Chapter 6

The butterfly transformed into a transparent bead and showed them something. As soon as the image ended, Damian and Ayla’s eyes met. Damian snapped his fingers. In an instant, their location changed. They were in the corridor where the department office was located. Damian whispered into Ayla’s ear, who looked dumbfounded.

“We’ll be invisible, so don’t worry.”

According to her long-time friend Serina, a student in the Magic Department, using magic was quite draining. Of course, the more magical power one had, the less strain it put on the body, but using magic as effortlessly as breathing was akin to being a monster.

The amount of magical power that could be contained in the body was limited, so even the magicians of the Magic Tower usually used artifacts or relied on the power of magic stones. Serina had called Damian a monster.

‘No, rather than a monster, he’s a genius. That’s something you’re born with. A body that can contain endless magic… it’s unbelievable. The Magic Tower must be going crazy. Someone who might appear once in a thousand years happens to be the Crown Prince.’

Serina’s rambling words from some time ago came to mind.

“Ayla. Look over there.”

Ayla snapped out of her thoughts and followed the direction of Damian’s finger. She saw someone’s back view walking away. It looked somewhat unsteady.

“How is it? Is this the appearance you saw?”

“…No. It’s different.”

It was different. It wasn’t the appearance she had seen. It was the appearance Damian had described. A small build with brown hair.

“This is the Gilrota you described.”

“It seems…”

Damian waved his finger. The sparkling butterfly fluttered and landed on someone’s shoulder.

“Either it’s the real Gilrota, or someone else has changed their appearance again…”

“…Or it was an illusion from the start.”

Ayla said with a sigh. An unbelievable scene unfolded before their eyes. The butterfly fell straight down.

The fallen butterfly landed on the floor. Damian moved forward. Since they were still holding hands, Ayla had no choice but to follow Damian. Damian bent down and picked up the butterfly from the floor. The butterfly that had been fluttering on Damian’s finger soon disappeared. Just as the unsteady figure had vanished without a trace.

Ayla, still holding Damian’s hand, stared at the floor.

* * * 

Gilrota’s leave of absence form had been submitted. The already minimal attention directed towards Gilrota completely disappeared. However, Damian and Ayla couldn’t let it go. The person who came to submit the leave form at the department office wasn’t Gilrota. It was an illusion.

Ayla couldn’t go to Caelum as usual. Now they truly couldn’t know whether Gilrota was alive or dead. Even if they were to tell the security force now, they wouldn’t listen. Because Gilrota had submitted a leave form. If they were to investigate Gilrota’s disappearance, they would have to investigate the two of them separately. Moreover, perhaps this disappearance case…

And this speculation soon turned into certainty.

In Damian’s room, Ayla sat quietly, observing Damian’s actions. The table was covered with documents from unknown sources. Damian was examining the papers while wearing glasses. When had Damian started wearing glasses? In the past, she would have known everything about Damian, but now it seemed like there were more and more things she didn’t know.

Ayla found Damian’s bespectacled appearance unfamiliar yet intriguing. Her heart was racing. She wasn’t unaware of the meaning behind her pounding heart. But she had to pretend not to know.

Damian, who had been examining the documents, showed her a piece of paper. Ayla slowly examined it. There were a total of three discovered royal tombs. It was a record of entries and exits to these places. It was also a record that an ordinary student shouldn’t be able to see. Had he used his power as the Crown Prince? But suddenly making such a request could raise suspicions. Then…

“…You didn’t steal this, did you, Damian?”

“Of course not, Ayla. It’s obviously a copy. The original is in the Magic Department.”

Damian spoke as if it was nothing. Ayla felt a sudden headache coming on.

“How did you get this then?”

“Ayla, there’s no place I can’t go. I can go anywhere. Because I’m a magician.”

“Even for a magician, tampering with state secrets is a crime, Damian.”

“Well, in that case, I might have to borrow some power.”

Looking at Damian smiling so brightly, Ayla let out a deep sigh.

“So. What am I supposed to be looking at?”

“That’s the problem.”

“What?”

“This herb.”

Damian pointed to a word circled in red on the paper. Ayla belatedly heard the name of the herb.

“Soledina would only be harvested once a year. And all the people involved in the harvest were different each time. Above all, there’s no entry record because it’s been a prohibited herb for harvesting for the past three years.”

