Everyone fell silent the moment Northern began to speak.
"If the student council wants to go to the Academy to save their school, let them. But they need to understand that staying alive is their responsibility alone. It would be quite a shame if, after going there to save your school, you're the one who needs saving. I won't lift a finger if anyone gets killed. Trust me, I've watched many die without flinching, and I've taken lives out of pure necessity. I'm not going to feel compelled to save anyone."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over them—cold and distant as winter stone.
"So I'll sound this warning one last time: do you have to go? My subordinates are on their way here. Things have cleared up, so it's safe. You can start finding your way home from here. If you choose death, however, be my guest."
Silence stretched between them. Some students behind the group took shameful steps backward, trying to blend into the crowd behind.
But several notable Student Council members still stood their ground. Shae, Nyssira, Ayuri Miu, Tristein—whom Northern had severely injured.
A purple-haired girl remained too, along with the red-haired boy, Lenn, and even Tever, the former disciplinary committee leader. The new committee leader, Aster, stood behind them all, watching Northern with careful eyes that seemed distant for some reason.
Northern's gaze swept over them once more. He noticed the black-haired girl with big round glasses turning her face away, her cheeks flushed red.
Vector's voice cut through the tension.
"But how exactly do we plan to go? All the airships have been stolen. Getting to another port will probably take at least a day. I don't think the Academy's fall can wait another day."
Selis frowned and crossed her arms.
"If I call in a favor with my Headmaster, we should be able to arrange something. I'm just not sure how long it will take."
The instructors clenched their fists, each falling silent as they pondered the way forward.
Northern sighed.
His sigh was soft, but the silence hung so heavy that it echoed like thunder. He didn't seem to care.
"I have a way for us to reach the academy."
Every eye was already on him.
Selis hesitated for a brief moment.
"Stu… dent. What way would that be?"
Northern looked at her directly.
"It's easier to just show you. Give me a minute."
In the blink of an eye, he vanished.
Everyone froze, their heads turning left and right, searching for the white-haired student. No one caught even a glimpse of him.
The students began muttering among themselves.
"Don't tell me he just ran away?"
"This is weird. What are we supposed to do?"
"Forget the Academy—we're all going to die!"
The instructors couldn't do anything to calm the students. Truth was, even they were panicking just as much. They were simply mature enough not to show it.
When the very instructors who should be the steady adults are shaking inside, what could they expect from the students?
In that moment, however, the air shifted. An electric charge crackled through the atmosphere. The entire place began to shimmer—the same tremor that comes before a rift tears open.
Selis and several others tensed, fists clenched tight.
But the feeling didn't last long.
A pillar of light erupted and shot into the sky, spreading outward as if rewriting the very fabric of space. As it cleared, a brick structure revealed itself—a monumental tower whose single spire stretched endlessly toward the heavens.
A moment later, the tower began to rise. Strangely, it didn't tear the ground with it or leave destruction behind. Slowly, it shifted and changed, the bricked body rearranging itself as it floated skyward.
Before their eyes, the shape of an airship formed mid-air, crowned by that soaring spire.
Strange, shimmering rings of runes appeared on both sides of the ship's bow.
Then a staircase of bricks slowly unfolded all the way to the ground—the stairs themselves floating like spells.
Everyone stared and muttered under their breath. Different expressions crossed their faces, but most shared the same unspoken question written in their eyes.
Who is this person?
They hesitated briefly before slowly climbing the floating stairs. The student council went first, then the instructors followed.
Selis was about to climb when she looked at the other representatives.
"You don't have to go if you can't afford to."
Kaik, the swordsman, rested his hand on his sword's hilt and nodded.
"I hate to leave in a situation like this. But with what's happening in the Central Plains, my Citadel will need me. Rushing to save the Academy would be reckless."
"Same here."
Ivara looked at Selis with a subtle smile gracing her enchanting face.
"Not all our Citadels have an ocean of strong people to spare."
Selis chuckled and nodded before shifting her gaze to Vector.
The young boy looked left and right before his eyes widened.
"Me? Oh, I'm going! Can't miss the fun of watching that guy fight."
The other two chuckled and shook their heads.
Selis smiled too. She turned to the two of them.
"Goodbye. I hope we meet again."
They nodded at her and watched as she climbed the stairs along with Vector, who playfully hopped from one step to the next.
Northern stood at the ship's bow, where the helm was positioned. The control mechanism had been restructured along with the entire tower—though the main control room remained in the tower's first chamber.
After everyone had boarded, the stairs began folding back, merging seamlessly into the brick wall at the ship's base.
Northern faced forward, then spoke with his hoarse voice, each word clear and sharp.
"Next destination: Milhguard Academy."
He grinned internally before gripping the helm.
'Damn it, I've always wanted to do that!'
The massive tower moving through the air made the entire area feel heavy. A few instructors remained below with the students, all of them staring up at the ship's enormous shadow as it swallowed them whole. Despite the night, its presence darkened everything further. The sheer scale of it left their mouths hanging open.
The ship's base was as large as the estate mansion they'd been staying in—not to mention the tower rising from it. One moment, the ship stirred slowly in the air.
The next, it vanished in a flash of silver light.