Know your enemy and know yourself, and you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.


    Also, it is said that even a lion, king of beasts, gives its all when hunting a single rabbit.


    Though I was a snake rather than a lion, it was no different.


    Obern Grimoire.


    Even after learning that this handsome and cold-looking blonde man was actually clumsy unlike his appearance, it remained the same.


    I observed him patiently.


    The more I thought about it, the situation seemed better.


    Honestly, how could I freely handle a perfect young genius professor (cold, magical genius)?


    When I shared my honest thoughts with Pelerian.


    "Though I hate to say this about myself. Am I not exactly the image that foolish human wishes to fabricate...?"


    Pelerian asked in such a serious tone that I was taken aback.


    "Even my fake identity in my youth was an excellent member of the Imperial Academy, and I obtained mage qualification within 5 years of learning magic. Wouldn''t I be the very model he''s trying to imitate?"


    ''Ah...''


    "Yet I don''t understand how you treat me so carelessly without a trace of fear while being ufortable with such things."


    I had nothing to say.


    Actually, I had too much to say but couldn''t - that was the problem.


    If I spoke honestly, Pelerian might get hurt, and if there''s a problem, it''s that this snake''s heart is too warm and soft.


    ''Anyway, this is rather fortunate.''


    From my observations of Obern Grimoire.


    He was a person with remarkable acting skills.


    He could have been hugely sessful if he''d gone into acting instead of magic, why did he needlessly walk the path of magic?


    Whether entering a magic tower or stepping into academia like Obern, mages are essentially schrs and researchers.


    Though how they live differs by disposition - Obern must have been the ambitious type.


    It must have been unavoidable.


    He was the child of a fallen noble family.


    The eldest son died getting beaten by thugs after falling into gambling.


    His sister luckily married well but cut contact with her family after their house fell.


    Though it had been long since the family fell and lost their territory, their spending habits couldn''t easily decrease.


    Obern''s mother copsed with tuberculosis, and his father lived drowning in alcohol.


    Naturally, the couple''s hopes focused on their brilliant youngest, Obern.


    At that time, young Obern''s eyes sparkled with intelligence.


    Wherever he went, he was called a genius.


    Perhaps he learned how to package himself from then.


    Maybe he had fragments of genius at that time.


    ''First, he talks to himself a lot!''


    Obern often muttered to himself when alone.


    Mostly regretful words like "Ah, I shouldn''t have done that then."


    I felt close to him since we were simr.


    "I shouldn''t have gone to study abroad then..."


    Obern left for the Empire to study before he even grew a beard.


    It seems his genius began to fade around that time.


    After that, he built a stone tower of pretense and deception.


    He took stones from below to stack above, usurped others'' achievements to make them his own.


    It was a fake myth built with natural looks, eloquence, and presence.


    Running like that, he reached a point of no return before he knew it.


    If even one thing is discovered, his life''s entire stone tower would copse.


    He would at least go to prison, and might get his head cut off by powers who feel they were deceived.


    Obern Grimoire, who became afraid of this, returned home almost like he was fleeing.


    The Emerald School professorship was his hope.


    Even if Obern''s academic level was a bit low, it would be enough to teach young students.


    At least, he seemed to think so.


    But how could a life built on lies go smoothly?


    Though Obern appeared perfect on the outside, he was rotting inside.


    That young conman was eroded by anxiety.


    He has nightmares every day and drinks alcohol every night to suppress his anxiety.


    I watched him for a long time, looking for an opening.


    As a terrifying snake.


    I would bite that pitiful conman''s heart and inject poison.


    After staying in darkness like that for several days.


    On the night of Evolution Day 29, one day beforepletion.


    ''Be my ve!''


    I caught my chance.


    ==


    Obern held a ss whiskey tumbler in his hand.


    The amber liquid inside.


    Somehow it looked like premium whiskey, but it was actually cheap rum you could buy for a few coins.


    Cheap liquor that was aged with oak chips to extract only color and scent, sharp like being stabbed when drunk.


    Obern drank it.


    Music andughter from downstairs faintly brushed his ears.


    ''Yes, if I just get the professorship...''


    But he had no confidence.


    What if that Director Bnyar observes?


    That superhuman would see through Obern''s mask in an instant.


    Then it''s over. He would fall instantly.


    As anxiety surged, his hands trembled.


    He unconsciously dropped the ss he was holding.


    Crash-


    The ss should have broken.


    The cheap whiskey should have soaked the carpet.


    But it didn''t.


    The ss was frozen just before hitting the floor.


    Suspended, tilted.


    Was he hallucinating from drinking too much?


    For a moment, Obern thought so.


    But then the ss floated up and returned to the table.


    From here, his spine couldn''t help but chill.


    The pen on the table floated up and started writing by itself on the notepad.


    「Poor, oh poor Grimoire.」


    His mind snapped to rity.


    If not hallucination, clearly someone was sending Obern a written message.


    「No matter how far you run. You will be disgraced and everything will be exposed. Death chases you. Run to the end, Grimoire.」


    His breathing grew rough.


    Obern inhaled very slowly.


    It was an instinctive act to hide his disturbed breathing.


    Is someone writing with magic?


    Are they watching, perhaps eavesdropping.


    Obern opened his mouth.


    "What an insolent one. How dare such a worthless thing threaten me?"


    His voice didn''t tremble at all.


    It matched the tone of the arrogant genius Obern, cold enough to frost over.


    When he spoke like this, no one failed to feel tense.


    But, unexpectedly.


    The windows shook and wind howled all around.


    Papapapak!


    It sounded just likeughter.


    As if the whole room was mocking Obern''s act.


    「Hahaha, you''re like a frightened bird, Grimoire. But your acting can only fool humans. I prophesy. Until the day you die soon, you will try to deceive others and miserably get your head cut off.」


    Usually Obern could have calmly continued his act.


    He was someone who maintained his mask serenely even before the Court Count and Imperial court.


    But not now.


    Someone knew Obern''s secret.


    There shouldn''t be anyone capable of that here in the kingdom, not the Empire.


    Could it be not human? Then could it be a demon?


    Has a demon appeared who sees through and mocks his deception and lies?


    Obern barely suppressed his trembling and asked.


    "...Who are you."


    「That which crawls in darkness. That which is white and ck. Controller of magic. That which defies heaven.」


    Ah.


    He forcefully gripped his trembling hands.


    Someone might be using magic to toy with Obern.