Chapter 101

The woman, who had been grumbling to herself, strode toward Vivian and grabbed her by the shoulders.  

“Are you hurt anywhere?”  

“N-No, I’m not.”  

“What’s your relationship with that guy?”  

“Th-That guy?”  

When Vivian asked back, Lucas, who was standing next to her, quickly informed her that “that guy” referred to Aitor.  

“We’ve been friends since childhood. Even before entering the magic school.”  

Lucas and Aitor’s teacher, who had been staring intently at Vivian, began hurriedly clearing away the piles of magical tools and books.  

“First, sit here.”  

From a place where she hadn’t even imagined there would be a sofa, a sofa appeared. At Lucas’s urging gaze, Vivian quickly sat down.  

As soon as Vivian sat, the teacher, who had perched herself atop a pile of books, crossed her legs, folded her arms, and closed her eyes as if organizing her thoughts.  

Fidgeting with her hands on her lap, Vivian glanced around uneasily and noticed Lucas trembling nervously in a corner.  

“Well then, let me introduce myself. I am Teresa, the teacher of fools.”  

Teresa brushed her neatly tied hair with her palm and opened her eyelids. Her unusually clear crimson eyes were revealed sharply.  

Her bright red pupils turned toward Vivian.  

“I’m Vivian Dinever.” 

Vivian cautiously introduced herself, startled. Teresa’s silver eyebrows twitched slightly.  

“Dinever? The Dinever Duchy of the Empire?”  

“Yes. Do you know the Dinever family?”  

Without answering Vivian’s question, Teresa clicked her tongue softly, stood up abruptly, and went to the desk where a cloak was draped over a chair.  

“It’s my fault for having such a foolish disciple. Now, stand up, young lady. You must leave this place safely, no matter what.”  

As Teresa donned her cloak, Lucas, who had been quietly holding his breath in the corner, stepped forward.  

“Where are you planning to go?”  

“To the Empire, of course.”  

“Right now?”  

“Do you think we have time for tea here?”  

“That’s not what I meant…”  

Teresa, who was watching the flustered Lucas, retrieved another cloak from somewhere and handed it to him.  

“We’re leaving immediately.”  

Grabbing a few tools and thick books from the desk, wall, and floor, Teresa strode toward the door. Vivian, who had been staring blankly, and Lucas, who had been mumbling like a fish, hurriedly followed her.  

“Put on your hats and move in a way that doesn’t look suspicious.”  

They descended a narrow staircase one by one, with Teresa at the front, Vivian in the middle, and Lucas at the rear.  

When Teresa opened the door and stepped out, she handed a thick book to Vivian.  

“If you hold this, it’ll make you look… a bit more like a mage.”  

From behind, Lucas muttered about why she had to bring something so heavy, but fortunately or unfortunately, Teresa didn’t hear him.  

Holding the thick book with both hands, Vivian trailed after Teresa. Suddenly, Teresa stopped, and Vivian looked up at her back.  

“To the left.”  

At Teresa’s cautious voice, Vivian instinctively stiffened. Watching Teresa naturally turn left, Vivian followed her lead. Lucas, who was trailing behind, casually glanced at newspapers laid out on a stall before slowly following Teresa and Vivian.  

Not knowing where they were heading, they walked for ten minutes.  

“Hey! Teresa!”  

Someone called out to Teresa cheerfully, waving a hand.  

“Why now, of all times…”  

Grinding her teeth, Teresa muttered under her breath but quickly plastered a smile on her face as the man waddled closer.  

“It’s been a while, Headmaster.”  

“Haha, Teresa, it really has been a while. Four years since you left the school?”  

“Has it been that long already?”  

Teresa smiled flawlessly and subtly shifted her position to shield Vivian.  

“And who is the person behind you?”  

Despite Teresa’s efforts, the headmaster of the magic school, wiping sweat off his bald head, showed interest in Vivian.  

“Oh, haha. This is my new assistant. Say hello, Vivian. This is Headmaster Douglas of the magic school.”  

“Ah, hello.”  

“Oh-ho, is this child also from the magic school?”  

“No, she’s barely at a beginner level in magic, so she’s not qualified to enter the school.”  

“Still, if she’s someone you’re mentoring, Teresa… Bring her to the school sometime.”  

“Haha, I’d be grateful if you did. Right, Vivian?”  

Avoiding the headmaster’s curious gaze, Vivian pulled her hat lower and bowed her head.  

“Douglas.”  

At that moment, someone called the headmaster, approaching Teresa’s group. A little distance away, behind a cart loaded with goods, Lucas watched them nervously.  

“Ah! Perfect timing.”  

The headmaster raised his chubby hand toward the approaching person.  

“Come over here. I have someone I want to introduce to you.”  

