Vonjo stopped mid-step, his boots grinding softly against the stone courtyard as he turned his head just enough to glance back over his shoulder.
His expression carried the faintest flicker of annoyance—barely visible, but enough to make the more observant onlookers tense.
"…Huh? What do you want?"
The air at the Academia's grand entrance stilled, the faint hum of magical wards above them almost the only sound.
The teacher who had shouted before didn't immediately speak.
Instead, he turned toward the other faculty members, addressing them with deliberate pauses and pointed tones.
"I don't understand," he began, voice calm but tight as if holding something back. "We mobilize the highest combat alert in years, gather every capable staff member at the gates, only for the intruder—the cause of the alarm—to simply… walk away? Without explanation? Without recompense?"
Another teacher frowned. "He's explained himself."
