Several days had passed quietly since that mysterious adjutant’s late-night visit.
Oselenka Magic Academy remained bathed in an atmosphere both orderly and faintly languid, with nothing unusual occurring in the interim, as if the secret discussion and assassination mission from that night had been nothing more than a fleeting illusion for Sefina.
She continued teaching her students as usual, maintaining classroom discipline with her cold tone and precise critiques.
At the same time, she remained buried in what seemed like an endless pile of tedious paperwork.
Occasionally, when her eyes caught sight of that obstructive Diaper Box tucked deep inside a drawer, the corner of her mouth twitched involuntarily……
During the lunch break that day, several newly appointed teachers gathered around a table in the faculty cafeteria.
The conversation naturally turned to the troublesome students, especially those with powerful backgrounds—noble scions difficult to discipline.
“Sigh, that Kyle in my class has been much better behaved since Teacher Sefina threw him out once, but his little followers are still causing trouble in all sorts of ways…” complained John, the potion master.
“Our summoning faction is similar. Some students just seem to think their family status grants them immunity from punishment,” another added.
Selina sighed, then, as if recalling something, smiled and nudged Sefina with her elbow.
“When it comes to disciplining students, Teacher Sefina is really the best! Right? If only I could be like her—just toss disobedient students out the window, I bet they’d behave immediately! Haha!”
Sefina, focused on a delicate strawberry cream cake on her plate, lightly kicked Selina with her foot clad in milky-white calf socks—her feet unable to reach the floor because the chair was too tall.
She simultaneously lifted her eyes, giving Selina a sidelong glance, her cheeks puffed out from holding cake in her mouth, her gaze tinged with a hint of irritation at being teased.
Selina immediately raised her hand in surrender, laughing: “Ah, ah, just kidding, Teacher Sefina, don’t be mad!”
The topic quickly shifted to other matters, such as how to formulate questions for the upcoming exams and how to spend leisure time.
Sefina mostly kept her head down, focused on her lunch and dessert, only briefly chiming in with a few words when asked professional questions, maintaining her usual cold but not impolite demeanor.
Until—
“By the way, have you heard?” Selina suddenly lowered her voice, her face bright with excitement to share a juicy tidbit.
“Did you guys hear? Last night, a student apparently saw some kind of unidentified flying object hovering over the school!”
“Unidentified flying object? Is this some new urban legend?” John chuckled.
“It doesn’t seem to be baseless. Several of my students were talking about it this morning, describing it in detail, saying they really saw something streak past,” Professor Ben from the alchemy faction pushed up his glasses, his expression somewhat serious.
Sefina’s hand holding the fork paused briefly, then resumed as usual, bringing a cream-covered piece of cake to her mouth, feigning disinterest.
“Maybe the students just misinterpreted something? A flock of birds? Or maybe some student practicing flying magic didn’t quite get it right?” another teacher speculated.
“That’s possible, too. After all, strange rumors have never been few around Oselenka…” Selina nodded, soon distracted by other topics again.
Sefina quietly chewed, a trace of deep thought flickering behind her garnet eyes.
***
Two nights later.
A bright full moon hung high in the night sky, its cool light pouring down like molten silver, enveloping Oserenka Magic Academy in a hazy, mysterious silver veil.
The polished stone tiles reflected the faint glow, and the distant forest stood like an illusory silhouette, broken only by the occasional strange calls from the magical creatures’ habitat, piercing the night’s silence.
Amidst this quiet, a slender figure staggered through the shadows cast by the buildings.
She had snow-white hair flowing like moonlight and skin pale as snow.
At this moment, she was struggling to support herself against the cold Earth Wall, her blood-red eyes opening and closing tightly from unbearable pain.
The Bloodkin Girl unconsciously bit her lower lip with sharp fangs, leaving a shallow mark.
Hungry… so hungry……
A tearing emptiness radiated deep within her body; the craving for fresh blood burned like a blazing fire, scorching her reason and throat.
Blood… I need blood…
The Bloodkin Girl staggered forward, driven by instinct to seek out any possible scent.
Just as the torment of thirst nearly drove her mad, an extremely faint aroma drifted into her nostrils on the night breeze.
…The scent of blood!
A faint but exceptionally sweet and fragrant metallic tang!
The smell instantly shattered the last of her resistance.
Her reason consumed by instinct, she followed the alluring scent, step by step closing in on its source.
It was a secluded corner deep within the courtyard.
The scent grew stronger… just ahead!
A longing light bloomed in the Bloodkin Girl’s scarlet eyes; she was almost about to pounce.
However, when she finally reached the spot where the scent was strongest, she was stunned to find………
It was empty! Nothing at all! Only the cold moonlight spilling over the clearing.
That enticing blood scent… where had it come from?!
A sharp unease quickly spread through her entire body.
At that moment, she seemed to realize something—
She’d been trapped!
The instant she understood this……
“Vzzz—!”
The ground beneath her feet suddenly lit up! A complex and sinister purple magic circle instantly appeared, enveloping her figure completely!
It was them! The trap they had set!
The Bloodkin Girl’s heart jolted; a fierce will to survive surged as she immediately turned to flee from the magic circle’s coverage!
But it was already too late!
“Rumble rumble—!”
Several thick Earth Walls shot up from the ground in an instant, forming a sturdy cage that completely enclosed her.
The walls shimmered with an earthy yellow magical glow, obviously reinforced by high-level earth magic!
The girl panicked and tried to cast a spell to break the walls, but her meager power struck them without leaving so much as a scratch!
And it wasn’t over yet…
“Screech screech—! Screech screech—!”
A chilling screech suddenly echoed from the sky.
The girl looked up in horror to see several large magical creatures resembling bats, their wings flapping as they dove toward the Earth Wall cage imprisoning her.
Magic Bats! And magically enhanced, highly aggressive ones at that!
Their blood-red eyes locked onto the trapped prey, mouths open to reveal sharp fangs!
The Bloodkin Girl’s heart clenched tight, the word ‘despair’ flashing through her mind—
It’s over!
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