About ten minutes later, a young man in an impeccably tailored trench coat walked into the classroom. His blond hair was slicked back, and his expression was arrogant as he took his place behind the lectern.
He first swept his gaze around the classroom. Then, when his eyes fell upon the last row—where Aoko and Touko were seated—he froze.
Kenneth El-Melloi Archibald's expression stiffened slightly.
Though it was difficult to believe, a mage of Kenneth's caliber had already identified exactly what the two young girls sitting there were.
That intense sense of otherness—the powerful rejection emanating from the Counter Force—was a "difference" that only a mage of at least Kenneth's level could perceive.
A "Law" that stood opposed to the world, the ultimate bearer of Mystery, was sitting in his classroom, waiting for him to teach.
Kenneth suddenly felt his throat go dry. He loosened his collar, picked up the cup of water on the lectern, unscrewed it, and took a sip to calm himself.
Young woman, magic, East Asian.
From those three elements, Kenneth deduced her identity. She had to be Aoko Aozaki, the central figure in the widely discussed succession dispute over the Fifth Magic some time ago.
Kenneth had always admired Touko Aozaki, the "egg of a Magician" who had once studied at the Clock Tower. Though he was not familiar with Touko Aozaki, Kenneth believed that since she was a genius and he was also a genius, it was only natural for geniuses to appreciate one another.
However, ever since Touko Aozaki had fled and been placed under a Sealing Designation, she had vanished from Kenneth's sight.
After that, he heard a few rumors coming out of Northern Europe, but Kenneth had not taken them to heart. Instead, he refocused on his research.
He had heard