If Lady Morphin was really the late wife of Count Terossa, then I felt sorry for Alexander. He had been making up with an old lady. Talk about bad luck. He was just… an unlucky bastard.
"Hum…" a faint voice called my name.
My heart skipped. Was it a memory? A whisper of magic? Or just my imagination?
How was I supposed to check if my theory was right?
"Human!" Sir Aldric, the Venom Master, yelled, and my stomach dropped. I hadn't been paying attention in class anyway. I was too busy thinking about Alexander, Lady Morphin, and whatever scandal was hiding behind those names.
"I'm sorry, Sir," I said, my face burning red. I had been a teacher once, constantly yelling at students to pay attention or face punishments. Now it was reversed. I was the one trembling under someone else's sharp gaze. I imagined how my students would have looked, probably smirking at the irony, and I felt… guilty.
"Well, now that our little human is here, shall we give her the floor? Let her demonstrate how to silence a mandrake?" Aldric smirked, his black eyes shining with mischief—or maybe malice.
Wow. Pitiful. I had spent so much time making Aldric angry before. Maybe it was just his nature. After all, he was a master of poison. Probably even his heart was twisted a little. That Love Charm potion punishment… ugh. I still remembered the smell of the smoke, the endless hours of careful stirring, and my brown curls going frizzy from it. I never dared to fight him again after that disaster.
"Mandrake—a magical, humanoid-shaped root—can scream with deadly power. But when handled carefully, it's a very useful ingredient for healing potions, sleep elixirs, and magical amplifiers," Aldric said, pacing the front of the classroom. "But… how can we silence a mandrake?" He turned his sharp gaze toward me, waiting.
All eyes in the classroom were on me. My stomach dropped. My mind went blank.
I had seen a mandrake once in a Harry Potter movie, but I was too young to remember anything useful.
"AAAAHHHH—!!!" I yanked the mandrake from its pot. Its scream cut through the air like a knife. The windows rattled. Even the books on the shelves shivered.
"Idiot! You pulled it too fast!" Aldric yelled, covering his ears.
"Stop it from screaming, you stupid human!" Amon shouted too, glaring at me like I had personally offended him.
I stared at the mandrake, giving it my scariest glare. "Stop screaming, or I'll cut your body into eight pieces!"
It froze. Trembling. Even its tiny leaves shivered.
The classroom went completely silent. Every student dropped to the floor, eyes wide, mouths open, as if they were witnessing something impossible. A few students covered their ears, peeking through their fingers.
I thought I had tamed it. I really did. But the mandrake decided to scream louder, filling the classroom—and probably the Allegria—with its ear-piercing wails. I groaned. Figures. Nothing ever went smoothly.
"Ὕπνου Φύσις, κατάπνιξον τὴν ὀργήν σου!" Aldric shouted, finally casting a sleeping spell. The mandrake collapsed, snoring softly, and the room slowly returned to sanity.
"Hehehe! You saved us, Sir," I said, trying to laugh. My throat hurt from the mandrake's scream, and my face felt red. Aldric's expression turned volcanic. I didn't dare breathe too loudly.
***
"You were lucky he didn't make you brew another horrible potion," Tabitha said, arms crossed. Her eyes were sharp, but I knew she didn't mean to be cruel.
"You know, being human is your weakness here. You're… easy to bully," Dion added.
"Master is human too," I said.
"Well… he's handsome, and you…" Dion looked me over from head to toe, "…you're worse than ugly."
I grabbed his rosy hair. "How dare you!" I shouted, tugging hard.
Elara appeared then, her aura glowing softly, making the entire classroom feel calm. "What's going on?" she asked. Her presence was… blinding, almost like looking at sunlight through clouds.
"Nothing," Dion and I said quickly, letting go of each other.
"You shouldn't fight. We are brothers and sisters here," she explained, her voice gentle but firm. Wow. She really did look like an angel.
"I have to visit Lady Hecate today, so I'll go on ahead," she added, floating away as gracefully as she appeared.
Dion turned to me again, clearly enjoying my misery. "You and Elara were supposed to be in the Big Three of first-years, but you… well… you were brawny and short-tempered."
I didn't even think. I kicked him hard. He yelped. Serves him right.
***
After a long, exhausting day, I finally returned home. The sun was setting, painting the sky in shades of pink and gold. My legs ached from walking all over Allegria, and my stomach grumbled faintly.
"Master, I'm home!" I called, stepping inside. Usually, I would smell Master's tea or hear him humming quietly, but today… the house was completely quiet.
No one answered. Only Riri, in his small black cat form, padded over and rubbed against my legs. His emerald and golden eyes looked up at me, curious and alert.
"Hello, Riri. Have you seen Master?" I asked, bending down to scratch behind his ears. His fur was soft, warm, and silky. Somehow, after bonding with him, I could understand his meows. Magic was weird sometimes.
"Meow!" he replied, shaking his tiny head. Master wasn't home.
"That's odd," I muttered, stepping further into the house. "He's usually here by now, sipping his tea and probably reading one of those long, boring scrolls." I imagined him sitting in his favorite chair, looking serious, maybe a little annoyed that the house wasn't perfectly tidy.
"Meow meow," Riri said again, his ears twitching. He crouched low and swished his tail nervously. Footsteps sounded faintly outside the door.
"Oh! Maybe it's Master!" I whispered, running to open it.
"Why are you so late, Mas—"
Not Master. Standing in the doorway was Zephyr, Magnus' brother and one of our mentors. He looked around quickly, as if checking the house.
"Sir Zephyr! What brings you here?" I asked, stepping aside. I couldn't help feeling nervous.
He entered and glanced around the room, taking in the stacked books, the small scorch mark on the floor from my last experiment, and Riri curled up on the rug. "Valkyrie, Eisen left a message," he said calmly, but his voice carried a serious weight.
"What?" I blinked, confused.
"Val, I'll be away on a mission. I might be gone for a week," Zephyr said.
Oh… a week. Finally. Some peace. A whole week without someone telling me what to do? Perfect.
"Lady Hecate asked Eisen, Adara, and Aldric to find an ancient artifact," Zephyr continued. "That's why he's leaving."
I grinned, feeling a wave of relief. A whole week to myself—no lessons, no mandrakes, no Aldric yelling in my face. Just… quiet.
Zephyr raised an eyebrow, clearly puzzled by my reaction. "I thought you'd be upset. Why are you so happy?" he asked, a little awkwardly.
"Nothing," I said quickly, trying to hide my excitement. Then I tilted my head. "By the way… you came all the way here just to tell me that, Sir?"
"Well… yes. Eisen is a friend, after all," he said, as if that explained everything.
He… has… a… friend? Master? My mind froze for a moment. Master had a friend? I didn't know whether to be shocked, or curious. My jaw even dropped a little.