Teresa swallowed a curse inwardly and barely managed to keep her smile. She needed to get to the gate leading to the Empire as soon as possible, but Douglas, clinging like a leech, was now calling another leech over, testing her patience.  

The time window for using the gate to the Empire was rapidly shrinking.  

Not many people traveled from the Empire to Palterno or vice versa. Therefore, they had to carefully and discreetly reach the gate and leave unnoticed, but the pests kept appearing, making Teresa want to kick them away and grab Vivian’s wrist to run.  

“This is Teresa Marshall, who used to be with our magic school. She’s an excellent mage, especially skilled in crafting magic stones. Haha.”  

“Is that so?”  

Vivian’s ears perked up momentarily at Teresa’s abilities, but soon, she tilted her head at the familiar voice she heard.  

“Nice to meet you. I’m Benjamin Cloak.”  

Vivian’s head shot up. The man extending his right hand to Teresa for a handshake…  

It was Marquis Cloak.  

Benjamin Cloak, the Marquis. Why was he here…?  

Vivian subtly stepped back, hiding further behind Teresa.  

“I was planning to visit you soon, Teresa.”  

“To see me?”  

“This isn’t the place to discuss it, but we’re gathering skilled mages on our side. With your abilities, you’d be more than welcome.”  

The headmaster, who had been glancing around disinterestedly, lowered his voice and spoke to Teresa. Meanwhile, Marquis Cloak, seemingly lost in thought, frowned slightly as he watched young people noisily chatting in a nearby alley.  

“You know I don’t take sides.”  

“Of course, I do. Isn’t that why you left the school? But this might be your last chance. Do you know how much the Mage Tower is losing by letting someone of your talent go to waste?”  

The headmaster clicked his tongue in disapproval.  

Teresa was exceptional at developing magical tools using magic stones. If they could recruit someone like her, it would be a great asset. Moreover, although not entirely trustworthy, even the so-called genius mage was assisting them.  

If they could bring Teresa over, they could finally crush the Mage Tower master and the pro-Empire faction.  

Licking his lips, the headmaster began rambling to Teresa in the middle of the street. Growing more anxious due to the headmaster’s persistence, Teresa glanced at Vivian hiding behind her.  

“This isn’t the place for such discussions. Shall we move somewhere else, Headmaster?”  

“Ah, you’re right. Yes, that’s a good idea. Marquis Cloak, why don’t you join us?”  

The headmaster, excited at Teresa’s suggestion, scanned the area for a suitable spot.  

“I’ll send my assistant away.”  

“Good idea.”  

Distracted, the headmaster nodded without suspicion while searching for a place.  

“Meet up with Lucas and wait for me. I’ll talk with the headmaster and come back.”  

Vivian lowered her head, bowed, and turned around. Just then, four men approached her, laughing boisterously.  

‘Thud.’  

As Vivian turned, she bumped into one of them.  

“Hey! Watch where you’re going!”  

Although he hadn’t been looking ahead either, the man yelled at Vivian. However, Vivian couldn’t respond.  

When she collided with the man, her hat came off. Hastily covering her face with her hair, Vivian froze under Marquis Cloak’s gaze from behind.  

The man, thinking Vivian was ignoring him without apologizing, raised his voice even more.  

This is bad.  

If this continues, Marquis Cloak will find out.  

“Could it be…?”  

Marquis Cloak took a step closer to Vivian and opened his mouth. At his voice, Vivian instinctively shut her eyes tightly.  

“Hey! You, you thief!”  

At that moment, the headmaster shouted loudly.  

“That rascal! Catch that rascal!”  

Someone had stolen the headmaster’s staff and was running away. The headmaster, red-faced, pointed his finger at a small child disappearing into the distance.  

“That rascal! Do you know how much that’s worth?”  

The commotion caused by the headmaster made the group harassing Vivian frown and move along, while Marquis Cloak’s attention shifted to the thief.  

Now’s the chance. I have to run now.  

Taking a deep breath, Vivian pulled her hat back down and began walking away. At that moment, someone grabbed her shoulder and began walking quickly.  

“Wh-Who?”  

“Shh!”  

Vivian tried to twist free from the stranger’s grip but stopped when she recognized a familiar scent and looked up.  

“L-Louis?”  

Though his face was partially obscured by a hat, it was undoubtedly Louis. Relief and confusion washed over Vivian, and her breathing quickened.  

“Let’s get out of here first.”  

At Louis’s words, Vivian wiped her teary eyes roughly with her sleeve and steadied her legs. Blending into the crowd, the two walked naturally before slipping into a small alley.  

“Louis.”  

As soon as they entered the alley, Vivian threw herself into Louis’s arms. It was Louis. The Louis she had missed so much was standing right in front of her.