A teleportation magic circle suddenly took shape inside an empty corridor.
The next second, two figures appeared from the magic circle.
The first one was a woman that seemed in her thirties, with blood-red eyes and long black hair that fell until her waist.
The second one was a young man younger than twenty, with scarlet hair and deep red eyes. He was looking at the woman with a helpless expression, after all, the woman had grabbed his hand and teleported the two of them here without telling him in advance.
The two people were, of course, the headmistress and I.
Once we appeared in the corridor, the headmistress put on an excited expression and walked forward while pulling my hand.
I shook my head helplessly. Well, I'm also curious about what she wants to show me.
"Headmistress, where is it?" I asked while looking around curiously. I could see that we were in a kind of underground structure. The walls were made of square mithril blocks, that if I'm not wrong, were enchanted with disruption magic. The structure was lit up with magic stones located every few meters and emitting dim light. It gave this place a mysterious feeling.
"We call this place, 'The Maze'. It's the most closely guarded secret of the institute, only known to a few people each generation. Not even the emperor knows about it."
"Huh? Then, is it alright showing it to me?" I asked.
"Don't worry, there is a reason for it. Come with me, I'll introduce you to someone."
I suppressed my curiosity and followed behind the headmistress. Meanwhile, I canceled the spell that turned my hair and eyes red.
The headmistress looked at me for a moment before giving a sigh. "… Such an exquisite spell. Where you learned it?"
"From a book." I lied without changing my expression. "More than a magic spell though, it's a magic trick, not enough to enter in the headmistress's eyes."
The headmistress looked at me with eyes full of suspicion, but when she saw I was not going to explain, she snorted and moved her gaze away.
"… Stingy." She whispered in an almost inaudible voice. I think it's better if I pretend that I did not hear anything.
After walking for a few minutes, the mithril corridor ended and in front of us appeared a giant wooden door, also enchanted with multiple protective spells.
A complicate magic circle appeared on the headmistress' right hand. It then flashed with a bright white light and entered inside the door.
One second later, the door opened.
Inside, a giant library-like room appeared.
"Welcome to the Secret Library. The place where all the knowledge the academy has accumulated during hundreds of years had been collected." The headmistress said with elegance and pride.
I could not help but whistle in surprise. The number of books inside this place could be counted in the tens of thousands.
"Magic, martial arts, skill, spells, records, and researches. This library has everything. I assure you that this is the biggest library in the entire world."
"Very impressive."
"Right? You are very fortunate. Currently, only three people have the right to enter here, you are the fourth. Now follow me to meet someone. Also, remember to show him due respect."
I nodded. Soon, we reached a smaller room that seemed like the bedroom of someone.
There, an old man was seated while holding a book on his hands.
"Master." The headmistress bowed deeply to the old man.
… But the old man did not answer.
"… Master?" The headmistress spoke again.
However, the old man continued without answering.
Soon, however, we heard soft and even sounds of breathing coming from him.
The headmistress's expression froze.
Gritting her teeth, she walked towards the old man and pulled his ear. "Master!"
"Huh? Huuh? Little Eva?" The old man woke up startled. He then looked at the headmistress and rubbed his eyes sleepily. "What are you doing here?"
The headmistress tried her best to prevent her cheeks from twitching. "I brought someone here." She then pointed to me.
Instantly, the demeanor of the old man changed.
His body straightened on the chair and his gaze turned sharp. When he noticed my hair and eyes, his expression became doubtful.
"The imperial family?"
"Don't worry, master, he is trustworthy. He is not the current heir to the throne. Also, his relationship with the emperor is pretty bad."
"Oh? The child of little Silna?" The old man instantly deduced my origins.
The headmistress fell silent.
The old man wrinkled his brows for a moment, before finally shaking his head. "Whatever, you are the current headmistress. It's your decision who you bring here."
"Many thanks, master."
"However, does he have the qualification to be here?" The old man asked with a serious expression.
"Check his cultivation." Replied the headmistress.
The old man put on a doubtful expression but followed the headmistress's advice. I frowned briefly, but in the end, I decided to let the old man see it.
The next second, his expression changed.
"Impossible!"
"… Crazy, right?" The headmistress smiled wryly.
The old man's eyes trembled. He quickly ran towards me and tried to grab my hand. I frowned and took a step back. I'm sorry, I don't want to be touched by an unknown old man.
The old man noticed my movement and froze on his steps. The next second, he let out a bitter chuckle and went back to his chair.
"Sorry about it, I was too excited seeing such a young beyond-twelfth-layer practitioner."
I accepted his apology. "Don't worry about it."
The old man looked at me again and sighed. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Samuel Barstool, a twelfth-layer mage, and the previous headmaster of the imperial academy."