Juliana’s plan was nearly flawless.
For weeks, she had been subtly manipulating both the noble and commoner factions, igniting conflicts just big enough to keep the tension high between them.
Her goal was simple.
She wanted to drag Samael into the mess. As the Ace, he would inevitably have to step in to put an end to the faction war.
She knew that. So, she created such a situation.
Well, to be fair, the faction war was inevitable. It would’ve happened regardless of her involvement. She merely sped things up.
And as soon as Samael returned from his mission, she escalated the conflicts between the factions, pushing both sides to the brink of an all-out war.
Why?
Because she needed to keep Samael — and the rest of the first-year batch — distracted.
Of course, simply having the Ace resolve a faction war or two wouldn’t be enough to warrant everyone’s attention.
So, she had prepared a few more ‘distractions.’
Ironically, she didn’t need them in the end.
Samael, in his usual fashion, dramatically challenged some of the strongest Cadets to an all-versus-one match, drawing the attention of nearly the entire academy.
As a result, the timeline of her own plan moved up as well.
Originally she wanted to make her move a couple of weeks later, but an opportunity presented itself today.
And she wasn’t about to let it slip.
As soon as she heard what Samael had done, she approached her pawn, Rexerd Cronwell, and told him they were acting today.
And, wrapped around her little finger like he was, Rexerd agreed without hesitation.
Their plan was straightforward.
Juliana needed to sneak into the main clinic of the Healers’ Society to steal an item — or rather, a creature.
Normally, Rexerd would have handled this on his own, but despite being a genius alchemist, he didn’t have the clearance to take whatever he wanted from the academy clinics.
Especially something as dangerous as what Juliana was after.
So, she was going to do it herself.
Navigating through the nearly empty streets of Academy City, she made her way to the main clinic building of the Healers’ Society.
From the outside, it looked no different than a small hospital.
But in reality, it housed some of the Academy’s best healers — or at least, it was supposed to.
Right now, however, the building was mostly vacant.
Most of the medical staff had been deployed to the training arena for the ongoing match.
On top of that, nearly the entire second-year batch was away on a mission to Ishtara. So their healers weren’t present either.
In short, half of the third-years were on mid-care duty for Samael’s match, most of the first-years were watching that very match, and the second-years were away.
This was the best time for her to execute her heist.
At the moment, there was no one in the main clinic of the Healers’ Society… save for a few first-years attending practical lessons, a couple of third-years who had stayed behind, and one last obstacle:
The Head Instructor Naomi Yang.
The Academy’s best healer.
But Juliana had crafted a plan to deal with them as well.
—Boooom!
In the far distance, at the opposite end of Academy City, a huge explosion shattered the rather peaceful evening.
A plume of smoke rose into the sky, followed by the frantic blare of alarm sirens. The sound of shouting and hurried footsteps filled the formerly empty streets.
Right on schedule.
Juliana allowed herself a small smile.
Then, she summoned a Card she had taken from Rexerd. It materialized over her head and turned her invisible.
That explosion wasn’t random. It came from the main Alchemist Lab. It wasn’t anything major, and definitely not as dangerous as it looked.
It was just big enough to cause a commotion and divert attention away from the clinic.
And just as she planned, in no time at all, the remaining third-years and any available medical staff began rushing toward the scene, leaving the main clinic even more vulnerable.
It was a perfect distraction.
A tanned woman, seemingly in her late twenties, emerged from the building as well. Her light-copper eyes locked onto the horizon, gazing at the rising smoke in the distance.
Then, she sighed. Her feet lifted off the ground in the next moment and she flew away toward the commotion.
That was Naomi.
Under normal circumstances, she wouldn’t have moved herself.
But since this explosion came from the Alchemy Lab’s direction, she decided to check it out herself.
Just what Juliana wanted.
With the small smile still intact on her merlot lips, she waited a few minutes before casually striding into the main clinic using the front entrance.
Since her invisibility Card was only a Common-grade one, any one of the third-year, let alone Naomi the Head Instructor herself, could’ve easily spotted her.
So, she had to clear them out first.
Now that the building was only full of first-years like her, no one was able to detect her invisible figure even as she walked right past them.
Not even five minutes later, she was standing at the entrance of the basement.
And, of course, there was a passcode lock on the doors — only accessible to a select few in the Healers’ Society.
Juliana shook her head and pulled a small slip of paper from her jacket’s inner pocket.
Written on that slip of paper were ten digits. It was the passcode she needed to unlock these doors.
Getting it was easy. She had simply blackmailed a first-year boy working here, politely asking him to spy and bring her the code.
Her smile curled into a satisfied smirk as she keyed in the numbers.
A soft beep echoed. Then, with a hiss, the steel doors of the main clinic basement slid open.
Without wasting a breath, she walked in.
The basement was dimly lit. And the air was thick with the sterile scent of antiseptic.
Rows of medical cabinets and storage units lined the walls. The contents inside them were nearly labeled — herbs, potions, bandages, and experimental concoctions that were likely off-limits to ordinary Cadets.
Juliana moved quickly but carefully. Her footsteps were light against the tiled floor as she kept an eye out for her target.
What she wanted wasn’t on the shelves of medicine — it was deeper inside.
And soon enough, she found it.
At the far end of the room, there was a transparent shelving unit that stood apart from the rest.
