One hour earlier.
Of course, Greg had not come unprepared for what might happen tonight.
Quite the opposite: he had planned ahead, leaving the Dungeon camp early and stealthily making his way to the girls' dormitory area. There, he settled into a corner thick with vegetation, where he could watch a particular section of the dormitory building without being easily spotted.
The night breeze was cool, carrying the fresh scent of plants from the Academy gardens.
Only scattered lights shone in the distant dormitory building. Most windows had already gone dark, with just a few still lit. Faint laughter and conversation from students staying up late drifted on the breeze.
Greg leaned against a thick ornamental tree, his figure almost completely blending into the trunk's shadow. His amber eyes remained sharply fixed on his target, like a nocturnal hunter waiting for his chance.
Although he did not know exactly where Associate Professor Audrey was hiding before the incident began, or what final preparations she was making, the script had made her course of action tonight perfectly clear to him:
Once Sylvia was sound asleep, Audrey would use low-level wind magic to slip silently through her bedroom window from outside, then drug her into unconsciousness and take her away.
As for why Greg would rather go to the trouble of lying in wait now than take a more efficient approach-
Why not find Associate Professor Audrey during the day, subdue her on the spot, and force her to turn traitor and abandon the plan?
Of course, Greg had his reasons for not doing that.
Attacking an associate professor of the Academy without cause-even one harboring malicious intentions-would change the entire nature of his actions if she had yet to commit her crime and he had no solid evidence.
Instead of someone