Cynthia recalled the first time she signed a contract.

Back then, her contractor, Lee Jaesang—who was known as Min Haejun at the time—had always seemed a bit off.

She had thought to herself, “There’s probably no one stranger than this guy in the whole world.”

But then…

“…There was someone even stranger!”

As she dispatched a dark sorcerer, Cynthia’s eyes darted forward.

“Brothers!!!”

Cynthia was a top-tier spirit. She could easily handle low-level dark sorcerers. Yet, before she could even take down one, someone else had already taken down two.

And charging headlong into a group of four dark sorcerers without hesitation? Was this really just an ordinary student?

“What on earth are you?”

“Hehe. I’m strong, right?”

“No, seriously, what are you? What did you do?”

Cynthia couldn’t help but be bewildered. How had Liz managed to take down two dark sorcerers? She’d seen her throw a punch, but what kind of magic had she used? Or had she even used magic at all?

“Heretic girls! How dare you harm my brothers!”

Cynthia turned her head, realizing there was still one dark sorcerer left.

“Sigh. I’ll put my questions aside for now. Let’s clean up this mess first.”

“Okay, got it, ma’am.”

“…Ma’am?”

“What?”

“Oh, nothing. Must’ve been my imagination. I thought I heard something strange.”

A word she’d never heard in her life.

“Ah, maybe you’re just tired?”

“Maybe.”

“Then take a break. I’ll handle it, ma’am.”

She hadn’t misheard.

“Liz.”

“Yeah?”

“I’m not a ma’am, I’m a—”

Suddenly, something round popped into her mouth. A subtle taste spread…

Strawberry?

“You looked tired. Have a candy, ma’am.”

“Thanks… No! I mean, who are you calling ma’am?!”

“Uh… don’t humans call women they don’t know ‘ma’am’?”

“No! Who told you that?”

“But that’s what I learned.”

“Alright. Let me teach you again. Say ‘sister.'”

“Uh… uh…”

“That’s right!”

“Ma’am?”

She’s doing this on purpose, isn’t she?

“Ugh, Korean is so hard!”

“Argh!”

Cynthia screamed in frustration at Liz’s feigned foreigner act.

“What are you doing?! Killing my brothers and then spouting nonsense! There’s a limit to how much you can ignore me!”

“Shut up!”

“What did you say?!”

Dark sorcerer, just wait a moment. I’ve got a more pressing issue to deal with!

“How dare you, a mere vomit, speak while a spirit is talking!”

“What nonsense, heretic girl! You must be out of your mind!”

“What? Did you just call me ‘ma’am’?”

“…I didn’t say that!!!”

Cynthia felt wronged. As a spirit, age didn’t matter, but the connotation of “ma’am” just didn’t sit right with her.

“Do I really look like a ma’am to you?”

“Yeah! Apologize, mister!”

“This is your fault!”

Liz giggled.

“Heretic girls, mocking me…?”

The dark sorcerer pulled out a dagger from his cloak.

“I’ll kill you all! Offer you as sacrifices to the demon…!”

And then—

– Crackle!

“Argh!”

The dark sorcerer, charging with confidence, was struck by a bolt of lightning from nowhere and collapsed to the ground.

“This is…”

Though lightning magic was basic and anyone could use it, the timing was impeccable.

“Contractor!!”

Turning her head, Cynthia saw her contractor approaching. She couldn’t have been happier to see that handsome face.

She was sure her contractor would be on her side.

“Hey, contractor!”

“Yeah?”

“That girl over there? She keeps calling me ‘ma’am’!”

Lee Jaesang could read the plea in Cynthia’s eyes: ‘Make her call me sister.’

He understood, but he didn’t say it.

“…I don’t know what’s going on, but neither of you are hurt, right?”

“Huh? Yeah. Before I could do anything, Liz took care of it all…”

“You did well.”

Hearing Lee Jaesang’s voice, Cynthia’s expression softened. She thought the entire spirit realm should know how sweet and charming his voice was.

And the face that spoke those words?

Indescribable.

So she could let go of her anger…

“Cynthia, ma’am.”

Cynthia snapped her head up to look at Lee Jaesang. His handsome face wore a playful smirk.

‘…Should I break the contract?’

For a brief moment, Cynthia seriously considered it.

***

As soon as they left the underground parking lot, they headed straight for the park. The park, illuminated by streetlights in the deep night, had its own charm.

“Are you still mad?”

“I don’t know! I won’t talk to you, contractor!”

Cynthia was sulking, curled up on the ground, covered in water, looking like a little blob.

