I Became a Murderer in the Academy.

Inside my body, I harbor at least five pieces of the Demon Lord's fragments.

One from the Shadow Demon, another from Amy.

I absorbed two during the demon attack incident, and since this body was intended to be a seed of the Demon Lord from the beginning, it seems there’s at least one more.

"..."

Every time I swallow a fragment of the Demon Lord, I experience a peculiar feeling.

It feels as if a foreign consciousness is merging with my own, as if each fragment possesses a sentience of its own.

At first, I thought it was just my imagination—a faint whisper, nothing more.@@novelbin@@

But as I absorbed more fragments, the discomfort grew. During the Academy attack, one fragment even tried to take over my body.

In the subconscious realm, surrounded by blackness, I saw a figure with silver hair, someone who looked just like me, gazing back at me.

'...Beware of a certain wizard?'

She left me with those cryptic words before vanishing.

The subconscious realm shattered, and I returned to reality. Right in front of me stood Serthia, and I held my crimson sword.

This was only the second time I’d drawn this blade. I rarely used it because the red mana wasn’t truly mine—it was power that flowed from the Demon Lord’s fragments.

But this was Serthia—the greatest mage in the Empire's long history.

I couldn’t afford to hold back. For the first time, I felt a sense of tension before a battle.

"..."

I steadied the sword in my hand. The crimson mana spread outward, exuding a dark, foreboding aura.

No matter how powerful she was, she was still a mage.