Second Among His Cohort

Inside Witch Sophia's office.

Witch Sophia raised an eyebrow in surprise. "You're saying that Wizard Apprentices from the Blood Curse Court ambushed you on the only route you could take back to the school?"

Locke nodded. "Yes, Teacher."

Witch Sophia frowned. "Then this is very complicated. For them to ambush you in advance, they must have known you accepted the Magical Plant Investigation assignment. Only then could they calculate when you would return."

"But Advisor Francis assigned that mission directly through me."

"That's not quite right. Advisor Francis issued this mission through the assistant at his side, so there was still a possibility of information leakage."

Witch Sophia said, "The Blood Curse Court must have a deeply hidden spy network within Lilith's Cottage. I'll report this matter to the Academy's upper ranks."

"Locke, don't leave the school headquarters for the time being."

"I'll apply to the Academy's upper ranks for special protection for you. During that period, you won't need to fulfill the Academy's mandatory work assignments."

"You were recently targeted for assassination, and now you're a First-Class Wizard Apprentice. The Academy will place great importance on you, so it should be approved."

"You've only just become a First-Class Wizard Apprentice. You need time to improve your spellcasting abilities."

Witch Sophia tossed a document to Locke. "During this time, you can spend Magic Stones on private lessons and learn the next three spells in the Vine Frenzy series."

"As for spells, learn whatever you see fit."

"Since you have Rotten Soil Konjac and Clivia, I recommend spending Magic Stones on private lessons to learn the Cantrip Model [Oyster Flower Cannon] and the Cantrip Model [Armed Plants]."

"Next Wednesday, I'll have enough time to tell you how to proceed along the path from First-Class Wizard Apprentice to Formal Wizard."

Witch Sophia