Dark Magus Returns

Chapter 1416: The Truth Behind the Mask

Like with most things Raze did, he had planned for the worst-case scenario.

In his mind, he always envisioned things going sideways, just in case. It was the safest way to operate. So when he made his way into the principal’s office, he’d already considered the possibility that someone might discover his presence there.

Maybe there were magical traps set up. Maybe alarms had been triggered. Maybe the academy had hidden surveillance or enchanted contraptions meant to alert faculty or summon guards in secret.

Yet... none of that had happened.

Everything had gone smoothly. Too smoothly.

Which meant Raze had gotten lucky. For now.

It was turning out to be his best-case scenario. But even then, in the event someone had appeared, he was prepared. Prepared to do what was necessary.

That meant eliminating the witness, cleanly, silently. And with his Dark Magic, he could make a body disappear without leaving so much as a fingerprint behind.

He wouldn’t even need to cause much destruction. Just a whisper in the air. A flicker of mana. The body would be gone, and no one would suspect a thing.

And if someone did go missing? Well, the assumption wouldn’t be that the person had been killed, at least, not right away.

It wouldn’t be their first thought.

Even if there were traces of a struggle or hints of battle, the way the Central Mage Academy functioned, the way its leaders thought, meant they would never shut down the event.

The pride of the academy ran too deep. The arrogance even deeper.

All it would mean was that Raze’s movements would become a little harder to pull off. But the mission wouldn’t stop.

And yet, here he was.

Faced with the one outcome he hadn’t entirely calculated for.

Someone had caught him.

And it wasn’t just anyone, it was someone he had spoken to just hours earlier. Someone with questions. Someone watching him now with the one expression Raze didn’t want to see: suspicion.

"If I told you the truth," Raze said, turning to meet the man’s gaze, "you wouldn’t believe me."

His voice was calm. Steady. He stared straight into the man’s eyes.

Tink.

The professor’s brow furrowed as he took a step closer. "Raze," Tink said quietly, shaking his head. "There can only be a few reasons why you were standing outside the principal’s office just now. I saw the seal you drew. You replicated the original barrier spell perfectly."

He paused, clenching his fist as frustration began to rise.

"And based on that... and the timing of our last conversation, my guess is that you’ve been inside that office for a while now." His voice dropped lower. "None of the reasons I can think of for why you’d be in there... are good ones."

Tink drew in a deep breath, holding it for a moment.

"But please," he finally said, his tone cracking, "at least tell me why. Give me a reason, any reason."

He wasn’t accusing yet. Not outright. But the implications were loud enough.

Raze could sense the inner conflict.

Tink had been on his way to the event grounds. He had spent too long in his office and decided to take a short walk around the academy to stretch his legs. Just by chance, he had stumbled upon this moment.

And he had never expected to see Raze standing there.

A transfer student. Talented beyond belief. But also one who seemed to know everything about the academy.

Tink’s mind couldn’t help but go to the worst place. He could only assume one thing: that Raze was a spy. Someone planted to move against the academy from the inside.

But even with that possibility gnawing at the back of his mind, Tink didn’t want to believe it.

That’s why he asked. Why he held on.

He wanted Raze to say something, anything, that would give him a reason to doubt his doubts.

"Tink," Raze said suddenly, changing the subject. "You were here when Cromwell was a professor, weren’t you?"

The question hit like a brick.

Tink blinked, confused. For a student to bring up that name, that name, wasn’t just surprising. It was shocking.

"The real name..." he muttered. "You mean Cromwell?"

"Yes," Raze replied. "That’s the one."

Tink straightened his posture. "I was," he answered slowly. "But I had only just started. I’d been a professor for about six months back then."

"Right," Raze nodded. "So you had time to form an impression, but maybe not enough to know everything."

Tink said nothing.

"And that means," Raze continued, "you’ve been working with Ibarin for far longer than you worked with Cromwell." His gaze sharpened. "So based on everything you’ve seen. Everything you know. Tell me this, do you think Cromwell really did what they said he did?"

The air between them shifted.

"Do you think it’s possible," Raze went on, "that Ibarin set up Cromwell? That he framed him, just so he could take the principal position for himself?"

Tink didn’t answer right away.

Even with everything swirling in his mind, he took the question seriously.

If he’d been asked years ago, back when the accusations first surfaced, his answer would have been simple. At the time, his impression of both professors was the same. They were good men. Dedicated to their work. Highly respected.

But over the years... things changed.

He had witnessed things, subtle things. How Ibarin claimed credit for research he didn’t author. How professors with potential mysteriously faded from the academy’s spotlight.

They weren’t expelled or punished. But they stopped being mentioned. Stopped rising.

And somehow, even when they joined other institutions, their projects would collapse.

Entire operations mysteriously shut down.

No one talked about it.

No one dared.

Because they all knew, it was Ibarin.

"I’ll give you my answer," Tink finally said. His voice was quiet, but resolute. "Based on what I know now... yes. I think it’s possible. I think Ibarin could have done something like that."

Raze didn’t react. He just listened.

"But just because something is possible..." Tink continued, "doesn’t mean it’s true. I still don’t understand, why are you asking me this?"

Raze raised a hand and touched his face. He had made his decision.

He would try the peaceful route, one last time.

"I told you before," Raze said. "That if I told you the truth, you wouldn’t believe me."

His hand dropped back to his side.

"I am Raze Cromwell."

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