Reborn as a Succubus: Time To Live My Best Life!-Chapter 314: The Artifact, Part Ten

"And this is the northeastern courtyard, where Professor Ellington sometimes holds his outdoor lessons when the, uh, weather's nice," Melisa explained, gesturing to the small, neatly manicured garden space. "Though, well, to be honest, it's mostly an excuse for him to smoke that pipe of his without getting yelled at by the other professors."

Hazel's eyes widened as she took in the surroundings, her small hand gripping Melisa's tightly.

After yesterday's mud-sculpture fiasco and the subsequent revelation of Hazel's secret desire to visit the academy, Melisa had convinced Margaret to let her bring the younger nim for a tour.

This, Hazel clutching Melisa's hand, was a little loophole Melisa had found. If Hazel was continuously touching her, Melisa wouldn't be bombarded with random (cute) memories from the nine-year-old.

[Her "secrets" are adorable, but there's only so much sugar my heart can take!]

"It's so big," Hazel whispered, clearly overwhelmed by the sprawling campus. "How do you not get lost?"

"Oh, I totally got lost. All the time. For like, the first month," Melisa admitted. "Once I ended up in the west tower when I was supposed to be in the east basement. My professor was not happy."

Hazel giggled, her tail moving excitedly behind her like a puppy's.

"Can we see where you do magic? Please? I want to see real spells!"

"We'll get there," Melisa promised. "But first, I thought we'd explore the gardens a bit more. They're really pretty this time of year."

What she didn't say was that the gardens were also significantly less populated than the main academy buildings, which meant fewer opportunities for accidental touching. Though she'd explained her condition to Hazel (in vague terms), she wasn't taking any chances.

[Besides,] Melisa thought, watching her little sister momentarily detach herself and skip ahead to examine a particularly colorful flower, [this is the perfect opportunity to do some... research.]

After her conversation with Margaret yesterday, Melisa had been thinking more about what Javir had said. That the disc might have a specific purpose related to revealing secrets. And if that was the case, what better way to understand it than to deliberately test it out?

"Hazel," she called, "how about we head to the library next? There's someone I'd like you to meet."

"The library?" Hazel wrinkled her nose. "Sounds boring."

"Trust me, the library is anything but boring."

[And the librarian might know more than she's letting on,] Melisa added silently, remembering the librarian's cryptic words when she'd first found the disc.

As they made their way toward the central building, Melisa kept a careful eye out for others in their path. Near the entrance to the library, a small group of students had gathered, chatting animatedly. One of them, a tall human boy Melisa vaguely recognized from her Elemental Theory class, spotted her and waved.

Lately, people had been just the tiniest bit kinder to her.

"Melisa! Hey, did you finish the essay for Professor Hamlin?"

Melisa tensed as he approached, but made a split-second decision.

[Here goes nothing.]

"N-Not yet," she said, extending her hand in greeting. "Ryan, right?"

"Yeah!" He seemed surprised but pleased that she remembered his name, taking her hand without hesitation.

The world tilted.

Melisa was suddenly seeing through Ryan's eyes as he scribbled furiously in his dorm room, copying what appeared to be another student's essay nearly word for word.

[If I change just enough phrases, no one will ever know I copied from Eliza,] Ryan's voice echoed in her head. [Not my fault she left her essay out where anyone could see it...]

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The vision ended abruptly, and Melisa found herself back in the present, still shaking the now-confused Ryan's hand.

"Um, you okay?" he asked, pulling his hand away.

"Fine," Melisa said brightly. "Just remembered I actually did finish that essay. Good luck with yours!"

[You lazy prick!] Melisa pouted to herself. [I'm over here busting my butt in between dealing with literal revolutionaries and you're copying???]

She guided Hazel away quickly, leaving a bewildered Ryan behind.

"What happened?" Hazel whispered once they were out of earshot.

"Nothing," Melisa waved a hand. "Come on."

As they entered the library, the familiar scent of old books and dust greeted them. Ms. Milly was at her usual post behind the front desk, her ancient eyes lifting to meet Melisa's with that same unsettling recognition.

"Miss Blackflame," the old woman croaked. "And a young visitor, I see."

