Professor Bridgette looked toward the end of the corridor. Her brows were slightly creased as her eyes adapted to the sudden change in luminosity. It took her a few seconds to regain her sight, but once she did, she couldn’t help but frown.

  Gloria stood tall in the middle of the hall, a single hand on her hips. Her white contract stone was prominently displayed, pulsing with the remains of this explosion of light as it slowly receded back into its core, dimming as it went until it was finally over.

  She then walked toward the group in silence; only the sound of her heels hitting the sturdy stone flooring echoed alongside the high walls up to the vaulted ceiling, leaving some in the crowd in awe of her strong presence. Like Professor Bridgette, she, too, felt like a predator, yet was much more overt in her aggressiveness. She did barely anything to mask it.

  “Gloria Lancaster, how dare you unleash your spirit within the Academy’s halls?” Professor Bridgette said in a low voice. “Do you not remember the consequences associated with such actions?”

  “I did not care then, and I certainly do not care now," Gloria said dismissively, but to anyone who knew her, if even slightly, the fury in her tone was evidence of her current short temper. Even Professor Bridgette found herself taken aback by the animosity laced within.

  As for Ethan, he had seen this side of her many times before when she was forced to do something against her will. Most of the time, this was enforced by their father, as not even she dared to truly go against him. The last time he had seen her this upset was when her engagement to Gilbert was first discussed. At the time, he even feared this unfortunate man might perish at her hand, yet somehow, it turned for the better.

  “You still have such an arrogant attitude filled with self-righteousness," the professor lamented, shaking her head slightly from side to side. "I had hoped life in the military might curb your edges, but it seemed to have only emboldened you. Now, even your subordinates share your traits.”

  “Why, thank you," Gloria said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "I did learn from the best, after all."

  The professor couldn't help but frown further while Gloria only reciprocated the sentiment with a slightly twisted smile. They both looked at each other in silence, leaving the audience to bathe in the tension spilling out between them. It was like watching two deadly creatures standing before each other, just waiting for the opportunity for one to pounce, but after a while, Professor Bridgette merely sighed.

  “Weren’t you supposed to be having a meeting with the Dean?” she asked. “May I ask what verdict you both reached?”

  “So my schedule has been leaked,” Gloria said softly, yet some within the crowd couldn’t help but shiver at those mere words, actions that neither Gloria nor Ethan missed. The meaning was all too simple, but then she added, “I didn’t expect an esteemed professor such as you to take advantage of my absence.”

  If at all possible, her words seemed to have grown even more ferocious. Although Gloria's standard issue blade had remained behind as she met with the Dean, Ethan couldn't help but feel a sharp aura hover around his sister. However, it seemed that the professor didn’t grab the bait. She merely laughed at the implication.

  “Is that how lowly you think of me?" she said after her laughter had subsided, while many remained stunned by the sudden change, Ethan included. "What need do I have to wait for you to be away? After a mere two years, do you truly believe you have grown enough to be able to stop me should I wish him harm?"

  Gloria frowned slightly yet remained silent. She didn't acknowledge nor deny her statement. She'd rather let her actions speak for themselves, yet Professor Bridgette didn't give her a chance. The professor smiled gently as she turned to face the two young women at her back, but also the male student who had only just regained consciousness following the vanishing of the professor's spirit.

  "I wouldn't be here if not for these three young ones urging me to come," she said gently. "You can ask them if you do not believe me."

  Gloria glanced at Elizabeth and her husband's sister, only to see them both nod silently. As for the male student, she didn't even give him a glance, to which he couldn't help but look dejected.

  You don’t know how lucky you are, buddy, Ethan thought as he now felt his sister's gaze land on him.

  He could barely repress a shiver. Yet, through sheer force of will, he was able to bury his trauma—albeit only temporarily—and look straight into her clear but hungry eyes. The best he could do was to give the illusion that he was perfectly in control of the situation. But unsurprisingly, Gloria knew better. She scoffed at him until her gaze landed on the short guard before him.

  “Stand down, Corporal Jenkins,” she said.

  In her tone was something that Ethan had heard a thousand times. Pride. Yet, this time, it wasn't pride aimed at herself but at someone under her wings. This was so unusual for her that he could scarcely believe it. Still, he felt slightly hurt that all he received was a scoff.

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  Amelia fully sheathed her sword without so much as an ounce of hesitation and retracted her flaming dog spirit back into her contract stone. Unlike all those nobles who openly displayed this weakness on their ears, Amelia's contract stone was attached to her neck by a small metal chain.

  The chain wasn't made of steel but of something much more resilient—a metal bathed for many years into pure mana. Over time, the metal took on its properties, allowing it to be as malleable as gold but harder than tungsten. Only those possessing the knowledge and a unique spirit could handle this exceptional material, making the end product scarce and extremely expensive. Even the tiny chain at her neck was more than a year's worth of her salary, yet it was almost nothing to a Magister’s family.

  For a soldier serving the Archon herself, this was but the bare minimum. One couldn’t allow the connection with their spirit to be severed in the midst of battle. This way, the only method for her to lose her connection would be to lose her head entirely; then, nothing would matter.

