The principal's office felt like the center of a collapsing world.
Mana churned so densely in the air that it distorted perception itself—pressure layered upon pressure, crushing and absolute. The clash between two S-ranks wasn't merely invisible force; it was a tangible weight, like standing between colliding storms.
Any ordinary person—anyone below the absolute upper echelon—would have been driven to their knees, lungs locked, thoughts paralyzed under the overwhelming dominance flooding the room.
Yet Alex stood.
Unaffected.
The pressure parted around him as if he didn't exist.
No—more than that.
It was as if the storm itself refused to touch him.
Even Alicia's unleashed aura, wild and possessive and razor-edged, curved subtly away from him, as though doing otherwise was unthinkable. An unconscious, instinctive protection. As if some part of her simply could not bear the idea of harming him—not even by accident. Even Elena's opposing pressure, sharp with authority and restraint, failed to settle on him.
Alex swallowed.
'I don't know whether I should laugh or cry at this.' he thought faintly.
His heart was hammering, his face pale—but his legs moved anyway.
Seeing that his voice had reached her at last, Alex rushed forward without hesitation. The space between them felt endless and infinitesimal all at once. He stopped directly before Alicia, lifted his gaze, and met her icy blue eyes—now burning with something dangerously close to losing control.
"Master." he said again, more softly this time.
He reached out.
His fingers closed around her hand.
The familiar warmth.
Alicia froze.
Then—she broke.
Her aura collapsed inward as if it had never existed. The suffocating pressure vanished in a heartbeat, the mana density evaporating so abruptly it left the room hollow by comparison. Alicia pulled Alex toward her with sudden force, wrapping him in a tight embrace, one hand cradling the back of his head as she pressed him against her chest.
Her fingers slid into his hair, stroking it again and again, grounding herself through the sensation.
"My disciple." she murmured, her voice low and unsteady. "You're here."
The terrifying presence that had moments ago threatened to tear the academy apart was gone—
replaced by a woman holding her disciple as if letting go would shatter her.
Alex stiffened for half a second—then relaxed.
He let her hold him.
Slowly, the last remnants of tension drained from the room.
Silence settled in its wake.
The remaining two people in the room—Aurora and Elena—were left speechless. Different as they were, the same realization settled over them at once: Alicia's obsession with Alex had long since crossed the point of no return.
Elena remained seated behind her desk, unmoving—but for the first time since Alicia's arrival, her expression was openly stunned. She stared at the scene before her, eyes sharp yet disbelieving.
'So this is the extent of it.'
She had known Alicia was possessive. Priscilia had warned her—half-joking, half-serious—about the intensity of Alicia's attachment to her disciple. But this… this was something else entirely.
An obsession that eclipsed reason.
An anchor that overrode even an S-rank's killing intent.
Across the room, Aurora hovered near Alex's shoulder, wide-eyed.
She, unlike Elena, had no illusions left to shatter.
Aurora had seen it firsthand—time and time again. The way Alicia's attention narrowed until the world shrank to a single point: him. How her composure fractured the moment Alex was involved. How even her darkest impulses bent themselves around his safety.
Still…
She tilted her head, lips curling into a mischievous smile.
'Heh. If she ever finds out I was technically his first teacher…' Aurora's grin widened. 'That would be entertaining.'
Alex, caught in Alicia's embrace, let out a slow breath. The frantic edge of his panic dulled as her grip loosened—just slightly. He could feel her heartbeat now, fast but steadying, no longer erratic.
"Master," he said gently, careful with her name. "I'm okay."
Her fingers tightened once—then relaxed.
She pulled back just enough to look at him, cupping his face with both hands as if confirming he was real. Her expression was soft now. Relieved. Still dangerous—but contained.
She rested her forehead briefly against Alex's, closed her eyes, and inhaled once—deep and controlled.
Then she straightened.
And finally, she turned her gaze back toward Elena—cool, sharp, and very much awake.
The violence had been halted.
But the conversation was far from finished.
Seeing the violent pressure finally recede into something restrained—still dangerous, but no longer explosive—Elena chose her moment carefully. She spoke first, her voice steady and deliberate, carrying authority without provocation.
"First and foremost," Elena said calmly, "I am not stealing your disciple."
Alicia's eyes flicked toward her, sharp and suspicious.
