The small kitchen bustled with activity.
Sefina tied on an apron she found in the corner of the kitchen and began preparing breakfast in the cramped space.
Mia, like a curious and eager little tail, trotted behind her teacher and volunteered to help.
“Teacher, teacher, I’ll peel the potatoes!”
Mia snatched the peeler and clumsily but earnestly tackled the remaining potatoes, nearly slicing off a big chunk of flesh. Sefina had to gently tap her hand to make her ease up.
Breakfast was simple.
Sefina boiled some of the potatoes Mia had unevenly peeled, mashed them, and seasoned them with just a little salt. She cut the rest into small pieces and fried them golden brown with the last bit of oil.
The staple was still black bread, cut into thick slices.
There was no milk, only boiled water.
Simple food, yet Sefina arranged it neatly and properly on the table, steaming hot.
Sefina said to Mia. “Go call them to get up. It’s time for breakfast.”
“Got it!”
Mia replied crisply, turned, and quickly ran upstairs, her footsteps thudding loudly.
Soon, footsteps sounded again, and two figures came down the stairs one after the other.
Ellaria had already tidied herself up. Her long golden hair flowed smoothly over her shoulders, and her emerald eyes, though carrying a hint of fatigue, were generally clear.
She nodded slightly to Sefina.
“Good morning, Teacher Sefina.”
Kefi, who walked behind, was clearly not in as good shape.
Her brown hair was a bit disheveled, her face still pale, with faint dark circles under her eyes; clearly she had not slept well all night.
The gentle smile that usually hung on her face was gone, replaced by a sullen dejection, her lips pressed together slightly.
But compared to yesterday’s hollow emptiness, as if her soul had been drained, her eyes now had at least a little focus. Though dim, they were no longer completely vacant.
Kefi followed behind Ellaria, eyes downcast. Only when she heard the greeting did she lift her eyelids slightly and reply in a voice barely above a whisper.
“…Good morning.”
Kefi tried to force a smile onto her face, but only managed a stiff twitch of her lips, which soon went flat again.
Sefina noticed this subtle change.
Though still heavy with sorrow, at least Kefi was slowly pulling herself out of that complete collapse.
At least it was a sign of gradual improvement.
“Kefi!”
Mia immediately sidled up to Kefi, like a clingy kitten, chattering away.
“You scared me! This morning when I opened my eyes, your side was empty. I thought you… thought you’d gone somewhere! I almost rushed out to look for you! Luckily Teacher Sefina said you went to her room last night.”
Mia patted her chest, looking as if she had had a fright, then naturally pulled Kefi to sit down at the table.
Ellaria considerately sat on Kefi’s other side and softly asked how she had slept and if she still felt cold.
The four of them sat around the small table and began to enjoy the simple breakfast.
The mashed potatoes were soft and warm, the fried potato chunks crispy on the outside and tender inside, and the black bread was dense and chewy.
Though the ingredients were limited, Sefina’s skillful hands made them still delicious.
Mia ate with gusto, occasionally letting out satisfied sighs.
Ellaria ate gracefully, chewing slowly.
Kefi ate very little, moving slowly, but at least she was eating bite by bite.
***
After clearing the dishes, breakfast ended in a relatively calm atmosphere.
Sefina wiped her hands clean and untied her apron.
She didn’t sit down immediately, but walked to the center of the living room, facing the three girls who had sat down on the sofa, and her expression became serious.
“There’s something I need to tell you all.”
Sefina began, her voice clear and steady.
“Today, I’m leaving for the western continent.”
The air seemed to freeze for a moment.
Mia and Ellaria both raised their heads, their gazes fixed on her.
Kefi’s originally downcast eyelashes also fluttered, and her gray eyes secretly lifted to look at Sefina.
Sefina continued.
“I have to set out to resolve the matters over on the western continent.”
About the Western Order, including the ‘Demon’ lurking within it, and the fact that Sefina was wanted as ‘Holmes’…
She had roughly mentioned these things yesterday when she revealed the truth.
But now, stating the decision to leave explicitly still made the girls feel its heavy weight.
Mia blinked, a look of confusion and disbelief on her face. She scratched her head and couldn’t help speaking up.
“Teacher Sefina… you can really change into a different form? It still sounds so amazing…”
She was obviously particularly interested in the ‘transformation,’ or rather, it was beyond her normal scope of understanding.
Sefina glanced at her without offering much verbal explanation.
Sometimes, a practical demonstration is more powerful than any words.
She raised her left hand, and the seemingly ordinary silver ring on her index finger flashed a very subtle luster in the morning light coming through the window.
As Sefina willed it, a thread of mana infused, and the change in her body occurred silently yet unmistakably.
Her originally waist-length smooth blue hair, starting from the roots, turned into pure, flawless silver-white as if dyed by ice and snow, flowing over her shoulders.
Her wine-red eyes shifted in hue, turning into an icy lake blue, and her gaze seemed to change as well, gaining a few measures of cold detachment.
More noticeable was the change in her stature.
Sefina’s petite frame stretched and lengthened, her originally well-fitting clothes suddenly becoming a bit tight, outlining a more mature and graceful figure.
Her demeanor also sharply changed from soft and cute to efficient and aloof, with a mature woman’s aura.
The form of ‘Holmes’ appeared once again.
“Waaah—!!!”
Mia’s mouth instantly formed an ‘O’, her blue eyes wide as saucers. The bread in her hand almost fell to the floor.
She jumped up from the sofa, rushed in front of Sefina, and looked her up and down, letting out an incredulous exclamation.
“Really, really changed! Hair! Eyes! Height! Even… even the feeling is different! Teacher, like this… you’re so, so pretty! No, handsome! No… anyway, it’s just… just so different! Amazing!”
Ellaria also slightly widened her emerald eyes.
Though not as flustered as Mia, her face clearly showed her shock.
She carefully looked at this ‘teacher’ who was both familiar and unfamiliar, and had to admit that Teacher Sefina in this form indeed had a completely different charm.
Kefi’s gray eyes were also locked onto Sefina.
She looked at the silver-white hair, ice-blue eyes, and notably taller figure, her gaze slightly wavering.
Sefina let them look for a moment, then willed the transformation to dissolve.
The silver hair faded back to blue, her eyes returned to wine-red, and her figure shrank back to its original petite size.
She looked at the still-fading surprise on the girls’ faces and spoke calmly.
“Now, do you believe me?”
The evidence was solid and undeniable.
At this point, Ellaria came back to her senses from her surprise, a rational doubt appearing in her emerald eyes.
She frowned slightly and asked softly.
“Teacher… why are you telling us all this?”
Her question hit the mark.
Sefina’s other identity was her greatest secret.
Being a wanted criminal by the countries of the western continent, this information was vital to her safety.
Logically, the fewer people who knew, the better.
Even students didn’t necessarily have to be told such core secrets.
Sefina met Ellaria’s puzzled and worried gaze, her eyes becoming exceptionally soft, and her voice softened as well.
“Because you are my students, and I trust you.”