「MacGuffin?」

Corvus asks, adjusting his glasses.

「Yeah. My MacGuffin. My deus ex machina. My asspull. My writer's corner escape spell. Sorry, if I knew ahead of the time that it'd conveniently resolve a plot point, I'd save it for later.」

Straf spreads his arms, grimacing with his lips tightly pressed together.

「Corner ecape spell?… I don't understand.」

「Yeah, me neither, so how about you help me understand why eating the guy's soul would fix the problem?」

He retracts his hands into his lap and casually interlocks his fingers across his stomach, while leisurely, albeit dangerously leaning back in his chair.

「His being, you mean?」

Corvus asks, tilting his head.

「No, I mean his soul. Or will that not do, and it needs to eat his being, or whatever?」

「No… The being is the soul, although soul is the terminology healers use. Orthodox mages such as myself refer to it as the being, or essence… You do not strike me as a healer, Straf. Am I mistaken?」

The headmaster lightly shakes his head, pinching onto his glasses so they remain on his nose. He gives them a little nudge upward as he asks.

「I'm not.」

Straf bluntly replies, staring at Corvus with his mouth scrunched to the side.

「I see. I thought so… By removing his essence… Soul, if you will, from our plane, the curse would be forced to follow. It would be effectively nullified…」

The old mage turns his gaze back to the window, staring at something far into the distance with his hands behind his back.

「…There is presumably no Academy of Magic outside of our plane, and therefore the curse would be unable to affect anybody. It would not be dispelled, mind you, only displaced.」

「But for us, that's good enough, right?」

「Yes, it is… But I would have moral qualms about doing such a thing, Straf. Even if we knew who is behind this.」

Corvus nods in reply. He pauses to let out a long, troubled sigh.

「Hey, a thousand students and some professors at stake, and you're not going to throw the guy for demons to chew on? Fuck him, who cares?」

With a dismissive wave of his hand, Straf lets out a disdainful scoff, and glances aside with an amused smirk.

「Such matters should not be taken lightly, Straf!…」

The mage's wrinkled face snaps over his shoulder to him, as Corvus raises his voice. His bespectacled eyes glare at him in anger, and his mouth, encircled by the grayish-white facial hair, is downturned. The otherwise calm headmastrer's wrathful tone makes Straf's head perk up out of surprise, and he loses his balance in his chair, tipping backwards. Straf feels a familiar sensation, and glances over his shoulder. The smooth stone floor is slowly closing in.

《Ah. Shit… I'm not giving the ground another smooch, no thanks.》

He thinks, scrunching his mouth. He then looks at the heavy oaken desk, and cautiously takes his feet off of it. Straf hooks his boot's tip underneath the desk's lightly protruding edge, and very gently pushes upwards to escape his predicament and right himself. The flow of time returns to normal.

Clunk!

The chair violently yanks forth along with Straf on it, and it safely lands on all of its four legs with a loud impact noise of wood on stone. The old man is staring at him from above the short steps, and his narrowed eyes dart all over him for a brief, awkward, silent moment. Eventually, the headmaster's expression softens.

「…I understand you want to protect Ms. Redwing. I want to protect her too, and the rest of my students… But I do not want to reduce myself to inhuman methods. This isn't the First Era, or the Times Lost…」

Corvus explains, and his face appears almost apologetic, as if ashamed of raising his voice. His old eyes dart downwards at the floor, with a somber expression.

「Forcing someone to be at the mercy of demons is simply inhuman. I would not wish it unto my worst enemies. Even those, who pledged their undying loyalty to the demon lord can be freed by a priest…」

He sighs, and turns his face back to the window. The morning sunlight makes him appear as a black silhouette in the glow.

「…But what of those, whose being is stolen away? Who are they turn to? Who is to rescue them? Nobody, Straf. They will be tormented, until time itself runs out. That is evil matching, or even exceeding the curse.」

The old headmaster adds, while Straf silently listens with a tight-lipped expression, still somewhat surprised by his shout.

「The Mage Federation was formed specifically to limit the power of mages. Before that, the whole world was shattered into tiny, ruthless, violent, and heartless mage kingdoms. Tyranny ran rampant…」

Corvus turns around, gingerly making his way back down the steps. He walks up to the desk, and leans onto its corner with his wrinkled hand.

「…The Federation is target of many accusations. And many of them are true, Straf. But that does not mean the rules of the Federation are worthless, or what it stands for is not worth respecting.」

He says, staring at Straf's discomforted, grimacing face.