"He will always be your disciple." Elena continued without pause. "That has never changed. And it will not."
Alicia didn't respond. But the killing intent that had saturated the room did not return. Instead, her gaze hardened—listening, if reluctantly.
"Secondly," Elena said, folding her hands atop her desk, "Alex is a student of this academy. As its principal—and as a teacher—I have both the right and the responsibility to teach him." Her eyes slid briefly to Alex.
"And more importantly," Elena added, tone sharpening, "you don't want to waste his potential."
That earned a reaction.
Alicia's brow creased faintly, skepticism unmistakable.
"His talent is abnormal," Elena said flatly. "To the point that calling him a genius would be an understatement. Frankly speaking, he's a little monster."
Alex stiffened. "P-Principal—"
"I'm not finished," Elena cut in, she looked back at Alicia. "You're an exceptional swordswoman. One of the best I've ever seen. But magic is not your domain."
Alicia's fingers twitched against Alex's back.
"You can guide him. Protect him." she continued. "But you cannot teach him everything he needs when it comes to magic. Not without limiting him."
Silence stretched.
Alicia's gaze narrowed—not in rage, but in consideration.
Elena saw it.
So she delivered the final blow.
"With my help," Elena said quietly, "he can use his talent openly. Properly. Without hiding. Without fear."
She leaned forward slightly.
"And I can guarantee this: as long as he is under my protection, no harm will come to him."
Her eyes softened—just a little.
"If that," she added, "is what you've been afraid of all along."
The room went still. Alicia's fingers tightened briefly—possessive, protective—before loosening again.
"Bitch. For an old hag, you talk too much." Alicia said at last.
But she didn't reject Elena's words.
And for someone like Alicia—
That alone meant everything.
Elena's expression finally cracked.
The corner of her mouth twitched—not in amusement, but irritation—and she straightened in her chair, posture sharpening as her voice hardened.
"You should mind your language." Elena said coolly. "And learn to speak with respect to your elders."
Alicia blinked, then scoffed.
"Elders?" she echoed, incredulous. "Don't flatter yourself."
Elena's eyes narrowed. "I was already an S-rank when you were still struggling as a freshly promoted A-rank adventurer. And whether you like it or not—" her gaze sharpened, "—I guided you back then. In that sense, I am your mentor."
Alex froze. "…Mentor?"
He glanced between the two women, confusion plain. He had suspected they knew each other—far more than mere acquaintances—but this was well beyond anything he'd imagined.
Alicia snorted. "Guided me a little." she said dismissively. "A few pointers on mana control and fire magic do not make you my mentor."
Her lips curled into a familiar scowl. "And don't push your luck. Calling yourself that is a stretch, even for you."
Elena didn't rise to the bait.
"Oh?" she replied evenly. "Then who corrected your unstable mana compression? Who stopped you from burning out your core during your early fire techniques?"
Alicia's jaw tightened.
"And who," Elena continued, voice cutting cleanly through the air, "signed off on your certification when you advanced to S-rank?"
Silence.
Alex's eyes widened slightly.
She… certified her?
Alicia clicked her tongue and looked away. "That was procedural," she muttered. "Anyone qualified could have done it."
Elena raised an eyebrow. "And yet, it was me."
Alicia shot her a glare. "You're still an old hag."
Elena's eye twitched.
"And you," she said flatly, "are still as ill-mannered as ever."
Alex swallowed and cautiously raised a hand. "Um… if you don't mind me asking… how old are you, Principal?"
Both women looked at him.
Elena exhaled slowly.
"That," she said, staring at him, "is a question you should never ask a lady."
Alex stiffened instantly. "S-sorry."
Alicia, however, leaned back in her chair with a smug little grin.
"Oh, don't be shy." she said brightly. "She's sixty-three."
The word landed like a thrown stone.
Alex froze.
"Sixty-three?"
Elena's eye twitched.
Alex stared at her again—at the beautiful face, the curvaceous figure, a body that looked to be in its prime, not a day older than a woman in her thirties at most.
Aurora leaned in and explained quietly, "High-ranked mages age slowly. Mana delays physical decline and prolongs life. This is common knowledge."
Alicia smirked. "See? An old hag."
Alex, meanwhile, quietly resolved never to ask personal questions again—especially not when both of them were in the same room.