  Amelia now stood at attention yet remained fixed in front of Ethan. He hesitated, not knowing how to deal with this. While he didn't trust the men and women before him not to pull any tricks, being so obviously protected couldn't help but wound his pride. Still, he swallowed the shame as it was nothing compared to his life or the secret he must keep at all costs.

  "Alright, that's it. Make a path. We're leaving," Gloria ordered, only for the crowd to soon part like the sea, creating a way that led Ethan back to his sister. The corporal walked forward without so much as missing a beat, paving the way with Ethan hot on her heels, only to be stopped by a voice behind them.

  “Lady Lancaster,” Howe said, prompting her gaze to lock onto him, but even with the frown that soon appeared on her face, the man didn’t buckle under the pressure as he added, “While I appreciate the authority you wield as an agent of the Archon, this is not your place to interfere. I am far from done.”

  While his voice wasn't that loud, his intonation betrayed his insistence—so much so that one could hear many gasps within the crowd as they turned their gazes back to Gloria. However, she mainly smiled faintly as if brushing this off as the impetuousness of a small child.

  “Oh, but we are, Lord Howe,” she said, her tone sharp and direct. “No matter what, you will not get what you wished for. You better take the loss before I make you.”

  The threat was so plain for all to see that even Ethan was taken aback. While both of their families were equal in most things, such as power and authority, they butted heads from time to time, yet mainly remained civil. But, to utter such a threat in a public setting was unprecedented. This was an affront to the family's pride, even more so when directed to the heir apparent. Ethan couldn't understand what his sister hoped to achieve here.

  “It seems the Lancasters do not put our family in their eyes," Howe said loud enough so that everyone could hear him, yet Gloria's expression didn't change as she retorted.

  "What family?" she mocked. "This is nothing more than a small dispute between children over something inconsequential. Do you really think your family's head would care over the loss of a single page? That he would wage war with us over only your baseless suspicions born out of jealousy? Let's say he would. Would the Archon remain uninvolved? Your quest was doomed from the start."

  While everyone turned toward him to hear his response, Howe remained surprisingly calm and composed. He didn't seem to have been moved in the slightest. Instead, he looked upon Gloria with a slight smile on his lips and interest in his eyes.

  “The same could also apply to you,” he replied. “Would your father really move for a child he once abandoned? And about the Archon, how long would she be willing to shield you against the wrath of the Magisters? You haven’t exactly been making many friends, My Lady.”

  However, far from being provoked by his obvious taunt, Gloria merely smiled and walked away without a word, leaving both Ethan and the audience completely stunned, as this was far from her usual character. Even Howe seemed taken aback. He stood still as she slowly disappeared from view, with Ethan and the Corporal following closely behind.

  Only Professor Bridgette looked upon her disappearing back with a glint of interest in her eyes, but it soon vanished as she made the crowd scatter.

  Howe and his cronies soon went back; some of their expressions showed confusion, yet Howe himself had regained his usual indifference. Just as he went to see Elizabeth to talk to her, he saw her leave without so much as a glance his way.

  A flash of emotion twisted his features briefly, yet it soon returned to normal as he watched her leave. Nobody witnessed it, but if they did, they would have cold sweat drip down their backs.

  “Are you happy with yourself?” Gloria asked as her pointed heels struck the floor.

  “How is that my fault?” Ethan replied back, not giving an inch.

  “You just had to fan the flames,” she lamented. “I thought I taught you well, but maybe you need to learn again: Don’t antagonize people you cannot win against. I won’t always be there to shield you from it.”

  “I never asked you to,” Ethan muttered, yet Gloria abruptly stopped.

  She stood before him, looking slightly down as her heels made her slightly taller than him. There was a scowl on her face, bringing another shiver down his spine, but this time, he met her gaze and chose not to back down.

  “Did you want me to just take it?” Ethan said slowly. “Didn’t you teach me to stand up for myself?”

  Gloria remained silent for a while but soon sighed. Her fading anger made Ethan bewildered.

  "There's a time and place for everything. I did not teach you so you could dig your own grave. Nicholas Howe is much more dangerous than you might believe. Without Amelia to guard you, who knows what might have happened to you."

  Seeing her so concerned about him, Ethan's expression couldn't help but twist, and he lowered his gaze, not knowing how to reply. However, he wasn't given time as Gloria renewed her walk and spoke again. This time, her tone was much more cold and emotionless.

  "The Dean gave me instructions concerning you," she began, stunning Ethan with the news. "The recent death of that student and your unexpected survival made waves within the Academy. The Dean is concerned that it might have a lasting effect on the student body, lowering their trust in the faculty as the perpetrator has yet to be found. Therefore, she made a suggestion, which I accepted. The seniors will go to the front lines in the coming days, and you will go with them. This isn't up to debate."

  Ethan was so stunned that he almost tripped upon himself. He barely had time to catch his balance before falling face-first onto the stone floor. There was only one word at the forefront of his mind.

  Why?!