It became Wisteria's turn to take on the role as the instructor for the following weeks. His students commenced the programs he had designed for them, and adapted quite well. Admon, as expected, improved incredibly fast, his creations becoming larger and more complex. The Azure twins had also made a lot of progress, but such progress was, without fail, accompanied by daily complains. Fleur managed to release a bit of Mana into her palm--- a great step forward for someone who had just started! And as for Lupin, Wisteria went ahead and gave him the option to practice with Wisteria-dummies whenever he wanted. Lupin didn't object, and rather, he seemed to enjoy the extracurricular classes the most out of all.

On the other hand, Wisteria noticed Fleur hadn't been in good spirit for the past few days. As the protagonist, it was predetermined that her life wouldn't be easy. Aside from the main conflicts involving the main villain, Sylvan, her school life was to be filled with jealous classmates, challenging exams, and troubles between the three male leads--- which, in this case, became two male leads as Wisteria had removed himself from it.

"I have a bad feeling about this..." Wisteria thought to himself as he walked towards his room.

And as that thought crossed his mind, his sight was drawn to Fleur, who sat alone at an outdoor bench of the dormitory's patio. Standing on the second floor of the men's dorms, he could clearly see everything around her---including the figure of a male student crouched behind a bush. The male student faced Fleur, his posture hunched and strained, as if he had been watching her for a long time.

"That---!" Wisteria clenched his jaw. "That has to be the one who triggers the first meeting between the protagonist and the villain!!!"

Wisteria finally understood why Fleur hadn't been looking so well. Although it was not clear who it was, Fleur could tell she was being stalked by a classmate. If the events followed its original course, Fleur would eventually figure out who the stalker was and bluntly confront him to stop. The stalker would become enraged at the unexpectedly headstrong protagonist, and forcefully teleport her to the Dark Forest.

Wisteria, of course, couldn't allow that to happen. Without a second thought, he used his index finger to point at his target, and--- Snap!--- the male student disappear immediately. The student was teleported and temporarily locked in a room at the other end of the school campus, giving Fleur plenty of time for herself.

"That should do it for now..." Wisteria thought to himself, "I have to keep an eye on her. Hopefully the stalker figures out she's not going through this alone."

As he had anticipated, the student continued to stalk Fleur for the next few days, observing her and leaving small 'gifts' in her usual hanging spots. Fortunately, Wisteria was present for most of those encounters--- And every time Wisteria would catch the sight of him, he'd glance at the student's direction to make it clear that he was aware of him before sending him away. As a result, the frequency of his persistency decreased, giving Wisteria and Fleur room to breathe.

"I don't see him today, either," Wisteria said under his breath, sighing in relief, "Thank goodness. Hopefully Fleur can finally have a peaceful weekend..."

"DID YOU SAY SOMETHING?" Lupin shouted as he evaded the several projectiles shooting out of the Wisteria-dummies' mouths.

"NO, NOTHING!" Wisteria shouted back, "KEEP PRACTICING!"

---CRASH!---

Lupin widely swung his sword, tumbling all Wisteria-dummies to the ground. He sheathed his sword back to the embroidered scabbard and took a few steps closer to Wisteria.

"What's wrong?" Wisteria asked.

"..." Lupin hesitated, his eyes glancing at the direction of the twins, "Did you say something to those two on the first day?"

"You mean, Violet and Valerian?" Wisteria thought for a brief moment, "Why do you ask?"

"No, never mind." Lupin turned back around and swung his sword at the dummies again, activating another sequence of attacks from all sides.

"...?" Wisteria watched for a little longer, then proceeded to walk towards the other ends of the stadium to observe the rest of the class.

He glanced to his left where Admon was. He diligently created a pile of shadow-objects which flawlessly retained their shape even after a prolonged time since first created. The moment their eyes met, Wisteria waved at him, to which Admon politely responded back. Although he wished he could have a friendly chat with him, Wisteria knew Admon wouldn't be quite fond of that idea.

