The last day of the Magic Festival holiday was clear and sunny.
Sefina enjoyed the rare peace. Over the past two days, she had mostly stayed secluded in her villa, reading books, organizing notes, and occasionally fiddling with the gadgets Nona had given her. Both her body and mind were fully relaxed.
Compared to running around on dangerous missions or dealing with various emergencies, she thoroughly enjoyed this peaceful daily routine.
However, on the last day of the holiday, Sefina received a letter from Lisika through a secret channel.
The letter reported the latest progress on the investigation into the identity of the seventh seat—
Unfortunately, there was almost no progress.
Even after narrowing the scope to the teachers of Oselenka’s elemental faction and summoning department, the number of people who needed to be investigated secretly was still quite large.
Furthermore, most of these teachers had clear backgrounds and no obvious flaws in their behavior. Investigating each one deeply was not only inefficient but also very likely to attract unnecessary attention.
‘Sigh, as expected, it’s not that easy. Truly a hassle.’
Sefina held the letter over a candle flame to light it. As she watched it turn to ash, a sense of irritation rose in her heart.
Just as she was troubled by this matter, there was a sudden knock on the villa’s front door.
The “thud, thud, thud” sounded clearly, followed by a slightly rough male voice from outside. “Is Teacher Sefina there?”
‘That voice… it’s somewhat familiar.’
Sefina rose from her desk and walked toward the door in her soft indoor slippers.
When she opened the door, she was slightly surprised to see a burly man standing there wearing a patrol team uniform.
‘Duncan?’
She was not well-acquainted with Captain Duncan of the patrol team; their interactions were limited to a few brief encounters at academy meetings.
Under normal circumstances, he had no reason to suddenly visit an elemental magic teacher.
Why did he come today…?
An idea instantly flashed through Sefina’s mind, and the source of that thought pointed to one person—
Rofilia.
‘It seems he hasn’t come with good intentions.’
Duncan’s face remained expressionless when he saw Sefina. He spoke in a businesslike manner.
“Teacher Sefina, Headmaster Rofilia has requested you come to her office. She says there is something to discuss and mentioned… having a cup of coffee.”
‘Heh, as I thought,’ Sefina scoffed inwardly.
While she was secretly searching for the identity of the seventh seat, someone as sharp and resourceful as Rofilia would naturally not sit idly by regarding the **Black Utopia** cadre who had infiltrated the academy.
Duncan’s arrival meant that Rofilia had undoubtedly turned her suspicious gaze toward her.
Alarm bells rang in Sefina’s heart, but her face instantly settled into a perfectly calculated expression of surprise and doubt.
She widened her burgundy eyes slightly, her face showing a hint of displeasure at having her holiday rest interrupted along with deep confusion. She asked in return:
“Captain Duncan? Headmaster Rofilia is looking for me so suddenly? Is there some kind of emergency?”
Sefina’s tone and demeanor were exactly like those of an ordinary teacher who knew nothing of the underlying circumstances and was merely baffled by the headmaster’s summons.
Duncan’s gaze lingered on Sefina’s face for a moment, seemingly trying to find a flaw, but he showed no outward sign of suspicion. He simply replied indifferently:
“I am not clear on the specific reason. The Headmaster only asked me to deliver the message.”
Sefina sighed as if helpless and shrugged with an innocent look. She spoke calmly.
“Fine. Since the Headmaster has invited me… I’ll head over now to see what’s going on.”
Sefina changed into short boots suitable for going out at the doorway, nodded to Duncan, and walked toward the academy’s core area alone.
Stopping before the heavy wooden door of Headmaster Rofilia’s office, Sefina paused. She raised her hand and knocked three times with moderate force.
“Thud, thud, thud—”
“Headmaster Rofilia, are you in?”
That familiar, elegant female voice soon came from inside. “Please come in, Teacher Sefina.”
Sefina took a deep breath, suppressed her surging emotions, and regained her usual calm—even adding a bit of the impatience of someone whose time had been wasted. She turned the handle and walked inside.
Inside the office, Rofilia sat behind her massive office desk. Her posture was relaxed, as if she had been waiting for a long time.
On the desk before her, besides the usual documents and magic tools, two cups of steaming coffee had been specially prepared. Their rich aroma filled the air.
Opposite the desk, an empty chair was positioned facing her, clearly intended for Sefina.
“Headmaster, did you call for me during the holiday because there is something urgent to handle?”
Sefina spoke first, her tone carrying feigned confusion. Her gaze swept over the two cups of coffee, and her inner vigilance spiked.
This setup did not look like a simple invitation for “a cup of coffee.”
However, Rofilia did not answer her question immediately.
The corners of her mouth merely curled into an indiscernible arc. She elegantly picked up the coffee cup in front of her and took a light sip.
As she set the cup down, her deep purple eyes shot straight toward Sefina as if trying to pierce through her disguise.
The air in the office seemed to freeze at that moment.
Then, in her steady yet subtly oppressive tone, Rofilia softly spoke her questioning words:
“Teacher Sefina… or perhaps, would it be more appropriate to use a different title? For example… his Excellency, the cadre of **Black Utopia**?”
In that instant, Sefina’s heart seemed to stop for one second before it began to throb wildly.
‘She knows?! How does she know?! Where did I slip up?’
Countless thoughts exploded in Sefina’s mind, but the willpower she had forged from years of walking on the edge of danger allowed her to forcefully suppress any outward emotion.
The expression that surfaced on Sefina’s face now was even more profound confusion and blankness than before, mixed with a trace of indignation at being hit with such a ridiculous accusation.
Sefina frowned slightly and asked in a tone that suggested she was completely unable to understand:
“Headmaster Rofilia, what are you saying? **Black Utopia**? What is that? Is it some kind of organization?”
Seeing Sefina’s nearly flawless “confused” expression, the curve of Rofilia’s lips deepened. She gently swirled the coffee cup in her hand and shook her head.
“Teacher Sefina, there are no outsiders here. There is no need to continue feigning confusion.” Her tone carried a hint of knowing mockery.
Then, she stopped beating around the bush and threw out the first piece of substantive evidence, her gaze as sharp as a blade.
“Just a few days ago, the academy carried out a secret demon tool escort mission. As a result, it was attacked and hijacked by an unknown force on the way.”
“According to my investigation, during the time that the leader of the attackers—the ‘seventh seat’—was active…”
Rofilia paused deliberately, staring fixedly into Sefina’s eyes, and spoke one word at a time.
“You, Teacher Sefina, happened to be absent from your villa. So, please tell me. Where exactly did you go that night?”