The next day at noon, sunlight streamed through the massive stained-glass windows, casting vibrant patterns across the solemn meeting room floor.
Sefina stepped lightly in her small leather shoes, the crisp “clack clack” echoing as she entered through the grand archway carved with intricate magical runes.
Inside, a long conference table was already surrounded by attendees.
Teachers from all schools of Oselenca and patrol captains from each district were almost all present, the air thick with a tense, curious murmur.
Principal Rofilia had issued an emergency meeting notice that morning. Though vague in wording, Sefina understood perfectly well—it had to be related to the failed capture operation last night.
Her wine-red eyes scanned the room calmly, searching for an empty seat.
“Teacher Sefina! Over here!” came a slightly urgent voice.
Sefina turned to see Selina waving at her from not far off, with a vacant seat beside her.
Sefina nodded slightly, expressionless, and walked over to sit in the somewhat tall chair, her feet clad in white calf socks once again dangling midair.
No sooner had she settled than Selina leaned in eagerly, lowering her voice to whisper:
“Teacher Sefina, did you hear? Something huge happened last night!”
“No.” Sefina’s tone was flat as she took a sip from the glass of water before her, feigning ignorance of the previous night’s turmoil.
“They say there were demon bats inside the school! No one knows where they came from! Even scarier, there was a Blood Clan member!”
Selina’s voice dropped even lower, disbelief evident.
“And… two students who returned late were attacked by those frenzied demon bats and got injured. Luckily, the patrol arrived just in time, so their lives weren’t in danger, but it was close…”
“Is that so…” Sefina’s fingers tightened imperceptibly around her cup, brows furrowing.
Demon bats driven to madness and attacking? That was an unexpected twist. The organization’s methods, as usual, were reckless and careless.
Just as Sefina’s thoughts drifted:
“Clack—clack—”
A clear, rhythmic tapping of high heels on marble approached from afar, abruptly cutting off all the whispers in the room.
The entire conference room fell silent at once. Everyone knew who had arrived.
All eyes turned toward the head of the table. Principal Rofilia strode in.
She still wore her impeccably tailored dark suit dress. Her vivid red hair blazed like fire, and her deep purple eyes swept the room calmly, radiating an aura of unspoken authority.
She naturally took her seat in the chair of honor, hands interlaced with elbows gracefully resting on the polished tabletop, and got straight to the point:
“I’m sure many of you have already heard about the emergency incident that occurred within the academy last night.”
Her voice was steady and clear, resonating throughout the room.
“To ensure accuracy, let’s first have the captain of the Third Squad patrol present at the scene give a detailed report.”
A man clad in light armor stood in response.
After saluting Principal Rofilia, he began methodically recounting the discovery of the demon bats, the encounter with the mysterious underground prison, the discovery of a Blood Clan member, and the interference of a mysterious white-haired woman.
His narration was objective and concise, but when mentioning the white-haired woman with ice-blue eyes and formidable power, his tone noticeably intensified.
“In summary, it has been confirmed that an unknown number of demon bats infiltrated the academy, a Blood Clan member of unknown identity was present, and a white-haired female intruder—at least Sixth Rank in strength, proficient in Fire Magic and Ice Magic—also appeared at the scene. That concludes my report.”
As the patrol captain sat down, a wave of suppressed gasps and murmurs broke out in the room.
“Demon bats?! And a Blood Clan member?! How could they breach the academy’s barrier?”
“Who is that white-haired woman? She easily blocked the patrol’s combined attack. Her strength must be terrifying!”
“So many problems all at once… what’s going on with the academy recently?”
“We must immediately strengthen our defenses!”
Sefina listened expressionlessly to the surrounding commotion, her fingertips tapping the table unconsciously.
As one of the masterminds behind last night’s incident, hearing others analyze “herself” was a peculiar feeling.
Principal Rofilia raised a hand gently, and the noise abruptly ceased.
“You are all aware of the situation,” her purple eyes swept over everyone.
“Demon bats are averse to light and hide in extremely remote corners during the day. Oselenca is vast and architecturally complex. Conducting a thorough daytime search to find them would be inefficient and likely to alert them prematurely.”
“Therefore, the most effective current measure is to immediately intensify night patrols—expand patrol areas, increase patrol frequency, and pay special attention to often overlooked blind spots.”
The principal’s plan was clear and pragmatic, and many teachers nodded in agreement.
Yet at that moment, a somewhat grating voice interrupted:
“Your Excellency Principal, if I may speak frankly!”
All eyes turned to the speaker: a portly middle-aged male teacher dressed in luxurious noble attire, seated midway down the long table.
Sefina remembered him—a well-born, long-tenured Alchemist with little accomplishment in teaching, known for his staunch conservatism.
Clearing his throat, the plump noble teacher spoke with a condescending tone:
“I believe that mobilizing such a large effort and greatly increasing night patrols will waste manpower and resources and unnecessarily scare the students. In my view, there is no need to complicate matters!”
He paused, scanning the room, then continued:
“We only need to strictly enforce a Curfew for the next few days, forbidding all students from going out at night. At the same time, focus patrols around the student dormitories in the Central District to ensure absolute safety. After all…”
“After all, most noble children live there, and their safety must come first.”
The atmosphere in the conference room shifted palpably.
Teachers from commoner backgrounds or those advocating equal treatment for students frowned.
A plainly dressed female teacher could not help but object:
“Teacher Hawk, do you mean that as long as noble students in the Central District are protected, the safety of commoner students in other areas can be ignored?”
“The student dormitories on the East and West Wings are far from the Central District. Patrol numbers are already limited. If we concentrate only on the Central District, what if students in other areas encounter demon bats?”
“Hmph, the conditions in commoner dormitories are simple and their locations remote, so naturally their management is more troublesome.” Another teacher, clearly of the noble faction, sneered sarcastically.
“Are we to exhaust patrol members for their sake, increasing needless risks? What if the patrol encounters that mysterious intruder at the perimeter—who will take responsibility if something happens?”
“Are student safety standards to be divided into classes?!”
“This is a practical issue! Resources are limited; naturally, we must prioritize the most important!”
“Preposterous! Are the lives of commoner students worthless?”
“Please watch your language!”
For a moment, the conference room filled with escalating disputes. Though civility was maintained, the tension was unmistakable.
Sefina observed this sudden quarrel coolly, remaining silent.
She hadn’t expected such obvious factionalism based on background within Oselenca, especially that it would flare up even on a matter of student safety.
However, she knew well that no matter how fierce the argument below, only one person held the final authority.
Her gaze passed over the bickering crowd, calmly settling on the red-haired principal who remained silent at the head of the table.
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