I leaned back against the cold wooden chair in my dimly lit dorm room, my fingers tracing the smooth edges of the mana contract Cedric had signed.
[Mana Contract Binding Complete]
The terms were intentionally vague, crafted in a way that gave me leverage without making Cedric suspicious.
"Party 1, in return for assisting Party 2, will receive the benefits of class presidency. Party 2 represents Party 1 in any permitted situations and acts in the best interest of Party 1."
The wording was just ambiguous enough.
Mana contracts in this world were absolute breaking them wouldn't kill the violator, but it would shatter a part of their soul, crippling them permanently.
It was a risk neither Cedric nor I could afford.
But the contract was just the first step.
Tomorrow was the duel, and if things went as they were now… Cedric would lose.
That couldn't happen.
Now… how do I weaken her?
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Cassian Orion Raven Cedric's opponent was dangerously skilled, both in raw magical power and in combat experience.
If Cedric fought her at full strength, he would lose without a doubt.
I needed to tilt the odds in his favor.
'Poison.'
A simple, effective solution.
But how? I couldn't just slip it into her food too obvious.
The academy had strict security measures in place, and if I was caught, the consequences would be… unpleasant, to say the least.
Instead of poisoning her directly, I would fill her room with a slow-acting poison mist something subtle, something that wouldn't kill her but would weaken her body just enough to give Cedric the advantage.
A weakening agent. A magic disruptor. Something that would make her sluggish, dull her reflexes.
If executed perfectly, she wouldn't even realize she had been poisoned until it was too late.
'Nullflux.'
A rare poison a weapon designed to erase mages from existence.
Created by the Null Organization, a ruthless anti-mage terrorist group that had waged war against the magical kingdoms for centuries.
Their goal? To eliminate the rule of mages, to strip magic from society, to destroy those born with it.
They didn't just kill mages.
They hunted them.
They developed tools specifically designed to counter every spell, every enhancement, every defense a mage could use.
And Nullflux was one of their greatest weapons an odorless, colorless mana suppressant that seeped into the bloodstream and slowly rotted a mage's ability to control mana.
Not permanently, but just long enough to turn even an elite spellcaster into a sitting duck.
And tonight, Cassian Orion Raven was my target.
I held the vial of Nullflux in my hand, swirling the liquid inside. Just a few drops could render a mage helpless for hours.
But I needed it to be subtle.
If Cassian noticed something was wrong, she'd seek purification magic before the duel. That couldn't happen.
I took out a set of thin, nearly invisible needles, each one laced with a concentrated dose of Nullflux.
Then, I did something risky I injected more of the liquid into the tips of the needles.
More poison, More weakness.
Cassian wouldn't just be affected by the mist I was making sure that even the smallest prick from her everyday objects would spread the toxin further.
I exhaled slowly, steadying my breath.
Using my Blessing of the Mirage of a Thousand, I conjured small, solid bricks of pure mana beneath my feet stepping stones that no ordinary person could see.
Brick by brick, I climbed higher.
Each step was calculated. Each movement invisible under the illusion I cast around myself.
Anyone glancing up would only see empty air, unless they were paying very, very close attention.
I reached Cassian's window and paused.
The area was silent, the night air thick with an eerie stillness. I crouched low, checking my surroundings before slowly pushing the window open.
A soft creak echoed.
I held my breath.
No movement inside.
I slid into the room like a shadow, my feet making no sound as I landed on the floor.
Cassian's room was… unexpectedly clean.
Her uniform was neatly folded on the desk, her weapons lined up like sacred relics. The scent of sharpened steel and herbal oils filled the air. She took care of her things a disciplined warrior through and through.
I didn't hesitate.
First, I moved to her desk, swapping out the tip of her pen with a razor-sharp version coated in Nullflux. A single accidental cut while writing would allow the toxin to seep into her skin.
Next, her training gear.
The hilt of her sword I laced it with the liquid variant of the poison. If she held it for long enough, her mana would steadily weaken.
Her pillow I stuck a needle into the corner, where her hand might brush against it in her sleep.
Her armor's inner lining I applied a faint layer of the mist, ensuring prolonged exposure as she wore it.
Finally, I released the Nullflux mist into the air.
It wasn't dense enough to be noticed it was a slow toxin, designed to creep into the lungs, working its way through the bloodstream, weakening her without her ever realizing it.
