Chapter 22: Three Seconds

The clock hit an exact nine, and the doors to the magic tower seventh lecture hall on the forty-seventh floor slid open. In came professor Isaac von Episteme Athenus, and behind him the Teaching Assistant Valeri il Roses.

The students bloomed into bright smiles after seeing Valeria for the first time in a long while, and then remembered that she was just as stern and strict as Isaac, and dried up liked used flowers. The life of students was tough.

Strangely enough, though, their professor was not staring at them for now but looking out at the window.

He looked outside for three seconds and then turned back to the students.

"Valeria, please take the attendance at the end. You may take a seat as well."

The students all had their jaws on the ground. Especially Yerha, whose face was as pale as someone who had seen a ghost being dragged down to the underworld by Hades himself.

Three seconds late? Their professor, whose presence usually made stopwatches suicidal, whose name scholars considered replacing with the term 'punctuality' was starting their class an entire three seconds late?

"Understood, thank you, professor."

The unimaginable scene was nigh ignored by the culprit himself as both he and the TA moved to their usual.

Of course, Valeria couldn't become a teaching assistant without any effort from her own end. She had already graduated as a tactical battle wizard from the magic tower at the same age as Isaac and was now attending his lectures to pursue a doctorate in magical tools and enchantment. Not without reason, she was well on her way to presenting a thesis for new tactical battle-magic spells that integrated Isaac's expertise in these fields.

That did not matter to the other students, though.

As soon as Valeria took a seat and Isaac's psychokinesis set his chalks flying up to the air, Yerha and a few others leaned closer to the silver-haired teaching assistant and whispered.

"Miss Valeria, did the sun rise from the right direction today? Were you able to check?"

"Excuse me?" Valeria asked back.

"You know, the professor stared outside the window for three seconds straight!" whispered Carl, the student that was older than his professor. "How in the world does that make sense?"

"Ah," Valeria nodded. The students winced slightly, fearing her hiss that was as venomous as a snake's, but it never came. Valeria instead turned a solemn look toward the window herself and placed a hand on her chest.

"It's a sickness of the heart that our professor suffers from. He should be back to normal soon, though. Guilt can't weigh much on a man of his caliber."

"Oh, does that mean you acknowledge him, Miss Valeria?"

"Hah! I will never acknowledge bastards that waste their talent!"

Today too, the students were just as confused about Valeria as she was about herself.

The class proceeded smoothly. And so did the next one with undergraduate students. Lastly, the report with the faculty was also prepared well. Though none other noticed, the three-second delay remained throughout the day.

As soon as the needles of the clocks hit their next checkpoint, Isaac deemed it time to leave his office and begin his plan. A master plan that he had dubbed stalking the stalker.

He put on his trench coat, donned his hat, brought out a black neck gaiter, and strapped it over his face.

The clothes were made and so was the man. The stoic stone-cold wizard had turned now into a creepy stoic stone-cold wizard.

"Professor, can I truly not accompany you?" Valeria muttered. "I want to see! I really want to see!"

"Sit back, Valeria. I will ensure that our mission is fulfilled."

Leaving those words, Isaac stepped out of his office.

"Professor! At least look normal as you leave! Professor!"

Isaac muttered an apology to Valeria in his heart and set off. His small wand came swooping out of his bag and with two twirls and a tap, he had disappeared from the Magic tower.

***

Outside the windows of the Kaiser estate in the capital city, a young man in long robes and a lion mask sat atop a tree. What lion climbed trees, he wondered, but dared not speak up for now.

He gave one last glance at the windows.

And yup, the drapes were still closed.

"Yet again, I didn't find anything," the lion mask muttered.

He didn't hear.

He didn't hear the words far behind him, the menacing words that would have crawled down his back like a stray droplet of water went unnoticed today.

"Found you…" that voice said.