Free Web NovelChapter 772: Something Appealing
Liam followed Lucia through the academy halls with the same calm silence he usually carried, walking a few steps behind her as they left the library corridor behind and moved toward the administration wing.
The atmosphere changed gradually the farther they went. The relaxed noise of students enjoying their break faded into a quieter, more formal stillness, and the walls became less decorated with student notices and training schedules and more lined with framed academy records, old portraits, and polished sconces that burned with steady magical light.
Lucia did not speak as they walked, and Liam did not ask anything. There was no need. He already knew why he had been summoned, and the fact that Lucia was the one guiding him only confirmed that this was not a casual request.
After a while, they reached the Headmaster’s office.
Lucia stopped in front of the large wooden door and turned toward Liam, her clipboard held neatly at her side. "The Headmaster is waiting for you inside," she said.
Liam gave a small nod. "Thank you."
Lucia inclined her head slightly and stepped aside.
Liam raised his hand and knocked lightly against the door. He waited in silence for only a few seconds before a calm voice came from the other side.
"Come in."
Liam opened the door and stepped inside.
The Headmaster’s office looked much the same as he remembered it. The room was spacious without feeling empty, its walls lined with shelves, old records, maps, and several enchanted objects that carried quiet traces of Myst. A large desk sat near the center, neatly arranged with documents, reports, and writing tools, while one side of the room opened toward tall windows overlooking the academy grounds.
The light outside was bright, spilling softly through the glass and touching the floor in wide, warm strips. Liam did not waste much time looking around. His eyes moved across the room once, then settled on Headmaster Thion Layenhart.
Thion stood near the window with his back turned, calmly watching the academy grounds below.
For a moment, he did not turn.
Liam closed the door behind him and stepped forward. "Headmaster."
"Liam," Thion replied, his voice composed. Then he finally turned away from the window and looked at him with the same unreadable calm that made it difficult to tell whether he was pleased, curious, disappointed, or all three at once. "Take a seat."
Unlike the first time Liam had come to this office nearly a year ago, he did not remain standing out of stubborn caution until the Headmaster demanded it. This time, he simply walked to the chair across from the desk and sat down. His posture remained straight but not tense, his hands resting loosely near his knees as he watched Thion move away from the window and settle into the chair behind his desk.
Thion studied him quietly for a moment.
"It is good to see you moving properly again," he said.
Liam said nothing at first, only gave a small nod.
Thion’s gaze remained on him. "Would you like water?"
"No, thank you."
Thion did not seem surprised by the refusal. If anything, he looked as though he had expected it. He leaned back slightly in his chair, one hand resting near the papers on his desk, and allowed a brief silence to settle between them.
Then he spoke.
"I suppose it is best we get straight to the point," Thion said. "We do not have all day, even though I admit I wish we did."
Liam’s eyes stayed on him.
Thion smiled faintly, though the expression carried more curiosity than warmth. "You are smart enough to know why you are here."
"I assume it has to do with the Berserker," Liam said.
"Partly," Thion replied. "More specifically, I would like to know why you ventured into the eastern forest of your assigned zone despite the fact that Charlotte Raven had clearly warned you against doing so."
Liam remained silent for a moment, not because he was searching for a lie, but because he was deciding how much truth to give and how to arrange it. He had expected this question. Regulus had practically announced it during the ranking evaluation. The academy wanted to know whether his search had been random curiosity, reckless instinct, or something more informed.
After a short pause, Liam answered.
"My curiosity was piqued a couple of weeks before the Nalim assessment was announced," he said calmly. "I found an unofficial book in the library. It mentioned Berserker demons."
Thion’s expression did not change, but his gaze sharpened slightly.
Liam continued, "The book claimed that Berserkers were not naturally born as Sync-class demons. It suggested that they began as Advanced Horror-class demons and evolved by consuming the cores of other demons, eventually reaching a state that allowed them to become something closer to a Sync-class demon. It also suggested that their intelligence was limited compared to other Sync-class species, but that their bodies, instincts, and ability to grow through violence made them extremely dangerous."