Instead, Wisteria continued forward and glanced to his right. Violet and Valerian were assigned to play a game of chess using only their illusions. They each designed their own side of the chess board and chess pieces, and had to keep the illusions going until the end of the game. They paid no attention to him nor anything else around them, fixated only on defeating one another.

And lastly, he arrived at the end of the stadium where Fleur was settled. She sat on the grass with her palms facing up. When she saw Wisteria approaching her, she smiled warmly and waved her hand.

"Wisteria, look!" Fleur exclaimed, her Mana spinning into a small sphere above my palm.

"!!" Wisteria gasped excitedly at the sight of the tear-drop sized sphere, "Since when?"

"Just now!" She explained, "I've been practicing as you told me, and it worked!"

"I'm so happy for you, Fleur! Good job!"

Fleur laughed, shyly, "It's all thanks to you."

He shook his head, "In the end, it was all because of your efforts. You should give yourself more credit."

"Thank you." She smiled.

Wisteria nodded and returned the smile. "Do you have any questions?"

"..." The tear-drop Mana sphere sunk back into her palm, "I do, but it's not related to class..."

"That's fine."

"Um..." She held her hand with the other, "You're the one who's been helping me, right? With that classmate who was following me..."

"Oh, you noticed..." Wisteria forced a smile, "Was that unnecessary?"

"No, not at all." Fleur shook her head, "I'm sorry for troubling you. I should have dealt with it myself as soon as I noticed I was being followed. Every time something happens to me, I end up dragging others with me..."

"I understand you don't want to trouble others, but..." Wisteria knit his brows, concerned, "I would prefer if you consult with me so that we could figure it out together. I don't want you to worry about it on your own. And I'm not saying this just because I'm your instructor. As a frie---"

"What are you to her!?" A voice suddenly interjected, echoing loudly around the stadium, "Who do you think you are laying your hands on MY Fleur and meddling when it's none of your business!?"

Violet, Valerian, Lupin, and Admon looked around. Aside from their classmates and Wisteria, there was no one else. Confused, they began to make their way towards each other.

"STAY WHERE YOU'RE AT, EVERYONE." Wisteria said loudly, dispersing several handfuls of Mana towards his students to create barriers around them.

Wisteria swallowed nervously. Now that the events were developing differently from the original novel, he couldn't predict what could happen next. However, he knew he had to protect Fleur at all cost, as she was most likely the main target.

"How about you come out so that we can talk?" Wisteria said loudly to the voice.

"Do you think I'm stupid!?" The voice sneered, "I know you're going to send me off to that room again!"

"I won't. You have my word."

"..." The voice hesitated, "Alright. But first, I want you to walk closer to Fleur."

"Why?"

"Just DO IT!!!!!"

"Fine..."

Wisteria sighed and proceeded forward. The closer he got, the presence of someone's Mana grew with each step----

The stalker must have set a trap nearby. But where was he hiding himself?

Fully aware of his ill intentions, Wisteria didn't stop. The trap was most likely a teleportation spell which would activate the moment he stepped on it. And since there was no need to worry about encountering Sylvan at the Dark Forest, even if he was stuck there for a few hours, he could simply wait it out.

As expected, the moment his feet triggered the spell, a cloud of Mana diffused into the air, activating an entrapment spell. Having been recognized as its target, the cloud launched at him.

"Wisteria---!!" Fleur dashed out, leaving the barrier spell he set around her.

"Wait, Fleur! There's no need for you to---" Wisteria shouted at the approaching protagonist, but it was too late.

She pushed him away from the entrapment spell's trajectory, putting herself in his place. The cloud of Mana wrapped around her before dissipating.

"Fleur!!!" Admon and Lupin left their barriers at the same time, running towards the place she was lastly seen.

"...Great..." Wisteria thought, "In the end, we're still following the original plot..."

He sighed.

