Through Becky’s lens, Astrid had seen everything—the professor’s display of skill and power, and the suspicious way the mansion servant stood by, almost as if he were waiting for something.
At first, it didn’t seem like much. But the moment she felt the bloodlust coming from him, she knew.
He was about to kill the professor.
Without thinking, Astrid acted.
Her instincts took over, and she suppressed him before he could make his move.
She was furious—angry at the servant who had betrayed the Imperial Family by trying to harm the professor, who took it upon himself to kill the demon.
To Astrid, it was treason, plain and simple.
“How is he?” Charlotte, standing behind Astrid, asked.
“He’s recovering,” Astrid replied. “I applied magnetism to his bloodstream to improve circulation. It should help with the shock and internal injuries.”
“Will he be okay?”
Astrid nodded. “He’s tough. But he needs rest.”
“Okay…..”
As soon as they returned to the mansion, Astrid treated all of Vanitas’s injuries, using her abilities to stabilize him as much as possible.
“Stay with him,” Astrid instructed, standing by the door.
“Where are you going?”
Astrid glanced back. “My duty as the Imperial Princess.”
Without another word, she walked out, leaving Charlotte alone with Vanitas.
Charlotte sat down beside him, watching his pale face. His breathing was steady but shallow. He had almost died. If they hadn’t arrived when they did….
“Charlotte….?”
Hearing his voice, she quickly looked up. Vanitas was awake, staring at her with tired eyes.
In truth, his buffs were still active. The layered healing effects and regeneration buffs were working in the background.
He wasn’t in any real danger—just weak from anemia. But he saw no reason to mention that. Astrid, for some reason, had been insistent on treating him. He didn’t see the need to ruin her parade.
Charlotte blinked, relief washing over her face. “You’re awake.”
“Yeah…. I guess I am.”
She hesitated for a moment before speaking. “You…. almost died, you know.”
“I didn’t. You’re overreacting.”
From his point of view, they were. What concerned him more was whether he was now under Franz’s radar.
But that shouldn’t be the case, right?
After all, he had eliminated the servant. Without him, there was no way for any report to get back.
* * *
Inside the living room, the entire staff had gathered to discuss the situation. The atmosphere was tense.
“Yes, Princess,” Wesley replied. “I didn’t think he—”
“It’s not your fault, Wesley,” Astrid interrupted.
She didn’t know most of the staff by name, but Wesley was someone she remembered from her childhood.
“But setting that aside, why haven’t you reported this to the Imperial Family?”
“We did, Princess,” Wesley said. “But there was no response.”
“No response?” Astrid’s brows furrowed. “That’s impossible. Mori Forest is important to my father. He would have sent people to investigate immediately.”
“I understand, Princess, but that’s exactly what happened,” Wesley said. “However, we did receive a response now. A subjugation squad is set to arrive tomorrow to clear out the demons.”
Astrid tapped her fingers on the table, thinking. “Could Aaron have intercepted the reports?”
Wesley paused, considering the possibility. “It…. it could be him.”
“If that’s the case, it explains everything.”
But the question remained. Who was Aaron really working for?
Turning to Wesley, she ordered, “Conduct a full background check on him. His family, connections, everything. We need to find out who he was reporting to.”
“Understood, Princess.”
With that settled, the conversation moved on to other matters. Eventually, the topic shifted to the demon.
“We owe the professor our deepest gratitude,” Wesley said. “If not for him, the Archdemon wouldn’t have been slain.”
“An Archdemon?!” Astrid’s eyes widened in shock.
She hadn’t realized it before, but hearing it now left her stunned.
“You’re telling me the professor faced an Archdemon alone?!”
Wesley nodded. “Yes, Princess. We asked him for help after waiting two weeks without hearing back from the Imperial Family. He insisted he would do it alone. It’s truly unbelievable.”
“Unbelievable is…. an understatement,” Astrid said.
Vanitas was a professor, not a demon hunter. Specialized groups existed to deal with different types of demons. And yet, he had taken down an Archdemon by himself?
No, maybe it wasn’t as unbelievable as it sounded, considering the unusual mana fluctuations caused by the comet.
But still, it was hard to wrap her head around it.
As they conversed, a sudden knock echoed from the door. To— Tok.