I took a step back, admiring my work.
Cassian wouldn't collapse instantly. That would be too suspicious.
Instead, she'd wake up feeling slightly fatigued, dismissing it as stress. As the duel approached, her mana control would feel sluggish, her reflexes dulled, her strength slightly off.
And by the time she realized something was wrong… it would be too late.
"Where the hell are my room keys??"
Cassian's irritated voice rang through the hallway.
'Shit. Shit. SHIT!!'
I froze, my pulse hammering in my ears.
'Why the hell was she back so fast?!'
I was still inside her damn room.
I barely had time to react before.
Creak!
The door swung open.
I pressed myself against the ceiling, holding my breath. My illusion magic was active, but if she looked too closely…
Cassian stormed in, clearly frustrated.
Her boots thudded against the wooden floor, her long silver hair swaying as she tossed her bag onto the chair.
Then she stopped.
She sniffed the air.
"Why does my room smell like fart?"
I bit the inside of my cheek. Fart?! That wasn't what the poison was supposed to smell like! Did Nullflux interact weirdly with the room's air?!
"Did the plumbing from the bathroom break or sum'?" she muttered, rubbing her temples. "Ugh, I feel like the ceiling is somehow lower today."
My heart almost stopped.
Was she noticing my presence?!
No calm down. She was just venting.
Cassian let out a long sigh before flopping onto her bed.
"Those aristocrat bastards are the reason why I'm even stuck at the bottom of the academy… ugh, can't I just catch a break?"
She turned over, burying her face into the pillow.
I swallowed hard, forcing my breathing to stay quiet.
Cassian let out a deep sigh, rolling onto her side as she reached for the pendant around her neck.
She held it tightly, her fingers brushing over its worn surface before gently opening it.
Inside was a small, faded picture her father's.
Her voice trembled, barely above a whisper.
"Dad… what am I gonna do now?"
Her grip tightened.
"If I don't get the class president position, I won't have enough money to study another term."
Her words hung in the air, heavy with desperation.
She closed her eyes, inhaling sharply before exhaling in frustration.
"Haaa… I wish you were here with me. Why did you have to serve those bastards… those same bastards who betrayed us?"
A long silence.
Then, her voice hardened.
"No… I can't break now. I need to rest. Tomorrow, I'll crush those noble bastards."
With renewed determination, Cassian sat up and reached for her pen.
She barely noticed the faint shimmer around the tip.
As soon as her fingers touched the sharp edge—
"Ouch!"
She pulled her hand back, frowning at the tiny red mark forming on her fingertip.
Her brows furrowed.
"Was this pen tip always this sharp…?"
She turned it over in her hand, eyes narrowing in suspicion.
I held my breath.
Cassian let out an exhausted sigh as she reached for the buttons of her uniform.
Then—she started undressing.
My entire body froze.
"NOOO! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! PLEASE DO THAT IN THE BATHROOM! I'M STILL A TEENAGER, DAMN IT!"
Of course, I didn't say that out loud.
I stayed completely still, pressing myself flat against the ceiling while my illusion magic cloaked me. The one-way barrier I'd created allowed me to see through it… but I really wished I couldn't.
She stood there in nothing but bare skin, the moonlight casting soft shadows over her frame.
And then, I saw them.
Scars.
Faint white streaks. Jagged slashes. Some fresh, still dark and healing. They traced across her back, her arms her entire body etched with memories of battle.
I swallowed hard.
Her movements were tired, methodical like someone who had done this a thousand times before, like someone who had no reason to care.
She pulled on a loose, oversized nightgown not bothering with anything underneath before collapsing onto her bed, exhaling sharply.
I remained motionless, my heart hammering in my chest. If I so much as shifted, the slightest creak would spell my doom.
Still, something gnawed at the back of my mind.
Those scars.
They weren't just battle wounds.
They told a story one filled with pain, hardship… and survival, But I couldn't unsee what I'd already glimpsed the scars.
Dozens of them, jagged and pale, mapping battles I'd never known she'd fought.
A knot twisted in my chest, guilt and something else I couldn't name.
'Damn it.'
I clenched my fists, forcing myself to focus.
This was necessary. I wasn't doing this for fun. This was about my survival.
And yet, for the first time since I started this plan…
I wasn't sure if I still wanted to go through with it.
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