“What’s so special about this place? I only came to see you locked up, Professor,” Epherene said, peeking into my room. “... I’m not here to help you or anything, so don’t get the wrong idea.”2

Epherene said she had no intention of helping me, yet her eyes lingered on the cuff around my wrist with a seriousness that told a different story.0

“How did he even come up with stuff like this?” Epherene muttered as if speaking to the cuff itself.0

"This is an artifact far beyond what someone like you could ever hope to dismantle. Take your incompetence elsewhere," I replied.1

“… Wow, you really haven’t changed, Professor, even after all this time,” Epherene replied, glancing at me with her lips pursed. “Anyway, what is this about a demon?”0

“The Devourer—a ghost that feeds on humans.”0

Epherene’s eyes widened in shock.0

The legends about demons were already tucked away in my mind, even though I’d never studied them. Of course, it must have been a Yukline instinct—among all that knowledge, the Devourer stood out as one of the more prominent demons.0

“I told you earlier—this isn’t a place meant for someone like you,” I added.0

“What are you talking about? I’m pretty strong now, too, you know. Look. See?” Epherene said, weaving mana into armor reinforced with nanotubes around herself.0

"It is unique," I replied, shaking my head at Epherene, who claimed to be strong.0

“Unique?”0

I pointed toward the window, and Epherene turned to look.0

"Look at the sky."0

The sky remained dark, though morning had been due some time ago.0

"... Oh, I've learned about this. It's the Long Night phenomenon, isn't it?"0

“Indeed.”0

It was a magical phenomenon known as the Long Night, where, when the mana concentration in the...0