“Who!?”

Sophia spun around in an instant. One hand thrust her wand forward defensively; the other stayed hidden beneath her black robe, fingers tight around the dagger at her waist.

Yugo ducked swiftly behind her, peering cautiously toward the inner chamber’s doorway.

Tap… tap… tap…

The footsteps fell steady and unhurried—a quiet echo of their owner’s calm.

Sophia’s heart hammered against her throat. Her aquamarine eyes locked, unblinking, on the door.

The incantation had reached its final syllable.

One breath more, and the spell’s terrifying power would unleash.

Closer… closer… Until at last, after that agonizingly brief wait, the figure stepped into view.

“Huh? Someone’s here?”

A young man.

Mid-twenties, perhaps.

He held a stout wand. At its tip, a magic crystal pulsed with dense, swirling elemental energy.

His silvery-gray eyes widened slightly at the sight of Sophia—a flicker of surprise, gone in a heartbeat.

“Who are *you* asking about?”

Sophia’s brow furrowed. Wariness glinted in her aquamarine gaze.

Honestly? Relief had flickered when she saw a human.

At least he wasn’t some monstrous creature of The Unnameable.

But—

Her guard snapped back up.

Who *was* this person, alive and walking in this cursed village?

Sometimes… humans were far more terrifying than monsters.

The youth ignored her question. He scanned Sophia head to toe, then shifted his gaze to Yugo hiding behind her.

Seeing only two children, his expression hardened.

“How did you get here? I placed a mental barrier on the warning sign. No one should’ve been able to approach.”

He didn’t answer her. Just grew visibly annoyed, muttering to himself.

*What a strange man…*

Sophia’s unease deepened. His evasion felt deliberate.

“You still haven’t answered *my* question.”

Her voice turned icy.

To reinforce her stance, she began intoning the opening note of the spell’s final syllable.

Wisps of water-elemental magic swirled around her. A faint magical array flickered in and out of existence.

A trace of shock crossed his face. “A mage? No… this magic’s resonance… it doesn’t feel human…”

“Who are you?”

Sophia repeated, sharper this time.

*How bizarre.*

Cornered by a stranger in this eerie village, his first thought wasn’t defense or explanation—but analyzing *her* magic?

Was this guy… not quite right in the head?

The youth blinked. Gave her another slow once-over. Then dipped into a slight bow, index finger tapping his right shoulder.

“Hugh Edward. Sixth-year instructor, Department of Magic, Babel Academy. And you, honored lady—may I know your name?”

“…”

Sophia froze.

*Babel Academy?*

Of course she knew it. One of the continent’s most revered institutions. Its Magic Department legendary.

Three of the continent’s ten Arch Sages hailed from its halls.

But…

This academy…

…belonged to the Eus Empire.