<Arcadia Hunter Academy, Instructor Building>
Irina stood before Eleanor, her amber eyes meeting the instructor’s gaze with a calm demeanor. Despite the weight of the recent events bearing down on her, she remained composed, ready to navigate the delicate conversation ahead.
Eleanor’s piercing gaze seemed to scrutinize Irina, searching for any signs of deception or evasion. The instructor was known for her keen intuition, and Irina knew she had to tread carefully to maintain her facade.
“You seem to be associated with a lot of events recently,” Eleanor remarked, her tone measured yet probing.
Irina nodded subtly, acknowledging the observation. “Yes, there have been… unforeseen circumstances that required my attention.”
Eleanor raised an eyebrow, a hint of skepticism evident in her expression. “Unforeseen circumstances?” she repeated, her voice tinged with curiosity. “Irina, I trust you understand the importance of transparency, especially in matters concerning the safety of our academy and its students.”
With the recent events that had already shaken the trust in the academy, the policies for the students had been changed.
The students were no longer allowed to leave the campus until the end of the semester, and the curfew times were more stricter now.
Previously, there were some students who would train at night, but this was no longer applicable since the attacks at night.
The entertainment locations were all shut down as well.
Irina maintained her calm exterior, offering a reassuring smile. “Of course, Instructor Eleanor. Allow me to clarify.”
With careful precision, Irina began to recount the events that had transpired in the penthouse or the things before that, carefully omitting any mention of Astron’s involvement.
She first explained that she had trained herself too hard and put herself into a mana-exhausted state. Then, upon leaving the training grounds, she was captured by the demon contractor and was unable to resist her thanks to the state she was in.
After that, she described how the demon contractor had taken her to a room and attempted to perform a ritual on her, trying to steal her powers. However, the girl overlooked an artifact that was hidden on her body, and by utilizing that artifact, Irina was able to escape the imprisonment of the demon contractor and gain access to her mana once again; she had defeated the demon contractor.
This was the story that she came up with since the academy would clearly see the signs of her getting captured if they checked the footage. Therefore, her story needed to meet the real proofs as well.
After that, she described how she had stumbled upon the hidden segment of the room and discovered the gruesome scene within.
“It was a harrowing experience,” Irina admitted, her voice steady. “But I knew I had to act swiftly to ensure the safety of our fellow students, as well as myself.”
Eleanor listened intently, her expression unreadable as she absorbed Irina’s account. The instructor was known for her astuteness, and Irina could sense the weight of her scrutiny.
“And you were able to handle the situation on your own?” Eleanor inquired, her tone neutral yet probing. She seemed still suspect that Irina was able to escape the state of imprisonment on her own.
After all, according to the story she told, the demon contractor made a grave mistake by not checking her properly, which somehow contradicted how they had never found the traces of that girl.
However, Irina was already expecting that as well, and there was a special card she could play in times like this.
Irina nodded, her confidence unwavering. “Of course, instructor. Do you take the Emberheart Family lightly? I can deal with hundreds of such demon contractors alone.”
The card was her lineage, of course. No matter how strong Eleanor was, at the end of the day, in the face of the Emberheart Family, she would need to concede.
Eleanor regarded Irina for a moment longer, her gaze lingering thoughtfully. “Very well, Student Irina. I commend your bravery and resourcefulness in the face of danger. It is clear that you are a credit to our academy.”
A sense of relief washed over Irina, grateful that her explanation had been accepted without suspicion.
She offered a respectful nod to Eleanor, masking any lingering unease beneath a facade of gratitude.
“Thank you, Instructor Eleanor,” Irina replied earnestly. “I am honored to serve our academy in any way I can.”
“….” Eleanor didn’t reply for a little while, and then she gestured to Irina that everything was finished. “You are dismissed. The academy will contact you back once we finish our investigations.”
“Understood, instructor.”
As Irina left the office, she smiled heartily as if things had gone smoothly.
TAK!
As the door closed, Eleanor, who had been watching her retreating figure, narrowed her eyes.
“This feeling.” She mumbled to herself, looking at the submitted report. “Even though student Irina had said it was thanks to her artifact, we have no records of an artifact that helps one recover from their mana-exhausted state. And most importantly, the fact that she was able to find the hidden segment…”
She muttered to herself, yet she leaned on her back, raising her gaze to the ceiling.
