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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Peptobismol]
[Proofreader - Demon God]
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Chapter 161 - Head Theoretical Professor Kaiden (13)
My suspicions toward Kaiden grew firmer.
At first, there were none at all.
Kaiden was a party member mentioned in the original story. That was why I risked my life to drag him out of his hideout by the scruff of his neck.
After joining the Special Operations Division, Kaiden diligently fulfilled his role and was instrumental in achieving the peaceful ending.
When we met again after ten years, Kaiden had secluded himself in the Tower of Illusions, devoting his time to recreating the visions of Earth I had occasionally shared with him.
When I asked him for help with the competition, he readily agreed, just as he had ten years ago. After coordinating with the Security Office, he was appointed as the Academy’s Head Professor.
Up until this point, there were no problems—nothing to warrant suspicion.
But things started to go awry after his arrival at the Academy.
There were incidents I personally noticed, doubts voiced by Ismera and Hindrasta, and especially his behavior in the city and the incident with the Chief Mage.
Changing his form into that of a woman under the guise of a “gift for me” was bizarre, even if it was meant as a joke.
There’s something off about him.
Yet no matter how much I turn it over in my mind, I can’t come up with any solid evidence or motive.
There’s this vague, nagging feeling in my chest, but no way to explain it clearly.
Kaiden is one of only three Archmages in this era.
He deduced that I was from another world with nothing but intuition, and after hearing a brief explanation, recreated Earth’s metropolitan cities in exact detail within the Tower of Illusions.
As the Chief Mage suggested, if Kaiden were to join the Imperial Department of Magic, he could elevate this continent’s civilization to the next level and beyond.
To call him a genius would be an insult to his capabilities.
For someone like him, deceiving a handful of people at a tiny academy would be easier than breathing.
A wild thought crossed my mind.
What if Kaiden isn’t human?
Even in the original story, Kaiden’s past was never clearly revealed.
It was simply summarized as, “A reclusive mage long obsessed with magic existed ages ago.”
Could Kaiden actually be a polymorphed dragon?
The more I began to doubt, the more everything paradoxically started to make sense.
At that moment, I remembered something—the book I’d taken from the lair of the White Dragon Tarkanik.
Kaiden’s notebook, which had nothing written inside.
I’d intended to give it to him once he joined the Academy, but I’d completely forgotten about it.
I got out of bed, rummaged through a drawer, and retrieved the notebook.
Only Kaiden’s signature, ‘Kaiden Blakyr’, stood out on the cover. The pages inside were completely blank.
I held it up to the lamp’s light, just in case, but nothing appeared. What was this?
Would it reveal something if exposed to ultraviolet light? But such a thing doesn’t exist in this world.
Was it really just an empty notebook? The feeling was unsettling.
Should I ask Orendi?
“I’m not sure.”
Orendi said, flipping through the notebook and shrugging.
“If it were enchanted, I’d be able to sense some kind of magical resonance, but I don’t feel anything. It could be that my skills aren’t sharp enough to detect it, though.”
Handing the notebook back to me, Orendi added.
“But this signature… Is this Kaiden’s? Does this belong to Professor Kaiden?”
“He gave it to me as a gift. He has a knack for pulling off unexpected pranks, so I thought there might be some playful magic involved.”
“If it’s Kaiden’s magic, you might want to consult the Chief Mage in the capital. If Professor Kaiden deliberately concealed it, only someone of that caliber could uncover it.”
Thankfully, Orendi didn’t seem to suspect anything unusual.
So, I needed to visit the Chief Mage.
He’d probably be curious about Kaiden too. I could show him this and confirm if there were hidden contents.
Some unexplainable intuition told me that uncovering the secret of the notebook was more important than returning it to Kaiden.
After work, I boarded a carriage bound for the capital.
The Imperial Department of Magic employees practically lived on overtime, so I figured I could meet the Chief Mage even at this hour.
“I’m sorry, but you can’t enter right now.”
To my surprise, I was denied entry into the capital. The guards stood firmly in my way.
“May I know the reason?”
“The Chief Mage cannot receive visitors at the moment. Technically, the position is vacant.”
“Vacant? But I met with him just a few days ago. What happened all of a sudden?”
“I cannot disclose further details.”
I see. So Kaiden had come here that night.
I turned the carriage around and headed straight for Linus’s home.
