The two-day train ride passed smoothly, and the return journey went without any further incidents.
Of course, the word “smooth” had to exclude a certain bad student who kept trying to “casually” approach, start a conversation, or use various little tricks to “test” the teacher’s reactions.
Adhering to the principle of seeing through but not saying anything, Sefina responded to all the probing with a cold, calm poker face, which left Versie feeling somewhat frustrated at being unable to find a foothold, but more than that, it gave her a novel sense of fun in a “battle of wits” with the teacher.
The train finally arrived at the station in the city where the Oselenka Magic Academy was located.
As she walked out of the platform with the crowd, the familiar humid air of the Eastern Continent mixed with the faint scent of magical dust washed over her, and Sefina couldn’t help but feel relieved.
The handover of the exchange student delegation from Legdolo was handled by the academy’s dedicated foreign affairs staff, so she could finally set down the burden on her shoulders for now.
“Finally back…”
Sefina gently stretched her shoulders and neck, which had grown stiff from sitting for so long, and let out a soft sigh.
She planned to return to her office first.
These past few days, Teacher Clyde had been covering her classes, so she needed to hand over and catch up on the course progress and the students’ homework status.
After a brief farewell with Teacher Shalina, Sefina went alone to the faculty office building.
She walked straight to her office and pushed open the door.
Creak—
The first person to come into Sefina’s view was none other than the Princess with soft golden hair and emerald green eyes, Ellaria.
Ellaria had been sitting by the desk, organizing a stack of parchment scrolls, and immediately looked up when she heard the door open.
“Teacher Sefina!”
When she saw that it was Sefina, her emerald eyes instantly lit up, and her voice carried a hint of surprise.
She almost immediately stood up and quickly walked over to Sefina.
“You’re back! Did the trip go smoothly?”
Ellaria greeted her eagerly, then, without waiting for Sefina to answer, began to report in a methodical manner as if giving a work briefing:
“I’ve handled the handover for the classes during your absence. Teacher Clyde has advanced the ‘Intermediate Elemental Resonance Theory’ to Chapter 4, Section 3, focusing on the complementary properties of fire and wind. Class exercises and homework completion statistics are here.”
Listening to Ellaria’s clear and rapid report, a hint of relief flickered in Sefina’s wine-red eyes.
This child, no matter what, was always so diligent and reliable.
“Thank you for your hard work, Ellaria. Sorry for troubling you with this.”
A faint blush uncontrollably rose on Ellaria’s cheeks.
She lowered her head, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes.
The confession that had nearly slipped out before Teacher Sefina left, and the restless nights that followed, now surfaced clearly in her mind.
These past few days, her heart had felt like a kitten’s paw was gently scratching at it—itchy and unsettled, always hoping the teacher would return soon, wanting to see her, yet also a little afraid to face her alone…
This conflicting feeling left her at a loss.
Ellaria took a deep breath, as if gathering courage, and was about to look up and say something to the teacher, like “Welcome back,” or ask about the Western Continent…
However, just then—
“Teacher Sefina! Teacher Sefina!”
Before she even saw the person, Mia’s piercing, joyful voice came from the corridor, growing closer.
The next moment, the office door burst open with a bang.
Mia rushed in like a joyful fawn, followed by Kefi, whose steps were more steady.
“Teacher! You’re finally back!”
Mia rushed up to Sefina, her face scrunched up, and began to complain loudly:
“Teacher Clyde’s classes are so boring! And he gave us a ton of homework! My wrist is almost broken from writing!”
She dramatically shook her wrist.
Kefi, on the other hand, smiled and bowed to Sefina, her tone light:
“Teacher Sefina, long time no see. Did everything go well in the Western Continent?”
Kefi looked at Sefina curiously, as if trying to spot traces of a foreign journey on the teacher.
Looking at these two lively faces before her, the fatigue from the long journey and delicate interpersonal relationships seemed to melt away.
She replied simply:
“Mm, I’m back. The trip was fairly smooth.”
As for Mia’s complaint, she just gave her a faint glance:
“If there’s a lot of homework, just do it carefully. Consolidating knowledge is never a bad thing.”
At this point, Ellaria also calmed her chaotic thoughts, put back on a gentle smile, moved closer to Sefina, joined Mia and Kefi’s conversation, and softly asked about the teacher’s travel details.
For a moment, the small office was filled with the relaxed atmosphere of a reunion after a long separation.
In the evening, Sefina left the academy.
She didn’t go straight back to the dormitory, but instead navigated her way to the commercial district and stopped in front of the familiar clothing shop.
The shop was already closed, and the magic lamp in the display window had been turned off.
Sefina didn’t ring the doorbell; she simply pushed open the shop door and walked in.
The shop was dark, with only a warm glow coming from the staircase leading to the basement in the back.
Sefina locked the shop door behind her and walked straight to the basement.
The wooden staircase let out a faint creak.
The people in the basement all paused at the same time and looked toward the staircase.
When they saw it was Sefina, the tense atmosphere instantly relaxed.
“Big Sis meow~ You’re back!”
The first to cheerfully speak was Lisika, her cat ears twitching slightly with excitement.
Sefina slowly descended the last few steps and naturally sat down on the empty chair next to Lisika.
“Mm, I’m back.”
Flovi, Nona, and Feliel were all in the basement at this moment.
Nona stopped her work, turned around, adjusted her glasses, and asked with concern:
“Boss, how was the Western Continent? Did everything go smoothly?”
Sefina shook her head, her tone calm but with a hint of gravity:
“The handover mission is complete. However, my original identity is still on wanted notices in the Western Continent countries.”
“Original identity?”
Feliel looked at her with confusion upon hearing this.
She had not been part of this group for long, and was unaware of Sefina’s past, especially the identity of ‘Holmes’.
Sefina then remembered that she hadn’t yet explained this matter to Feliel in detail.
It would be troublesome to explain directly, so she decided to use a more straightforward method.
Without much ado, she simply raised her hand and gently put on the shape-shifting magic ring on her finger.
As a faint, familiar wave of magical power passed over her, her figure rose slightly, her blue hair turned into snow-white silver, and the lines of her face underwent subtle but distinct changes, shifting her temperament from gentle to cold and sharp.
Feliel’s pupils suddenly dilated, her face filled with shock and disbelief.
This was exactly the mysterious white-haired woman who had appeared in the vampire incident and played her for a fool—’Holmes’!
“So… it was you!”
Feliel’s voice carried a hint of realization and gnashing of teeth.
“No wonder… no wonder every operation before felt like it was predicted in advance! I was wondering how Oselenka suddenly had such a troublesome character… It was all part of your scheme all along!”
Feliel recalled the frustrations of their previous encounters and couldn’t help but complain.
Sefina just looked at her calmly, her expression unchanged.
After Feliel calmed down a bit, she brought the topic back on track:
“You came here specifically, so there must be new developments from the Organization?”
Upon hearing this question, the annoyed expression on Feliel’s face quickly receded, turning serious.
She nodded and answered in a low voice:
“Yes. I received a message… it was the Deputy who contacted me personally.”