Chapter 109: New Villain Heroine Has To Face

Lucan sat in his room, enjoying a quiet afternoon. Sunlight streamed through the large window, casting a warm, golden hue across the room. He had spent the morning going over his notes for the next day's class, ensuring everything was in order. Now, with a cup of tea in hand, he took a moment to relax.

His thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. Lucan set his cup down and opened the door to find a fellow teacher standing there, a broad smile on his face.

"Lucan, right?" the man said, extending a hand. "Name's Professor Grayson. I'm the history teacher here. We've got a little tradition at the academy—whenever we get a new teacher, we throw a welcome party. Thought you might want to join us?"

Lucan didn't hesitate for a moment and agreed. The idea of getting to know his colleagues better was appealing; after all, knowing people is much better than not knowing them. Moreover, if he remembered correctly, there was one shady guy among the teachers. "Sure, that sounds great."

"Fantastic!" Grayson said, clapping him on the shoulder. "We're meeting at the staff lounge in about an hour. See you there!"

---

After freshening up, Lucan made his way to the staff lounge. The lounge was a spacious room, filled with comfortable chairs and sofas. A large table in the center was laden with an assortment of snacks and drinks, ranging from fruit and pastries to bottles of wine and spirits.

As Lucan entered, he was greeted by a small crowd of teachers, all chatting and laughing. Grayson spotted him and waved him over.

"Lucan, let me introduce you to some of your colleagues," Grayson said, leading him towards a group of teachers.

The first person he introduced was Professor Lila Winters, a tall woman with sharp features and a no-nonsense demeanor. She wore glasses that seemed to magnify her piercing green eyes, and her auburn hair was tied back in a tight bun. "Lila teaches Advanced Alchemy and Potions," Grayson explained.

"Pleasure to meet you, Lucan," Lila said, offering a firm handshake. "I hope you're prepared for the chaos that is the academy. It's a great place, but it can be a bit... overwhelming at times."

"I'll manage," Lucan replied with a smile. "It's nice to meet you, Lila."

Next, Grayson introduced him to Professor Elise Brightwood, a younger woman with a warm smile and bright, curious eyes. Her long blonde hair cascaded down her back, and she wore a light, flowing dress that matched her easygoing personality. "Elise teaches Summoning and Conjuration," Grayson said.

"Hi, Lucan!" Elise said cheerfully, shaking his hand. "I've heard a lot about you. Everyone's been so curious about the new teacher."

"Good things, I hope?" Lucan asked with a grin.

"Of course!" Elise laughed. "It's always exciting to have someone new join us."

Grayson introduced a few more people, and everyone greeted him warmly. Mostly, he talked with Lila and Elise, and a few times with others. While he was chatting with them all, he noticed a man standing off to the side, away from the main group. The man had a dark, brooding aura, with long black hair that fell over his face, partially obscuring his eyes.

He wore a black robe that seemed to absorb the light around him, giving him an almost spectral appearance.

"Who's that?" Lucan asked, nodding in the man's direction.

Grayson glanced over and lowered his voice. "That's Professor Mordecai. He teaches Dark Arts and Forbidden Magic. He's... well, he's not much of a talker. Keeps to himself, mostly.

Don't take it personally if he doesn't say much."

Lucan nodded. He remembered the exact story event that happened. If he remembered it accurately, then this event would probably happen tomorrow.

Well, I have to be prepared.

As the evening went on, Lucan started to understand his new colleagues better. The teachers were a lively bunch, each with their own unique quirks and personalities. Grayson regaled them with stories of academy life, while Lila shared some of her more explosive alchemy experiments that had gone awry.

Elise was full of enthusiasm, talking animatedly about her students and the challenges of teaching summoning to novices.

At one point, Lucan noticed Mordecai quietly slip out of the room. No one else seemed to notice or care, but Lucan did.

Although he knew the exact story events, and he could stop it before it happened, he didn't have a reason to do that.

Moreover, tomorrow he could use this event to shine, establishing an impactful image of himself.

As the night drew on, the party began to wind down. The teachers slowly dispersed, heading back to their rooms or homes. Lucan also made his way back to his apartment.

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In the dimly lit confines of his secluded laboratory, Professor Mordecai worked in eerie silence. The walls of the room were lined with shelves, each filled with jars of mysterious ingredients—dried herbs with sinister names, powders of dubious origin, and the occasional writhing creature suspended in murky liquid.

The only light came from the faint, flickering glow of candles and the bubbling cauldron at the center of the room.

Mordecai's hands moved with practiced precision as he added a pinch of crushed bone and a drop of venom from a silver vial. Each new ingredient elicited a hissing reaction from the pot, the contents churning and roiling with increasing intensity. The room filled with an acrid scent, sharp enough to burn the throat, but Mordecai breathed it in deeply, a twisted smile curling his lips.

As the concoction in the pot began to emit a dark, almost oily gas, Mordecai quickly set to work, carefully placing an apparatus over the cauldron to collect the noxious fumes. The dark gas swirled within the glass chamber, growing thicker and more ominous with each passing moment. The liquid in the pot had turned into a thick, viscous sludge, but Mordecai paid it no mind.

His eyes were fixated on the gas, now fully contained and swirling like a malevolent storm within the glass.

With a slow, deliberate motion, he lifted the chamber to eye level, his breath fogging the glass slightly. His eyes gleamed with a mix of triumph and madness, the shadows playing across his face, accentuating his gaunt features. A low, unsettling chuckle escaped his lips, growing into a full, maniacal laugh as he gazed upon his creation.

"Perfect…" he whispered to himself, eyes locked onto the swirling darkness, "Saint Maris... Be ready."