I'm just waiting for the day I can drop this act," Maruti muttered under her breath, resting her chin on her palm.
Before she could even relax, a loud *slam* broke the calm. Ethan suddenly stood up, his eyes burning with frustration, and smacked his hand on the desk. Everyone turned to look.
He stormed toward Maruti and Esdeath, glaring straight at Esdeath. "What is the meaning of this? Is this your new drama again?"
He knew deep down that Maruti wouldn't pull such a stunt on her own. The real mastermind had to be Esdeath.
But Esdeath didn't even flinch. Instead, she gave a soft laugh. "Drama? I'm just removing some foolish superstitions about black color. Isn't that a good thing?"
She stood up and leaned closer to Ethan, whispering near his ear, "And think carefully — I'm on your side. As your constellation, I've seen how poorly you're using your power as a regressor. So I had to act. Maruti's growing fame will soon rival Lortell's."
Ethan hesitated, unsure what to say. Deep inside, he knew she wasn't completely wrong. Maruti hadn't done anything evil. She only talked about black as a sacred color and played the role of a divine messenger. If her popularity grew, it could actually benefit him later.
But still… something about this whole situation felt off.
"B-but—" Ethan tried to speak again, but Esdeath's red eyes suddenly glimmered coldly.
"You better look around before doing anything stupid," she said sharply.
Ethan froze and turned his head. Everyone in class was staring at him oddly — like he was some drunk man trying to start a fight. Feeling his face heat up, he clicked his tongue and backed off.
"Tch…" He quietly walked back to his seat and sat near Violet, Emma, and Sylvania.
"What was that about?" Sylvania whispered. "I thought you two were going to fight right here!" She sighed in relief.
Ethan didn't reply. His brows furrowed as he stared blankly at his desk. "I don't know why, but something feels wrong…"
Violet and Emma exchanged confused looks. Before they could ask, Cassandra, who had been silent the whole time, spoke up with her usual calm and emotionless tone.
"That's because something actually is wrong," she said, her golden eyes glinting slightly. "Wait until class ends. I'll tell you then."
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The classroom soon calmed down as the teacher walked in and began the first lesson of the day. Her voice echoed across the room as she spoke about magic patterns, how they worked, and how to use different essence stones properly. She explained how certain combinations could strengthen spells or even change their form.
After that, she moved on to the next topic — refining essence stones. She gave tips about how to speed up the refining process, how to keep mana flow steady, and how to avoid damaging the stone while working with it. Some students listened carefully, while others were already half asleep.
Once that lesson ended, a blue haired teacher entered and opened a new book and began another lecture — history.
"Now, as we continue," she said with a calm tone, brushing back her blue hair, "we'll talk about the Great Hero's Party — the ones who ended the age of demons. After defeating the Demon Generals one by one, they finally faced the Demon King, Aurora. It was a long and terrible battle, but in the end, they sealed him away, Many casually happened to achive it, Many aristocrat families went bankrupt, Thousands of soldiers died every hour, Poverty line was all time high and inflation was peircing clouds, It was a nightmare in truest sense."
At that, a boy in the back suddenly raised his hand and stood up. "Ma'am," he said loudly, "why did they seal him? Couldn't they just kill him instead?"
A few students nodded quickly. "Yeah, that would've been better! Then we wouldn't have to worry about any revival of the demon king!" someone whispered, and others murmured in agreement.
The teacher paused, her expression thoughtful. "Many people have asked that same question," she said softly. "Some believe that the Demon King cannot be truly killed — that as long as evil exists, he will always return in some form. Others think the heroes were simply being merciful, or that his power could revive even from death. That's why they chose to seal him instead."
She adjusted her glasses and added, "Of course, there are people who completely disagree. They say nothing in this world is eternal — not even evil — so sealing him was pointless. To be honest, there are no solid records explaining the reason. But since we're talking about the Great Hero himself, there must have been a clear reason behind his choice."
The classroom went quiet for a moment. Some students looked deep in thought, while others scribbled notes half-heartedly.
Esdeath, however, sat silently with her chin resting on her hand. Her red eyes stared blankly ahead as if she wasn't even listening. She just wanted this class to end as soon as possible.
"Be ready tomorrow," she said quietly to Maruti without even looking at her. "We're going to the secret auction of essence stones."
There was no response.
After a few seconds, Esdeath turned to the side — only to see Maruti completely slumped over her desk, fast asleep, a faint snore escaping her lips.
She had fainted from an overdose of history lesson.