"Have you felt anything suspicious from Azriel when he's with you?"

'And with that… it's mostly done.'

Rael forced himself not to smile because everything had gone into place so cleanly it was almost poetic.

Morvana was already lost into deep thought, her eyes unfocused and her mind racing ahead without him needing to push further.

'Perfect.'

He stayed silent, letting her intelligent brain form connections that had never existed in the first place as if they were undeniable truths.

'That's exactly why manipulating smart people is so fun.'

He mused.

'Reckless fools sometimes act stupidly, ruining everything but smart ones trip over their own logic and make everything easy.'

Azriel's fate was nearly sealed as Rael leaned back on the couch waiting for Morvana to speak again.

—

Meanwhile, Morvana's mind was already racing far ahead of the conversation, connecting dots that didn't exist.

'How did Azriel find out?'

That single question echoed in her mind again and again.

Because what else would drive him mad enough to shout through the academy… "She is not who everyone thinks she is."

There was only one explanation that made sense.

Azriel had somehow discovered the truth she had spent a lifetime erasing.

Veluna.

Her real self.

Or… there was one more explanation, something her mind kept telling her.

'What if the boy in front of her was lying?'

But somehow he didn't seem as if he was lying. His heartbeat was steady, his expression natural and mana flow smooth. And more importantly… Something deep inside her kept telling her that she could trust him.

… and he had already proven his future knowledge just by having information about the book of kings.

So, her mind went back to the main question.

'How did Azriel find out about it even if it was in the future?'

She had erased every trace of her past. She had eliminated every witness who once knew about her real identity. She had never even spoken or written it.

No one alive knew that Morvana was not her real identity… except for herself.

'So how… How could Azriel possibly discover it?'

She had known how Azriel always tried staying closer to her… even going as far as bringing some suspicious humane technology within demon academy.

She knew about his little crush on her after all she was the one who planted that emotion in his mind all those years ago, in hopes that he would make an useful pawn.

But did that somehow give him the hint about her true identity…

… or did he somehow know about it all from before and acted that way to get closer to her.

There were countless explanations she could form but ultimately… The how didn't matter. The moment she confirmed the threat, everything else became irrelevant and more importantly, it would all be solved the instant she summoned the man in question.

Even if the incident was supposed to happen in the future… Maybe she could get some clues by seeing his responses.

Morvana snapped her fingers as the mana dome surrounding the room dissolved silently and after a few seconds, from the door, a figure stepped in.

A woman wrapped head-to-toe in dark shadowy clothes.

Lia.

Morvana didn't even lift her head.

"Call Azriel here immediately."

Her tone was calm.

Lia scanned the room once, her eyes sharp and respectful.

Her gaze paused on Rael for a moment before returning to Morvana.

"Yes, Mistress."

With those short words, she vanished.

Leaving only Rael and Morvana in the silent room again.

—

'So, she's Serafim, huh?'

Rael mused as the woman disappeared into shadow.

She was the infamous leader of the HuSu cult… The hidden mastermind of one of the threats in the Demon Realm… and somehow…

'… She seems way too normal for someone who runs a murder-happy cult…'

This was the first time he had actually seen her in person and honestly, she looked nothing like the terrifying figure he had imagined.

But what caught his attention more than her appearance… was the way her gaze had paused on him even if it was only for a few seconds and he already knew exactly why.

She had seen him ranting about the filth of demons just a few days ago and for the last several days, she had also seen him strolling up to Morvana's office.

Naturally she would be confused, suspicious and curious.

But Rael didn't mind.

In fact… He wanted her like that, so that she would make the first contact with him and from the looks of it, all of that was going well.

Just then, Morvana's voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

"You can leave now, Rael."

Her voice cut through the room but Rael didn't move. He looked at her with the same steady calmness he had maintained throughout, then spoke in a hesitant tone.

"Can I stay? Maybe… seeing Azriel again might trigger more memories."

It was the perfect excuse, wrapped in the same future-knowledge bait she was already tangled in.

And more importantly…

'I still need to know what happens to that bastard, Azriel.'

Leaving now would be a waste.

Rael had set the board and had placed every piece.

He knew there were only two possible outcomes left with everything he had done.

Either Morvana kills Azriel herself, driven by her paranoia and the need to protect her secret…

… Or she simply removes him from the academy… to take care of it quietly without any bloodshed.

Rael wanted the first outcome because leaving a love-obsessed lunatic like Azriel alive, especially with his unstable mind and hatred towards him… yeah, that would be a long-term nightmare for Rael.

So, he needed the problem to be erased permanently but this was the disadvantage of relying on others.

The outcome was no longer in his hands.

He had already played his part and everything depended on how Morvana decides to play it out.

"Okay, you can stay." Morvana replied after a moment, snapping Rael out of his thoughts.

'Great.'

—

It didn't take long before Lia returned and behind her walked Azriel. His expression was cold as always… but his eyes betrayed a hint of anticipation that always appeared whenever he approached his Goddess.

But the moment he stepped inside the office, he froze because the first thing he saw was Rael, sitting comfortably, smirking at him as if this were all some elaborate joke.

An ominous chill went up Azriel's spine.

His eyes immediately snapped toward Morvana as he met her completely cold and emotionless gaze.

His Goddess had never looked at him like this…

'What did he do to her?'

He didn't know what had happened but he knew — he knew that the cause was that boy with that infuriating smug smile.

Rael.

Still, Azriel didn't act out, he kept his posture straight because he needed to understand what had happened… what had changed.

"Good afternoon, Principal Morvana." He greeted, his voice respectful as always.

He expected a nod like usual but Morvana didn't even look at him. Instead, she waved her hand toward Lia, silently dismissing her from the room.

The shadowy woman bowed once and vanished without a sound.

Then with a snap, a mana dome sealed the room shut once again.

He instinctively wanted to bite down on his thumb to stop the rising panic but he controlled himself as he couldn't show his pathetic side to his Goddess.

'What did he do to her?'

'What did he do to her?'

'What did he do to her?'

'What did he do to her?'

The question repeated in his mind continuously without a stop

"Do you wish to tell me something?" She finally asked her question.

Azriel's face remained completely calm but his mind started racing.

He started thinking about every small thing he might have done to make her like this but nothing came to mind except one thing…

Varek Ashen Noctharion and the permission he gave to that boy.

But he was sure that she wouldn't know about it so soon.

So, he answered.

"There is nothing I wish to report, Principal." His voice was calm, completely hiding the panic under it.

—

Morvana looked at Azriel as she understood one thing.

'He doesn't know anything about my true identity yet.'

He seemed to have something to hide but it didn't seem like he knew anything else.

"I see."

She nodded slowly, her expression completely unreadable.

Still, understanding didn't mean she was going to let this matter go. If there was even the slightest chance he might uncover the truth in the future somehow… Then she couldn't allow him to remain in this academy anymore.

So, she delivered the verdict.

"From today onwards." She said, her voice steady. "You are fired, Professor Azriel."

She didn't even bother giving any explanation as she saw Azriel's eyes trembling… but this was the best solution instead of killing him.

But everything was far from over as the next words from Azriel made her reconsider her assumption.

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