After returning to the tower with his meeting with the Saintess, Reed headed straight to the reception room.
An unexpected person had visited.
"It's been a while, Headmaster."
"It has been, Silence."
It was Anton Eclipsys, the headmaster of Escolleia.
He usually doesn’t go to neither the Empire nor the tower, but there was no need to guess deeply why he came here.
It must be because of Dolores.
"I heard what Helios said. You sacrificed yourself to help that child."
"Yes."
"How is Dolores doing?"
"She says she's fine, but... she seems to be tormented by nightmares every day."
She woke up within an hour of falling asleep.
She would wake up covered in cold sweat and try not to sleep, clutching her head.
The phenomenon occurred every day without fail, and more than once, magicians had to induce her into deep sleep forcibly.
"Poor child..."
Anton sighed softly.
He felt sorry for Dolores' situation.
"Master of Silence Tower, can I ask you a favor?"
"What kind of favor?"
"Can I see her once?"
"..."
"Don't worry. At the very least, I won't say anything terrible to Dolores. If I can help, I want to help."
"I know that you have a soft spot for Dolores."
Although he is an eccentric headmaster, he is a good teacher for Dolores.
"However, since Dolores is a sinner, if someone visits her, I must watch from behind. Please understand even if it's uncomfortable."
"That's fine. It wouldn't hurt for you to hear it too."
"Then I understand."
Reed stood up from his seat and moved to the prison with Anton.
Reed pushed away the magicians watching her and opened the door.
Dolores, who had been lying on the bed, lifted her head at the sound.
Her once-glowing skin began to crack, and her face became gaunt.
Her silky hair was tangled in clumps.
Her tired eyes looked up at the door.
She saw a familiar figure.
"Headmaster..."
Dolores met Anton's eyes.
Anton looked down at her and smiled.
"Your hair is a mess. You remind me of yourself in the fourth year."
"I'm sorry for my appearance..."
"No, it's not that. I remember the old days when you struggled with books. It was nostalgic. Lie down."
"How can I be so rude to you, Headmaster..."
"Hey, if I say lie down, you lie down."
He laid Dolores back down as she tried to get up.
Anton sat on her bed.
"Do you remember? Back then, you wore big glasses, and your hands were always covered in ink. I was both angry and proud when I saw your fingerprints on the books I gave you."
"I remember. I was really sorry back then. Those were all the books you treasured..."
"It's fine. Books are meant to be damaged eventually. When that happens, we just fix them and use them again. I'm too old to worry about things like that. The one who was really upset about it was Sokoloff, that kid."
"Professor Sokoloff... I remember him now. He was so anxious when even a single pen went missing that other students always stole one of his pens and hid it..."
"It was like an annual event. I'll tell you a little secret. I also hid about a dozen of Sokoloff's pens."
At that, Dolores laughed.
Anton saw her smile and laughed again.
They shared a comfortable conversation, immersed in their shared memories.
Untold stories, known stories, and their shared empathy stimulated Dolores' memories.
"Dolores, do you know what I feel while we're having this conversation?"
"I don't know."
"I don't feel that you're a demon."
"..."
Anton brushed Dolores' hair back behind her ear.
"If you were really a demon, you wouldn't have been sad or laughed at these trivial memories. You are undoubtedly human."
"Thank you very much, Headmaster."
"The professors at Escoleia are researching day and night. Of course, I'm also involved in that."
"I'm causing trouble for many professors because of me..."
"It's okay. I'm the one who insisted on it, so if anyone should be blamed, it's me. And Dolores, not a single professor dislikes you."
"I... I don't know."
"You may not know. If anyone showed signs of being jealous of my student, I would scold them on the spot, so you wouldn't feel it."
Anton laughed and held her hand.
"So hang in there. Don't let go of even the slightest hope. There are still people supporting you. You have to believe in yourself for their sake."
"Yes, I'll keep that in mind."
"Good."
Anton let go of her hand and stood up from his seat.
Reed, who had watched until the end, closed the prison door.
Reed expressed his gratitude to Anton for providing some comfort.
"Thank you for visiting, Headmaster."
"I didn't just come to comfort Dolores. I also have something for you."
"For me?"
"The theory of what we're researching for Dolores is already complete."
Reed's eyes widened at his words.
"You've completed it?"
"Helios passed on the blood you gave him to me. Thanks to that, I got a way to save Dolores."
"Can you tell me what it is?"
"I can tell you. However... You won't be able to use it."
"What do you mean...?"
Was Anton playing some kind of word game?
Reed was ready to get genuinely angry.
Anton handed Reed a sheet of paper.
It was a summary of the magic formula they had created.
"It's impossible to apply. It's about transferring the demon seed to someone else."
It was a kind of transplant magic that moved the magic seed from subject A to subject B.
Only suitable candidates with equal amounts of mana and talent could use it.
"So, it means we have to transplant Dolores' talent into someone else's body."
It's like a bomb pass.
Reed closed his mouth.
Even if the root of Dolores' trouble was erased, if someone else became unhappy... Dolores would not accept that fact.
Instead, she would live with guilt.
Reed didn't want to make her carry that burden.
"But there is still hope."
"What kind of hope are you talking about?"
"The magic engineering you're researching. Try using that magic engineering. I'll give you that magic."
Anton said.
"If you can intervene between humans and humans, I believe that magic engineering will undoubtedly play that role. What do you think?"
I don't know.
"It's possible."
But now is not the time to show such a weak side.
It was time to challenge, even if it meant hitting rock bottom.
Upon hearing Reed's answer, Anton placed his hand on Reed's shoulder.
"Protect Dolores. You are the only one who can protect her."
