“P-Principal?”
The middle-aged man trembled on the floor, his body battered, barely able to move. His breaths were shallow, each one a struggle. Across from him, the Principal sat calmly on her desk, fury burning behind her eyes as she glared down at him.
Her voice, though soft, dripped with malice, “Tell me,” she demanded coldly, “what is your link with Kennedy?”
The man’s entire body shook with fear, “I-I’m telling you, I didn’t— AARRRHHHH!” His words were cut short by a sharp wave of pain as the Principal flicked her hand, slamming him against the ground effortlessly.
Her voice deepened, taking on a dangerous tone, “Don’t make this hard for me.” She cracked her knuckles, her gaze sharp, “I really don’t want to kill my own professors. But if you keep lying…” Her lips curled into an irritated snarl, “I’m not sure how much longer I can hold back.”
The man cringed at her words, his fear palpable, “P-Please… please don’t kill me. I-I have a family…” he begged, his voice hoarse and desperate. Your journey continues with empire
The Principal crouched before him, gripping a fistful of his hair and forcing him to look at her.
“Then tell me the truth,” she hissed, her breath warm against his bleeding face, “Why did you—the Representative Professor of the Umbrionis Void Empire… reveal the secret path to Kennedy? You know what that means for your Empire, don’t you? The consequences?” Her voice was a chilling whisper.
The man’s eyes fluttered open, but they were barely functional, swollen and bloodied, “I-I swear… cough… I didn’t say anything,” he wheezed.
Her lips twitched in irritation as she stood, pulling out a document and flipping through its pages, “You keep saying that.” She waved the papers in front of him. “But the records tell a different story. There’s plenty of evidence that you and Kennedy spent a suspicious amount of time together before his capture… Even when he was imprisoned, you were the only one who visited him.”
His face paled as she continued.
“And,” she added, her eyes narrowing, “the list of technological items you bought from him? It’s all here…. Care to explain?” Her voice was ice-cold.
Tears welled up in the man’s eyes, “I-I didn’t… I swear! Someone’s framing me! Please, you have to believe me!” His voice was frantic, teetering on the edge of despair.
The Principal sighed heavily, her patience worn thin. She raised her hand, ready to finish what she started, when—
Knock, Knock
“Come in,” she said calmly, not bothering to turn around.
Thud
The door creaked open, and Alaric stepped into the destroyed office, his face immediately reflecting shock at the sight of the devastation. “P-Principal?”
“What do you want?” she asked, her voice flat and indifferent, as though she wasn’t in the middle of a violent interrogation.
Alaric let out a quiet sigh, ‘She’s still angry,’ he thought before clearing his throat. “The reconstruction is almost complete. We should be able to reopen the academy by the end of the week.”
“Good,” the Principal replied curtly, her attention still partly focused on the broken professor at her feet.
Alaric shifted uncomfortably, glancing at the battered man on the ground, “There’s one more thing…”
The Principal’s eyes flicked to him. “Go on.”
“The equipment that went missing from the laboratory… it was found. Sold on the black market,” Alaric said gravely.
In an instant, the Principal was in front of him, her eyes ablaze. “Who?”
Alaric lowered his head slightly, “His name is Lackey, according to our investigation.”
“Lackey?” The Principal frowned deeply, her mind racing, “Search for him. And I want everything—everything—he sold, back in my academy.”
Alaric nodded, his eyes flicking back to the professor. He hesitated for a moment before asking cautiously, “Principal… if you don’t mind me asking, what did he do to deserve your wrath?”
The Principal glanced down at the broken man again, “According to my investigation, he’s the one who tipped Kennedy off about the secret path.”
Alaric’s eyes widened in shock, “H-He betrayed you?” His face twisted with rage as he turned toward the professor. Without warning, he lashed out, kicking the already fragile man with all his might. “YOU BASTARD!” he roared, each word punctuated by a brutal strike. “How dare you betray the Principal! You worthless piece of filth!”
The professor screamed in agony, “N–! NOOOO! PLEASE—”
BOOM!
BOOM!
The sound of Alaric’s fists and kicks echoed through the room as he continued his relentless assault. Blood splattered, bones cracked, and the professor’s cries became weaker with every hit.
The Principal watched Alaric’s outburst blankly, her expression unreadable.
She didn’t stop him…. To be honest, she had started to doubt Alaric as well.
Ever since she began investigating everything herself, something felt off about him.
It wasn’t that Alaric seemed involved with the conspiracy.. no, it was more peculiar than that.
Alaric was too clean!
Even Delphine and the other representative professors had minor interactions with Kennedy, but Alaric? Apart from recommending Kennedy to the academy, he had no contact whatsoever. It was as if Alaric had purposefully distanced himself, and that raised a lot of questions.
Still, she couldn’t afford to let those doubts consume her.. not yet.
‘Perhaps I’ve placed too much trust in him…’ she thought bitterly.
After hundreds of years running this academy together, it felt like a betrayal to question him. But the disaster unfolding around them left her with no choice. She had to find the truth, no matter what.
“Principal?” Alaric’s voice snapped her back to the present. She blinked, looking at the fainted professor before her. Without a word, she waved her hand dismissively, “Have the healers take care of him,” she said, already stepping out of the office.
Alaric lingered for a moment, glancing at the unconscious man….. His lips curled ever so slightly into a smirk before he hurried after her.
…
…..
“Yes, and… do you think you could finish it by this evening?” Delphine asked, glancing up at the massive bell that was being lifted toward the roof.
“We should be able to,” Liora replied, standing beside Delphine. They watched as members of Liora’s tribe worked tirelessly, pulling the enormous bell upward, inch by inch.
Delphine let out a small sigh of relief. “Thank goodness. You’ve been a great help to us,” she said, her voice warm with gratitude.
Liora simply shrugged, offering no response, her expression unreadable.
Delphine smiled awkwardly.
“Please, don’t take her coldness to heart…” Maelona said softly, though her smile was tight. She shot a sharp glance at Liora, clearly holding onto her grudge.
Liora’s smirk deepened, clearly enjoying Maelona’s discomfort. The smirk sent a wave of irritation through Maelona, who was still bitter that Liora had slept with her son-in-law!!
“Oh! Stop fighting already!” Delphine groaned, throwing her hands up. For the past two weeks, she had been dealing with these two constantly clashing.
It was like watching a cat and a dog fight over territory.
Maelona’s lips twitched in frustration, “I’m not the one acting like a barbarian,” she muttered under her breath.
Liora’s smirk widened, “And yet, it’s the barbarian who got what she wanted.” She provocatively slapped her own butt… hinting at the tattoo hidden beneath her clothes.
Maelona clenched her fists, barely restraining her temper, just as the situation seemed on the verge of escalating once again.
“Principal?” Delphine exclaimed in relief as she spotted the Principal and Alaric walking toward them.
Instantly, both Maelona and Liora fell silent. The Principal stopped before the building, her eyes following the bell as it neared the roof.
Maelona, still somewhat tense, glanced at the Principal and hesitated before speaking, “If you don’t mind me asking, Principal… why did you cancel your trip to the Pyra Empire?”
Everyone’s attention shifted to the Principal. Even Alaric, the Vice-Principal, didn’t know the real reason behind the sudden cancellation.
The Principal looked at Maelona for a brief moment before replying in her usual curt manner. “Nothing important, just a lizard problem,” she said dismissively.
Everyone exchanged awkward glances at the vague explanation, unsure of how to respond. They shifted their focus back to the bell, which was finally reaching the top of the tower.
Meanwhile, the Principal’s thoughts drifted elsewhere.
It had been exactly two weeks… ever since Aether had arrived.