“There was a reaction inside the body. Like a delayed spell.” Gronir said.

“A delayed spell?” I asked.

Horas held up the vial I had found. “It is just a theory, for now. But I believe the liquid triggered the effect. The man was likely given another potion before, or he was hit with a curse. When he consumed that liquid it triggered the spell, or reaction. I will need to analyse this to find out more.”

“So, he blew himself up?” I wondered.

“Most likely yes but he might not have known what he was doing.” Erik said. “The man could have been deceived. Maybe he was told the potion would do something different. But whoever planned this, wanted him to consume this liquid close to you. If a servant collapsed next to you, you would have likely tried to help. Then the body would have exploded…”

“But what about the missing blood? What about the injuries on the hand?” I asked.

“You told me you felt something from your undead, correct?” Irene inquired.

I nodded.

“See, what if the man drank the potion before entering the room? Then he collapsed. Your undead might have consumed the blood of the corpse. It might explain why the explosion was delayed.” Irene suggested.

Erik nodded. “I can see two possibilities, either someone dragged a corpse in here, or the man consumed the potion himself. Dragging a corpse around the academy is risky, especially if the body is dressed like a servant. Meaning the man likely came here alive. If his goal was to kill you by exploding, why would he drink the potion without you being present?”

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“Um…” He made a good point.

Erik continued: “This is just a theory, but someone might have tricked this man into doing it. They might have told him the potion would have a different effect.”

“Oh. Was he actually a servant?” I wondered.

“None of us recognize him so that is unlikely. Which means he had help getting in here.” Erik said.

“When I examined the corpse, I felt the spell. I do not think my magic triggered it. The theory that his loss of blood slowed the reaction seems plausible.” Gronir said. “I assume the first step of the potion was to kill the man. The second was to create the explosion. Now why would your undead consume the blood though? It is a tier two, there are some instincts. And the blood would have been rich in mana. But that should not cause this. A tier two should not have been intelligent enough to detect such a threat.”

I looked at Nyx. “Do you have something to do with it?”

Nyx stared back, not saying anything.

I looked at the teachers. “Nyx did react, I assumed she felt something through the bond, like I did.”

“You created those cats. While all of your undead are connected, through you, Nyx should not be able to get such detailed information from them.” Gronir said.

“She was present while I raised them and added her mana…” I admitted.

Gronir stroked his beard. “Is that so? Hm.”

Everyone stared at Nyx. She licked her paw.

“In any case, this will need further investigation. All we have is a theory. We do not know why that man has consumed the potion, nor do we know who got him inside. But stealing a uniform, and the spells/alchemy involved, are rather professional. If that man truly decided to die to kill you he would have waited until you were close. I suspect he was a pawn.” Erik said.

“It is possible they told the man he would be empowered.” Horas suggested. “Maybe someone told him it would give him magic, allow him to fight you. People have been tricked with the false promise of power in the past.”

“What if two people were here? And the servant was killed here, or forced to drink the potion?” I theorised.

Irene shook her head. “Unlikely. They would have timed this better. Or even shouted for you to help. Staging a collapsed servant, then shouting would have gotten you there quickly. And you would have approached the body, since you even know a bit of basic healing magic.”

“We got lucky.” Horas said. “Not only do we have a bit of the potion, which would have normally been destroyed by the explosion, for some reason your vampiric undead has delayed the effect. And the man might have consumed the potion prematurely as well.”

Erik’s gaze darkened. “We need to find who got him inside. I will not tolerate assassins in my school.” Then he looked at me, and gave me a small bow. “I have to apologise, Koyuki. It is my duty to keep my students safe and I seem to be doing a poor job of it. Rest assured that I will use all of my power to get rid of this traitor.”