It was early morning, and the academy was exceptionally quiet.

In the vast academy grounds, only Henie was running around with Sapphirose.

"This is the academy's laboratory," Henie said, leading Sapphirose to the front of a classroom.

Sapphirose slowly raised her head, gazing at the massive magical classroom.

The air seemed to shimmer with faint magical glows, forming a thin veil over the grand doors.

Pushing the door open, a spacious scene unfolded before them.

Several glowing rings adorned the walls, and as they entered, a three-dimensional outline materialized in the center of the expansive room. Streams of magic gradually converged within it.

Soon, a table laden with various rune-engraved items appeared before them.

"This is where students at the Royal Academy of Magic learn to craft magical tools," Henie explained as she picked up a slightly uneven stone. Drawing upon her memory, she began engraving runes onto the stone.

In just a few seconds, two distinct runes were etched onto the stone, glowing faintly red.

"A throwing rune stone," she said.

"By alternating two runes, it creates an effect where the stone accelerates automatically when thrown. It's quite powerful and fast, making it an excellent emergency tool in combat."

Henie turned to face a training dummy standing upright in front of them. She weighed the rune stone in her hand before tossing it.

As the rune stone left her hand, the red runes flared brightly, shooting forward with explosive force and striking the dummy squarely.

The impact caused significant damage to the dummy.

"That's the power of magical tools. They allow mages to handle emergencies more effectively," Henie said.

Sapphirose seemed intrigued. She picked up a stone and examined it closely.

"Ah, that one hasn't been engraved yet. It's just an ordi—"

Before Henie could finish her sentence, a gust of wind rushed past her. Her hair was blown back, and her loose robe clung tightly to her body.

The stone Sapphirose had thrown tore through the air at a speed too fast for the naked eye to follow, slamming into the dummy.

Boom!

The next moment, the dummy exploded into fragments of cloth and wood.

Henie turned around to see Sapphirose still holding the pose of having thrown the stone, blinking in disbelief.

"Uh… what…?"

The training dummies were designed to withstand most third-tier spells, as they were meant for magical training purposes.

Yet Sapphirose had shattered one with a mere unengraved stone, using only her physical strength?

Henie was at a loss for words.

"What on earth have you been eating to grow that strong?" she muttered.

The sheer physical force required to destroy a dummy like that would be equivalent to a third-tier warrior's strength.

"Sapphirose, you—"

Sapphirose tilted her head, looking at Henie curiously.

"Never mind," Henie said, deciding against prying into someone else's secrets.

At the very least, this girl seemed simple-minded and in need of guidance. Henie was certain of that.

"Come on, let's check out some other places," she said, taking Sapphirose by the hand and leading her out of the laboratory.

Under Henie's guidance, they arrived at a towering structure.

A blue barrier of magical energy seemed to block the entrance to the tower.

"This is the Mage's Tower," Henie explained.

"Mages with the proper authorization can freely enter the Mage's Tower and teleport to any location within the academy from here."

Henie puffed out her chest proudly—an action that caused the ample curves hidden beneath her robe to bounce slightly—and walked confidently to the tower's entrance.

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[Identity verified—Henie, Assistant Professor. Welcome back to the Mage's Tower.]

A mechanical voice devoid of emotion echoed as the blue barrier dissipated.

The two stepped into the Mage's Tower, and the surroundings transformed into an endless starry expanse.

Purple and blue nebulae swirled beneath their feet, rotating rapidly, while the vibrant starry sky flowed around them.

Soon, the fantastical scenery vanished, as though peeled away, revealing a new setting.

They found themselves in a cozy office. A redwood desk stood in one corner, with a leather chair placed behind it. Small pots of flowers basked in sunlight on the desk, while bookshelves filled with heavy tomes lined the walls.

Sapphirose looked around curiously before turning to Henie.

"You… seem happy," she remarked.

Henie coughed lightly, trying to hide her satisfaction.

"Next, we'll head to the Arcane Hall," she said. "I'll assess your magical aptitude there."

This was Henie's main objective. If Sapphirose had any magical talent, no matter how minimal, Henie could use her position as an assistant professor to secure her admission to the academy.

