At the same moment, on the edge of Section B4 in the Rear Mountain of the academy, a temporarily cleared open space was lit as bright as day by several floating magical lanterns.
Scattered around were several “ice sculptures” dressed in black robes—these were the evil summoners from the Dark Beast Legion who had infiltrated, now utterly frozen and lifeless.
After detecting disturbances from the sealed location, the professors and instructors who arrived here had conducted a thorough search of the vicinity, discovering the Dark Beast Legion’s secret stronghold hidden within the academy.
The battle had been decided in an instant, because she had arrived.
“How are we supposed to run a magic academy properly with vermin like you crawling around?”
Headmistress Krolova puffed out her cheeks and scolded, obvious fury flashing in her emerald eyes.
She still wore that overly large white mage’s robe, cradling her gray rabbit plush, “Miss Shade,” in her arms. Seated beneath her was a rabbit-shaped magical beast as big as a small carriage, pure white all over, eyes like twin rubies, exuding a biting cold aura.
If Camilla were here, she would immediately recognize this giant rabbit as Krolova’s strongest summoned beast—Froststar, a Tier 9 powerhouse. Back in the day, Krolova had personally toppled the Dark Chimera in direct combat with it.
“What, cat’s got your tongues?”
Krolova somehow produced a fresh, dewy carrot, wielding it like a pointer and tapping it briskly against Froststar’s broad, sturdy back. With each tap, the giant rabbit obligingly twitched its long ears and released a puff of icy mist.
Surrounding her were several of the academy’s core professors, each looking grim and, in some cases, a little worse for wear.
Madam Victoria stood ramrod straight, her usual stern expression now tinged with a shade of ashen anger. Next to her, Professor Bernard wore a pained look, several singed patches on his beard, and a tear at the hem of his alchemical robe.
Another especially striking figure was Calgary, the professor from the Warlock Department—a bald, towering man over 2.2 meters, muscle-bound and covered in intricate magical tattoos across his bare arms, wearing only a sleeveless leather vest. He stood with his arms crossed, brow deeply furrowed.
“Well? Any of you care to explain? Speak up!”
Krolova’s childish voice rose by at least eight octaves in anger, the carrot waving through the air.
“You let the Dark Beast Legion rats build their lair right in the Rear Mountain of the academy! They even set up so many energy nodes—if not for that sudden energy surge tonight triggering the Warning Spell, were you all planning to just stay in bed until the whole academy was flooded by a beast tide?”
The more she spoke, the angrier she became, her short legs kicking hard on Froststar’s back.
“Victoria! Aren’t you in charge of daily patrols and barrier maintenance? How did a gap that big slip through on your watch, hmm?”
With a snap, the carrot pointed at Victoria. The famously strict Summoning Department professor pressed her lips into a line and bowed her head in admission.
“It was my negligence. I failed to detect the weakening of the barrier in time and am willing to accept any punishment.”
“And you! Bernard!”
The carrot swung to the alchemy professor.
“All you ever do is tinker with your bottles and jars! How long has it been since you last gave the Alchemical Detection Array a full inspection and upgrade? Huh? Look me in the eye!”
Professor Bernard shrank under her scolding, his beard trembling, and muttered in protest.
“Headmistress, I submitted three budget requests for the Alchemical Detection Array last year, but the Finance Office said—”
“I don’t care! It’s still your responsibility!”
Krolova wouldn’t hear a word of explanation, cheeks puffed out like an angry hamster.
“And the rest of you! Where were the Warning Spells from the Warlock Department? What about the divination prompts from the Divination School? Did none of you notice a thing? Or do you all just think everything’s safe as long as I’m around, so you can rest easy?”
She swept her gaze over every professor present, her dissatisfaction practically seeping into the air. Whoever her gaze landed on felt their face burn, especially Victoria and Bernard. As Krolova’s own former pupils, being scolded by their old teacher in front of everyone made their shame all the more acute.
“Ahem.”
Calgary, the bald giant, cleared his throat, attempting to ease the suffocating tension.
“Please, Headmistress, don’t be angry. It’s true, we were careless this time and gave our enemies an opening. Fortunately, we discovered it in time and prevented real damage. The most pressing issue now is the Summoning Practical Exam in two weeks.”
At the mention of the practical exam, everyone’s faces grew even more serious. The test was originally scheduled for Section B4, which had now turned out to be a secret base for the forces of darkness. The arrangements for the exam were cast under a heavy shadow.
Krolova gave a snort, stuffed the carrot back into her robe, and hugged Miss Shade against her cheek, calming herself a little, though her voice remained stern and commanding.
“Handle it? What’s there to handle?”
Her emerald eyes swept over everyone, shining with pure and overwhelming confidence.
“The date for the practical test stays exactly as planned! Not a single day will change! And the location is still Section B4!”
“Headmistress?”
Several professors spoke out almost in unison, disapproval written on their faces. This place had just been infiltrated by the Dark Beast Legion; even though their base was rooted out, there could still be lingering dangers. Having the students take their exam here was far too risky.
“Hmph!”
Krolova let out a sharp snort from her nose and hopped down from Froststar’s back. Her small figure stood in stark contrast beside the enormous icy rabbit, yet her aura soared.
“You want me to run away from a fight? A mere Dark Beast Legion, just a few rats skulking in the shadows, and you’re all this scared? Have you forgotten who protects this academy?”
She raised her chin, emerald eyes blazing with intimidating light.
“It’s me, Krolova—the strongest summoner in history! If those rats dare come here, I’ll make sure they die here! And especially that one—if she dares show herself before me, I’ll let her know the true meaning of fear!”
Her words rang out with the conviction of a living legend.
Victoria and Bernard exchanged a look, seeing resignation in each other’s eyes. Calgary rubbed his bald head and cracked a grin full of fighting spirit.
“Headmistress is right! Hiding’s not our style! To hell with them!”
The other professors nodded one by one. Though worries remained, with the Headmistress taking such a stance, they too had to show courage. Otherwise, how could they ever hope to improve?
Krolova nodded in satisfaction, climbed back onto Froststar’s back, her small figure sinking into the soft fur.
“All right, get to work! Clean this place up thoroughly. Reverse-analyze all energy nodes—let’s see if we can follow the trail! As for these ice sculptures…”
She glanced at the already dead Dark Summoners.
“They’ve had special parasitic beasts implanted inside them ahead of time, which kill the host instantly under certain conditions. Bernard, take them back for study, though I doubt you’ll learn much from them.”
The giant Froststar let out a low growl, carrying its master away on frosted paws, slowly vanishing into the depths of the woods, leaving only the professors behind to busily carry out their orders.