「…Right.」

Straf nods in return, and shrugs his shoulders.

「…It was a little unbecoming of me, I'm sorry. It just is very important to me, for the next generation of mages to be upstanding and respectable.」

The old mage says as he sits back down in his comfy leather chair with a creak, and swivels forward, avoiding Straf's gaze.

「But if that is out of question, what the fuck am I supposed to do, then? I don't think he'll uncurse us if I politely ask.」

「I don't know, Straf. I wish I did, but I don't.」

Corvus impotently spreads his hands on the desk. His bespectacled gaze once again drifts down, and he blankly stares at the oaken desk for a few seconds.

「…You don't know?」

「I don't. Truth to be told… If it were the only solution, I think I would have to let everyone die. This is why I need your help, Straf. We cannot allow that to happen.」

The headmaster replies, looking at Straf with a serious face tinged with gloom.

「We have learned something else, Straf. Whoever is behind it, truly and genuinely hates the entire Academy. Us, the students, the very building and land itself… So it seems.」

「Huh?」

Straf utters out, slack-jawed and narrowing his eyes at him.

「That is the primary reason why I am so opposed to your idea, Straf. I want to know why someone would hate the Academy so much. Where did we fail? Is it a worker with a deep-seated grudge?…」

Corvus thinks out loud, propping his bushy chin on his fist, staring downwards deep in thought.

「…Or is it a student? That seems almost impossible. This hatred built up over many, many decades. Longer than most students here have lived. And we only know its lowest limits, not its maximum.」

「So, it's some old worker, or an old student?」

Straf asks with his brows raised, spreading his hands. The headmaster's gaze raises to meet Straf's from above his spectacles' frame. They maintain silent eye contact for a short moment.

「…I do not believe the answer is so simple, Straf.」

He looks away at his bookshelves, wistfully staring at them.

「We have a handful of older students, but they're very bright, and they're all very pleasant people. I simply do not believe any of them could mask a grudge of this magnitude.」

Corvus adds, contemplatively brushing the mustache part of his beard with a minute shake of his head.

「So it's a worker?」

「Perhaps… But I don't know what would drive a professor, or anybody else for that matter into such seeping hatred. They all know they can come to me, if they are dissatisfied with something.」

He side-glances at Straf, and pauses his beard stroking.

「I think of myself as a good headmaster, Straf. I try to listen to everybody, make sure my students are happy and well educated, and our workers content…」

The old headmaster lets out a troubled sigh, lowering his gaze.

「…But perhaps the reality just isn't so.」

Corvus says quietly, with a sullen look in his weary eyes.

「…Do you know how much time I have to find the guy?」

Straf asks with a serious face, and their eyes meet.

「…Less than two months.」

He replies with a tone matching his.

「Tsk… Shit. So Lia is not going to finish her term at this rate, huh?」

Straf clicks his tongue, and lets out a troubled sigh as his gaze shifts aside. His face remains expressionless, bordering on bored.

「I'm afraid none of the students will, Straf. Some of us certainly won't last that long. Professor Reise is three years older than me, and while I can't complain about my health, I am not exactly the picture of it.」

The old man says, once again helplessly spreading his bony, wrinkled hands.

「So… Realistically, how long do I have before you old codgers sniff the wrong side of flowers?」

Straf asks, crossing his arms with his mouth heavily scrunched to the side.

「We cannot know. A month, perhaps a month and a half… I have already made preparations.」

「Preparations for what?」

「Isn't it obvious?… I wrote instructions how to explain my death to the students, and named a successor. I also wrote a letter of explanation directed to the Mage Federation, requesting them to honor my pick…」

Corvus shrugs his arms, and raises his bushy brows a little.

「…Assuming the barrier is ever restored to its normal state, and someone can send the letter out.」

「I haven't even started yet, and you're already giving up? What a vote of confidence…」

Cynically grinning, Straf scoffs, and glances aside once more.

「It's not about whether or not you succeed, Straf. I have dedicated the better portion of my life to nurturing the future generation of mages, and I have a duty to the future… Even if it's a future without me.」

The old headmaster replies with a firm, decisive tone.

「Can you explain what's wrong with that barrier of yours? I know it kills people, but why?」

「Ah. It's a little comforting to finally receive a question I have proper answers for… Although you may find those answers less than comforting.」

Corvus lets out a small, amused huff out of his nose, and smiles at Straf.

