A spear nearly pierced Kyel's eye, but at the last moment, Megan grabbed it. The spear was dangerously close to Kyel's pupil, having struck through the classroom wall from outside, hurtling straight toward him as he was walking toward the exit.
He only heard a deafening noise, milliseconds too late. The spear was on the verge of hitting his eye, yet Kyel didn't blink as he attempted to catch it. However, he then noticed his hand gripping the spear from behind, held tightly by Megan's firm grasp on the iron shaft. At that moment, his gaze locked onto Megan's eyes, despite the sharp tip of the spear mere inches from his face.
In that instant, Kyel shifted his gaze to where the spear had come from. A large crack marred the classroom wall; the spear had come from the back courtyard of the magic tower, meaning it had been launched from the area used for magical and physical training.
Two men quickly entered through the crack in the wall. The first was a man with black hair tied back, white lashes, and dark eyes. He wore a black suit with a long black coat. Beside him stood a young man with striking violet eyes and jet-black hair, exuding an aura of cold detachment. He wore silk trousers, his upper body bare, revealing his well-defined muscles and masculine build. Some of the girls in the class couldn't seem to take their eyes off the young man standing there.
The man spoke first, with a tone of mock concern, "Looks like we're in trouble this time! Of all classes, it had to be Megan Hart's!"
He continued, "We apologize; it was just training—oh my, Malzar too? What kind of mess have we gotten ourselves into!" Spotting Kyel, his feigned worry deepened, though it was clear he was only pretending.
Kyel slowly released his grip on Megan, leaving marks on the back of her hand from the pressure of his hold. He paid no mind to it, but Megan glanced briefly at her hand before turning to face the two men who had entered her class.
With a bright smile, she said, "Hello, William." There was a hint of affection in her voice, her eyes on the young man beside the first speaker. The young man smiled back, "Lady Megan, apologies for causing such a scene."
She replied, "No need to worry; it's perfectly fine. No one was hurt—"
The man accompanying William, who seemed to be a teacher, interrupted her. In a flash, he was near her face, grinning. "Interesting. Megan herself didn't sense the spear coming. Hmm... curious, isn't it? Did you perhaps do that on purpose to get me in trouble? How devious! Are you jealous because I'm the better teacher, or maybe because I took William away from you? What a wicked thing to do to a poor fellow like me!"
Amid the ongoing events, Kyel decided to leave and turned around, only to find the man's face right in front of him, smiling. "Eyoo, Malzar! You're not hurt, right? You're not going to snitch on me, are you? I don't think that's the Malzars' style."
Kyel stared at him calmly. The man walked around him. This was the Arcane Knight class teacher for the eleventh year, named Oleev Kush. Of course, he was among the top teachers in the magic tower.
He circled Kyel, observing him. "Hmm, starting next year, you'll be studying with me. Lucky me—I'll have a perfect chance to strengthen ties with the Malzars. Don't you think so?"
Kyel replied, "Who would want to strengthen ties with an outcast, despised family? You'll gain more problems than benefits. Everyone hates us wherever we go, believe it or not." He then glanced at Professor Megan as a signal.
Oleev laughed. "Come on, why the pessimism? At least you're loved in the hearts of us Kushes. We even have a few of your warriors' heads close to us, kept in a museum at our home. See? We just love you."
With a fake smile, Kyel replied, "Maybe today you wanted to add a new head to that museum, right?"
The atmosphere shifted immediately; everyone understood the underlying meaning of his words—the arrow that nearly pierced Kyel, if not for Professor Megan, who, for some reason, had saved him.
With a sharp gaze, Oleev said, "Are you accusing me, Malzar? Over an incident?"
A mocking smile crossed Kyel's face. "Of all people, the spear just happened to come toward the Malzar heir? What a strange coincidence. Even the timing of my dismissal was oddly convenient." He glanced over at Megan, who grasped his implication but treated it as if it were foolish speculation unworthy of response.
To end the tension, she interjected, "Oleev, I have a class, as you can see. Please take your leave and fix the wall behind you on the way out. And William, come to my office after class; I need you for something." William nodded in acknowledgment.
Turning to Kyel, she started to say, "And you—" but Kyel had already turned and left.
Oleev stared at Kyel's back for a moment before finally saying, "Alright, we're leaving too."
With that, Oleev and William exited. Megan, meanwhile, looked down at the red marks on the back of her hand, left by Kyel's grip. Then she turned to the class and said, "Everyone quiet down. We're resuming the lesson. I'm not in a good mood, so I don't want any jokes today. Understood, Gregg?" She fixed her gaze on a boy who seemed to be the class clown.
---
Kyel couldn't quite tell if something was keeping him from staying in that class. He kept being dismissed before the lesson even finished. Redderen attended many sessions, but just today he had been dismissed. Was it some sort of cruel irony?
But today, Kyel had gained a lot; certain suspicions had started to make sense. Still, he needed one last piece of confirmation, one final clue. Now wasn't the right time to take action, especially toward someone like that.
Kyel now stood on one of the balconies overlooking the garden. Clouds obscured the moon, and night had fallen, bringing with it Kyel's dark thoughts.
There was someone he wanted to kill. This person wasn't powerful, nor was he someone Kyel knew well, but there was something about him that lingered in Kyel's memory.
Redderen had once been killing a demon, but there was a person nearby, trembling with fear, hiding while listening to the conversation between Redderen and his target after the job was done. Redderen had sensed the hidden presence, the shallow breaths coming from behind the hallway.
After spotting the terrified onlooker, Redderen had decided to spare him. That person had been a thirteen-year-old boy from the Neelsroy family, a family with a long history of producing powerful sorcerers throughout time.
Now, Kyel moved without altering his appearance into Redderen's. His steps were steady yet silent, like an assassin advancing upon his target.