Unlike the sterile medical cabinets, this one had actual miniature gardens flourishing inside it! Stay tuned for updates on My Virtual Library Empire
There were tiny patches of moss, grass, and flowering herbs growing in carefully controlled environments.
Juliana’s cold eyes swept over the neatly arranged compartments until they landed on a small, enclosed section labeled ‘Syrphid Slugs.’
Found it.
She slid the glass panel open and felt the humid air waft out, tinged with a faint earthy scent.
Delicate blades of grass swayed under an unseen current, and nestled among them was what she came here for — several translucent slug-like creatures.
Barely keeping her excitement in check, she reached in and pinched one of the slugs between her fingers.
It twitched but didn’t resist, its gelatinous form cool and slightly sticky against her skin.
This wasn’t an ordinary medical specimen.
Syrphid Slugs were a rare type of Infant Spirit Beasts, bred for one purpose — temporary nerve suppression.
A single application to the skin could induce localized numbness, making them a favored tool in both medicine and… less legal pursuits.
In fact, even now, Juliana’s fingers had already gone numb. And she hadn’t been holding them for more than a few seconds.
But they had one other purpose that not many knew about. In alchemy, they could be used to create a deadly blood poison.
And that was exactly what she needed this creature for.
Tucking it into a small glass vial, Juliana secured it inside her jacket and shut the shelf.
That was the easy part.
Now, she just had to leave before anyone realized she’d ever been here.
•••
Thirty minutes.
That was all it took for Juliana to get in and out.
Shortly after that, Samael’s match had ended as well.
By the next day, everything went back to normal like nothing ever happened.
…Well, sort of.
Samael’s new rule had thrown the whole first-year batch into chaos, but Juliana didn’t care one bit about it.
Because now, she was one step closer to her goal.
Actually, she was just one step away from it as well.
“Just a bit more,” she told herself, unable to keep the joy from seeping into her tone.
Just a bit more, and freedom would be hers.
Smiling, she made her way toward the alchemy lab.
Since today was a day off with no mandatory classes, Juliana kept her outfit simple — an off-shoulder red top paired with black jeggings. Yet, as always, she looked effortlessly beautiful.
Her short white hair, soft as untouched snow, framed her face in gentle waves. But it was azure-blue eyes that held an inescapable charm — one that made people stop, stare, and forget whatever they were doing.
She ignored the attention like always and kept walking.
Was it annoying? Sure.
But did it still please her? Absolutely.
Beauty was just a tool, after all. Just like everything else.
She soon reached the lab and stepped inside, shutting the doors behind her. But the sight before her gave her pause.
The entire place was wrecked.
Walls charred black with soot, glass crunching underfoot, the acrid scent of smoke still clinging to the air.
The once-pristine alchemy lab was now a scorched ruin.
Juliana exhaled softly. “Wow. I knew I asked you to blow up the place, but this might be overkill.”
A hand touched her bare shoulder.
She turned — and met a pair of light hazel eyes staring back at her with a look she absolutely despised. Yet, she kept her smile soft.
It was Rexerd.
Tall, handsome, and as insufferable as ever.
He flashed her a charming grin and leaned in close until his breath was warm against her ear, “Anything for you, my love.”
Juliana almost wanted to gag.
Instead, she lowered her gaze, letting a delicate blush creep onto her cheeks — shy, flustered, and utterly convincing.
Rexerd’s grin widened at the sight.
His hand on her shoulder began to knead gently, fingers trailing toward her neck. His other arm slid around her waist.
And he leaned in even closer until his lips were inches away from hers.
Juliana turned her face away at the very last second, pretending to blush even harder.
Her voice came out meek and hesitant in the next moment, “N-No… I told you, you can’t have me until I’m free.”
Rexerd’s grin didn’t waver. If anything, it grew more amused.
“Oh, but you are free, my love,” he murmured, fingers tracing the curve of her neck. “You just don’t realize it yet.”
Juliana swallowed back the bile rising in her throat.
Once again, she pretended to act shy and lowered her gaze, playing the role he expected.
The role of a demure girl, shy and hesitant.
She bit her lip and shifted slightly in his suffocating hold.
“Not yet…” she whispered, her voice barely audible. “Not until I have nothing holding me back.”
Rexerd chuckled, his breath warm against her skin. “And when that day comes?”
Juliana forced a shaky smile. “Then… I’ll be yours.”
It was a lie, of course. A beautifully wrapped one. But Rexerd was a fool, and like every fool, he believed what he wanted to believe.
Satisfied, he finally released her, stepping back with a cocky smirk.
“Then I’ll wait,” he said, as if he had a choice.
Juliana let out a small, relieved sigh — one that wasn’t entirely fake.
“What’s next?” she asked.
Rexerd scoffed and turned away. “That master of yours has made our job laughably easy. We’re at the final stretch now. All that’s left is for you to get his blood.”
“And then?” Juliana tilted her head, feigning curiosity.
Rexerd chuckled. “Then, just as you said—you’ll be mine.”
Juliana let out a soft, playful giggle. Too soft. Too playful.
He laughed because he thought he’d already won.
She laughed at him.
No matter how insufferable, Rexerd was a tool. Like everything else.
And once he outlived his usefulness, he’d be discarded just the same.