I had a hunch. It was time to discuss this with him.
# # # # #
“Dian? What brings you here at this hour?”
“I need to talk. Is Celine home?”
Linus and I entered his house, where Celine greeted us.
“Sorry for showing up so late. There’s something urgent I need to discuss.”
I told Linus and Celine everything that had happened regarding Kaiden.
“Hmm…”
Linus remained silent, clearly processing the shocking revelations, while Celine’s eyes widened in surprise.
“As for the matter with the Chief Mage…”
Linus finally spoke.
“Something unfortunate occurred. He suddenly lost the ability to use magic.”
“Lost the ability to use magic?”
“Exactly. He became incapable of handling mana. From what I hear, he can’t even communicate through writing, let alone speak.”
“I see. That’s serious.”
“The Department of Magic believes he failed to cross the threshold of becoming an Archmage. It’s a known risk—a backlash that can ruin everything for a mage nearing the pinnacle of their craft.”
This explained why there were so few Archmages alive at any given time.
“And their conclusion is based solely on that? Couldn’t external interference be involved?”
“The capital and the Department of Magic are layered with protective wards, and there’s no sign of them being breached.”
“Then it’s Kaiden.”
Linus raised an eyebrow at my statement.
“What’s your reasoning?”
“I’ve been watching him. He teleported outside the Academy late at night.”
“That’s thin. His motives are still unclear.”
“If it’s motives you want, I have a theory. The Chief Mage asked me to persuade Kaiden to join the Department of Magic. Kaiden must’ve disliked that.”
“Given the context, that does seem plausible.”
Linus nodded slowly.
“But we can’t accuse him without evidence. His actions remain ambiguous, and Kaiden isn’t who he was ten years ago. He’s an Archmage now. The capital won’t move based on suspicions alone.”
If that’s the case, then we’d have to handle this ourselves.
“Linus, I found something intriguing recently.”
I took Kaiden’s notebook from my pocket.
“This is from a dragon’s lair. It bears Kaiden’s signature, but the pages are blank.”
Linus inspected the notebook carefully.
“If Kaiden enchanted it, only the Chief Mage could uncover its secrets. That’s why I was heading to the capital.”
“So, you suspect this notebook holds the key to explaining Kaiden’s recent behavior?”
“That’s my hunch.”
“It certainly feels odd.”
Celine spoke up, hesitant but thoughtful.
“None of us know much about Kaiden’s past or upbringing. After the war, he immediately secluded himself in the Tower of Illusions, so our only time with him was during the Demon King Slaying Special Unit.”
“True.”
“Even then, he barely spoke and rarely showed emotion. We never knew what he was thinking.”
Celine hesitated before continuing.
“It might sound strange, but I think Kaiden might… like you, Dian. Not as a comrade or a friend, but in a different way.”
“Are you suggesting he’s in love with Dian? But based on what Dian said, it might not be that.”
Linus interjected.
“With his ability to change forms at will, we can’t even be certain of Kaiden’s gender. Isn’t that a possibility?”
“Exactly. That’s what makes it so suspicious. Why the secrecy? Where does the truth end and the lies begin? The more I think about it, the more questions arise.”
“The core issue isn’t Kaiden’s gender or feelings for you, it’s his true intentions.”
Linus looked at me with resolute eyes.
“Dian, since our days as junior soldiers, your near-prophetic judgment has guided me through countless dangers. It was the same in the Special Operations Unit. I trust your instincts, and I’ll back you up no matter what.”
“Me too.”
Celine added.
“You’ve never led us astray. If you want to pursue this, I’ll follow you anywhere—even into fire.”
“Thank you both.”
I said gratefully.
“And, I think I know how we can uncover the truth about this notebook.”
He pulled the notebook closer to himself.
“So, let me hold onto this for now. You should return to the Academy and act as usual. I’ll contact you when I have answers.”
“No, if there’s a way to find out, let’s do it now.”
“Now?”
Linus looked startled.
“Isn’t it the end of the term at the Academy? Don’t you have work?”
“That’s for the other professors. I’ve got nothing to do.”
“You’re still the same carefree slacker.”
Linus said with a faint smile, then nodded seriously.
“All right, Dian. If you’ve started to doubt, you need to see it through. Let’s go right now.”
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Peptobismol]
[Proofreader - Demon God]
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