If I mentioned it, she’d probably get even angrier.

“You did well too, Liz.”

I said, sitting on a bench.

“Hehe. I told you I’m strong. But more importantly…”

– Sniff sniff

“What’s this?”

Liz, with a curious expression, was sniffing at the creature lying next to me on the bench.

A puppy?

“That’s Gemut. A spirit I contracted with a long time ago.”

“Wow! You contracted with two spirits? That’s amazing, teacher. I can’t even contract with a low-level spirit.”

I did. Not just two, but four.

“Why is it sleeping?”

“Oh, it’s like hibernation.”

Having been in the human world for so long, it hadn’t fully recovered, but thankfully, there was no major issue. It was in a sort of dormant state. With enough mana or a good rest in the spirit realm, it would wake up.

‘At least there’s still mana left in the mana stone.’

When the mana stone connected to Gemut absorbed all the black mana, I immediately checked on Gemut’s condition. I was worried the black mana might turn Gemut into a dark spirit.

Fortunately, it was holding on with the pure mana left in the mana stone, but…

It wouldn’t last long.

‘I’ll have to send it back to the spirit realm.’

My original plan was to contract with two spirits, including Gemut, to purify the mana, but…

Gemut had been overworked in the human world for ten years, so it needed a break.

Reunion could wait. There was no rush.

The terminal illness from my past life was gone, and I had plenty of time now.

Besides, the black mana issue was already resolved, thanks to the mana stone Gemut had given me.

“Hmm~”

“Why?”

Liz looked down at me from the bench, seemingly deep in thought.

“I was thinking, the one on your side was a bishop-level, right?”

“How did you know?”

“The scent was stronger.”

She could even tell that? What a great detector.

If black mana ever accumulates again, I’ll have to avoid it.

“So you handled a bishop on your own.”

“That’s how it turned out.”

It was tough. Especially since its speech was so bizarre.

And those green eyes were unsettling.

“Hmm~ You did well. Here’s a thumbs-up for you.”

“Wow. Just what I always wanted.”

“Pfft. What’s with that reaction? It’s hilarious.”

Liz laughed brightly.

Seeing her like this, she seemed like an ordinary high school girl…

– Before I could do anything, Liz took care of it all

She took down the dark sorcerers before Cynthia?

Even faster than a top-tier spirit?

“Liz.”

“Yeah?”

“What are you, really?”

I had a feeling, but hearing it directly would be more certain.

“Hmm~”

After a moment of thought, Liz finally smiled and said, “I thought about it, but I won’t tell.”

“Suddenly? You were about to tell me earlier.”

“I was, but it’s more fun if we each have a secret, right? You have something you’re hiding too, don’t you, teacher?”

Liz playfully put a finger to her lips.

“No, I don’t have any secrets.”

“Haha, that expression is hilarious! I didn’t know eyes could move that far to the side. Oh, hold that pose for a second.”

– Click!

“I’ll look at it when I’m feeling down.”

“My permission.”

“You’ll give it, right?”

“I won’t.”

“Hehe, thanks.”

“Yeah, do whatever you want.”

I have no idea why she needs a picture of my face, though.

“By the way, why are you wearing a school uniform?”

“Oh, this? I’m enrolling at Shinhwa High School. I like the uniform, so I’m wearing it.”

“So you’re a new student.”

That’s why she didn’t recognize my face.

So she’s a first-year.

I’ll have to try to avoid her classes as much as possible.

Even though there’s no black mana now, who knows what might happen later.

Liz’s ability to detect dark sorcerers is something I need to steer clear of.

“Hmm. Teacher, I think I should get going.”

Liz said, checking her smartphone.

It’s already nine o’clock, so it’s time for a good student to head home.

“Today was fun! Let’s meet again! I have a feeling we’ll see each other soon. Bye for now!”

As I waved her off from the bench, Liz skipped away with a cheerful bounce.

We’ll see each other again soon…

‘She has good instincts.’

Liz, we’ll probably meet again soon.

The Shinhwa High School you’re going to.

I’m a teacher there.

I’ll try to avoid you, but…

‘There will come a time when I’ll need her ability to find dark sorcerers.’

And if my intuition is right.

That time might not be too far off.

It’s a prediction far from logical, but for some reason, I just felt that way.

“Well, I should get going too.”

It was a fulfilling day.

I resolved the black mana issue.

Now, I need to prepare for school.

‘Come to think of it.’

What kind of magic were those cultists planning in the shopping mall?

