Mia’s mind went completely blank, her pupils trembling violently from sheer terror.
She watched helplessly as that glaring red stain spread across the floor, listening to the surrounding classmates’ whispers quickly shift from confusion to suspicion and fear.
Her entire body felt icy cold, as if her blood had turned to ice.
“Blood?! How did blood get into Mia’s bag…”
“Could it be… she’s connected to that blood clan?!”
“Yeah! What normal student would carry a bottle of blood in their bag?!”
“This is terrifying… she looked so normal all this time…”
Each word struck Mia’s heart like a heavy hammer.
Her spirit felt crushed; her legs were as weak as overcooked noodles, and she didn’t even have the strength to stand.
She could only slump to the floor, hopelessly enduring those burning gazes—some curious, some fearful, some disgusted.
It’s over… this time it’s really over… my identity’s been exposed… everything is finished…
Just as she was about to be swallowed whole by the overwhelming fear and despair—
“Tap—tap—”
A familiar, crisp sound of small leather shoes hitting the floor rang out like a bell breaking the silence, suddenly coming from the classroom door.
That petite yet commanding figure appeared right on time at the doorway.
It was Teacher Sefina!
Sefina’s gaze instantly locked onto the anomaly at the center of the classroom.
Mia sat slumped on the floor, her face pale as death, next to the glaring bloodstain and shattered glass bottle.
A sharp gleam flashed through Sefina’s wine-red eyes. In an instant, she understood exactly what had happened.
Under the uncertain stares of all the students, Sefina walked straight to Mia with an expressionless face.
To everyone’s surprise, she showed no shock or accusation. Instead, without hesitation, she raised her hand and delivered a measured chop to Mia’s head.
“Thud—!”
“Ugh—!” Mia winced in pain, instinctively covering the spot she’d been hit, then dazedly looked up and met Sefina’s cold gaze.
Then, they heard Sefina’s familiar voice, full of stern authority and impatience:
“Clumsy! I asked you to fetch a vial of Fire Salamander Blood from the Potion Ingredients Storage Room, and you went and broke it like a bumbling fool?! Useless! After class, come to my office for a serious self-reflection!”
Mia was completely stunned, clutching her head with wide, unbelieving eyes as she stared at Sefina.
T-Teacher… this is… what is this…
The classmates around her suddenly realized what was going on, the tense atmosphere instantly relaxing as they all wore “so that’s it” expressions.
“Oh! So it was just to get Teacher Sefina’s potion ingredients!”
“That scared me… I thought Mia was…”
“I knew it, Mia could never be part of the blood clan!”
“As expected of Teacher Sefina—using materials that hardcore.”
“But she still deserves a scolding for breaking it. I heard Fire Salamander Blood is pretty expensive…”
“Does Teacher Sefina also dabble in potions? Amazing…”
Listening to the classmates’ shifting gossip, Mia’s heart still pounded wildly, but the icy despair began to fade, replaced by a dazed sense of having narrowly escaped disaster.
Sefina, however, seemed to completely ignore Mia’s stunned state and continued in her signature cold, harsh tone:
“What are you still standing there for?! Clean this up quickly! Then get back to your seat!”
Her sharp gaze swept across the whole class as her voice suddenly rose:
“Everyone else! Five more minutes to review your textbooks! After five minutes, a surprise test! One hundred questions, very difficult. Anyone who fails will have to copy the entire Elements Primer!”
“Wha—?!”
A chorus of groans erupted throughout the classroom, all attention now grabbed by this dreadful “news.” No one cared anymore about the shattered “potion ingredient” on the floor.
One after another, students scrambled to pull out textbooks and notes, cramming last minute.
Teacher Sefina was just Teacher Sefina—always able to control the situation in the most “effective” way!
Mia snapped back to reality, hastily cleaning the floor, then returning to her seat, her heart still racing.
She sneaked a glance at Sefina distributing test papers at the podium, her heart swelling with overwhelming surprise and gratitude.
Teacher… she must have already seen through my identity.
Yet at the first moment, she used this almost rough method to protect me without hesitation…
This class ended amidst an atmosphere thick with tension and unease.
When the bell rang to collect papers, the classroom was filled with wails of despair, many students already resignedly taking out their notebooks to start copying the Elements Primer.
Sefina expressionlessly gathered the tests and then called out Mia’s name:
“Mia, come with me to the office.”
The other students cast pitying glances at Mia, clearly assuming she was about to face Teacher Sefina’s “storm” alone for breaking the expensive potion ingredient.
Little did they know, once the office door closed behind them, the scene was entirely different.
Sefina sat behind her desk as usual, picking up a red pen to grade the stack of miserable test papers just collected.
Mia sat tensely across from her, nervously twisting the edges of her clothes, reluctant to meet Sefina’s eyes.
The office was silent except for the rustling sound of pen scratching paper.
After a brief pause, Mia took a deep breath and finally summoned the courage to face the question weighing on her.
Her voice was soft, trembling slightly:
“Teacher… did you… did you know all along… that I’m from the blood clan?”
Sefina’s pen didn’t stop moving, and without looking up, she replied flatly with a single word:
“Hm.”
Though Mia had expected it, hearing the teacher admit it outright made her heart sink sharply.
She pressed on, voice even more cautious:
“Then… when did you find out?”
This time, Sefina finally paused, lifting her wine-red eyes to calmly meet Mia’s gaze, speaking words that made Mia nearly jump out of her chair:
“The first time I saw you.”
“Eh?!”
Mia was so shocked she nearly bounced out of the chair, her eyes wide as saucers.
“Th-The first time?! From the very first time?!”
“There’s a unique aura around the blood clan, faint but utterly distinct from ordinary humans.” Sefina’s tone remained even.
“For those who often deal with the blood clan or have especially sharp senses, it’s not hard to tell.”
“I-I see…” Mia murmured, overwhelmed with a chilling sense of vulnerability.
So all my so-called disguise was utterly useless in the eyes of a true expert from the start.
She lowered her head, fingers curling unconsciously as she asked the most important question weighing on her heart:
“But… Teacher… why did you cover for me? You could have just said something… or earlier… I would have…”
Mia’s voice grew smaller and smaller, filled with confusion and uncertainty.
Sefina looked at her but didn’t answer immediately. The office fell silent again, broken only by the faint sound of wind outside the window.
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