「Whatever. Explain.」

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

「Very well- Before I begin, are you familiar with the principles of how shields work? Someone of your level should-」

「Nope.」

Straf bluntly replies with a shrug of his shoulders. The long decades of experience render themselves big help to the headmaster, as he does quite well to hide his surprise.

「…I see. Allow me explain the basics, first… Normally, the Academy's barrier resists mana. It is very precisely attuned, so that it allows living beings through, but rejects spells, dispersing their mana…」

The old mage explains, waving small circles with his hand while he speaks.

「…In theory, beings of inhuman mana, spell-like entities such as elementals, would also be repelled. Demons, for example. Demons practically ooze mana, and the barrier would act like surface tension.」

「So it's not a demon's doing?」

「I would be very, very surprised if it was. The barrier would sooner break, than let one through… Either way, remember that normal barriers resist mana.」

「And this one doesn't?」

Straf asks, and with a troubled face, Corvus silently nods his head.

「Yes… Someone has subverted our barrier. It now absorbs mana, and quite voraciously so. I am not quite sure how it was accomplished, but it was certainly done by an expert.」

The headmaster replies, briefly looking at the desk before raising his gaze up at Straf again, looking at him with a tight-lipped grimace.

「Can't you just dispel it? Don't tell me-」

「I knew you would ask. No, it cannot be done.」

「What the f-? Now that's just fucking diabolus ex machina! Why the fuck not?」

Straf asks, throwing his arms up in outrage. Corvus takes a deep breath, and lets out a large sigh. The tight-lipped grimace remains present on his wrinkled face.

「We share your frustration on this point, Straf… As I've said, it was expertly done. We have been essentially outplayed… You see, the barriers can, but don't have to be, life-linked.」

「And?」

「The Academy's barrier is not, and should not be life-linked to anybody, at any point. The Mage Federation quickly learned from their mistakes after the first headmaster died…」

Corvus adjusts his glasses, pinching them from the side.

「When it is life-linked, only the caster can dispel it, but it also breaks when the mage dies. Life-linking your barrier is standard practice for personal, dueling barriers since… Well, a long time.」

「…Can you get to the point?」

Straf asks, scrunching his mouth to the side with a frustrated gaze.

「I am getting there… The person responsible somehow, in essence, swapped our barriers. We are not sure how. A new, experimental way to disrupt barriers, perhaps. Knowledge progresses fast, after all.」

「…And this new barrier is life-linked?」

「Unfortunately.」

Corvus bluntly replies, nodding his head.

「Can't you find the guy somehow? Surely he left some magic trail of breadcrumbs?」

Straf asks with furrowed brows, and spread his arms.

「While it is possible in theory… It would be like searching for a needle in a haystack. Even if I were to declare a total ban on all spellcasting, I doubt the ambient mana would clear out in time for us to find him.」

The headmaster lets out a long, troubled sigh. A brief silence begins as Straf leans back in his chair, looking up at the dark ceiling.

「Man…」

He says, lightly nodding his head up at the darkness.

「…And all of this could have been avoided, if you didn't give us the long-ass exposition on the plot device.」

Straf says, grinning upwards.

「Hm?」

「This is a tough one, huh? I came here for magic school cliches, not a locked-room murder mystery before it actually happens-」

He says, lowering his head to face Corvus. His eyes snap wide open with sudden realization.

「Ahhhhhh…」

Cringing, Straf throws his head back, and lets out a large, frustrated sigh.

《Wow. So I was actually fucking right? Wow…》

He thinks, grimacing heavily with his lips tightly pressed together

「What is it, Straf? Do you have any clues-」

「No, are you fucking silly, old man? Why would I?」

Straf asks with one eye narrowed and his other brow raised, spreading his arms with an incredulous expression on his face.

「Oh…」

「Tsk… All that shit aside, why don't you tell me how you figured me out?」

Straf asks, crossing his arms. The headmaster's shoulders jump up and down as he begins chuckling softly with his head lowered, interlocking his fingers.

「Hohohohoho… Interested, aren't you?…」

The old man asks with a sly smile.

「I'd be lying if I said I wasn't.」

He nonchalantly replies, and shrugs his shoulders.

「Very well… I might as well share my secret with you. It's privy to a very small, and mostly dead circle.」

Corvus says, and pushes his glasses up his nose with his middle finger.

「Wow, mostly dead? Sign me up!」

Straf says, with sarcastic enthusiasm in his voice. Still smirking, the headmaster lets out a large sigh.