Damian took off his glasses. Ayla suddenly thought she wished Damian had worn his glasses longer. She quickly snapped out of it and asked.

“But wouldn’t it be possible if it was someone from the three departments involved?”

“No. It shouldn’t be possible in the first place. That would mean at least the Magic Tower is involved, which doesn’t make sense. The magician managing the royal tomb changes every three months. And if there was an illegal entry, the designated formula would change, so it couldn’t go unnoticed. Once a magic formula is distorted, it’s difficult to restore. But there’s nothing.”

As she listened to Damian’s explanation, Ayla felt her speculation turning more and more into certainty. An assumption that seemed impossible, yet could make sense. Perhaps what Damian was thinking too.

Someone who could enter and exit the tomb without leaving any traces. The illusion of Gilrota who came to submit the leave form.

There was only one conclusion.

“…A magician not affiliated with the Magic Tower.”

Damian and Ayla’s eyes met. Ayla could tell. Damian had thought the same thing. Despite being an illusion, it didn’t raise anyone’s suspicion, and only a magician could enter and exit the royal tomb without leaving any traces. And this magician was beyond the level of a Magic Tower magician. Perhaps with skills similar to Damian’s.

It meant there was another monster out there.

“Damian. I think we might need something.”

The drug that Gilrota might have taken, or manufactured. They needed to get the drug made from Soledina. But how could they obtain something with an unclear existence? That wasn’t even the direction of the investigation to begin with. Then there was only one place where they could get it. A place where illegal activities were thriving under the radar.

As if reading Ayla’s thoughts, Damian said firmly.

“No. It’s dangerous.”

“But you’re here.”

“…”

“Still no?”

Ayla was clever. She knew well that just as she was weak to him, he was weak to her too. With those sparkling amethyst-like eyes looking at him, Damian couldn’t bring himself to say no. His mind was in turmoil. It wasn’t just dangerous because it was a back alley. The possibility of encountering that unidentifiable magician was the most dangerous. There was nothing more dangerous than moving rashly without knowing anything about the opponent.

And Ayla knew this well, yet she was trying to move. Was this coming from a sense of duty as the eldest daughter of Duke Dürman? But it was Ayla who had fled to the academy, abandoning her duties.

“Damian.”

Ayla called his name as if whining. She didn’t seem like she would give up at all. If Ayla came at him like this, there was nothing he could do. Then he had to devise another method. For a moment, a very good idea crossed his mind. Of course, Ayla might faint if she knew.

“…Alright. Fine. But there’s a condition.”

“What is it?”

“You trust me, don’t you, Ayla?”

Damian smiled at her. Although that smile was a bit suspicious, Ayla nodded. That was her first mistake.

* * * 

He thought the name meaning “night” suited him perfectly. Night was his world. It had been so since he was young, and it was still the same now. No one could recognize him. He could be his true self.

It was a night without even the moon. He looked up at the night sky, then quietly gazed down. The pitch-black river water rippled as if it would swallow everything. Soon after, there was a splash, the sound of something falling in.

Turning around, he clenched and unclenched his right hand, looking at his palm. A subtle ripple that made the illusion disappear. Things were about to get interesting.

He took a candy from his inner pocket and put it in his mouth. Click. Click. The candy rolled around in his mouth, making a sound as it hit his teeth. It was a candy that gave him no pleasure. But for others, it was different.

It all started in the back alleys. Although the empire bore a name of glory, there was no glory for the people of the back alleys. It was instantaneous how people became addicted to what he created. It spread faster than he had anticipated. What started in the back alleys soon spread and spread until it reached even the ordinary commoners.

He gained glory. And this glory was the source that would allow him to create what he desired.

He wanted to realize a grand dream. That’s why he came here.

He walked into a building. Like the darkness-shrouded streets, the inside was thick with deep darkness.

Argh! Ack! Ugh!

Cutting through the darkness, eerie screams pierced his ears. He felt irritation rising. Another failure. He waved his finger once, and the screams were no longer heard.

He closed his eyes. The stillness of the night enveloped him.

Now, he liked his name.

* * *  

The next day, a corpse surfaced in the lower reaches of the Hudson River.