An ergency faculty eting was suddenly convened in the middle of the night.
Usually, only the veteran teachers or senior administrative faculty working in the central building would gather, but this ti, all the lead teachers from each departnt had assembled.
"A terrorist act at this place, Hernan Academy—how preposterous! We must track down the culprit imdiately!"
The head of the Martial Arts Departnt, Erke Mark, shouted with eyes wide open.
With his fiery temperant, he looked as if he might run out and catch the perpetrator himself at any mont.
"Please calm down, professor Erke. It is not as easy as you say."
Bendia Moraco, who oversaw all the professors, including their appointnts and welfare, tried to subdue Erke Mark.
"Do you really expect to calm down? One of my departnt's students was hurt, and you expect to be calm?"
Erke Mark, with fire pouring from his eyes.
But Bendia Moraco remained composed.
"I understand how you feel. However, the Founding Festival is currently closed to outsiders. That ans the culprit is soone internal to the academy."
"And what does that matter!"
"We would have to suspect our colleagues, or even the very students we teach. Can we really launch a reckless hunt for the culprit?"
At the ntion of colleagues and students, Erke Mark faltered for a mont.
He gritted his teeth in frustration.
"So what are we supposed to do? If you haven't got a proper plan, the Martial Arts Departnt won't stand for it!"
"Oh my, if you're not going to stand for it, what exactly do you intend to do?"
"?"
The slightly mocking tone got on his nerves.
Erke Mark frowned and looked toward the owner of the voice.
"...... Why are you here representing the Swordsmanship Departnt, Kryphi Mosto?"
"Haha. It's not like I wanted to be here. But our dean appointed as acting dean, and none of the other professors wanted to co."
Kryphi was attending the faculty eting as the representative of the Swordsmanship Departnt.
Erke Mark gave him a once-over and retorted sarcastically.
"You look injured. Wouldn't it be better for you to rest in the infirmary?"
"I'd like that too, but seeing how the Martial Arts Departnt does nothing to stop the head teacher of the Swordsmanship Departnt from marching straight in, I thought soone had to step up—even if it's ."
"...... What did you just say?"
At Kryphi's direct criticism, Erke glared fiercely.
"Oh my, was I mistaken? I thought you left Teacher Kirius alone because he's also from the Martial Arts Departnt."
"What nonsense are you spouting, you brat?"
"Oops, did you not know? Today, teacher Kirius tried to kill a student from our departnt, you see."
Kryphi's narrow eyes opened slightly.
Through the slits, his amber irises glead coldly.
"Could it be you really didn't know? I heard quite a few students witnessed Teacher Kirius losing control. Not knowing is incompetence, but knowing and ignoring is also incompetence. It seems you chose the forr."
"...... Teacher Kirius Blavon would never actually harm a student. He was just enraged, that's all."
"Oh my. So he would only harm his colleagues, I see."
Kryphi said playfully as he rolled up his sleeve to show his arm.
The flesh was crushed and so bone was peeking through.
"......."
"Well... I hit back as much as he hit , so there's no real grudge. But if he had actually t with and even slightly assaulted one of our students—"
Kryphi's eyes fully opened.
At the sa ti, an overwhelming intimidation radiated from him.
Twitch.
"!"
A completely different, oppressive atmosphere from the previous taunting.
Kryphi spoke in a flat tone.
"If anything, our Swordsmanship Departnt would not have stood by either."
"......."
"Now, now, it's not the ti for us to be fighting amongst ourselves. Both of you, please calm down."
Bendia Moraco, the faculty head, stepped between them to restore calm.
He sighed, then glanced towards Vice-headmaster Ethylen Basta.
He resented Ethylen, who remained silent the whole ti.
"I have a question."
At that mont, Michele Endro, dean of the Alchemy Departnt, raised her hand.
"Go ahead."
"Where exactly is the headmaster in all this?"
Michele Endro looked around pointedly as she spoke.
"Now that you ntion it, quite a few of the deans are absent. Why did proxies co for the Swordsmanship, Arcane Science, and Divine Arts Departnts? Surely they're not avoiding responsibility at a ti like this?"
At her words, Curto nde, head of the Spirit Studies Departnt, chuckled quietly.
"Maybe the head of Arcane Science didn't co out of sheer laziness. After all, that's so like that genius."
"Is this really the ti for such talk?"
The acting head of Arcane Science shot back sharply, but the mood soured.
"It is important. Isn't it natural to suspect those who didn't show up in this situation?"
Confronted by Michele Endro, he fell silent.
Indeed, Herote's attitude, not coming herself even in this situation, was odd.
"Enough. If Herote Markato really intended to cause trouble, this would not have ended here."
It was then that the silent Vice-headmaster, Ethylen Basta, finally spoke.
At his words, Michele Endro and the other deans also fell silent.
Indeed, if she wanted to do sothing bad, it wouldn't have ended so simply.
"Anyone who rises to the position of dean surely possesses more intelligence and respect than regular folk. I convened this eting to seek opinions from such people, yet here we are, slandering and fighting each other. It's lantable."
At Vice-headmaster Ethylen Basta's words, the deans glanced at each other.