——Excuse us.
The door swung open, and a group of uniformed individuals stepped inside. Clad in dark, reinforced coats bearing the insignia of the Grimreaper, a Demon Extermination Unit.
A man at the front, standing with a rigid posture, gave a curt nod. Behind him, several other members followed suit.
“First Inspector Damien Ryker, of the Grimreapers, Unit 07.”
…..
The Demon Extermination Unit, known as the Grimreapers, was a specialized force dedicated to demon subjugation. Their name came from the unit’s founder, a man who once wore a skull mask to hide the scars covering his face.
Because of this, people began calling him the Grimreaper. Eventually, he embraced the title and established the extermination unit under the same name.
That was over 700 years ago.
Damien Ryker, an Inspector and leader of Unit 07, stood with a cigar in hand, watching his men sweep through the forest.
“Hmm. Strange,” he muttered, exhaling a puff of smoke. “From the tracks, these demons have been avoiding the Forest’s boundary. No… they’ve been steering clear of anything remotely close to the barrier.”
It didn’t make sense. The barrier was designed to keep monsters out, not demons. Demons should have been prowling near the mansion regardless.
“Are they avoiding something?”
From the looks of it, this behavior only started today. Tracks indicated that demons had been roaming freely until now. And today was the day the Princess and her group arrived.
It made him wonder.
“Could they be avoiding the Princess?”
He scoffed.
“Ha.”
The thought was ridiculous. Demons didn’t care who they faced. They wouldn’t hesitate, even against the Archmage, Soliette.
——We’ve found it, Captain.
Hearing the report, Damien turned. Second Inspector, Adrienne, stood nearby, gesturing for him to follow.
“Lead the way,” Damien said.
Adrienne nodded and guided him through the forest to a specific area. The scene before them enough of what happened.
“….”
Scorch marks covered the ground, shattered rocks were strewn everywhere, and trees bore burn marks. The terrain itself looked like it had been altered by force.
“We believe this is where the professor fought the Archdemon,” Adrienne said.
*Puff*
Damien took a long drag from his cigar, exhaling slowly. “I see.”
The air was thick with the stench of death. The remnants of demonic dark magic clung to the surroundings. Even with no sign of the Archdemon, its presence still lingered.
Initially, Damien had been skeptical of the claim.
A university professor taking down an Archdemon? It sounded impossible. But now, looking at the battlefield, he had to reconsider.
“Did that professor really do all this?” he muttered.
“The Princess said so,” Adrienne confirmed. “And I doubt she’d make a claim like that without reason.”
“Right.” Damien stepped forward, his boots crunching against burnt leaves. “Think any of us could pull off something like this?”
Adrienne hesitated. “Under the comet’s influence, maybe the first to fourth Inspectors could. But in the first place, we’re specialists. Taking down high-level demons is our job. A university professor, comet or not, shouldn’t have the skills to defeat an Archdemon alone.”
“So, what’s your take?”
Adrienne crossed his arms, eyes scanning the battlefield. “He’s experienced. He must have had formal training somewhere.”
Crunch. Crunch.
The sound of rustling came from nearby. Damien remained unfazed, while Adrienne quickly turned, muttering a spell.
A low demonic growl echoed through the forest before fading. Satisfied, Adrienne turned back to Damien.
“This is going to make the news, Captain.”
“It will,” Damien said with a nod.
It had to be said. The Grimreapers weren’t part of the government.
They operated independently from the Monarch’s system. Their sole purpose was to exterminate demons, no matter where or when.
Politics didn’t matter to them. Only results did.
With that, the situation was resolved in under two hours. Once their task was complete, the Grimreapers returned to the mansion to deliver their report.
“But putting that aside, Princess,” Damien said, finishing his report. “Is there any chance we could meet the professor? We need to conduct an internal investigation to verify the details. Even we submit reports after every subjugation.”
Astrid considered for a moment before responding, “That depends. The professor sustained serious injuries. It might take some time before he’s ready to meet anyone.”
“Understood,” Damien nodded. “Then could you pass on a message for us?”
“Of course.”
* * *
The clock struck 3:52 A.M. The mansion was silent. Everyone was deep in sleep, and the Grimreapers had long since left.
