Chapter 221: Interrogation, Incubus
"Leave. Since you like taking your own decisions, go and live by yourself. Don’t come back until I call for you. And you are forbidden from contacting any members of the Titan Edge guild or asking for their help."
"B-Brother? Why are you—"
"Leave, Celia von Rae. Or do you want me to repeat myself a third time?"
The coldness in his voice made her look down at the floor.
She stood there, waiting for him to say something different, to soften, to give her even a hint of the warmth he had always shown her before.
But he didn’t.
Instead, he stood from his chair and walked past her without another word, leaving her alone in the silent office.
She stayed still for a moment.
Slowly, tears began to fall from her eyes.
...
Alice POV
Alice had finished tending to the last of the wounded.
Many of the awakened she worked on had been in critical condition, but now most were stable enough to be moved to the hospital.
They had thanked her while crying.
She stared at her hands in a daze, recalling those moments.
Before long, one of the staff members called her name and asked her to follow.
They led her to a smaller building on the academy grounds, away from the noise of the medical area.
Inside, Vice Principal Eleanor was waiting.
She sat at a plain wooden table in a windowless room.
A small relic rested near her hand. She activated it.
The faint shimmer of a barrier surrounded them. It made impossible for others to eavesdrop on their conversation from outside the barrier.
Alice sat down across from her.
"Tell me everything that happened in detail," Eleanor said.
Alice nodded. "Isaac called Celia and asked her to bring Emily and me to him. Then he asked me to wrap the Flame of Judgment around the spear Tyr had made while practicing blacksmithing. After that, he threw the spear to kill the serpent once he’d tied it down with his roots."
Eleanor leaned back slightly, tapping her fingers once against the table.
"From the way you’re describing it and from what we saw, Isaac had a clear picture of our battle with the serpent before you even arrived. How did he know everything?"
Alice remained silent.
She showed no intention of answering.
Eleanor let out a quiet sigh.
"Alice, I’m going to ask Isaac the same questions tomorrow. If you want to hide something, just tell him the same answers you’ve given me now. That way your testimonies can match."
"....?"
"I’m asking all this because they are the standard procedure, and because you’re the only one available right now. This is important Alice. We need to prepare a ’story’ to explain to others how Isaac managed to take down the serpent."
"Story?" Alice asked.
"Yes," Eleanor said plainly. "It’s obvious Isaac has been hiding things about his abilities. We need to create a coherent version of events that makes sense without giving away anything he’s trying to keep secret."
Alice thought about it for a moment.
It seemed Vice Principal Eleanor was trying to help them, not interrogate them.
"I don’t know how he was tracking what was happening on the battlefield. If I had to guess, maybe it was thanks to Celia. She has teleportation abilities, so maybe she was observing from a distance."
"That works," Eleanor said with a small nod.
Before Alice could add anything else, she heard the soft click of heels behind her. She recognized the sound before even turning.
"Professor Catherine," she said quietly.
Her hands curled into fists on her lap.
Professor Catherine’s ability to sense truth was well-known to her, and the fact that the professor had arrived now was no coincidence.
’She would’ve realized I didn’t help Isaac with my Flame of Judgment skill.’
A warm hand settled gently on Alice’s head, cutting off her chaotic thoughts.
"Good work out there today. I’m sorry for disappearing on you two while you were still in the wilderness," Professor Catherine said with a light smile.
"It’s fine," Alice replied after a pause. "You gave us defensive artifacts before we left. And... you were busy too."
Professor Catherine let out a soft chuckle, then withdrew her hand.
She could tell why Alice was on the edge.
"There’s no need to worry, Alice. If you want to keep some of your and Isaac’s abilities to yourself, we won’t push you. Remember, we’re here to guide you, not control you."
Alice gave a small nod in return, though she didn’t calm down instantly.
"You can leave now," Eleanor said, breaking the short silence.
Alice rose from her seat.
As she turned toward the door, she glanced at Catherine.
The professor looked tired, her clothes torn in places, but her expression remained warm, as if she was making an effort to reassure Alice.
Even so, Alice’s mood was soured.
She knew her earlier evasion had been seen through.
Professor Catherine must have noticed the shift in her expression, because her smile tilted into something teasing.
"You get so defensive whenever it’s about Isaac. What are you going to do when he ends up with more girlfriends?"
"...What?"
"Well, he is a Lord now. He’s bound to gather subjects eventually. And since it looks like he can use both your abilities and Emily’s, there’s always the chance he’s an incubus." Professor Catherine gave a deliberate wink. "You should be able to guess what I’m trying to say."
Alice glared at her.
She had already thought of that possibility before.
Isaac could use Emily’s Life Drain, and now, somehow, her Flame of Judgment.
’He might be an incubus.’
The words irritated her more than she wanted to admit.
If that were true, then there was every chance more women would be drawn to him.
The thought alone was enough to put her in a worse mood.
She walked out of the room.
Her steps were a little heavier than necessary, making her displeasure obvious.
Catherine’s soft laugh followed her out.
Eleanor, who had been silent during the exchange, finally spoke. "Do you really have to tease the kids like that? You know she’s a dragon. Now she’s probably going to give Isaac a harder time than usual."
"He deserves it," Catherine said without hesitation. "It’s his punishment for hiding his abilities from me."
Eleanor shook her head.
Sometimes, she forgot Catherine was quite young, and her inherent personality found it fun to toy with others.