“Sigh….Regardless of how it is, the academy will most likely seal the case with this. Since further doubting the report has the possibility of angering Emberheart, the academy can’t afford to lose the support of one of the Pentagon.”
“Headmaster.”
In any case, the consolidation of the parents of the victims was the headmaster’s problem, at least.
And she also needed to interrogate the close friends of the culprit. After all, there was a chance that they were also related to demon contractors.
Looking at the two girls shown on the list, she shook her head.
*******
<Arcadia Hunter Academy, Cafeteria>
Sylvie and Jasmine had just left the presence of their stern instructor, Eleanor. But what they never expected was the news that they had just heard.
“It is insane,” Jasmine mumbled to herself, her eyes still wide with disbelief. “To think that Danielle was a demon contractor all this time.”
Sylvie was no different. Her mind also reeled as she tried to process the shocking revelation about Danielle. She glanced at Jasmine, noticing the disbelief etched on her friend’s face mirrored her own feelings.
“Yeah….Danielle….Demon Contractor?” Sylvie whispered, her voice barely audible above the hum of the cafeteria.
Even though Sylvie had been getting negative vibes from Danielle for a while since she had awakened her talent, she didn’t expect that Danielle was a demon contractor all this time.
A demon contractor and the culprit behind the disappearance of the five girls.
Jasmine shook her head, her expression a mix of confusion and disbelief. “I can’t believe it. We’ve known her for all semester, and she’s been hiding something like this all along?”
Sylvie nodded slowly, her thoughts racing. “But how? And why?”
“I don’t know,” Jasmine replied, her voice tinged with frustration. “But it explains a lot. Her sudden disappearances, the mysterious meetings… it all makes sense now.”
Looking back at it, Danielle had many times invited Jasmine and Sylvie to different places, and somehow, something warned her whenever that happened.
It was an instinctual reaction for her to refuse, but maybe her dormant powers were already warning her from the start.
Sylvie’s brow furrowed as she considered the implications of Danielle’s secret. “Do you think she was involved in the recent attacks?”
Maybe there was a chance that Danielle was the masked person behind the attacks on Seniors. With her strength as a demon contractor, it looked possible for her to do such a thing.
“It’s possible,” Jasmine admitted, her tone grim. “But we can’t jump to conclusions. We need to find out more before we can assume such a thing. Though, I doubt we can find anything more since she is dead.”
Sylvie nodded in agreement, her mind hardly accepting that Danielle was no longer in this world. She had already seen too much for the whole semester, but this was a whole different thing.
After all, she still remembered all the talks they had, all the moments they spent together. Even though Danielle was a bit different, her presence somehow lightened the mood around her.
As Sylvie and Jasmine processed the shocking news about Danielle, a heavy silence settled between them. The weight of the revelation hung in the air, overshadowing their usual banter and camaraderie.
“Yeah… it’s hard to believe,” Sylvie murmured, her gaze distant as she grappled with the truth.
Jasmine sighed, running a hand through her hair in frustration. “I guess we’ll never really know what was going on in her mind.”
The realization that Danielle was no longer alive added another layer of complexity to the situation. It was as if a door had been closed, leaving behind unanswered questions and unresolved emotions.
But despite the turmoil swirling within them, Sylvie and Jasmine knew they couldn’t afford to dwell on the matter any longer. With final exams looming on the horizon, they needed to focus on their studies and prepare themselves for the challenges ahead.
“We should get back to studying,” Jasmine said, her voice firm and determined. “We can’t let this distract us. You know the finals are approaching, and not much time is left.”
Sylvie nodded in agreement, pushing aside her thoughts about Danielle for the time being. “You’re right. Let’s head to the library and make the most out of our study session.”
As they gathered their belongings and prepared to leave the cafeteria, Jasmine suddenly raised her head, a curious glint in her eyes.
“Hey, Sylvie,” she began, her voice tinged with mischief. “Are you going to meet ‘him’ today as well?”
Sylvie’s cheeks flushed a little at the mention of ‘him,’ her mind racing to catch up with Jasmine’s implication. But then, it had returned to its normal state. After all, she had been accustomed to it already.
Today was indeed the day of the week they had planned to train together. Sylvie didn’t hide this from her friends either since there was no reason for her to do so.
And somehow, his teaching her close combat proved to be effective; she was even finding it easier to understand the combat-related courses.
With a shared understanding, Sylvie and Jasmine left the cafeteria behind, their thoughts lingering on the events of the day.
******
“Today will be our last training session.”