The Teacher of Budding Villains Suffers Today, Too - Chapter 91

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 91
Katie spoke with honeyed words, as though she’d coated her tongue in sugar.
She praised Rachel’s dress—which she would have criticized before—calling it beautiful, and went on about how radiant Rachel’s palace was.
‘What’s gotten into her? Something’s off.’
At this point, Rachel began to suspect that Katie had lost her mind a little.
“By the way, aren’t you busy these days, Rachel?”
“I’m hardly idle. There’s much to attend to.”
Katie was right. Rachel spent every waking hour grappling with the training of the Commoner Apprentices at the Magic Tower.
There were those with excellent Mana Manipulation but who couldn’t read—unable to study alone—and the complications went on and on. Rachel bore the weight of it all herself.
“If you’re busy, do go to the Magic Tower first. I’ll leave once I’ve finished the rest of this cake. It really is delicious.”
Katie smiled, her eyes crinkling shut as she spoke.
Rachel glanced at the time. If she didn’t head to the Magic Tower soon, she might well be late.
“Then I’ll take my leave. Enjoy your time here before you go.”
Rachel excused herself to Katie and rose from her seat, wondering what awaited her at the Magic Tower today.
The moment Rachel had fully left the palace, Katie set down her fork and picked up her teacup, which held steaming black tea.
She held the cup with an air of grace, gazing into it intently. After a moment, she let it slip rather awkwardly onto her dress hem.
“Oh!”
Katie cried out loudly.
“Are you all right, my lady?!”
The attendants standing nearby rushed forward in alarm. Katie shook her head, her brow deeply furrowed.
“I think the tea touched my thigh. If I stay like this, I might get a burn. I’d like to change into another dress.”
Katie sprang from her seat and limped out of the garden.
“Is there a spare dress available?”
There were always spare dresses. The problem was that they all belonged to Rachel. So the attendants held their tongues.
“It’s fine if I can’t change. If there’s an empty room in the palace, I’d like to check whether my skin is injured.”
Katie spoke with fervent urgency.
The attendants thought it was harmless—just checking her leg.
“Please follow me.”
The eldest attendant led Katie deeper into the palace. No one saw the faint smile that played at Katie’s lips.
* * *
“Teacher, am I doing this correctly?”
Here at the Magic Tower, Rachel was always the teacher. She instructed the Commoner Apprentices in the fundamentals of Mana Manipulation and taught them to read.
In just a week’s time, her gifted pupils had already learned to write their own names and simple sentences quite competently.
“Yes, well done. Now, shall we try pushing a little more mana into the Magic Stone?”
She was about to explain the method of mana manipulation to the apprentices in detail.
‘What…?’
Rachel felt her body resound with a deep vibration.
‘What is this?’
It was as though a great drum were thundering inside her. It was strange. Very strange indeed.
‘What?!’
It sounded again, louder than before.
Cold sweat beaded on her forehead.
‘Something’s wrong with me. This is odd.’
Rachel breathed heavily. One of the apprentices, noticing her distress, asked if she was all right.
“I’ll just step out for a moment and have some water.”
Rachel composed her expression as best she could and rose to her feet.
She made her way outside, barely steadying her breathing, and looked around. No one seemed to be about, so she thought it safe to rest a moment.
She leaned her back against the wall. Its cool surface transmitted through the fabric of her dress.
‘So refreshing…’
The cool wall and the gaze of someone watching her.
That was her last memory.
* * *
Word that Rachel Swan had collapsed reached Lucas’s ears at once. He abandoned everything and rushed to her palace.
“What on earth has happened?!”
Lucas’s expression hardened as he looked at the Imperial Physician, who was perspiring and opened his mouth with a deeply troubled face.
“Your Highness, I am most reluctant to report this, but it would appear this situation is beyond my capacity to resolve.”
“What do you mean by that?”
The physician glanced around cautiously.
“There is nothing physically wrong with her body—indeed, her health is quite good. In such circumstances, there is only one thing to suspect.”
Lucas could easily infer what came next.
“Someone’s cast Black Magic on her.”
“…By my limited understanding, that appears to be the case, Your Highness.”
“Summon the Magic Tower Master.”
Lucas didn’t hesitate for a moment. He summoned the Magic Tower Master as though he’d known all along that he would be called—and sure enough, the man appeared almost at once.
“Your Highness. You summoned me?”
“Someone’s cast Black Magic on Rachel. Have a look at her, would you.”
The Magic Tower Master examined Rachel’s condition quietly. His expression hardened, degree by degree, as he studied her body.
“There are traces of Black Magic here. Throughout the entire palace.”
Black Magic traces scattered across the whole palace? At the shocking revelation, Lucas’s brow furrowed deeply.
“Someone has certainly hidden a Magic Stone infused with Black Magic somewhere in the palace. Using a part of Rachel’s body—her hair, for instance.”
At the Magic Tower Master’s chilling words, the faces of the servants and ladies-in-waiting around them drained of color.
“This is a race against time. The sooner we find and destroy the Magic Stone, the sooner Rachel will wake.”
“Tell me.”
Lucas spoke, his expression turning cold.
“Has anything unusual happened in the palace recently? Anything different from the ordinary?”
The servants and attendants exchanged nervous glances.
“Well…”
The oldest of the servants stepped forward.
“This afternoon, Katie Tayson visited the palace, Your Highness.”
“Katie?”
“Yes, Your Highness. She and Rachel were taking tea together when she spilled her cup on the hem of her dress. She came inside the palace for a moment to address it.”
“Take us there.”
Lucas rose from his seat in a single motion. The servant bowed repeatedly and led the way.
“This is the place.”
They were brought to the Reception Hall. As they entered the hushed space, the Magic Tower Master’s expression darkened further.
“The air is thick with Magical Aura. This is certainly the place.”
“Search every inch of this room. Now.”
At Lucas’s command, the servants began tearing the Reception Hall apart. With so many working at once, the room descended into chaos in less than five minutes.
“Your Highness!”
It was then that one of the maids cried out.
“Here—there’s something here I’ve never seen before!”
“Bring it. At once.”
At Lucas’s command, the maid quickly handed over what she held.
It was a black bracelet, seemingly carved from obsidian. Wrapped tightly around it was a long strand of golden hair—Rachel’s hair.
“This is it, Your Highness the Crown Prince.”
The Magic Tower Master spoke, exhaling slowly.
“This is no ordinary object. It carries magical power rivaling that of an Ancient Beast—a dangerous thing indeed.”
At his words, the servants and attendants swallowed hard, barely concealing their tension.
“I will do my utmost to shield Rachel from harm, but I cannot say at present how far my power will extend in resolving this.”
The Magic Tower Master carefully removed Rachel’s hair from the black bracelet. Then, with a respectful bow, he turned to leave. His destination was plainly the Magic Tower.
Lucas moved as well. He went straight to Rachel’s bedside.
“Rachel.”
He called her name. But she, her face now drained of all color, could not answer.
“You’ll be all right. I swear it. I’ll do whatever it takes.”
He made her this promise. And as he did, his eyes blazed with sharper intensity than ever before.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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