Andrea's office...
Andrea's office was quiet except for the faint rustling of papers as sunlight filtered through the tall windows and fell across the wooden table between her and Kevin.
"There is also a huge black patch on the seeded person's back," Andrea said calmly as she continued explaining the symptoms of brain seeding, her fingers tapping lightly on the edge of the desk while she recalled the details William had shared with her earlier.
"The person slowly loses their sense of smell, and the most absolute method to confirm it is to use purification magic directly on the brain," she continued, her tone steady. "Just like William did to Steve during the interrogation"
Kevin listened carefully, his expression grim and thoughtful as he absorbed every word, and after a brief silence, he nodded slowly in understanding.
"That explains why our inspections kept failing," he muttered, rubbing his chin. "We were looking in the wrong place all along."
Andrea leaned back slightly in her chair before looking at him again. "Anyway," she said, shifting the topic, "what brings you here?"
Without answering immediately, Kevin placed a thick file on the table between them, the weight of it made a dull sound as it landed.
"What is this?" Andrea asked as she opened the file, her brows slowly knitting together as countless reports spilled into view.
"Missing individuals' reports from across the continent," Kevin replied, his voice low and heavy.
Andrea paused and looked up at him, confused. "Why did you bring me ten years' worth of reports together?"
Kevin shook his head, his expression darkening further. "These are not ten years' worth of reports," he said slowly. "These are only the last two months' worth"
Andrea's eyes widened slightly as the weight of those words sank in. "Are you sure?" she asked, her voice was much sharper now as she looked at the dates on each paper.
"Yes," Kevin replied firmly, nodding for once.
Andrea immediately began flipping through the pages searching for a report that could say that Kevin was doing a prank, but she couldn't.
"Do you think these are linked?" she asked after a moment as realisation settled.
She did not look up from the file but still asked.
Kevin nodded again. "Most of them happened along routes leading toward the south," he explained. "And whoever is behind this was careful enough to avoid targeting too many vampires and dwarves, so those southern empires would not get alarmed by a sudden rise in disappearances in their own territories"
He continued after a brief pause, "Humans and elves are greater in number, and their empires lie mostly to the north, which is why reports of them going missing took longer to reach us."
Andrea's fingers clenched slightly around the file as Kevin added one final detail.
"And the most disturbing thing is that one of our own students is missing."
Another file appeared in front of Andrea as Kevin slid it forward.
"Alfred Draconis..." Andrea read the name aloud, her eyes narrowing as she skimmed through the profile, a clear glint of frustration flashing across her face.
She closed the file with a sharp motion and looked up decisively. "Summon the investigation committee that was set up for cult attacks", she ordered. "I believe the cults are involved in this, too"
***
Seraphine walked into the mission hall with a grim expression on her face. Her steps were quick and determined as she headed straight for the counter without hesitation.
"No missions for first years," the lady at the counter said immediately in a tired and irritated tone, not even looking up.
A large signboard above her clearly stated the same rule.
"Did a blue-haired first-year student come here to claim a mission yesterday or the day before?" Seraphine asked firmly as if she would not tolerate any other answer.
A weird tension tightened in her chest.
By then, the rest of the group had caught up and come to stand behind her, silently waiting for an answer.
The lady finally looked up, her lips curling into a sneer as she saw the group crowding her counter. "Yeah," she replied casually. "So what?"
Seraphine let out a quiet breath as some tension eased from her face. At least this confirmed that William had truly gone on a mission.
"Wait a minute," Maximus suddenly said, his expression darkening. "You told me missions were prohibited for first years."
"Tsk," the lady clicked her tongue. "I told the same thing to that brat too," she said, then her expression shifted into an amused smile. "But I also told him that getting a letter of approval from the principal might work."
She leaned back slightly and laughed. "And guess what? In all my years working here, he's the first student who actually managed to get that special favour from Miss Andrea."
The laughter echoed lightly through the hall as Maximus and the others stood frozen, their expressions completely dumbfounded.
A letter of approval from the principal herself was something almost impossible to imagine.
The principal existed on an entirely different level of power, and convincing her was like asking a mortal to move a mountain.
"Now move along," the lady said, waving her hand dismissively. "I have work to do."
The group stepped away from the counter and regrouped in another corner of the hall, their expressions filled with confusion and disbelief.
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"I told you that human has a foxy brain," Kara smiled as she confirmed the words she spoke earlier.
Galeion muttered with a sigh, "This is the first time I'm truly understanding the importance of scheming in life."
"How the hell did he convince the principal?" Maximus asked, clenching his teeth in frustration.
"Only he can answer that," Leila said with a resigned sigh.
They needed missions to leave the academy, but now that path was blocked, and they had no clear idea how to proceed.
"There is one more person who knows how William did it," Ethan suddenly said, drawing everyone's attention.
"Principal Andrea herself,"
***
William emerged from the Infinite Domain after spending several weeks inside, and based on the time dilation, only about half an hour had passed in the real world.
The moment he appeared, he activated Trickster's Veil, covering both himself and Sun Chaser, and to his mild surprise, the veil expanded naturally to envelop the massive swan as well.
"Didn't know it had that feature," William muttered under his breath.
Then he looked around calmly, already expecting what he saw.
The forest that once stood there was gone, replaced by charred earth and scorched land that stretched as far as his eyes could see.
Neither the demon nor the Dragon Emperor was anywhere in sight, making it clear that the battle had ended in a few minutes.
William let out a slow breath as he observed the devastation before turning his gaze forward and continuing on his journey.
--------------
[A/N: Will has 2 ways to go invisible
First is the trickster's veil - when he wants to hide everything, including his rank and mana presence, or when there are other people with him who need to be hidden.
2nd is the invisibility trait of Crimson Aeon that does not hide aura, rank or any magical activity.