It had been so long since they'd gathered that they lost track of the situation and voiced their usual complaints—a mistake.
"...... Ahem! Then, returning to the main issue, let's discuss how we will find the culprit."
Bendia Moraco redirected the conversation.
Erke Mark chid in as if agreeing.
"As far as I know, anyone bringing in a magic stone bomb from outside has to declare it. If not reported, they're bound to be caught imdiately. So how did a magic stone bomb explode inside the academy?"
"We're still investigating, but since the explosive power was sowhat lacking compared to the products made in the workshops, we suspect it was a makeshift magic stone bomb assembled within the academy."
At the investigator's response, Michele Endro nodded.
"Then it's simple. Contact the magic stone administrator and check everyone who has used magic stones since the sester started. We'll find the culprit in no ti."
"Well, that..."
The investigator looked at the trembling staff mber beside him with a troubled face.
"S-s-s-sorry! The reported amount of used magic stones and... the number in stock don't match...!"
"Ha. I was afraid of this..."
Michele Endro sighed.
It did not look like the situation would be solved so easily.
"If the culprit truly is soone inside the academy, there would be no record even in the surveillance spells."
"......."
"I'm not blaming anyone, but at a ti like this, don't you think having the head of Arcane Science here would be of great help?"
Herote was ntioned again.
But the fact remained that her expertise would have been invaluable right now.
"She must have her own reasons for not acting. Even if we don't understand."
"Aren't you being a bit too lenient toward her?"
Curto nde pouted at Ethylen Basta's repeated defense of Herote, but he remained poised.
"Only the headmaster can move Herote Markato. Us complaining is a waste of emotion and ti. We must discuss solutions on our own, without her."
"That... is true."
No one here could actually order Herote to do anything.
If she were present, they probably wouldn't even be able to complain like this.
"Once again, I did not call everyone here at this late hour for idle chatter. We must quickly set academy policy to reassure and control the students."
Ethylen Basta spoke sternly.
All the deans began swiftly sharing information and discussing counterasures in tacit agreent.
"Maybe the best thing is to suspend the festival."
"I also think that might be best... But there are students who have worked the entire year just for the Founding Festival. I think we should at least observe things until tomorrow."
"In that case, quickly identifying the culprit to prevent further incidents is crucial."
"But with no clues and the students supposed to be sleeping at this hour, questioning is impossible."
"So teachers will have to patrol in shifts tonight."
"We must ensure, at the very least, that there are no further victims!"
It was impossible to produce a perfect solution under such circumstances.
They rely offered the most straightforward answers anyone would give.
But even that brought so degree of order to the situation.
"Each departnt will assign two teachers to patrol the campus. Every patrol group must include at least one senior teacher responsible for an A-class course or higher."
"Um... What if the professors responsible for S-class classes refuse to take part... what then?"
Erke Mark, martial Arts Dean, raised his hand cautiously.
Everyone glanced at him.
'Tch, those people are never easy to command, are they?'
'Could they really refuse even under these circumstances?'
'Actually, knowing them, they probably would.'
Those assigned to teach S-class in each departnt were special individuals.
So were decent people, but most were egotists with an inflated sense of their own ability.
There was no guarantee they'd follow orders to patrol.
At this, other teachers began to look troubled.
"If anyone refuses to cooperate, tell them I, as Vice-headmaster, will see to it personally that they are dismissed from the academy."
"!"
Ethylen Basta, always so gentle.
This was the first ti he had spoken so firmly.
"Yes, vice-headmaster. I will make sure your ssage is delivered."
"This incident is simply unprecedented in academy history. Even as it is, the academy will be hard pressed to avoid bla, but we must at least prevent the worst."
Ethylen Basta spoke in grave tones.
"I sincerely hope there will be no more victims."
* * *
The eting ended, and Ethylen Basta was left alone.
With a heavy sigh, he pulled sothing out of his pocket.
It was the sa rectangular semi-transparent panel that Herote had given to Luca.
Wuuuuung!
― Oh my, I can't believe you're using this. How unusual.
When Ethylen placed it on the desk and activated it, a translucent hologram of Herote appeared.
"Herote, do you have any intention of helping with this matter?"
― Oh my, what do you an? I knew about this a long ti ago and have been preparing to deal with it.
"...... You already knew?"
Caught off guard by the unexpected words, Ethylen challenged her.
"Why didn't you tell in advance!"
― Did you think anything would have changed if I had told you?
"That's..."
At Herote's curious reply, Ethylen was at a loss for words.
― The darkness seeping into the academy is deeper than you think. That's why I'm not stepping forward myself.
"......"
At that, a shadow crossed Ethylen's face.
To think that even as Vice-headmaster, he hadn't grasped the darkness lurking in the academy.
It was a crushing realization.
― But don't worry. The plan has already begun.
"A plan...?"
Ethylen looked mystified.
Herote crossed her legs as she spoke.
― Yes. The cutest swordsman in the world is working even now to bring light to the darkness.
-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
The professor feels incompetent...
But I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt since they can't really monitor everything having no information and with the Demons controlling so of the professors.
【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】
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