Why was Henie so eager to help Sapphirose enroll?

Because she believed in the importance of education.

Although Sapphirose seemed powerful, she also appeared illiterate and barely articulate, which worried Henie.

After all, Henie herself had been saved and guided by Professor Viktor Kravina. She felt a moral obligation to extend the same kindness to others.

With a flick of her fingers, Henie conjured two blue lights, which began to swirl in the air.

The office was soon enveloped in a blue magical array, wrapping around the two of them.

...

Two beams of blue light descended from the sky, depositing them within the Arcane Hall.

The vast hall was eerily empty, with no one else in sight.

Henie led Sapphirose to a room within the hall, where a transparent crystal pillar stood silently in the center.

[The Beginning of Magic]

Henie couldn't help but feel nostalgic as she looked at the pillar.

This magical device, personally crafted by Archmage Rachel Azure, was designed to measure an individual's magical aptitude.

Years ago, Henie had been deemed to have no magical talent here.

If not for Professor Viktor Kravina, she would never have become a mage.

Shaking off the memories, Henie urged Sapphirose, "Place your hand on it."

Sapphirose obediently placed her hand on the crystal.

Threads of light, like flowing water, began to merge within the crystal.

Soon, three bright beams of light emerged on the crystal's surface.

"Magical power—third tier!" Henie exclaimed.

The Beginning of Magic categorized magical aptitude into ten tiers. The number of light beams indicated the tier.

Sapphirose's aptitude was average, even slightly below average.

But suddenly, the crystal became unstable. The three beams merged and then split apart again.

This time, five beams of light appeared.

However, this state didn't last long. The beams reformed once more, and now eight beams of light shone brightly.

Henie gasped in shock.

Before she could fully process what she was seeing, the eight beams dissolved, leaving the crystal dark and lifeless.

Henie placed her own hand on the crystal, but it remained inert.

"Did it… malfunction?" she muttered, bewildered.

Not wanting Sapphirose to feel disheartened, Henie quickly reassured her.

"Magical aptitude doesn't mean everything. I was deemed talentless, yet here I am, a mage."

Seeing that Sapphirose remained expressionless, Henie added, "If you can't enroll, I'll request permission from the dean to make you my assistant!"

This way, Sapphirose would at least have a job in the capital and wouldn't risk being exploited due to her naivety.

Sapphirose turned to Henie. "Assistant… what does that mean?"

"Um, it means you'll help me with some tasks. Of course, I won't let you overwork yourself," Henie explained with a smile. Then, recalling Sapphirose's immense strength, she joked, "I might even need you to protect me!"

At this, Sapphirose's body trembled slightly.

[Command detected: 'Follow,' 'Protect.']

[Target identified—Henie.]

[Command—Execute.]

Sapphirose's green serpentine eyes contracted as though confirming something.

She stared at Henie blankly before nodding. "Understood."

"Oh, that was so fluent! Not bad at all," Henie remarked, patting Sapphirose on the shoulder.

"Come on, let's explore some other places," she said, leading Sapphirose out of the Arcane Hall.

The two eventually arrived at a massive pit surrounded by the academy grounds.

This pit, a relic of the Demon War, had filled with rainwater over the months, transforming into a natural lake.

Standing at the edge, Henie's eyes glimmered with nostalgia.

Professor Viktor Kravina had saved her here, in the face of a demon's onslaught.

Every time she visited this place, she felt a profound sense of gratitude.

Turning to Sapphirose, she explained with a smile, "This is where Professor Viktor Kravina defeated the demon. It's a place of great significance."

Sapphirose stared at the pit, her snake-like pupils scanning the lake.

[Preliminary analysis—Fourth-tier war magic.]

[User—Viktor Kravina.]

"Recording complete."

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Henie asked.

Before Sapphirose could respond, a voice interrupted them.

"A sacred site of victory over demons, is it?"

Henie turned to see a silver-haired man in regal attire approaching them.

Owiser Sol narrowed his eyes, meeting Henie's gaze.

"I'm quite interested in demons, dear lady," he said. "Would you care to enlighten me?"

"""