Sefina was indeed slightly startled. She hadn’t expected Rofilia to act so swiftly and meticulously. While setting a trap, the headmaster had simultaneously sent people to monitor the movements of all the suspects.
That night, she had transformed into “Holmes” on the mountaintop to observe the situation and was naturally not inside the villa. Rofilia had seized upon this point, and it was indeed a lapse on Sefina’s part.
But… this only proved she had an alibi for that night, or rather, a window of time to commit a crime. It couldn’t directly prove that Sefina was a cadre of Black Utopia.
In the blink of an eye, the expression on Sefina’s face had already adjusted.
She first showed a hint of displeasure at being monitored, but it was quickly masked by even greater confusion.
Sefina straightened her petite frame slightly and defended herself with a tone of bewilderment and a touch of innocence.
“Headmaster, I… I did go out that night. I went to the commercial district in the capital city to clear my head and buy some magic materials. Teachers have their own private time after work, don’t they?”
“As for the Black Utopia cadre you mentioned… I really don’t understand what you’re referring to. Does that have something to do with me?”
Sefina’s eyes were clear, filled with pure confusion and even a hint of helplessness. Her performance was seamless, portraying the image of an ordinary teacher caught up in a bizarre incident to perfection.
Rofilia’s deep violet eyes scanned Sefina’s face meticulously, observing every subtle flicker in her gaze. She had to admit that from Sefina’s expression and tone, she could see almost no absolute panic or fear.
This composure either stemmed from absolute innocence or… extreme disguise.
However, Rofilia’s preparation went far beyond this.
She elegantly crossed her legs and leaned back slightly. Her scrutinizing gaze held a hint of condescension, invisibly radiating a powerful sense of pressure.
“Heh,” Rofilia snorted coldly, her voice steady and crisp. “Teacher Sefina, you’re right. Simply not being in the villa that night isn’t absolute evidence, of course.”
Her tone suddenly became sharp as she shifted the topic. “But since I dared to invite you here so confidently and point out your identity directly, I naturally have my certainties.”
Having said that, Rofilia slowly stood up. Her high heels clicked against the polished floor — *tap, tap* — the crisp sounds echoing in the silent office.
Every step seemed to strike Sefina’s heartstrings. She paced slowly around the chair Sefina was sitting in, looking as though she were inspecting her prey, her gaze never leaving Sefina.
“Did you not notice at all, Teacher Sefina?” Rofilia’s voice carried an inducing low tone. “That night, was the box in Captain Duncan’s hands containing the ‘demon tool’… truly just an ordinary box?”
Sefina felt a slight ripple in her heart, but her face remained confused.
Rofilia stopped and stood slightly in front of Sefina, leaning down to close the distance between them. A faint, looming pressure emanated from her.
“In fact, the surface of that box was coated with a special magic fluorescent powder long ago. This powder is colorless and odorless, with extremely strong adhesion.”
“Once touched, it is difficult to completely remove even with cleaning magic for several days… It only reveals its unique stains under the illumination of a specific violet light magic tool.”
Before she could finish, a demon tool shaped like a quill with a violet crystal embedded at the tip appeared in Rofilia’s hand.
She injected mana into it without hesitation, and the crystal lit up instantly, projecting a soft beam of violet light directly onto Sefina’s hands resting on her knees —
In an instant, under the violet light, several pale green spots emitting a faint fluorescence appeared on the back of Sefina’s fair hands and knuckles!
Sefina’s pupils contracted uncontrollably for a moment, and her eyes widened subconsciously, revealing genuine shock.
‘Magic fluorescent powder? The box? I never touched that box! Could it be…’
But in that split second, Sefina’s brain began to function at an unprecedented speed. Rofilia’s words replayed in her mind like a rewinding tape —
“A cadre of Black Utopia…”
Sefina suddenly realized that Rofilia had never once directly said “Seventh Seat” from start to finish!
‘She doesn’t know my specific rank! What she’s looking for right now is the Seventh Seat, and I’m just one of the suspects…’
Sefina had originally thought she had exposed some flaw, but it seemed that wasn’t the case. This discovery allowed Sefina to calm down instantly.
Rofilia’s previous monitoring was real, but the “evidence” at this moment was very likely a carefully designed ruse.
Her goal was to shake the tree to scare the bird, forcing the real Seventh Seat to reveal a flaw under pressure!
As for the fluorescence on her hands… Sefina quickly recalled every detail after she entered the office.
‘I see.’
As far as Sefina knew, ordinary magic fluorescent powder dissolved in water and could not possibly last for several days. Rofilia’s claims of it being “special” and “difficult to remove” were probably eighty percent bluff.
In fact, the reason Sefina’s hands were stained with magic fluorescent powder now was very simple — the doorknob!
When Sefina came in, Rofilia had told her to “come in,” so Sefina had naturally grasped the doorknob to push the door open.
Rofilia must have applied ordinary magic fluorescent powder to the doorknob in advance, which was why the special stains appeared on Sefina’s hands.
Having figured all this out, Sefina felt completely at ease.
However, the shock on her face did not fade immediately. Instead, it transformed into a more bewildered confusion, even carrying a hint of being at a loss.
She lifted her hands, turning them over and over under the violet light, her brows furrowed tightly as her voice carried a feigned tremble.
“This… What is this? Why… why are these things on my hands? Headmaster, I… I really don’t know what’s going on… I’ve never even seen the box you mentioned…”
Sefina acted exactly like an innocent person frightened by a strange phenomenon. This reaction was precisely the opposite of what Rofilia had anticipated.
The real Seventh Seat would either try to force a calm explanation, saying they might have accidentally touched it elsewhere, or they might lose emotional control and clash directly with Rofilia after being identified by “conclusive evidence.”
But Sefina’s bewilderment of “being completely unaware of the situation” was more like the normal reaction of an outsider who was suddenly dragged into things.
Rofilia carefully observed every slight change in Sefina’s expression.
Seeing that her initial shock didn’t seem faked, and her subsequent confusion and bewilderment appeared very natural, the suspicion toward Sefina in her heart indeed dissipated quite a bit at this moment.
‘Could it… really not be her?’