Silence stretched longer than it should have.
Not the awkward kind that begged to be filled—but the deliberate sort, where words were being weighed, discarded, and reshaped before ever being allowed to exist.
Edward El Blackwood stood by the window, hands clasped behind his back, posture relaxed to the point of carelessness. Yet that very ease was what made him unsettling. He didn't radiate pressure. He didn't assert dominance.
It was as if the room had decided to accommodate him.
After a while, he finally spoke.
"As you already know," he said calmly, his voice even and unhurried, "I am a warrior. A Sword Master. I am also an Archmage."
He turned slightly, enough for us to see his profile.
"I am fully capable of teaching both of you."
His gaze shifted to me—not sharp, not probing, just present.
"And as for why I chose you," he continued, "that should not concern you."
I opened my mouth.
Then closed it again.
He wasn't wrong. Arguing wouldn't get me answers. People like him didn't reveal information because you demanded it. They revealed it when they decided the time was right—or when you proved you deserved it.
Edward's lips curved faintly.
"You should be thinking about what you'll do with the opportunity," he said, "not questioning why it was offered."
I exhaled quietly.
"…Understood."
Beside me, Ione had already lost patience.
"If the discussion is done," she said coolly, standing up, "I'll be leaving."
She didn't wait for permission.
Silver-blonde hair swayed neatly down her back as she turned, her movements precise, controlled. She reached the door—
"Miss Ione."
Edward's voice stopped her without force.
She paused.
"Come to the next appointment in a week," he said. "With Rias."
She glanced over her shoulder.
"We'll begin your first lesson then. I'll send the location."
Edward straightened, brushing imaginary dust from his sleeve.
"And be punctual."
Then—
He vanished.
Not teleported.
Not displaced.
Gone.
No distortion. No mana residue. No spatial ripple.
Just absence.
I stared at the empty space where he had been, my instincts screaming too late to matter.
"…That's cheating," I muttered.
Even Ione remained still for a moment, her eyes narrowing slightly.
No one spoke.
Finally, I broke the silence.
"Did you know him?"
She turned to me.
"No."
The answer came instantly.
Too instantly.
I studied her face—the calm expression, the controlled breathing, the lack of any obvious reaction.
"…Forget it," I said after a second. "Let's go."
She didn't argue.
We left the private staff room and headed back toward the dormitory wing, our footsteps echoing softly along the stone corridor. No one stopped us. No one questioned us.
Edward's name alone seemed to erase obstacles.
*****
The moment I entered my dorm room, I didn't waste time.
I washed quickly, changed clothes, and sat cross-legged on the bed. My back straightened instinctively as I closed my eyes.
Mana responded immediately.
Still sluggish.
Still imperfect.
But deeper than before.
"I already wasted a full day," I murmured. "Not doing it again."
I sank into meditation, circulating mana carefully, compressing it, releasing it, then compressing again. Not forcing output—refining it. Every cycle smoothed the pathways slightly more.
Hours passed without me noticing.
By the time evening light filtered through the window, my muscles ached and my mind felt sharp in that exhausted-but-focused way that only real training produced.
I stood and stretched.
"Good enough," I said. "For today."
I headed to the training grounds.
Or as I liked to call it—
The place where Instructor Seraphina pretends not to kill me.
To my surprise, she didn't bring up the forged leave permit.
Not a word.
She simply began instruction, her tone sharp, her expectations ruthless. And I—
I kept up.
My mana compression let me absorb concepts faster than before, my mind snapping connections together mid-sentence. Seraphina noticed. Of course she did.
Her eyes flicked toward my stance more than once.
Especially during sword practice.
I adjusted unconsciously—tiny changes guided by the principles of Judgement of Heaven. Nothing dramatic. Just alignment. Efficiency. Intent.
Seraphina frowned.
Then said nothing.
Which, somehow, was more unsettling than criticism.
When she finally dismissed me, I stayed.
I swung my sword.
Again.
And again.
And again.
A thousand times.
No flourish. No power. Just repetition.
By the time I stopped, my arms trembled and my shirt clung to me with sweat.
Satisfied, I returned to my dorm, washed up, admired my face for a respectable three seconds—
"Still alive," I nodded solemnly—
—and headed to the cafeteria.
That was when I noticed Ione walking ahead of me.
"Ione," I called.
She slowed.
I caught up quickly.
"Cafeteria?" I asked. "Let's go together."
She looked at me.
Then nodded.
Progress.
We walked in silence for a while.
The corridor opened to the night sky through tall windows. Stars glittered faintly beyond the academy grounds.
I glanced out and asked, casually,
"Do you miss your old world?"
She didn't look away from the path.
"This is my world," she replied.
I blinked.
"…Huh."
I didn't understand what she meant.
After all—
I was the one who wrote this world.
But I said nothing.
The cafeteria was crowded when we entered.
I gestured toward an empty table.
"Go sit. I'll get food."
She didn't argue.
While waiting in line, I prepared her meal carefully—mostly diet food, exactly as she preferred.
'Does she really care that much about her diet?' I wondered.
Probably.
I returned to the table and froze slightly.
Viola and Aurelius sat nearby, deep in animated conversation. A red-haired girl with striking crimson eyes sat close to Aurelius, leaning in just a bit too much.
'Ah, I thought. Here comes trouble.'
I sat beside Ione.
Viola noticed me and brightened.
"Rias! Where have you been?" she asked. "I didn't see you for days."
"Just a little trip," I replied.
She nodded, then immediately turned back to Aurelius, noticing the red-haired girl's proximity. The atmosphere shifted subtly.
I inwardly pitied Aurelius.
I leaned toward Ione and whispered,
"So… not interested in joining their harem?"
She looked at me.
Her gaze was cold enough to kill small animals.
I shrugged and focused on my food.
After dinner, we stood.
"See you," I said to Viola.
Then—
"I want to walk in the garden," Ione said quietly.
I blinked.
"…Sure."
And together, we walked into the night.