“Could it be related to that kid I met at school last time, the one with the unusually dark mana?”

I speculated that even the lowest ranks might be forced to use a lot of dark magic.

If that’s the case, then today’s incident might not be entirely unrelated.

“I need to think this through.”

I pulled out a piece of paper from my pocket and started scribbling with a pen.

– Scratch, scratch.

“Was it like this?”

A crudely drawn magic circle.

I’ll need to think more about what kind of magic this is.

“Let’s head back for now.”

With that thought, I turned my head.

Cynthia was still sitting there, drenched in water, not moving an inch.

“Hmm.”

Should I comfort her?

…It’s a bit chilly.

“Should I just leave?”

Leaving Cynthia huddled there, I gathered my things and left the park, heading home.

***

The lab always feels like a sanctuary.

A place where I can be alone.

Where I can immerse myself in magic research.

– I’ll take Gemut with me, so be careful while I’m gone.

– Got it, ma’am.

– …

Cynthia took Gemut back to the spirit realm.

She said she would hand him over to the Spirit King for healing and take care of some other matters….

It might take about a week.

With the dark mana issue resolved, a slight delay should be fine.

“A week from now… school starts again. What should I do until then?”

A week is a long time.

It only took me three days to create a wind magic circle.

“I know what I need to do.”

I pulled out a piece of paper from my pocket.

It was the magic circle drawn by the dark mage at the mall.

“I need to figure out what this is.”

I thought I knew a lot about dark magic, but…

This one stumps me.

– Creak.

Leaning back in my old chair, I held the paper up to the ceiling.

It’s definitely not something I’m familiar with.

From what I can tell so far…

“It’s a magic circle meant for large-scale magic…”

“Large-scale magic, huh.”

I suddenly remembered the low-ranking dark mage I had to fight right after reincarnating.

Despite his young appearance, his mana was excessively dark.

Maybe this magic circle I saw at the mall is the reason.

“This is tough.”

They’re definitely up to something.

If I can just decipher this magic circle, I could give those despicable dark cultists a real headache.

Just thinking about it is amusing.

Imagining a dark mage trembling like a chihuahua when their plan falls apart.

“The circle remains intact, so it shouldn’t be too different from regular magic…”

The structure is simple enough.

But I can’t figure out its effect.

It seems to activate with very little mana…

…Wait a minute.

“Could it be?”

As I rolled the pen over the magic circle, a thought struck me, and I straightened up.

I quickly flipped the paper over.

It’s not a pattern I’m familiar with, but it feels a bit more organized now.

“The mana flows towards the center. It doesn’t require much mana.”

As I pieced it together, my brow furrowed.

Not because I didn’t know what the magic circle was.

Quite the opposite.

“This is…”

I think I know what this magic circle is.

“Coordinate setting?”

Why would they secretly plant a navigation magic circle in a mall?

For what purpose?

“…No way.”

A possibility flashed through my mind, but I tried to dismiss it.

No, it can’t be.

“But if that’s the case, it explains everything. What they were trying to do at the mall. What this magic circle is.”

But I still want to deny it.

Because…

This theory is something I shared with only one person.

– It’s just a theory, but if a magic circle can convey the direction and amount of mana correctly, it doesn’t need to be a complete circle, right?

– Right?

– So what if we set the coordinates properly?

– What?

– I mean, create multiple small magic circles. Like the ones used in navigation.

– Huh?

– Then connect these coordinates, clearly defining the mana’s direction… See? You can theoretically expand the magic circle indefinitely.

– Wow, you’re a genius, aren’t you?

I never published it, nor did I write it down.

I only shared it with my younger brother.

In my previous life.

…Could it be?

“Could it be you, Min Haejin?”

I shook my head.

Yeah.

It’s been ten years.

Someone else might have figured it out.

Surely, it’s just my imagination.

Haejin joining the dark cult…

“…I’m overthinking this.”

There’s no way.

The Haejin I know isn’t like that.

“Sigh. I should just focus on getting ready for school.”

That’s the right thing to do.

There’s nothing I can do about it right now anyway.

“Stay positive. Like always.”

Yeah.

It’s ridiculous.

That coward, a dark mage?

Right?

“No way. I’ve been thinking too much about dark magic lately.”

It’s impossible.

…

“But if it is…”

If Min Haejin really joined the dark cult.

And if that’s why they’re using coordinate-linking magic.

“I won’t let it slide, you idiot.”

I’ll act without mercy.

Just like I did with the other dark mages.

Even if it’s my own brother.