Wesley, having just stepped out of the bathroom, returned to his chambers. He closed the door behind him with a tired yawn and made his way to bed.
——Wesley Han.
“….!”
A chilling voice cut through the quiet room. Wesley froze, and his eyes darted to the corner. A figure clad in a dark robe stood there, barely visible in the dim moonlight.
——Or should I say, Wesley Pelemon.
Wesley’s breath hitched. That name. He hadn’t heard it in years.
Step—
He instinctively stepped back, feeling his heart pounding in his chest.
——You thought you escaped. But did you really think you could wipe your hands so easily? Sins often come back.
“You….” Wesley’s voice trembled. “Who are you?”
The robed figure stepped closer. Two cold eyes locked onto him. The bloodlust emanating from the figure was palpable.
——Don’t recognize me? Makes sense. I was only this small back then, after all.
Wesley’s fingers twitched, mana sparking at his fingertips. “Who are you? Tell me now before I—”
His words faltered as the moonlight streamed in, casting light onto the figure’s face.
“….”
Wesley’s eyes widened in shock.
“You…. You’re one of the Princess’s friends….”
The figure chuckled.
——Friends?
They shook their head.
——I’m merely using her. She proved quite useful. Thanks to her, I found you. Or more like, I was able to get to you.
“Wait, hold on,” Wesley raised his hands, his voice shaky. “If this is about the loans… I’m not in that business anymore—”
——It’s not.
“Then what is it?”
——Something else. You don’t have to remember it. Dead men tell no tales.
“Dead—”
Before he could finish, tendrils of dark magic shot from the robed figure, coiling around him. Wesley’s instincts kicked in, and he tried to cast a barrier spell, but the chant never left his lips.
Spurt!
A sharp pain pierced his chest.
“Akh!”
His eyes widened in horror as he stumbled backward, gasping for air, hands clutching at the wound. The robed figure stepped closer and crouched beside him.
“Don’t worry,” they whispered in his ear. “You won’t be the only one. I’ll come for all of you.”
Wesley’s trembling hand fell limp. His eyes dulled as his final breath escaped. The figure straightened, brushing off their robe before vanishing into the darkness.
* * *
“What the hell is happening to this place?!”
Morning came with chaos. The servants panicked when Wesley wasn’t coming out of his chambers.
When they finally checked, they found him sprawled lifeless on the floor with a gaping hole in his chest.
The entire mansion was thrown into a frenzy. The staff scrambled to report the situation to Astrid.
“Why…. what….”
Astrid’s hands trembled. Her mind raced as panic clawed at her chest. Too many things were happening all at once.
She hadn’t even told the others about Professor Vanitas’s venture last night. She and Charlotte had simply told them they had left something at the mansion.
“Princess…. what are we going to do?!”
“I… I don’t….” Astrid stammered, struggling to keep her composure.
——The matter is now in the hands of the government.
A cold voice interrupted, drawing all eyes to the railings above. There, standing with his hands resting on the banister, was Vanitas Astrea.
“Professor….”
“This place will likely be condemned soon due to the murder,” he said, gaze sweeping over the crowd below.
The Government.
A complex balance between the Monarchy and the Parliament.
As he descended the stairs, he continued, “This matter is beyond your control, Astrid. And mine.”
“….”
It was the truth. Despite being part of the Imperial Family, Astrid’s influence had its limits.
The Monarchy held authority, but the Parliament managed the nation’s internal affairs, including criminal investigations.
Without an official position in any governmental body, Astrid had no real jurisdiction over the situation.
And as the second princess, her title alone wasn’t enough to interfere in matters of national security.
The murder was now a matter for Parliament to handle.
…..
“What’s going on, Astrid?” Sophia asked, watching the servants scramble inside the mansion.
“It’s none of your business, Sophia,” Astrid replied quickly. “Everyone, it’s time to pack your bags!”
Before she could walk away, Sophia grabbed her wrist.
“What are you—”
“Tell me,” Sophia insisted.
Astrid hesitated. Sophia knew her too well. Growing up together, she knew of Astrid’s habits. Whenever she was troubled, she would poke the inside of her cheek with her tongue while speaking.
“What happened?”
Astrid clenched her fists for a moment, then slowly released them, trying to act indifferent.
