Max stepped out of the classroom the moment the door shut behind him and let out a breath like he had just escaped a psychological ambush.

"She’s unbearable."

He said it out loud, with absolutely no attempt at subtlety.

"I’m glad to know I’m not the only one who thinks so."

Max turned his head.

Seraphine was still leaning a few metres further down the corridor against one of the walls, arms crossed, wearing an expression of complete distrust.

The mage raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Honestly, I thought I was exaggerating."

Max walked over to her.

"No. Definitely not."

He crossed his arms as well.

"There’s something about that woman that makes me uncomfortable."

Seraphine nodded.

"I couldn’t explain it precisely."

She looked towards the closed classroom door.

"But her presence feels... wrong."

Max sighed.

Seraphine let out a small laugh.

"Maybe she’s just unpleasant."

"That doesn’t help."

Both of them fell silent for a few seconds.

Then, almost at the same time, they both looked towards the door.

Max spoke first.

"We shouldn’t leave Elanor alone with her."

Seraphine smiled faintly.

"You took the words right out of my mouth."

Max leaned his back against the wall.

"Then we stay near the classroom."

"Just in case."

Seraphine did the same beside him.

The corridor fell into relative silence.

Only the distant murmurs of the castle could be heard and, occasionally, Thara’s voice faintly carrying through the door.

At first, Max tried to ignore it.

Then he clearly heard:

"Public perception is important, Princess."

Max narrowed his eyes.

Seraphine raised an eyebrow too.

From inside, Thara’s voice continued, clear and perfectly professional.

"The other capitals do not look favourably upon the heir of Eldoria having her own pet as a fiancé."

Max felt a vein start pulsing in his forehead.

"Excuse me?"

Seraphine let out air through her nose, clearly trying not to laugh.

Thara kept speaking.

"It doesn’t matter that he won your hand legitimately."

She said it loudly.

"He is still a being from another world."

She gestured towards the door.

"And if even the Princess has fallen this far..."

Max pushed himself off the wall immediately.

"Okay, no."

He pointed at the door like he was about to declare war.

"I am not allowing this."

Seraphine grabbed him by the arm before he could move forward.

"Max."

"I’m going in."

"You are not going in."

"She’s insulting me in real time."

Seraphine was already laughing now.

"I know."

"And she called me a pet again."

"That is technically accurate."

Max looked at her in horror.

"Whose side are you on?"

"No one’s."

Her smile widened slightly.

"I’m just saying perhaps letting the Princess have her lesson in peace is the more mature option."

Max glared at the door like he wanted to set it on fire with his mind.

"That woman does not understand the meaning of peace."

Seraphine let out a quiet laugh.

"Probably not."

Max sighed and leaned against the wall again.

Starting a diplomatic argument with his girlfriend’s new politics teacher was probably not the best use of his energy.

Although it was tempting.

Very tempting.

A few more seconds passed.

Then Seraphine suddenly spoke.

"By the way."

Max looked at her.

"Don’t you have some new mission I can help with?"

He frowned.

"You could say that, yes."

"How can I help?"

The mage tilted her head slightly.

"Whatever you need..."

Max blinked.

Right.

Between Thara, Elanor, and his growing urge to commit diplomatic crimes, he had completely forgotten about the other thing.

"Oh."

He ran a hand through his hair.

"Yeah."

He lowered his voice on instinct.

"I need to figure out who’s performing summoning rituals for beings from other worlds."

Seraphine raised both eyebrows.

"That sounds oddly specific."

"Because it is."

Max sighed.

"I was just talking to the King and Dorian."

He quickly explained everything about the burned warehouse, the hidden room, and the strange creatures with metal and lights integrated into their bodies.

Seraphine listened in silence.

Her expression became serious.

"That is concerning."

"Very."

Max crossed his arms.

"If someone is summoning things from other worlds, I need to find them."

He didn’t add the rest.

That literally the fate of the entire world depended on it.

Minor details.

Seraphine remained thoughtful for a few seconds.

Then she spoke.

"Perhaps I can help."

Max looked up.

"Yeah?"

She nodded.

"I have a magical residue map."

Max blinked.

"A what?"

"An enchanted map."

She said it as though it were the most normal thing in the world.

"It tracks fluctuations and residual traces of high-level magic throughout the kingdom."

Max’s eyes widened slightly.

"That exists?"

Seraphine smiled with a hint of satisfaction.

"I am the most powerful mage in Eldoria."

She pointed at herself.

"I like having useful toys."

That sounded incredibly cool.

"It could help us locate patterns of anomalous magic," she continued.

"Especially if these rituals are using unusual energy."

Max looked at her like she had just offered him access to a sacred relic.

"Where is it?"

Seraphine smiled faintly.

"In my room."

Max felt a very specific and deeply nerdy part of his brain activate violently.

Seraphine’s room.

The most powerful mage in Eldoria.

That meant magical books.

Relics.

Artefacts.

Possibly enchanted weapons.

Extremely rare potions.

Forbidden scrolls.

Ridiculously collectible objects.

His mind was already moving far too fast.

’Oh my god’.

He imagined taking photos of absolutely everything.

Posting them on his old forum.

’Visited the Wand of Eldoria’s room and survived.’

The comments would explode.

It would be premium content.

Max looked back at Seraphine with genuine excitement.

"I’m in."

The answer came out way too fast.

Seraphine stared at him silently for a few seconds.

Then she smiled with obvious amusement.

"I didn’t think it would be that easy to convince you to leave this awkward situation."

Max pointed towards the classroom door.

"I don’t care."

Then pointed at himself.

"I’m about to see the personal magical artefacts of the Wand of Eldoria."

Seraphine laughed.

"Well then."

She shook her head.

"You’re much easier to manipulate than I expected."

"Yeah, well."

Max shrugged.

"We all have weaknesses."

He pointed towards the classroom again.

"Yours seems to be distrusting unbearable teachers."

"And yours is clearly shiny objects."

"Correct."

Seraphine finally pushed herself off the wall.

"Then follow me."

She started walking down the corridor.

Max gave one last glance towards the closed classroom door.

He could still faintly hear Thara lecturing about diplomacy, public image, and other advanced forms of psychological torture.

He sighed.

’Sorry, Elanor.’ 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

He thought with a mixture of guilt and relief.

’Survive.’

Then he turned on his heel and followed Seraphine with almost childish enthusiasm.

Because yes, they were probably investigating a dangerously serious interdimensional threat.

But first...

He was about to enter the room of the most powerful mage in the kingdom.