As Lupin and Admon reached besides him, Wisteria calmly scanned the stadium. The perpetrator had perhaps forgotten to hide his body's Mana, making it easy to detect.

"What are you doing?" Lupin asked.

"How can you be so calm!?" Admon glared, "Fleur is gone in your stead!"

Wisteria sighed, "I know. Just give me a minute..."

He pointed towards the top bleachers and snapped his fingers. Immediately after, a male student appeared right in front of them, his crouched position intact from where he hid. The male student's eyes grew large at the sight of Wisteria, who glared over him.

"Where did you send her?" Wisteria asked, immobilizing the student with his Mana. He knew where she was, but had to ask aloud so that the two male leads could know.

"I-it's your fault!" The student's voice cracked, "You were the one who was supposed to get sent away! I would NEVER do that to Fleur!"

Oh, he would...

Wisteria shook his head.

"WHERE IS SHE!?" Lupin joined in, grabbing the collar of the student while his blade rested near his neck.

"Whoa, whoa--- Lupin, put that away!" Wisteria intervened, "Hurting him won't do us any good."

"Tsk." Lupin clicked his tongue, putting his sword back into the scabbard and stepping away.

"Let me." Admon said, stepping in, "I won't hurt him, but I'll make him talk."

"..." Wisteria gulped loudly, cautiously stepping away from Admon, who didn't bother to hide his rage, "Alright. Since this is an emergency, whatever happens, I'll take responsibility from the school. Just don't over do it."

"I know." Admon stretched out his arm towards the sky, creating a puddle of dark matter over him. Eventually, Admon and the student were engulfed within his spell, leaving those outside waiting in silence.

"AAAAHHHHHHH!!!" A muffled scream came from within the shadow.

"What's happening?" Valerian asked, having finally caught up with her sister.

"Admon is figuring out Fleur's location." Wisteria forced a smile, "Don't worry too much, I'm sure things will work out."

"I hope Fleur is okay..." Violet commented.

"What if he can't get him to talk?" Valerian held her sister's hand.

"He will." Lupin said.

Wisteria smiled and nodded in agreement, seeing hope in the turbulent relationship between the two rivals.

Lupin continued, "He looks nice and tamed, but he has a nasty personality. I'd hate to be locked with him alone, especially within his spell. Gross."

"..." Wisteria took it back.

Shortly, the shadow dome dissipated, revealing the trembling figure of the student and Admon, who stood over him.

"She's in the Dark Forest." Admon turned around, his voice growled despite his calm demeanor. "Within the Necromancer's domain..."

"!!"

"The Necromancer!?"

"We should go now!"

"I'll go too!"

"Wait, wait, wait!" Wisteria called out over them, "We can't be hasty. I'll contact the school first and have them send someone over."

"It's the Necromancer, Wisteria!" Lupin disagreed, "It'll be too late by then!"

"I know. But that's why I can't have you all going there. It's too dangerous!"

"No! Please!" The student's voice quivered, "Please don't tell the school! I don't want to be expelled! I'm sorry! I won't bother Fleur again, so please!!

Wisteria exhaled, "It's not up to me whether---"

"Then, send us there." Admon suggested, "If we manage to get Fleur safely, it should fine. Right, Wisteria?"

"No! That is---"

"Okay! I'll do it!" The student cried.

"No! Listen to me---"

Wisteria couldn't say another word as the student took out a small, crystal stone and activated the teleportation spell.

A Mana gem! No wonder he could use such advanced spell! Mana gems are crystalized Mana that sorcerers create to allow others to use imbedded spells. The higher the difficulty of the spell, the more expensive they are.

But where did he purchase such gem!? No one else but Sylvan should be able to teleport into his domain. And for some stranger to sell a gem like that--- it's definitely black market material!

The moment he opened his eyes, Wisteria found himself in the Dark Forest. He looked to his side, and as expected, the Admon and Lupin were there as well. The three male leads have come to rescue the protagonist, as prearranged by the novel.

But he wasn't there on his own volition...