The not‑so‑spacious corridor became a standoff between Yuui and the Magical Scientist, while Alicia hid behind Yuui, and Alice's Black Witch shielded her as they slowly retreated toward the exit.
For a moment, the atmosphere was so tense that even a pin drop could be heard.
Suddenly, then, a hearty laugh echoed.
"Hahaha, what are you all doing crowding at the doorway? Remington, aren't you offering our students a drink?"
The unexpected voice startled everyone, yet it was unmistakably familiar to all present.
A moment later, a pale‑blue magic circle appeared at the end of the corridor, and from it stepped a handsome old man with white hair and a white beard.
"Headmaster!!!"
Alice looked at Aleister with overwhelming relief. Only heaven knew how drastic her emotional changes had been in less than a single minute—this duke's daughter, who normally feared nothing, was now on the verge of collapsing.
Nonetheless, now everything would be fine. Since the Headmaster, a Great Sage, had arrived, everything would be alright.
Yet the reactions of the two villains upon seeing the Headmaster completely exceeded Alice's expectations.
First was Albaz—the handsome yet infamous youth known for countless atrocities. When he saw the Headmaster, he remained perfectly calm, as if he had expected Aleister to appear all along.
As for the Magical Scientist, he simply snorted in disdain.
"Hmph, what are you doing here, you old fossil? What, worried I'd turn your students into Magical Beasts too?"
What happened next shocked Alice even more. Aleister walked forward and patted the Magical Scientist's thin shoulder with a cheerful smile.
"Hahaha, of course not! How could I think so badly of you, Remington? I was only a little worried that these two students might misunderstand your identity!"
"Worried? Well, you don't have to worry anymore… they've already misunderstood everything!"
The Magical Scientist slapped Aleister's hand away and said irritably, "You explain things to them yourself. If, after learning the truth, they're still willing to study cardmaking under me, then I'll teach them."
With that, the Magical Scientist walked toward the end of the passage where the murals of Blue‑Eyes Ultimate Dragon and Five‑Array Magician were.
He waved his hand, and a crack appeared in the center of the stone wall. Two slabs slowly slid open, revealing a room filled with experimental equipment.
The Magical Scientist stepped inside, leaving behind a confused Alice, Yuui—who already knew everything—Alicia, who had learned the rough truth from Yuui, and Aleister, who was still smiling.
Only after the Magical Scientist disappeared into the room did Alice snap out of it. She hurriedly shouted toward Aleister, "Headmaster! That was the Magical Scientist! He's the one who caused chaos in the kingdom fifty years ago, who conducted human experiments, slaughtered nobles, destroyed cities… that Magical Scientist!"
As she said that, she quickly pointed toward Yuui.
"And this person is Albaz, the leader of Despian! He must have infiltrated the academy for some sinister purpose! Headmaster, you must capture them! You can't let them escape!
"If they run free, who knows how much our Bredt Kingdom will—"
"Alright, have you said enough, Alice Tutt?" Yuui suddenly interrupted, "I thought you were smarter than this. After everything you've seen, you still haven't figured out the situation?"
With Aleister backing her, Alice immediately shouted back at him.
"Shut up, you 'greatest villain in human history'! You have no right to insult my intelligence! With the Headmaster here today, you're definitely not escaping!"
Yuui exhaled slowly, helplessly.
Then he took Alicia's hand and began walking toward the laboratory, saying to Aleister, "She's your student. You explain it to her. I think she's almost done pretending."
"Yuui‑san…" Alicia glanced worriedly at Alice.
"It's fine. Your Headmaster will explain everything to her. Let's go in first. They'll come in soon enough."
Yuui never had a good impression of Alice, so he didn't mind seeing her in this state at all.
And since Yuui said so, Alicia followed him into the laboratory.
Now, only Aleister and Alice remained in the corridor. After hearing Yuui's line—"I think she's almost done pretending"—Alice's body suddenly went limp, like a soggy day‑old French fry.
Black Witch Diabellstar still loyally guarded her. As a Spirit, she could sense a person's magical power—and magical power reflected the strength of a mage.
But right now, she couldn't sense even the slightest trace of magic from Aleister.
This wasn't because Aleister had no magic; it was because the difference between their power was simply too vast.
Unless Aleister deliberately revealed it, no one in the world except the few standing at the very peak could perceive how powerful he truly was.
Seeing Aleister approach, Black Witch prepared to attack.
But Alice stopped her. She didn't want her Spirit to be destroyed.
Still, she looked pitifully at the elder she had always admired, her voice trembling:
"Lord Aleister… why… why have you fallen into darkness?"
Aleister couldn't help letting out a helpless smile.
"It seems what happened earlier made you misunderstand quite a lot…"
"Misunderstand? How could it be a misunderstanding!" Alice suddenly gathered courage from nowhere and shouted, "Those two are unforgivable criminals! Yet you acted as if you didn't see them… that's protecting them!
"I can't believe it… that the Great Sage of our Bredt Kingdom has been colluding with people of the dark! Lord Aleister, how can you face your family name? How can you face the people of the Bredt Kingdom who respect you!!"
Listening to her accusations, Aleister raised a hand to his forehead and sighed.
"What a mess this is…"
...
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