"Oh, I believe you," he said, sipping his tea.
"Huh?"
"I believe you," he repeated, setting the cup down carefully on the table.
"…About my love for tea?" I asked, trying to decipher his meaning.
"Haha! That too, darling. The tea is exquisite. I'm guessing hibiscus—judging by the cranberry-like flavor." He adjusted his posture, offering a warm smile. "But I was actually talking about your memory loss."
My eyes widened. "You do?"
"Yes, I do." He nodded, his expression calm. "As I told you before, I know your story—thanks to the man with the green silky hair. I assume you know who I'm referring to."
"Sir Denver told you about me?"
"He did—just a brief explanation, enough for me to perform an inquiry."
"…An inquiry?"
"Exactly. Inquiry." He leaned forward slightly. "It means seeking information. To clarify my purpose here, I'm here to research you—to study your core." He paused, tilting his head. "Well, if we even know what kind of core you have. That's what we need to figure out. I'll be gathering as much information as possible so that you can understand yourself—and so we can understand what's truly going on."
I fell silent, staring at the steaming cup of tea before me. The delicate porcelain plate beneath it. His words lingered, pressing against my mind like ripples in still water. Slowly, I met his gaze, a question forming in my thoughts.
"Why do you believe me?"
He sighed, then smiled—genuine and unshaken. The sunlight filtering through the window caught in his eyes.
"Why not?"
I blinked.
"A young girl wakes up in the middle of nowhere, no memories, no recollection of who she is. And yet—she unconsciously spreads powerful mana through a field of violet spider lilies, causing them to bloom before their time. She falls from a cliff, a fall she could have saved herself from, yet strangely, she doesn't. A kind man finds her, hides her, watches her carefully until he's certain she isn't a threat. Then the 'unflawed green man' learns of a strange phenomenon, searches tirelessly for its source, and finally finds you—keeping you here, against your will, while demanding answers you don't have."
He reached for his tea again, pausing for a brief sip. I listened, absorbing every word.
"And yet, in all of this—you've harmed no one." He set the cup down, his tone light but unwavering. "From the moment I saw you, I knew you were innocent."
His words held a weight that was difficult to ignore. They felt sincere. Comforting. And for the first time in a while, I felt at ease.
But a thought crept into my mind. A sliver of doubt.
"What if you're wrong?"
He raised an eyebrow. "Hm?"
"What if—before I lost my memories—I was dangerous? What if I had done terrible things? What if I really am a threat?"
He studied me for a moment, then let out a small chuckle, shaking his head.
"Oh, Liliana." His voice was patient. "If you had been someone truly dangerous—someone who left scars on this world—we would have known. It would be impossible for all the empires to remain silent about a girl who wreaked havoc. And more importantly…" He met my eyes. "You haven't done anything to suggest that you're a danger to anyone."
I swallowed, uncertain.
"I can choose whether to believe you or not," he continued. "And I choose to believe you." A pause. Then, with quiet conviction, he added, "And if you were someone else before you lost your memories—then that's exactly what she is. Someone else. Not the Liliana sitting in front of me now."
I stared at him, unsure how to respond.
A stranger—someone I had only just met—was saying things I had never expected to hear. His words carried a warmth I didn't realize I needed.
It felt like… understanding.
And as comforting as his words were, a strange tightness settled in my chest. I didn't know why I felt this way, but at that moment, all I could focus on was the relief washing over me.
Because in this situation, in this uncertainty—his words were nice to hear.
He clapped his hands together. "Well then! If you have any questions, go ahead and shoot." His playful tone returned, as if all of this came as naturally to him as breathing.
I hesitated, choosing my words carefully.
"…First of all," I started, "thank you." I offered him a small smile. "Thank you for believing me."
For a second, he looked surprised—then grinned. "Ah, well, it was nothing, really. I just expressed my thoughts. But I'm glad Lady Liliana is grateful for my honesty." He exhaled in amusement before taking another sip of his tea.
"So… you're my professor from now on?"
"That's right." He placed his cup down with a flourish. "The most interesting, sophisticated, outstanding, and wittiest professor—Sagra Yesun!" He grinned, as if expecting applause.
I chuckled.
"That means you'll have to call me 'Professor' from now on," he added cheerfully. "Since you are now my student!"
"…I'm a student?"
"Exactly!" He leaned forward with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Hah, did you think this was going to be our first and last meeting? Sorry to disappoint, but we'll be seeing each other quite often. If not every day."
I laughed softly. I hadn't considered that, but it made sense.
"…Why, though?" I asked. "Why did I become your student? What exactly will you be teaching me?"