"This is my sister, Hazel," Melisa introduced. "She wanted to see the academy."

"Hello," Hazel said shyly.

Ms. Milly's wrinkled face softened slightly.

"Hello, young one. Welcome to my domain." She spread her arms like some sort of anime villain.

Melisa approached the desk, pretending to browse a stack of return slips while maneuvering herself into position.

"Actually, Ms. Milly, I was hoping you could help us find some books on basic spellcasting. For beginners," she added, nodding toward Hazel.

The old librarian stood with surprising agility.

"Of course. Follow me."

As Ms. Milly rounded the desk, Melisa deliberately stumbled forward, catching herself on the old woman's arm.

"Sorry!" she exclaimed, but already the world was tilting.

She was seeing through Ms. Milly's eyes, decades younger, as she stood in a circular chamber that Melisa recognized instantly. The hidden room behind the bookshelf. But it wasn't hidden then—it was a regular part of the library, with several mages gathered around the pedestal where the disc now rested.

"The Memory Snare," a stern-looking man announced. "Maybe we should use it again one of these days. It's a bit too useful to leave collecting dust, no?"

"I completely disagree," Ms. Milly protested. "It was invented to pry into the minds of others. Using magic to violate another's thoughts? There's a reason this thing is hidden."

The vision ended, and Melisa found herself staring into Ms. Milly's knowing eyes.

"Careful, dear," the old woman said softly. "Old bones break easily."

"I—I'm sorry," Melisa stammered. "I didn't mean to—"

"Yes, you did," Ms. Milly replied calmly. "But it's fine."

Hazel looked between them, confused.

"Know what?"

"Nothing," Melisa said quickly. "Nothing at all."

The old librarian smiled, revealing surprisingly white teeth.

"The beginner books are this way. Come along."

---

{Javir}

Across campus, Javir was surrounded by stacks of ancient texts, her eyes red-rimmed from hours of continuous reading. The disc sat in its glass case on her desk, innocuous yet menacing in its silence.

"Finally," she muttered, straightening up from a particularly dusty tome. "That's it!"

She quickly scribbled notes on a piece of parchment, connecting fragments of information gathered from various sources. The pattern was becoming clear now. The disc's origin, its purpose, and most importantly, how to deactivate it.

"The Memory Snare," she whispered, reading the ancient name with a mixture of awe and disgust. "Created during the Human Rebellion, circa 500 BE."

According to her research, the disc had been developed by human mages as a weapon against their nim oppressors. By forcing a connection to the nim's most intimate thoughts, the humans gained strategic advantage in their uprising without the nim ever even knowing.

[No wonder it's been hidden all these years,] Javir thought, grimacing. [Though, you'd think some humans would view it as a trophy. Or a holy weapon.]

But the most important discovery was the deactivation method. The text described a simple ritual, bringing all affected parties together to touch the disc simultaneously, acknowledging the secrets they'd seen and essentially "closing the circuit."

"Hm. Simple enough solution."

A knock at her office door interrupted her thoughts.

"Come in," she called, hastily organizing her notes.

Raven entered, her face as expressionless as ever.

"You wanted to see me, Professor?"

"Yes, thank you for coming," Javir said, gesturing to the chair across from her desk. "I need help organizing these materials. I've made significant progress in my research, but I'm afraid my methods have been... chaotic."

Raven nodded, already moving to gather scattered scrolls.

"Of course."

"Be careful with those near the disc," Javir warned, turning to retrieve a book from a high shelf. "Don't touch the case—"

A soft "click" made her turn back sharply. Raven had lifted the glass case, her bare finger touching the edge of the bronze disc as she moved a scroll that had somehow gotten underneath it.

"Oh no," Javir groaned as Raven blinked in confusion, her normally stoic face showing rare surprise.

"I... apologize," Raven said slowly, withdrawing her hand. "Did I do something wrong?"

Javir sighed deeply, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Well, congratulations," she said dryly. "You're now part of our little memory-sharing circle. I hope you enjoy seeing everyone's most intimate thoughts for the next few days."

Raven stared at the disc, then back at Javir.

"I don't understand."

"You will," Javir assured her. "Very, very soon."