The Ancient Castle was silent.
Only Ian's footsteps echoed softly through the Stone Corridor. The wall lamps scattered throughout the castle cast gently swaying shadows, illuminating the tiny dust motes floating in the air.
Ian stood before the oak door to Teacher Morgan's bedroom.
His fingertips brushed over the intricate runes carved into the door.
The ancient patterns glowed faintly blue at his touch before quickly returning to stillness. A yellowed piece of parchment was pasted to the door, especially conspicuous in the dim light.
Ian tore the parchment down.
His gaze fell upon it.
Teacher Morgan's sharp handwriting came into view.
"Out temporarily. Do not wait. If anything comes up, deal with it yourself—remember, do not enter my bedroom. It is dangerous inside." Brief, direct, and without a single unnecessary word—this was the typical style of a bad witch.
There was even a small warning symbol drawn beneath the note. Clearly, she was worried he would ignore that final reminder. The familiar tone made him feel as though he could see his teacher frowning as she wrote those words.
"Am I the kind of person who just casually enters someone else's bedroom? I'm not!" Ian asked and answered himself. After taking a closer look, he found that the bedroom had been protected by tightly woven defensive spells.
Teacher Morgan did not seem like the delicate, reserved sort. Perhaps there really was something dangerous in the room. After carefully folding the note and slipping it into his pocket, Ian lay on the ground.
Of course, he would not enter someone else's room, but that did not mean he could not peek through the crack beneath the door—this was not some special talent. The gap was so wide that it clearly served the same purpose as a peephole.
As he mentally