Dark Magus Returns

Chapter 1431: Masks and Matches

When Raze returned to the group, he sought out Safa directly. This wasn’t something he could afford to keep from her, not with what was coming.

He explained everything. How a meeting had been arranged. How she would be face-to-face with one of the Grand Magus.

Specifically... Ibarin.

The moment she heard the name, Safa’s face tightened with unease. A ripple of nerves passed through her, and she instinctively clenched her hands together.

"Am I going to be okay?" she asked, her voice quiet. "What if... what if he wants to test my magic?"

"Then show him what you can," Raze replied calmly. "If anything, that will work in your favor. Your situation is believable. You’ve got a strong affinity for magic, and you possess the God Eyes, but in terms of experience? You’re still developing. That contrast is something he’ll accept."

He stepped a little closer, keeping his tone steady to reassure her.

"If he sees how new you are to advanced casting, it will make perfect sense to him why you chose Wilton Academy. It’s the closest one to your home, and every now and then, rare cases like yours do appear, hidden talents from unknown regions."

Safa nodded slowly, absorbing every word.

"And remember what I said," Raze continued. "It’s important that you agree to transfer to his academy. That will put him at ease. But don’t agree to anything that could impact you immediately or lock you into something down the line."

Even though Raze had explained it clearly, laid it all out with logic and precision, Safa couldn’t help but feel the weight of it pressing down on her.

She would be alone.

Separated from the others.

And face-to-face with a Grand Magus, someone said to be on par with Enaxx, the very same person Raze had once stood against.

"I think," Raze added after a moment, "I’ve figured out a way to stay by your side. So you don’t have to worry too much."

Her eyes lit up slightly.

"You have?" she asked. "But... how? Ibarin won’t invite other students. He’ll want to speak to me privately."

Raze gave a small smile, the kind that meant he already had the details worked out.

"I’m going to ask Wilton Academy to insist that a teacher accompanies you," he said. "That’s a reasonable request, especially given your talent. I think they’ll support it."

Safa tilted her head slightly, trying to see where he was going with this.

Then Raze explained.

"Do you remember when we raided the Alter base?" he asked. "There was an item that Heino used. A mask. One that allowed him to take on the appearance of others."

Her eyes widened.

Of course she remembered.

"I’ll use that mask," Raze said. "I’ll shift my appearance to match that of Redrick."

It was the perfect plan.

The mask Heino had used was unlike the ones Raze had given to the rest of the group. Those could be disrupted by the use of magic. But this one was different. It could withstand low levels of magical interference, making it nearly undetectable to most.

Raze had taken the mask from the base that day, unsure if he’d ever need it.

But now?

It looked like that decision might just save them both.

The group rested, each of them well aware of what the next day might bring.

When morning arrived, they gathered early in the dormitory lobby to have breakfast together. The air was thick with anticipation, quiet glances exchanged between bites. Raze, keeping to his schedule, approached the teachers before they headed off to the day’s events.

He explained the situation, how he had come across troubling information involving Safa, and what he intended to do about it. After some resistance, the teachers finally agreed to go along with the plan, under one condition: Raze would perform the switch quickly, just before they departed for one of the main venues.

At a long dining table, the group of ten students sat together with their three instructors.

"I see," Luka said, rubbing his temples after hearing Raze out. "I still don’t know exactly what you’re planning... but I can understand how a situation could arise. And if something does happen, you’re certainly more capable of handling it than we are."

He leaned back, exhaling. "But isn’t there one obvious problem? If you’re disguised as Redrick... won’t that mean there’ll be two of him walking around?"

Raze gave a small nod. "That’s not a problem," he replied. "The mask I used the other day, Redrick can wear that for now. It’ll give him a temporary disguise."

The teachers exchanged weary glances. This event had pushed them far harder than they’d anticipated. It wasn’t just the logistics, it was Raze. Every hour of every day, they were waiting for the next move, the next disruption, the next incident. And every time it happened, they had to pretend they had no idea. No connection. No involvement.

They were playing their part, but it was exhausting.

"While we have you here," Panla spoke up, shifting the topic, "we wanted to ask you something."

She glanced at the other teachers before continuing.

"We were informed last night that for the single tournament event, each academy is allowed to enter two participants. You’ve already agreed to take part. That’s still fine with everything going on, right?"

Raze gave a short nod. "It’s not a problem at all."

He had no concerns about handling the competition. Based on the level of skill he’d observed from the other academies so far, he was confident, maybe even too confident, that he would win. The only challenge would be doing it in a way that didn’t draw too much suspicion.

Panla smiled faintly. "That’s good to hear. Now, the other thing we wanted to ask, you’ll need a partner. The ranked students all agreed it should be one of your group. Who do you think is the best choice for the second slot?"

The other top students had no interest in stepping onto the stage. After everything they’d endured, they were more than happy to watch from the sidelines and cheer for Wilton Academy’s victories, especially if those victories came as a shock to the other academies.

Raze leaned back, considering the options.

Not Safa. If she took part, it could complicate things with Ibarin.

Beatrix was powerful, no question, but if she revealed her blood powers during the event, it would raise far too many questions.

That left Dame... and Liam.

Both were strong. Both were capable of using their abilities in ways that didn’t clearly resemble magic, just unique talent. But only one of them had the kind of performance that would seem believable, something that wouldn’t rattle the judges too much.

"Out of the two..." Raze said slowly, "I think the more convincing choice would be Liam."

He turned toward the others.

"Me and Liam will take part in today’s singles event."

***

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