"You're not kidding, right?!" someone whispered sharply.
"I swear on my ancestors, I'm not!" she immediately hissed back. "Who would even have the time to joke about something like this right now?!"
"...!"
Almost immediately, anxious murmurs began rippling through the crowd.
Because if what she'd overheard was true, then didn't that mean their chances of survival might actually depend on whether those mysterious Elders could be persuaded to help them?!
And what if they refused?!
"...!!!"
As expected, the rumor spread like wildfire!
Wave after wave of cadets began passing the story along, and with every retelling, the supposed identities and almost mythical strength of those hidden dignitaries became increasingly exaggerated!
By the time the rumor reached a nearby proctor who happened to overhear several cadets whispering among themselves, it genuinely sounded as though the staff had committed some sort of grave, potentially fatal mistake earlier!