He paused briefly before adding, "Because the book was unofficial, I had no way of knowing how much of it was accurate. When Charlotte described the eastern forest, the abandoned territories, the corpses with missing cores, and the presence she had sensed there, it matched too closely with what I had read. So I wanted to confirm it."
Thion listened without interrupting.
At first, he considered the possibility that Liam was lying cleverly. It would not have been shocking. Liam was not the sort of student who answered without thinking, and Thion had no reason to assume he would hand over every motive simply because he was asked.
But as Liam spoke, something about the calmness of the explanation, the lack of embellishment, and the direct detail of the book made the answer feel real. It was too plain in some ways. Too specific in others. Not a performance meant to sound convincing, but a statement of events as Liam had understood them.
Still, Thion did not accept it without pressing further.
"So," he said slowly, "you found an unofficial book, read an interesting theory about Berserker demons, and when given a chance, decided you were willing to hunt down a Sync-class demon just to confirm whether that theory was true."
Liam held his gaze.
"Just like that," Thion added.
"In simple terms, yes."
Thion’s faint smile returned. "You do not strike me as someone so blinded by curiosity that he would push aside rationality and place his life on the line merely to answer a question from a book."
Liam immediately understood what Thion was doing.
The Headmaster was testing the waters. He knew there was likely more behind the decision. He knew curiosity alone did not fully explain Liam’s pursuit into the eastern forest, especially after Charlotte had warned him and the signs had made the danger clear. He wanted to see if Liam would reveal the deeper part of it. The frustration. The need to fight something strong enough to make the pressure inside him feel useful. The part of the truth that had nothing to do with demon classification.
Liam remained quiet for a moment.
Then he said, "You are right."
Thion’s eyes narrowed with interest.
"I am not usually someone who throws away rationality for curiosity," Liam continued. "But I am the type who becomes determined enough to fulfill that curiosity once I decide something is worth knowing. What I did was dangerous and risky. But the Nalim assessment was already dangerous and risky. Absurd situations were bound to happen from the start."
For several seconds, Thion only stared at him.
Then he gave a small shrug. "Fair enough."
He reached for a pen and wrote something down on a sheet of paper in front of him, the document arranged like an official report. The movement was smooth and unhurried, though Liam noticed that Thion’s attention was still not entirely on the paper. Even while writing, the Headmaster was watching him.
"You and, apparently, Charlotte Raven were the only two students to enter this Nalim assessment and somehow discover the truth about Berserker demons," Thion said. "For that, you will both be rewarded."
Liam’s expression remained unchanged, but inwardly, the statement confirmed what he had already suspected. freeweɓnovel.cøm
The academy did know the truth about Berserkers.
They had known and had chosen not to tell the students before the assessment. Why they had done that, Liam could not say with certainty. Perhaps they wanted to see who could uncover it. Perhaps the information was usually reserved for later lessons. Perhaps they had not expected any second year to encounter enough evidence to confirm it on their own. Whatever the reason, Liam did not particularly care. It was obvious enough that the academy intended to discuss Berserkers properly once studies resumed.
More importantly, he wanted to leave the office.
"Thank you, Headmaster," Liam said, his tone polite enough to sound appreciative.
Thion waved the words away as if they were unnecessary.
Then he pushed the pen aside.
The paper followed.
"Now that the official nonsense is over," Thion said, leaning back slightly, "we can actually talk."
Liam’s gaze sharpened faintly.
A trace of irritation moved through him, though it did not show clearly on his face. He had known the conversation had felt too easy. The questions had been direct, the answer accepted too cleanly, and the mention of reward had sounded too much like the closing of an official matter. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he had expected there to be more, and now that suspicion had proven correct.
Thion noticed the subtle change and smiled as if he found it amusing.
"I will be frank with you, Liam," he said.
Liam remained silent.
"I personally have little interest in what drove you into the eastern forest," Thion continued. "That is what the other authorities cared about. They wanted the reason documented, the matter neatly written, and the discovery of Berserker classification properly accounted for."
He tapped the report once with two fingers, then left it alone.
"I, however," Thion said, his voice becoming calmer and far more intent, "care about something much more appealing."
Liam did not move, but something in his eyes hardened slightly.
Thion’s smile deepened by a fraction.
"And that something," he said, "happens to be you."
