William remained silent for a moment, then said, "Yes, I am. But you know the stories about us aren’t entirely true. And many mages have done far worse than we ever have."
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Victoria was stunned, at a loss for words. Over the past weeks, she had grown closer to William than she ever expected. The artifact she had discovered felt like it was about to change her life forever. Discover exclusive tales on freewebnovel
"And why didn’t you tell me sooner? Why keep it a secret?" she asked, her voice tinged with hurt.
"Would you have stayed with me if I had?" William replied, his tone softening. "I needed to show you first that I’m not the monster they say I am. Otherwise, you would have cast me aside without a second thought."
A heavy silence fell between them. Finally, Victoria sighed. "Alright, I’ll trust you again. But you mentioned we’d have to leave the school. Where would we go?"
"To the forbidden zone on this continent," William said, his voice steady. "The place where the demons once lived."
Victoria’s eyes widened. "What? That forbidden zone where no one who enters ever returns? Why would we go there?"
William hesitated, then began to explain. "Remember when I told you that continuing the rituals would come with a price? To undo that—and to make you even stronger—you’ll need the demonic lineage. And that’s where we’ll find it."
"A lineage?" Victoria’s voice was barely a whisper, but her eyes sparkled with a mix of curiosity and excitement. The promise of greater power was intoxicating, and for a moment, it seemed to eclipse everything else.
William smiled faintly. He had chosen the right person. With Victoria by his side, his plan just might work.
After William explained everything, things began to move quickly. He also revealed the other mission she would need to undertake.
"Wait, let me make sure I understand this," Victoria said, her brow furrowed. "I have to rescue a demon who’s imprisoned and being used as a slave? And this demon will help me obtain the lineage?"
"Exactly," William replied, his voice calm but firm.
What Victoria didn’t know was that the demon William spoke of was himself—his true form. He was speaking to her through the sword, and she had no way of realizing the truth.
"If that’s the case, I’ll need to become even stronger," she said, her voice tinged with determination. "So, does that mean we’ll be performing more rituals?"
"Yes," William answered without hesitation. "We will."
William was eager to accelerate their plans. He knew it was time to move beyond small sacrifices, like the fox, and take greater risks. The rituals would grow darker, the stakes higher. But for Victoria to achieve what he needed, there was no other way.
William carefully planted the idea in Victoria’s mind, his voice low and persuasive. "If you truly want to grow stronger quickly, the most effective way would be to perform the ritual with a mage. We could target bandits—people who deserve it. That might make it easier for you. What do you think?"
Victoria hesitated, her expression conflicted. "I… I don’t know."
This was already far beyond anything she was accustomed to. Sacrificing the fox had been difficult enough, but a person? The thought made her stomach churn.
Yet, the old Victoria—the one who had never been touched by demonic energy—would have found this idea unthinkable. But the energy was already working its way into her mind, warping her sense of morality. And William’s influence was undeniable.
Victoria didn’t respond that day. She spent hours lost in thought, unable to focus on her classes or anything else. Her mind raced with questions: Is this the right thing to do? Can I really go through with this? By the next day, after a sleepless night, she finally gave William her answer.
"I’m in," she said, her voice steady but resolute. "Do we have to leave the school right away? If I’m going to leave eventually, it’s better to do it now—before I get too attached to this place."
Despite the years of effort she had poured into earning her spot at the prestigious magic school, Victoria was willing to walk away. She was placing an immense amount of trust in William, believing he could make her stronger than the school ever could.
William, however, felt the weight of her trust pressing down on him. He had grown fond of Victoria and didn’t want to let her down. He wanted to help her become powerful, to make her father proud, and to give her the strength to explore the world on her own terms.
"Yes, it would be best to leave soon," William said, his tone apologetic. "I’m sorry it’s come to this. I know how hard you worked to get here."
To his surprise, Victoria seemed less upset than he had expected. "It’s fine," she said with a shrug. "Strength will open doors for me anywhere. And you promised to teach me things the school never could. I’m willing to take that bet. Staying here would only keep me average at best."
Once her decision was made, Victoria went to speak with the school administration. They were shocked when she announced her intention to leave, but their response brought bad news.
"I’m afraid no one is permitted to leave the school until we identify the individual responsible for that macabre ritual," the administrator said sternly. "You’ll have to remain here for the time being."
William had nearly forgotten about that complication. Of course they wouldn’t let anyone leave—not while the investigation was ongoing. He felt a pang of frustration at his own oversight.
"We’ll have to wait," Victoria said once they were alone. "But they’ll never find the culprit… because it was us. What do we do now?"
William paused, considering their options. "We have two choices," he replied mentally. "Either we find a way to pin the blame on someone else, or we escape. Which do you prefer?"
"If we escape, they’ll probably come after us, won’t they?" Victoria asked. "They’ll assume I’m the one who performed the ritual."
"Exactly," William said. "But it might be our only option. Even if we fabricate evidence to frame someone else, they have ways to detect forgeries. The investigation could drag on indefinitely, and we’d be stuck here for who knows how long."
With no other options, they had to decide whether to risk an escape.
"But how are we going to get out?" Victoria asked, her voice low. "The exits are all being watched."
"What about that tunnel we found?" William suggested. "There were other doors down there—maybe one of them leads to an exit."
It was their only lead. As night fell, Victoria made her way to the room where the weapons and armor were stored. Her heart pounded as she slipped inside, only to run into the same couple she had seen before. They recognized her immediately and exchanged puzzled glances.
"Can we help you?" the man asked, his tone polite but wary. "Are you looking for something in the storage room?"
The couple had seen her the other night, but they had no idea she knew about the secret passage. Victoria’s mind raced.
"What now? What do I do?" she asked William silently.
"We’ll have to confront them," William replied, his mental voice calm but firm. "We don’t have time to waste."
Since the ritual, security at the school had tightened. Guards were clearing the main building earlier than usual, and patrols were more frequent. Victoria knew she had to act quickly.
Taking a deep breath, she decided to take the risk. "I know about the secret passage in this room," she said, her voice steady but quiet.
The room fell silent. The couple froze, their eyes narrowing as they studied her intently. The air grew heavy with tension.