Sefina showed no sign of surprise when she heard Feliel coldly spit out the words “Ninth Seat.”
This was, of course, expected.
The mana ring was a communication demon tool exclusive to the cadres of Black Utopia.
Anyone who could recognize it and infer her identity based on its presence could only be another cadre within the organization.
It was not strange that Feliel, after a brief moment of shock and panic, quickly figured out the connection.
Currently, the only cadres lurking in Oselenka were the Seventh Seat and the Ninth Seat. Naturally, Feliel could identify her.
And at this moment, Feliel also thoroughly understood that Sefina had not been sent by Rofilia. At the very least, she did not represent the school authorities of Oselenka.
However, among the cadres of Black Utopia, unless there was a clear instruction from the Deputy, they always followed the unspoken rule of mutual non-interference and information confidentiality.
It was the norm for all cadres to act independently, using the organization’s resources to achieve their own goals.
Yet, this Ninth Seat had openly torn through that layer of unspoken understanding. Not only had she come looking for her for no reason, but she had also directly exposed her identity.
‘This person… what exactly does she want to do?’
Feliel’s gaze changed completely. The gentle and scholarly aura she had deliberately maintained vanished, replaced by the sharpness and vigilance belonging to the Seventh Seat.
But deep in the depths of Feliel’s eyes, a trace of panic remained from being completely seen through. She stared intently at Sefina, her pupils trembling slightly.
However, Sefina did not immediately answer her question.
Instead, she slowly turned around again, casting her gaze toward that simple wooden bed and the girl with long, flaxen hair lying quietly upon it — Campbell.
The girl’s eyes were gently closed, and her expression was very peaceful. She lay motionless on the bed, as if she were still deep in sleep.
The dim light within the attic shrouded Campbell’s pale face, and the air was thick with the scent of old wood.
Sefina looked at Campbell and spoke in her characteristically flat tone, stating her guess:
“Seventh Seat, the reason you joined Black Utopia should be because of her, right?”
Feliel’s body stiffened slightly, and the knuckles of her clenched fists turned white from the force. She did not speak to refute the claim; this silence was almost equivalent to an admission.
A wave of uncontrollable resentment sprouted and spread in her heart at having her deepest secrets and weaknesses touched so easily by this woman.
She did not like this feeling of being completely controlled and analyzed so nakedly.
‘This woman… she’s truly a bit annoying!’
“Answer my previous question, Ninth Seat.”
Feliel’s voice was even colder than before, carrying an unquestionable sense of pressure as she repeated her demand. In an instant, she had already drawn her Wand, pointing it directly at Sefina’s face in a tense standoff.
Only then did Sefina finally move her gaze away from Campbell to look directly at Feliel.
Sefina’s burgundy eyes lightly swept over Feliel’s tense face as she articulated a few words clearly and slowly:
“Leave that place.”
Feliel’s eyes behind her lenses suddenly widened, as if she had heard something unbelievable.
She subconsciously murmured the words back, filled with confusion and alarm:
“Leave… that place…?”
Where did “that place” refer to? The answer was self-evident — Black Utopia!
What did she mean? Why was she telling her to leave the organization?
In an instant, countless thoughts raced through Feliel’s mind, combining Sefina’s abnormal behavior, her violation of the organization’s unspoken rules, and this abrupt advice to leave…
A terrifying and logical guess split through her thoughts like lightning!
The alarm in Feliel’s eyes quickly faded, replaced by an emotion mixed with ruthlessness and anger. Her voice carried a slight tremor due to her agitation:
“You… are a traitor?!”
‘I see! So that was her goal! She betrayed the organization, and now she wants to convince me to leave as well!’
Feliel suddenly remembered the failure of the previous operation to seize the demon tool — the carefully arranged trap, the perfectly timed empty box, and the patrol team…
She had felt it was suspicious back then, and now everything was connected! The failure of the last operation was almost certainly linked to this traitor!
‘This person!’
‘Damn it…’
Fury instantly drowned out most of Feliel’s reason. The Wand in her hand jerked upward, pointing even more precisely at the center of Sefina’s brow.
The mana around her body fluctuated faintly, indicating she was ready to attack at any moment.
The already stagnant air in the attic seemed to become even thicker, filled with the scent of gunpowder.
However, facing Feliel’s near-bursting rage and the Wand pointed at her, Sefina remained calm. She did not even take a defensive stance or pull out her own Wand for a confrontation.
She simply stood there quietly, as if Feliel’s violent reaction had long been within her expectations.
Ignoring the threat inches away, she continued in that same factual tone, pulling the topic back to the starting point — and Feliel’s most vulnerable spot:
“The reason you joined Black Utopia was likely because you wanted to wake this child.”
Sefina’s gaze swept over Campbell on the bed once more as she spoke in a low voice:
“You want to seek a way to heal her, or a way to pull her out of this state of being neither alive nor dead.”
Feliel’s brow furrowed tightly, and her chest heaved slightly with anger, but she did not speak to refute Sefina’s words.
It was an open secret. Almost every cadre who chose to join Black Utopia and climb to a high position had their own strong and private motives.
The organization was more like a platform where everyone took what they needed; the so-called common goal was nothing more than a hollow facade.
For Campbell, she would pay any price.
“So what?”
Feliel spat out the words coldly, carrying a stubbornness that suggested she was willing to risk everything.
As long as she could wake Campbell, what did it matter if she worked herself to death for the organization?!
Sefina looked at the near-paranoid persistence in her eyes. A very faint emotion seemed to flash through her burgundy eyes — perhaps it was pity, or perhaps it was something else.
Then, facing Feliel’s cold and angry gaze, she spoke with a voice that was incomparably clear, saying the words that were enough to shatter all of Feliel’s persistence and illusions:
“But, she is already dead.”
The sentence was very light, yet it was like a highly destructive spell, exploding loudly in the silent attic.
Feliel’s entire body shuddered violently, as if she had been struck hard by an invisible sledgehammer.
The anger and ruthlessness on her face froze instantly, then peeled away piece by piece like a shattered mask, revealing the unbelievable pallor and emptiness beneath.
The hand holding the Wand began to tremble uncontrollably and violently, and the tip of the Wand pointed at Sefina shook along with it.
“You… shut up!”