Did the villainous professor survive today?

"Can you give me a preview of what I'm researching?"

Kroenke wore a perfectly measured smile as he faced the camera with confidence.

"The theory of the common origin of magic, yes, literally, all the magic that mankind currently knows is of the same origin."

[Immense Charm: You possess an innate ability to attract others, and your words will carry even greater persuasive weight.]

Thanks to his irresistible charm, Kroenke's statement aroused no suspicion.

"Professor, could you explain in more detail? What exactly does the theory of the common origin of magic mean?"

"Professor! You mean that fire magic and water magic not only share an affinity, but are even from the same source?"

"Professor, are special spells like astral magic and chaos magic also of the same origin as regular elemental magic?!"

"..."

Reporters bombarded Louise with questions, pushing her to the periphery as the frenzied crowd pushed her aside. Now, the entire focus of the venue was on Kroenke, and Louise, the instigator of that little incident, had been completely ignored, like a forgotten shadow in the crowd.

Kroenke's gaze passed over the reporter in front of him and fell on Sofia, who was sitting in her seat, raising her hands in a cheer.

"My brother is the best!"

Beside her, Sistine clapped silently, her face expressionless.

After clapping, she stood up and walked towards the backstage area, unlike the others who were immersed in this historic moment.

Krenk knew that while the theory of the common origin of magic was true, his own statement about completing the research was a lie.

Therefore, she mistakenly believed that she had found another victim and was preparing to steal the other party's experimental results.

However, since the other party has the ability to detect lies, many misunderstandings can be easily resolved.

You might even be able to earn some extra points from the other party, turning misfortune into blessing.

"The relevant experimental tests have been completed, and the results are largely consistent with my conjecture. However, further data and theoretical analysis are still needed. But I believe that in the near future, once I have perfected all the details, you will all receive invitations to give a research report on the theory of the common origin of magic."

He politely answered the reporters' questions, then calmly left, intending to go backstage to see his fiancée one last time.

Kroenke walked down the narrow corridor, and the lounge was the first room around the corner.

The empty corridor was filled only with the sound of his footsteps. Just as he was about to reach the door of the lounge, another set of footsteps came from around the corner.

Kroenke felt a sudden tightness in his chest, but then relaxed.

Approaching from around the corner was a female student dressed in a dark black formal uniform, with long, flowing golden hair and golden eyes, and a braid draped over her shoulder.

On her chest was a family crest with a soaring eagle design.

"Just a student..." Krenk thought to himself. It seemed he was being too nervous. Even though he had the trait of being prone to misfortune, it wasn't like the whole world was lining up to kill him.

He stopped paying attention to the other person and reached out to grasp the doorknob.

Just as he was about to turn the doorknob, the female student suddenly stopped behind Kroenke:

"A very good speech, Mr. V. To be honest, before I saw you, I was worried that something might happen."

Kroenke suddenly paused.

Mr. V... Mr. V?

Is she talking to me?

Kroenke quickly glanced around; there was no one else in the corridor except for the female student and himself.

"Mr. V, excuse me... why didn't you contact us after the mission was completed?"

The girl's voice behind him was very calm, but it carried a hint of interrogation.

The other members are still worried that the mission has failed.

Kroenke's right hand, gripping the doorknob, trembled slightly; he had already grasped a certain truth.

Yes, it wasn't my imagination; she was indeed talking to me, or rather, she mistakenly thought I was the "Mr. V" she was referring to.

Wait! Could it be that...

Is this "Mr. V" referring to the masked killer "V" who tried to assassinate me last night?

Are they in cahoots?!

Krenk's pupils dilated slightly. He didn't make any unnecessary movements lest the other party notice something was wrong. He replied in a low voice:

"Because of some unexpected events, I am currently checking."

"Um, regarding the matter with Aleil Essien, I can assure you it was indeed an accident," the female student replied somewhat apologetically.

"We didn't expect that he would choose the same day as you to assassinate Professor Klenk Ludwig."

it is true!

The "V" she mentioned was actually that pervert!

Damn!

What kind of show is this?!

Kroenke's mind was racing, and he kept telling himself to stay calm and not to reveal too many flaws.

The most urgent task now is to continue talking along with what the other party is saying and try to extract more information.

He said in a neutral tone:

"What about the others?"

"It went smoothly. 'L' has entered the academy, just like you. As expected, the other subordinates have also taken up their posts at St. Auster Academy and other important institutions, awaiting further orders."

Kroenke blinked as he listened to the person behind him speak.

Through his conversation with her, he learns that the masked killer "V" seems to come from a mysterious organization that sent him to assassinate his predecessor, "Krenk".

The purpose seems to be to replace "Kronk" as the chief professor and then use that identity to achieve some ulterior motives.

But how exactly will "V" replace its predecessor...?

Cut off his face!

Kroenke felt a chill run down his spine; he had roughly pieced together the whole story.

The night before, a mysterious organization sent "V" to assassinate the predecessor and attempt to take over his identity.

Then the accident happened.

He found himself transported into the body of the deceased "Krenk".

Then, he launched a sneak attack from behind and killed "V".

In order to lure out another enemy, when reporting the crime, he only stated that he had been assassinated by Ariel, without mentioning "V".

This action led the other party to mistakenly believe that "V" had successfully completed the mission and had put on the "Kroenke" mask, beginning to act as "Kroenke"!

However, because of the inexplicable assassination attempt, he did not contact the others immediately after the mission was completed.

Kroenke knew perfectly well that this meant that if the other party deduced from some clue that he was not "V", then he would likely face annihilation.

Not only his body, but even Krenk's pupils were trembling slightly.

Are you kidding me!

He knew nothing about the "V," so to play the role of a murderous psychopath under these circumstances was nothing short of delusional.

"Um, I'm sorry, Mr. V, I should have confirmed it before reporting back to you."

The female student said somewhat flusteredly.

Kroenke paused for a moment, then realized what was happening.

She noticed the slight trembling of her body, but clearly, she took it as "V" controlling her anger.

In other words, she is a subordinate of "V".

Moreover, she is very afraid of the letter "V".

Therefore, one can use the other party's fear to cover up minor mistakes.

Thinking of this, Kroenke seemed to feel more at ease, and he took the initiative to ask:

"So, what brings you here?"