「If you solve the problem, your reward will be carrying that secret out… Though I'd like you to keep it secret. A secret not kept is no secret at all, after all.」

「You sure like to talk and not get to the point, old man.」

「Mh. Apologies, I do ramble sometimes… I have two blessings, Straf.」

Corvus says, and extends his thin index finger draped by loose, aged skin.

「One, a blessing I have dubbed truesight.」

He adds, and points at his eye behind his spectacles.

「Huh?」

Straf tilts his head with one eye narrowed.

「It works somewhat similar to manasight… But at the same time, it is very, very different.」

The old mage explains, and spreads his hands.

「Okay, but what can you actually see?」

Straf asks, and Corvus brushes through his beard for a few silent seconds with his gaze lowered at the desk. He looks up at Straf, thinking, before glancing over his shoulder at the window.

「Come with me.」

He says, and stands up from his leather chair, gingerly climbing up the short flight of stairs. Straf reluctantly stands up, and follows him to the window with his hands in his pockets.

「Stand over here, and affix your eye on that large building over there. Do not move your eyes or your head at all for a moment.」

Corvus instructs him, pointing at a spot on the floor, then one of the city's buildings. Straf glances at him, then shrugs and complies. The headmaster picks up a dragon figurine from a nearby shelf full of various decorative items.

「What do you see?」

The old man asks, placing the wooden dragon directly in Straf's vision, right beside the city. Straf successfully fights off the urge to glance at him, and keeps his eyes trained on the building.

「…A dragon and a city.」

Straf replies

「Yes. A terrifying dragon is about to turn the whole city to cinders!…」

Corvus smiles softly, delivering an exaggerated narration.

「…Is it not?」

He adds, and waves his wrinkled hand in front of the dragon. Straf finally gets distracted, and glances at the headmaster with a bored, unimpressed face.

「What was the point of that?」

Straf asks with his mouth aslant.

「Well… A lot of things are a matter of perspective, Straf. If you do as I say, the town certainly appears doomed… But a single closer look reveals the truth. The threat was never there.」

Corvus replies with a smile on his age-weathered face as he wiggles the terrifying dragon like the mere toy it is. He lowers it, focusing his gaze on it.

「I'm sorry if this explanation is insufficient, but I wish you could see the things I do, Straf. Trying to explain to you how I perceive the world, is like explaining all the colors to a blind man.」

He adds, and looks into Straf's bored eyes, still softly smiling. He sets the dragon back in its shelf nest, and returns back to the desk.

「Two, my second blessing… Chronal affinity.」

The headmaster says, holding two of his fingers up towards Straf as he sits back down in his leather chair. Straf joins him, casually standing by the desk.

「Do you know what it was that I saw, when it was Ms. Redwing's turn to cast?」

Corvus asks, interlocking his fingers in his lap, leisurely turned towards Straf in his chair.

「…Something really impressive?」

「Heh. In a way… I saw you. You walked out in front of her palm, completely carefree, and pointed your palm at the target…」

The old mage says, stretching his palm out, directing it towards Straf's bored face.

「…And without uttering a single spellword, you cast what appeared to be Freeze Ray, then walked yourself back to where you were standing…」

He adds, closing his thin hand into a fist, and lowering it back into his lap.

「…All at inhuman speed, without appearing to be in a rush in the slightest. If not for my blessings, it would have certainly fooled me.」

Corvus concludes, and smiles gently at Straf.

「On that note, I also saw you save yourself from falling onto your back in your chair. You even had enough time to look behind yourself.」

「Tsk… So I just got unlucky?」

Straf clicks his tongue, and turns his annoyed face away.

「Hmh… Unlucky… Like I've said, a lot of thing are a matter of perspective. You know, I can even see events that happened in the past…」

The headmaster smirks smugly at Straf.

「What? Are you fucking joking?」

「Not at all. Although, I have to personally witness them. A mere momentary glimpse will do, even in the corner of my vision…」

Corvus explains, pointing at his eye from the side, smiling like a fox.

「Then, I can look at it happen as fast, or as slow as I'd like. The limit appears to be two minutes back in time, after that, I can no longer see it.」

The old man adds, and Straf throws his arms up in frustration, then places his hands back in his pockets.

「I truly am blessed. Not only multiple blessings are rare, it is a very potent combination indeed.」

The headmaster smiles at him as Straf walks to the front of the desk.

「Look, I'm going to start looking for the culprit. I have a hunch, and you can make my job easier. Do you have a list of student names and their room numbers?」

「A list of-?… I believe I can provide something like that. But why?…」

Corvus asks, heavily furrowing his bushy brows at Straf's smirking face…