Professor Sagra straightened the collar of his white shirt, then cleared his throat dramatically—clearly relishing the moment.
"Ah, a fine question." He smirked, his excitement barely contained. "Shall we start with my profession?" He tapped his chest proudly. "As you already know, I'm a professor. And for six years, I have been teaching at public and private schools—including institutions that train young aristocrats and future emperors and empresses." He grinned. "I know, I shouldn't brag, but that's how important I am."
He giggled to himself before continuing.
"You might be wondering—Hmm, what does this incredible professor teach that makes him so well-known, even among royals? And that, dear, is an excellent question! My expertise lies in natural and social sciences, but most importantly…" He lifted a finger for dramatic effect. "I specialize in Corisology."
I frowned. "The… what? Coriolosis?"
"I hope you didn't mean scoliosis—that's something completely different," he scoffed. "No, no. Corisology—the study of cores. Understanding how they work, the theories behind their existence, the process of gaining powers, the selection of deities, mana control—"
I blinked, already feeling overwhelmed.
From behind him, I noticed Ms. Vesta shifting uncomfortably. She looked as though she wanted to interrupt but refrained.
Professor Sagra let out a breath, realizing he had gotten carried away. He gave a sheepish smile.
"Anyway, that is why I'm here—to teach you everything you need to know about cores." He gestured to my untouched tea. "But before we get to that, we must start from the very beginning."
His expression shifted—his playful demeanor still present, but now underlined with something more serious.
"Let's begin with the history of the empires."
---
Swoosh!
Lancaster grabbed Crimson's foot, the foot that she attempted to trip Lancaster over, and launched her through the dirt as if she was a ball.
She roughly rolled over the dirt and stopped at a distance.
Coughs she groaned in pain as she felt it all over her body, scratches were seen, but her foot hurts the most.
She took a few seconds to recover, breathing heavily as she was in pain.
Trying to stand up, Lancaster walked gradually and stopped near her.
"Surrendering already?" He asked as he looked at her from below.
Crimson's eyes shifted into Lancaster figure that was standing tall, while she was still on the ground.
At that moment she wanted to commit an action, another attempt to fight him.
She tried to gain her energy and force.
But suddenly her eyes twitched as if she remembered something – or someone.
She felt this sense of danger, like before.
The sense of danger that haunted her a long time ago, to which she cannot escape.
She forgot to breathe at that moment.
Her heart started racing heavily, and her hand trembled gradually.
"Ain't no way." She murmured, in disbelief.
A flash of a terrifying memory came into her mind.
With the exact same position that they were in, Crimson laying on the ground, and a different person standing still looking at her from below.
Though the person wasn't so different from Lancaster.
Their appearance was very similar.
Maybe too identical.
The same dark auburn hair.
The same grey emotionless eyes.
The same dark energy was felt.
And the same unnerving menacing feeling.
As if they could kill someone in an instant without hesitation.
And with this fact, she confirms the unnerving feeling that she has felt since the first time she met him.
That unnerving gut feeling that told her 'They are the same person.'
But didn't want to acknowledge it unconsciously as she was unsure.
'How could they be exactly the same?' Maybe this was one of the many thoughts she had in her head at that moment.
But what she should be questioning right now is if she was going to let the past repeat itself.
She silently stands up, with all her strength.
She struggles a bit, due to her foot and the pain through her body.
Now standing in front of Lancaster, face to face.
Her face emotionless, yet her yellow eyes were filled with a feeling that Lancaster instantly knew what she was feeling, but didn't know why.
He was slightly surprised by her reaction.
"This is how it is, huh?" Her eyes locked into his, making him feel uncomfortable.
He wasn't sure what to say, he thought that maybe she wasn't expecting him to be that harsh on her.
'She did say to not go easy on her…' He thought in his mind.
"Sigh, I think I went overboard.
I'm sorry, I shouldn't have.
What about we end this now?"
Silent responded instead.
He felt uncomfortable and a bit guilty about what he did.
Though he felt like it wasn't that bad, and that he didn't actually went overboard.
"Listen, what I did doesn't count.
If you want, we can do a rematch tomorrow or whenever you want, as long as you're ready again." He tried to lighten up the situation.
"It would be best to end it now and-"
"You think I'd let you get away with it again?"
"What?"
"Don't you remember me?" She tilted her head as she waited for his answer.
Lancaster was speechless.
He didn't have a clue about what she was talking about.
He glimpsed at Exios, trying to call silently for his help.
But Exios just observed them quietly, far from them.
"Ms. Clarkson, I think we should really end this now.
I don't want to continue this any further, looking at how you are in a pretty bad condition.
Also about what I said, treating everyone equally— sighs yes, it is true, but there are still limitations that I wouldn't want to cross.