But the truth was, she felt something heavy in her chest. Wesley’s death had shaken her.
She had known him since childhood—he was one of the people who took care of her whenever she visited Mori Forest.
Wesley’s sudden death had shaken her to the core. Was it a demon? A servant? Or…. could it have been the Professor himself?
“….”
Astrid shook her head, pushing away the last thought.
The first two were possible, but the Professor? No. He had been seriously injured and unconscious the entire night. There was no way he could have done it.
No, it even felt wrong to doubt him.
With heavy thoughts weighing on her mind, she focused on packing up. Once everything was ready, they all boarded the van and headed back to Valenora.
* * *
“You sure you’re okay?” Charlotte asked, supporting Vanitas with his arm draped around her shoulders.
“I’m fine. You don’t have to do this,” he muttered.
“Alright.”
They made their way back to their new estate. The servants greeted them, quickly taking their bags as they headed to the living room.
“I’ve been thinking,” Charlotte said.
Vanitas glanced at her. “About what?”
“I think I’ll move back in.”
Vanitas’s expression softened. His thoughts had been preoccupied with too many things at once.
He had a suspicion about who was behind the murder, but he had no intention of getting involved.
Not now, at least.
More than that, the memories of Chae Eun-woo resurfacing troubled him.
These demons seemed to mess with his mind more than he thought. Facing the Archdemon had brought back everything he tried to bury, especially the memories of his aunt.
Even after becoming Vanitas Astrea, she still haunted him.
‘Chasing a ghost, huh?’
His gaze shifted back to Charlotte. Spending time with her only reminded him more of Eun-ah.
The resemblance wasn’t exactly in appearance, but in the way she spoke, the way she smiled—it was unsettling, yet comforting at the same time.
“But….” Charlotte hesitated, adding a condition. “I talked to Cassandra. I can’t just leave her behind. We’ve been roommates for a while now.”
She looked at him, gauging his reaction.
“Would it be okay if she moves in with me, too?”
“Uh….”
* * *
Investigators specialized in crime arrived at the scene. As they examined the area, the evidence was clear.
“Dark magic….”
The air was thick with its presence. Experienced dark mages usually knew how to conceal their traces. They knew how to blend into society without a trace.
However, some lacked the skill and left obvious signs behind, making it easy to catch them.
The perpetrator in this case seemed to be one of the inexperienced ones.
“But if they were that careless,” one investigator muttered, “the servants would have noticed something earlier.”
“Could it be one of the students?” another investigator asked.
“That’s unlikely,” his colleague replied. “If it was a student, the University Tower would have detected it. The traces of dark magic in the air wouldn’t go unnoticed.”
“What if they’ve been hiding it all along and only used it now?”
“That’s a possibility,” the investigator mused. “But would someone like that really escape the perception of Elsa Hesse, one of the Great Powers?”
“….No, that’s highly unlikely.”
“Exactly,” the investigator nodded. “Then there’s only one other suspect. The professor.”
“He has an alibi.”
“So?” the first investigator shrugged. “Other than the servants, he’s the closest person to the crime scene.”
“If we’re following your logic,” another investigator countered. “Then wouldn’t he be even more under Elsa Hesse’s watch? If he was an experienced dark mage, wouldn’t he mask his crime better?”
“Maybe that’s the point,” the first investigator said, narrowing his eyes. “What if it’s a diversion? A sloppy crime to make us think he’s innocent.”
“Or maybe it’s none of the above,” another investigator chimed in. “You’re overthinking this. It’s a cold case.”
“Vern, it’s only been three hours,” one of them snapped. “How can you call this a cold case already?”
“These dark mages….” Vern sighed in frustration. “There’s no point. They always slip up eventually.”
Vern had dealt with enough dark mage cases to know the pattern.
They were elusive and always hid in the shadows. But in the end, they all self-destructed, as if it were inevitable.
That was why there was no dedicated extermination unit for dark mages. They didn’t need one.
Their lives were constantly on the edge—one wrong move, and they’d be exposed.
The whole world was against them, after all. No dark mage had ever managed to surpass a Great Power in any generation.
“Let’s just file the report,” Vern said, rubbing his temples. “Mark it as ‘Under Investigation.’ We’ll let time do the rest.”