9:30 PM.
Darc left the library, sat for a short while in the common room, then returned to his dorm.
Bath.
A brief rest.
A glass of milk.
Sleep.
There was no helping it—this was simply the plain, orderly life of a top student.
He had never imagined he could develop habits like this. Truly, people only grow when pushed to the brink.
To ensure healthy development, Darc strictly maintained eight hours of sleep each day.
Early to bed. Early to rise.
Recently, he found himself wondering: If the demon blood were ever completely removed, would I go back to my old lifestyle?
The answer… wasn't certain.
But probably not by much.
Once habits are formed, maintaining them becomes far easier than forming them in the first place.
Darc had started to feel that this life wasn't bad at all.
Except for the invisible chains tightening around his mind.
And now, he wanted to remove that pressure.
6:00 AM.
Darc entered the common room with a copy of The Grand Sage Daily and prepared to enjoy breakfast delivered by his Little Devil while reading the paper.
Footsteps came from the stairwell.
Unusual.
At this hour, the common room was normally his private sanctuary.
Two first-years emerged, half-awake, already changed out of uniforms.
No need to guess—they were heading to Traveler's Street early.
Understandable. First weekend access.
Darc returned to his paper, stirring sugar into his milk.
"Morning, Darc."
"Morning."
"Morning, Lenqin. Sewart."
They exchanged greetings and went their separate ways.
Outside the tower:
Lenqin whispered, "He wakes up this early every day?"
Sewart nodded. "No wonder he's always ahead of us. Diligence really pays off."
"Maybe we should work harder too?"
"Yeah."
"…We'll enjoy the weekend first. Starting Monday, we grind!"
"Deal!"
Little Devil fluttered back and cheerfully repeated their conversation.
Darc smiled wryly.
The classic 'I'll start tomorrow.'
Always pushing the hard things into the future.
But then he thought—
If he didn't have demon blood forcing him into discipline…
He might be exactly the same.
"Everything has two sides."
He sipped his milk.
Sweet.
Meeting Professor Kazel
卡泽尔教授 was a kindly old man.
A master alchemist from Merlin's era, one of the last of his kind.
His class was beloved—far more engaging than the two fairy professors' lectures.
Darc found him in the lab.
"Dimon? What brings you here?"
"What are you working on, Professor?"
Kazel beamed, stirring a massive pot of pumpkin paste.
"I'm preparing Jack Pumpkins!"
Darc blinked. "But Halloween is still a month away!"
"Preparation is my life motto," Kazel laughed.
Darc easily borrowed the key to the adjacent lab.
He had become such a model student that professors rarely questioned him.
His reason: practice making emotion cards.
The professor even offered to supervise.
Darc politely declined.
He locked the lab door behind him.
Inside were rows of materials—mostly basic, but sufficient for emotion cards.
He laid everything out carefully.
Today's goal:
His first refined emotion card.
Brewing the Potion — "Voice of Joy"
This potion caused the drinker to laugh happily.
It didn't create happiness.
But it could simulate the emotional signature of joy.
Used as magical "ink."
If the maker focused on happy thoughts while using it, the effect strengthened.
Darc brewed the pale green liquid exactly as described in the textbook.
He filled his magic pen with it and painted the entire blank card green.
Green was pleasing.
His mood lifted slightly.
Then came the paste made from auxiliary materials, forming a transparent film over the card.
And then the arrays:
7 — initial imprint18 — energy lock21, 33, 34 — energy cycle13 — refinement9 — amplification
The process was intricate. The arrays overlapped in precise ways.
One mistake ruined the whole thing.
His first attempt failed.
The second succeeded.
The door opened.
Kazel stepped in, face smeared with pumpkin paste.
He stared at the card in shock.
"Oh heavens… I thought you were making a simple emotion card!"
Advance Chapters available on Patreon
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