Grace slowly walked toward the center of camp where a large cloth map had been spread across a flat stone. It detailed all kinds of key information, where all the other classes were located, the positions of the known statues, routes, territory, etc. Irene, Luca, Iris, Freya, and several trusted Class S students gathered around it, waiting.
Grace joined them, placing her hands on the map’s edges. She looked at the new information and nodded to herself.
"We need to discuss the battlefield."
Irene gestured toward the marked territories. "Class B survived the attack from Reddy’s faction. They’re recovering faster than expected."
"Class A is weakened," Iris added, her tone analytical and precise. "A student nad Reddy’s unauthorized assault damaged their internal structure. Armani’s authority is under pressure, causing a fracture in the leadership. They are vulnerable."
"Class C lost Class D’s support," another student reported. "They’re desperate for relevance but lack the strength to act alone."
"Class D is still alive but crippled," soone else said. "Half their class abandoned them after the split."
Grace studied the map, her mind processing the information quickly. There was stuff she already knew, and stuff she was just hearing about.
Then her gaze settled on one na repeated too often across the reports. One that quite frankly shouldn’t have been a topic of discussion during these etings at all.
Ronan Ashbourne.
He’d been present when Class B captured the statue from Class C/D. He’d been part of the node retrieval that disrupted Class S’s trap. He was present near the negotiations between Class B and Class A, allegedly. He survived class A’s assault led by Reddy, and from a class A mole, he had been in control of the follow-up negotiation.
Grace didn’t know for sure what she truly suspected – that Ronan might be another transmigrator, that maybe her own transmigration had caused the demon lord to make hasty actions, or many even one of the deities.
She didn’t know. There were too many possibilities, but she would find out.
She also had to find out how Aura got into the Academy. From what she knew so far, it didn’t look to be related to Ronan in any way. Aura was disinterested in everyone, and while Grace would have loved to simply reveal to Aura she knew she was a demon and she knew her past, Grace knew realistically that would have her ending up in a ditch rather than getting any information.
She opened her mouth, speaking carefully.
"Class B’s movents need to be treated as deliberately dangerous."
Irene frowned slightly. "You think Ronan is coordinating their strategy?"
It was clear she was disbelieving, but she’d seen enough to where she wasn’t outright dismissive.
Grace had to internally roll her eyes. Siblings would be siblings.
"I think," Grace said slowly, "that Class B is performing far above what their leader’s experience should allow. No offense, Freya, but your sister isn’t there yet."
"None taken."
"There is soone manipulating class B’s actions from behind the scenes. I have reason to believe it is Ronan, but I am not fully sure."
"What do you suggest?" Iris asked.
Grace’s expression hardened.
"We don’t wait for his next move. We apply pressure first."
She pointed toward the map’s northern section where Class A’s routes intersected with neutral territory.
"Luca, you’ll lead a visible force near Class A’s outer routes. Don’t conquer them. Force Armani to defend while his authority is damaged."
Luca nodded once, expression unchanged.
Grace’s finger moved to the southern region.
"Irene, Iris – you’ll shadow Class B’s expansion paths and watch Ronan specifically. Orders are to observe, not engage unless necessary."
Irene’s eyes narrowed slightly. "You want us watching one student?"
"Yes. But keep an eye out."
Iris accepted the order without question, but Grace noticed Freya shift slightly, her posture subtly tense.
Grace turned toward her next. Freya smiled at her, but Grace knew that she was like beneath that exterior.
"Freya, you’ll handle internal communication and morale. Keep Class S from spiraling over Marcus’s death."
Freya’s expression remained kind, but sothing flickered behind her eyes. Annoyance, maybe, or frustration that Grace had just given her the least strategically valuable role.
She wanted sothing more.
Grace added smoothly, "You’ll also continue investigating the murder quietly. Watch the students most likely to exploit the panic. And choose your words wisely... the students are tense at the mont."
Freya’s smile didn’t waver, but her shoulders tightened fractionally.
Grace knew what that ant.
She thinks I noticed more than she hoped.
Good.
Let Freya wonder how much Grace understood. Let her worry that her careful manipulations around Aura had been seen. That would make her more careful at the very least.
Grace turned back to the map.
Then she paused, and frowned slightly.
"Where’s Aura?"
Irene glanced around. "I haven’t seen her since the eting earlier."
Iris shook her head. "She wasn’t at the patrols either."
Grace’s chest tightened slightly.
She’s been harassed since the murder.
Suspicion had followed Aura everywhere despite Grace’s defense. Whispers, stares, students avoiding her entirely.
Aura hadn’t reacted outwardly – she never did – but Grace knew isolation when she saw it.
She’s been treated like a suspect without proof.
Grace exhaled slowly.
"It’s fine. Aura can move independently. She doesn’t need us to–"
A voice bood through the forest.
Not from the camp.
Not from any student.
It echoed across the trees, resonating through mana itself, deep and authoritative enough that every student froze mid-motion.
It was a voice that Grace was expecting days later, not now.
"ATTENTION, FIRST-YEARS. THE FINAL STATUE HAS RISEN."
Grace’s breath stopped.
"COORDINATES WILL BE TRANSMITTED TO ALL CLASS LEADERS. CAPTURE REQUIRES TWO MINOR NODES SIMULTANEOUSLY. CAPTURE WILL BE WORTH TWO INDIVIDUAL STATUES. THE COORDINATES WILL BE ANNOUNCED SHORTLY. PARTICIPATION IS OPTIONAL. GOOD LUCK."
Silence followed.
Then chaos erupted.
Too early.
Grace’s fingers tightened against the edge of the map, her heart pounding in her chest as she ignored the chaos of the class around her.
The final statue was not supposed to rise yet.
So why had it?
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