I looked down at my hand to see a small bottle. It was half filled with a shimmering green liquid.

It was the potion that Harry bought at the marketplace.

Before leaving the villa, I had asked him if I could have it and he happily handed it over. 

I looked up and in front of me was the merchant who sold Harry the potion.

He stood there in silence with his eyes glowing purple, awaiting my command.

I held up the green potion. 

“I want you to stop selling these.” 

“Yes, master...”

“However, I want you to keep buying it from the supplier. Just have it stored until I ask for it.”

“Yes, master...”

The merchant responded with clouded purple eyes. Just as I hoped, Faye used a stronger mind spell than the one used on Saul.

‘If this merchant stops buying from Gaubold, he’ll just find another merchant.’

In order to stop this potion from getting out, this was the best way.

Grumble

I heared a loud sound from my stomach, reminding me that I hadn't eaten or slept for a while.

I walked down the streets and I stopped at the first Inn that I saw. 

Creak

The inside of the inn was old but clean.

Tables lined up on the sides, where I could see a few customers eating.

Straight ahead was a counter where the Inn owner was standing. 

“To stay or to eat?”

The inn owner was a middle aged woman, wearing a bandana over her head.

“Both.”

“Alright, for 1 night it's 2 silvers and food you can pay after you eat.” 

“I’ll stay 5 nights for now.” 

I grabbed a gold coin from my pouch and put it down on the counter. 

“…” 

The owner looked at the coin for a moment.

“Ha… wait a minute, I’ll get your change.”

She turned around and went into the back door. When she came back out, she was carrying a pouch 5 times the size of mine. 

“Here’s 99 silvers, and this is your key. The rooms on the second floor to the right.”

The owner placed the pouch and key on the counter.

Thud

“…” 

It would seem the lady Dacre gave me more than I expected. 

Or perhaps this was a small amount for a noble.

I grabbed the pouch with both arms, struggling to pick it up.

When suddenly the weight became as light as a feather.

I looked at the glowing Faye.

‘Thank you.’

I picked up the pouch with just my left hand and the key with my right. 

I went up the stairs and found my room. The inside was surprisingly nice.

There was a decent sized bed on the right, a desk on the left, and a closet next to the desk.

By the bed, was an open window that allowed fresh air into the room. 

I placed the pouch of coins on top of the desk, and sat down on the bed. 

Growl

My stomach made a sound again, but before I could eat, there was something more important that I had to do.

“Faye. Can you bring it out?”

I asked as I lifted up my left arm and revealed the thin scar.

It was from when I had made the cut, and poured over the potion. 

Faye flipped its pages furiously and cast 2 circles on 2 blank pages.

Until now, the spells that Faye would cast would take no longer than a moment, but this time the circles kept moving around, adding more complicated lines and shapes.

I could see the shape of a moon in one circle, and the shape of a sun in the other.

Eventually these magic circles lifted off the page to combine into 1 circle that had both the sun and moon intertwined with each other.

The circle then slowly moved on top of my scar. 

As it touched my skin, the scar slowly began to open up.

While I was expecting to see blood, instead I saw a darkness.

From the darkness, black fog was seeping out. 

The magic circle shined brighter and it began to pull something out. 

Something which I could feel was far, far away. The scar was acting as a portal.

I could see the head of a green snake being forced out.

Its eyes were red like fire, and its fangs were long and sharp.

Between its fangs was a long red tongue that slithered up and down. 

Hissss

The snake hissed with the desire to attack.

It wanted to sink in its fangs into my neck, but it fought the urge and pulled back.

It tried to go back into the darkness, refusing to be pulled out. 

However the magic that Faye cast was not going to let that happen.

The circle wrapped itself around the snake's head, and pulled the body out.

The moment the snake touched the floor, it lunged at me with its mouth wide open. 

“Hisss!”

Before it could get to me, the magic circle around its neck tightened its hold, and the snake fell to the ground.

It withered in pain. 

“Hissssss...”

The magic circle was gone, and in the same place I saw a red mark circling the snake's neck.

The snake stopped withering and stayed still.

“This is… a Naga.”

Nagas were snake demons that were under the rule of their demon lord, Nehebkau.

In the story, their first appearance was at the Acadia.

‘It was a big incident, where many of the students were turning into snakes. All the professors had to join the fight with Ellan, and in the end the headmaster sealed them away.’ 

It was never revealed then, that professor Gaubold was the mastermind.

It was much later in the story when he was caught as a demon worshiper.

But when that happened, he revealed himself as a servant of Mammon, the demon of greed.

As I tried to find the connection between Nehebkau and Mammon, I shook my head. 

‘Thinking about this isn’t important right now.’

I looked at the weakened naga and made eye contact with its red eyes. I could tell the naga’s spirit hadn’t died.

Faye flew in between us.

For the first time, I saw a dark aura coming out from Faye.

It was darker than the black aura that spilled out from my scar.

I could feel anger.

“Faye..?”

The naga shook uncontrollably and I could see fear in its eyes.

The darkness from Faye engulfed the room, until everything was pitch black.

In the darkness, I could hear a voice.

‘Obey.’

Almost immediately after, the darkness got sucked back into Faye and the room was back to normal. 

The first thing I saw was Faye floating around like normal, with no trace of the emotions I felt a moment ago.

While on the floor where the green snake was, I could see a small black ferret. Its eyes were no longer red, but blue just like my own.