Arin spent the night practicing with his Blood Energy. He didn't do anything major, making sure not to trigger the senses of a certain student. Instead, he focused on refining his Aura Skill, carefully shaping and stabilizing it.
He released just a small amount of his Aura, keeping it contained around himself, and continuously altered its form. This was valuable training, as it helped increase his control over his Blood Energy.
After finishing his practice, Arin adjusted his uniform before slipping on the bracelet—Roxanne in disguise.
He glanced at Seraphine, who was already preparing for her own personal training.
"Make sure you don't come out," Arin said as he opened the door.
"Understood," Seraphine replied, flashing him a cheeky grin.
Arin closed the door behind him and left the dorm building, making his way toward the structure reserved for teachers.
Every teacher had their own office in this building, where they kept books, personal items, and could relax before heading home. Students were also allowed to visit if they needed to consult a teacher about something.
Arin stepped into the two-story building and climbed the stairs, entering a hallway.
There were seven offices in total, each door marked with the name of the teacher it belonged to.
'I can consider this a risk,' Arin thought. 'But I have to do it. I need to understand what's going on.'
With that, he advanced down the hall, scanning the names on the doors. When he reached the fifth one, he found what he was looking for—"Riya Windham."
Just as he was about to knock, a voice called out.
'That's her voice,' Arin thought. 'How did she know I was standing here?'
Though he wasn't too surprised. He knew that Mages and Warriors who had reached at least the Grade 4 Star Rank could use their Mana for things .
Without hesitation, Arin opened the door and stepped inside.
Riya was seated at her desk, surrounded by stacks of books.
She smiled as she watched him walk forward, stopping near the second chair beside the table.
Then, without warning, she stood up. Her smile remained as she stared at Arin.
"I knew you would come."
Arin furrowed his brows in confusion, but before he could say anything, Riya suddenly dropped to one knee and lowered her head.
"Riya Windham greets Master Arin."
Arin kept his expression neutral, but inwardly, he was stunned.
'What? I knew there was something off about Miss Riya, especially with the way she looked at me and the things she said, but…' Arin thought. 'I didn't expect this.'
Despite his shock, he maintained his composure and spoke calmly.
"Can you explain what is going on?"
"I know this must be confusing," Riya said, "but I'll explain everything."
Before she could begin, Arin interrupted.
"And… stand up," he whispered.
The way she was kneeling made him feel weird. If she started explaining things like that, it would feel even weirder.
Riya nodded and stood up, then gestured toward the chair.
"Please, take a seat."
Arin glanced at the chair, then nodded before sitting down. Riya followed suit, settling into her own seat.
"First of all," she began, "I've been waiting for you to come. You took longer than I expected."
"What I mean is, I knew you would eventually grow suspicious after all the confusing things I've told you," Riya continued. "So I knew you would confront me sooner or later."
"I see…" Arin said. "Then clear up my confusion."
"I'm a servant of the Great One, and my task is to help you."
Arin narrowed his eyes.
'Great One…? I have a feeling it's the same being who helped me resist Seraphine's soul and gave me information about Alex's ritual.'
'Their name is always unreadable whenever it appears on the system screen.'
"Their name is always impossible to read on the screen."
Arin frowned. It was as if she had read his mind. But apart from that…
'She knows about the screen? Maybe this Great One really is the one who created it,' Arin thought.
That was the only plausible explanation.
His expression turned serious as he fixed his gaze on Riya.
"First, who is this Great One? And second, how do you know about the screen?"
"Even I can't comprehend who he is," Riya said. "Trust me, he exists on a level beyond anyone's understanding."
"As for the screen," she continued, "I only used it once to receive an item from the Great One. After that, it disappeared."
Arin clenched his fist.
"Beyond comprehension, huh? Then how did you become a servant of this Great One?"
"Because he showed me hope," Riya answered.
Then, she spoke words that caught Arin completely off guard.
"Alex killed my mother and brother....."
'That wasn't in the novel,' Arin thought.
There had always been hints that Alex had killed people, but this meant Riya's family was among his victims.
"I believe you already know about the ritual," Riya said.
Arin wanted to confirm something, so he asked,
"How sure are you that Alex was the one who killed your family?"
Riya took a deep breath.
"This happened a year ago. I'll start with the small details I consider evidence," she said. "As I believe, even the smallest observation shouldn't be ignored."
"First, my brother once told me that when he went to the market, Alex was there. As usual, people started praising him—he's well-known in the Kingdom, after all. But for some reason, Alex kept glancing at my brother.
"It was a crowded place," Riya added, "so he thought maybe he was overthinking it. But he swore Alex was looking at him."
Arin listened intently. This wasn't what he was waiting for, but he kept paying attention.
"A few days later, I noticed Alex passing by our house," Riya continued. "I had never seen him take that route before, yet suddenly, he was passing by at least once a day."
Arin furrowed his brows.
"It wasn't long after that that my mother and brother went missing," Riya said. "And when their bodies were brought back, they refused to let me and my sister see them."
'Exactly,' Arin thought.
This was what he had wanted to hear. It was the same thing that had happened to Tessa—her parents' bodies were hidden from her.
'This alone proves Alex was the one who killed them,' Arin thought.
"And that's not all," Riya continued. "I noticed that it was always the same group of people who brought back the bodies of those who had died. And every time, the families weren't allowed to see the bodies."
Riya clenched her fists, her voice tinged with anger.
"But my final confirmation came from the Great One. I was asleep one night when I suddenly woke up to a blinding light," she said. "It was so bright that I couldn't open my eyes. And then… I heard his voice.
"He showed me how Alex killed them—how he performed the ritual, blackening their blood and absorbing it."
Arin remained silent.
He had been shown the same thing. He could have chosen not to believe it, but even when reading the novel, there had always been hints that Alex was not the hero people thought he was. He was involved in something unthinkable—something destructive.
But most readers of Humanity's Strongest Mage didn't care how he even got his powers. As long as Alex remained strong, got all the girls, and was admired by everyone, that was all that mattered to them.
Arin narrowed his eyes.
'I just know it… Under that fake hero act, he will eventually bring ruin to this world.'
'But I'll stand in his way…'
A grin crept onto Arin's face.
'I might as well cause Chaos while stopping him…'