Boundaries that I set for myself, and also for the opponent to not end this duel… badly."
From his words, Crimson felt like they said the same thing.
Her ears heard differently, but her mind heard the same thing.
Which made her think that they may actually be the same person.
Just from one sentence, she recalled that exact moment.
One word of a sentence that he said made her mind go through a moment of internal crisis.
-
"Should we end this now?" His voice cold, but his smile noticeable.
His gaze amused by Crimson.
Her blood overflowed with the water from the pouring rain.
Her body couldn't move any further, but she could still look at him.
Though she felt terrified.
But she wasn't only terrified by him.
Her eyes slowly shifted to someone behind him, laying on the ground just like her.
Almost lifeless.
Their blood was also overflowing with the water from the heavy rain.
Their blood reached the bottom of his shoes.
"Ah.
Dirt hit again." He looked at the blood below him.
Crimson's eyes widens with tears as she watched the person, that couldn't move a second ago, slowly lifts their arm.
Gradually, trembling, the hand reached the back of his shoes.
"So, Crimson.
I think this answers to my question, doesn't it?"
She felt absolute terror for them.
The only thing that was heard from Crimson was her quivering breathe.
Because, at any moment, she could witness something that would remain with her forever—
Squelch
With him, unmoved from his position.
And with the person behind him sliced into pieces of cubes, that happened in an instant.
-
Swoosh
Lancaster didn't realize it, but Crimson swiftly disappeared in front of him.
But the only way he realized it was when he felt something sharp almost touching the spine of his back.
Turning quickly to avoid and see what was happening, there was Crimson, holding the wooden sword with both of her hands, trying to strike him.
If he hadn't realized it without the sword touching him, or the quick awareness that he has, he may have been bleeding now.
His eyes interlocked with hers, which was filled with madness, though her face didn't show it.
'She's gone mad.'
Swish! Swish!
After Lancaster's dodge, she didn't let him rest for even a second.
She kept swinging the sword at him at an unravelling speed, through which he dodged every time.
Swish! Swish!
'She is pure madness!' He exclaimed in his head, as he knew that if he ever tried to do something without hurting her any further, the sword would pierce him at any moment.
He knew he had to use force on her to stop her, but he couldn't use just any other normal force to stop the craziness of Crimson.
He had to do something far from simple deep scratches.
And he could have stopped her right from when he felt the sword behind him.
But why didn't he?
Swish! Swish!
As he kept dodging, he was hesitant to take action.
He felt something strange.
He felt like he didn't have any right to stop her madness.
'No. It's not madness.
She's… in agony.'
He felt like he didn't have any right to stop her pain.
He felt like maybe he had to do something to make her pain go away.
Or at least reassure her.
Even if he didn't know why, it had to do something with him.
Uncertain, but he needed to.
Swish! Swish!
After countless of attacks from Crimson, in mind trying to pierce the wooden sword onto him.
After dodging over and over again.
He took a deep breath and stayed still.
Looking for a second at her yellow eyes, as he didn't try to dodge to her incoming attack.
Swish!
Her sword halted right onto his neck.
Her eyes looked into his.
A bit baffled.
"I was almost there." She softly said.
"It was going to finally cut your throat." She looked at his neck, which was a centimeter away from the point of the sword.
"But why the fuck did I suddenly stopped?" Her voice loud and clear, with a hint of anger.
Her sword fell from her hands.
Her eyes started to waver.
Her whole body suddenly was laid-back, making her fall.
Though, Lancaster caught her from falling onto the ground.
He observed her, on his arms sleeping peacefully as if nothing happened.
But he felt something attached on her neck.
Carefully took some of her wavy hair that was on the way, to examine what was on her neck.
A pointy little shiny silver thing was pierced on her neck.
"Are you all going to make it difficult for me?" A familiar voice surfaced.
He walked gradually reaching the scene.
As always, he was in his green formal suit, and his green hair was silky.
"Also, as always, I didn't expect nothing from you to stop the careless fight, your highness.
Letting them make a mess in the Palace.
She is someone that we need for the ongoing investigation, we must bring her in piece as she is someone with valuable information."
Denver gazed at Lancaster.
"I thought you were better than playing a childish fight, Farrimond.
Letting her get these unnecessary wounds." Denver sighed from the sight.
Exios, who was observing the two all this time, finally came near them.
"It's my responsibility.
Don't take it on Lancaster."
"At least say that you were sorry to not have stopped the duel, your highness." As Denver talked, two knights rushed in the arena.
"I'm not sorry.
It was what I wanted." Exios glanced at the two.
Denver exhaled before speaking again. "Take her."