Chapter 96: Whispers
"I can’t believe the demons were hiding inside the academy this whole time, and we weren’t even able to sense a single one of them," Nichole muttered under his breath, disbelief and frustration lacing his voice.
No one responded to his quiet muttering. The room was heavy with silence.
"Did you find out how they were hiding their energy?" Nichole asked, his gaze shifting towards Alice, who was crouched beside the corpse of one of the slain demons, inspecting it with calm precision.
All the other Saints had already returned to their duties. Only Alice remained.
Because of her mana contract with Ash to protect Elysia, she had no choice but to stay.
Though in this situation, it worked out in Nichole’s favor—Alice was one of the best when it came to investigations and deciphering magic anomalies.
"I’m not exactly sure how they did it," Alice said, annoyance flickering in her voice as she continued examining the corpse. "You should’ve kept at least two or three of them alive for proper research."
Hearing that, Nichole coughed awkwardly and looked away.
Back when Ray had first handed over the list, Nichole hadn’t wasted time. He trusted Ray’s words and decided to confirm it himself.
He had cornered one of the demons from the list, and in desperation to survive, the creature revealed its true energy.
That moment was enough.
The sight of a demon walking among the students and staff shattered the last of Nichole’s composure.
As the Principal, he lost his cool completely and wiped out every single demon on the list without hesitation.
I can’t admit I lost my temper...
Alice didn’t press the issue. Instead, she asked with a curious tone, "So, how exactly did your disciple even find out about them in the first place?"
Nichole’s expression turned serious again. "According to him, he found the documents placed right outside his door when he returned from his evening training session."
"Did you check the CCTV footage?" Alice asked without looking up.
"Who do you think I am?" Nichole snorted. "Of course I did. I checked every angle, every second of the footage—there was absolutely nothing. The only thing caught on camera was a small magical cat, the kind often used for deliveries."
"It was a simple spell scroll," he added. "You can buy one from the store at a high price. ’He’ must have used that."
Hearing that, the two of them fell silent for a moment, letting the weight of the situation settle in.
"We were already speculating that ’Unknown’ might be someone from within the academy," Nichole muttered, his eyes narrowing slightly, "but now, with this revelation... it’s confirmed."
"But... don’t you think this ’Unknown’ person is suspicious?" Alice eventually broke the silence. "He told us exactly where the demons were hiding. What could his real motive be?"
She narrowed her eyes, deep in thought.
"There’s also a possibility," Nichole responded, picking up on her trail of thought, "that he deliberately turned our attention towards the demons within the academy, so we’d lower our guard against the threat outside. Then, while we’re distracted, he might strike."
He leaned back slightly, arms folded, trying to reason it out aloud.
"I’m honestly not sure how you even became the Principal with that kind of mindset," Alice shot back, unimpressed. "All you know is how to swing a sword around. You’re hopeless when it comes to subtlety."
"What did you just—?!" Nichole flared up, but before he could get a full sentence out, Alice cut him off and changed the subject.
"What you said doesn’t make sense. If his goal was a surprise attack, he wouldn’t have needed to alert us at all."
"We were already completely unaware of the demons’ presence inside the academy. If he wanted, they could have attacked anytime, and we wouldn’t have seen it coming."
Nichole blinked, thinking it over. Her point made too much sense to ignore.
"From what I can deduce," Alice continued calmly, her fingers tracing the runes carved into the demon’s skin, "his true goal was likely to sever the demons’ information network from the inside."
"To eliminate any internal threats hiding within the academy, and in doing so, delay whatever plans they had set in motion."
She paused for a moment, then murmured softly, "But... why would he want that?"
Even Nichole, who had been so sure of himself, couldn’t answer that. He turned to glance out the window, watching as the first light of dawn crept across the horizon. The rising sun bathed the academy grounds in a warm, golden hue.
"Why indeed?" he echoed thoughtfully, his voice quieter now.
But just as the calm settled over him, another troubling thought began to creep in.
The academy’s going to descend into chaos again... Even though no one saw the demons with their own eyes, 300 people suddenly disappearing in one night—along with the echoes of blood-curdling screams—won’t be easy to cover up.
Hah... Just thinking about the mess it’ll create gives me a headache...
***
The morning sun rose like any other day, casting a soft golden hue over the stone paths and grand towers of Starlight Academy.
Birds chirped faintly in the trees, and the mana-laced wind rustled the leaves in a gentle dance—yet something about the air felt strangely off, as if the world itself was holding its breath.
The usual chatter that echoed through the Dining Hall during breakfast was missing.
In its place were hushed whispers, cautious glances, and heavy silences that filled the space where laughter once lived.
Every student walked a little slower than usual, their eyes scanning the surroundings, as if expecting something—or someone—to leap out of the shadows.
"I swear I heard something last night," a boy whispered to a small group of first-years seated at the far table. His voice was quiet but urgent, barely above a breath.
"Screams... not just one. It sounded like a bunch of people screaming all at once. And then it just stopped. Like someone cut the world to silence."
"Don’t say things like that, Liwen," another student replied, wrapping her arms tightly around herself as if trying to protect what little warmth she still had.
"I barely slept. It felt like someone was watching me the entire night from my window. I couldn’t even close my eyes without feeling like something was standing there."
"You’re not imagining it," a third girl said, her voice trembling slightly.
"There were bloodstains near the training hall. I saw them. They tried to clean them up this morning, but I got there early for mana practice... and I saw it."
"What the hell is going on in this academy?" someone nearby murmured, almost afraid to voice the question.
And that fear wasn’t isolated.
All around the academy, similar whispers echoed.
Words carried through the halls like drifting smoke—words laced with fear, confusion, and speculation.
"I think there’s a ghost roaming the academy..."
"Did you hear? some of the teachers vanished overnight."
"They say the screams came from the East Wing..."
"Something strange is definitely happening here..."
"What if the demons attacked again...?"
"I’m scared. I don’t want to be here anymore."
"I’m going home, I don’t care what they say."
Listening to the murmurs around her, Amelia exhaled softly, her gaze steady yet thoughtful as she took in the air of unease.
The entire academy is drowning in fear.
Wherever her eyes wandered, she could see it clearly—fear blooming in every glance, every hushed conversation, every hesitant step.
She tried to push it aside, even if just for a moment. Her mind drifted elsewhere.
The dream I saw... it was real. But the reality I woke up to was different.
She had expected chaos, fire, and death. A battlefield drenched in despair.
But somehow... that nightmare didn’t come true.
The academy remained standing.
Peace had returned—at least on the surface. If she didn’t count what happened to Elysia, everything else had gone strangely quiet.
Saint Alice mentioned that someone had been sent to retrieve the medicine for her, She didn’t say when it would arrive, though. And from her tone... it felt like she was hiding something.
No, it’s fine. Let’s leave it be. Everything will work out... eventually.
Ever since that dream—the one she couldn’t forget—she hadn’t had any more visions.
Sleep came empty and quiet.
Yet something inside her had changed. After surviving the demon attacks, something deep within had awakened.
She could feel it.
A strange awareness.
Was this my Fate ability finally awakening?
She didn’t know why or how, but a part of her believed it had something to do with her survival.
Maybe because she was meant to die that day... and yet she lived. As if fate had been rewritten.
I was supposed to die. I saw it in my dream. But the future shifted. And there’s only one person I can think of who could’ve caused it...
The Anomaly.
The one Grandpa sent me to find.
But even now, she wasn’t sure whether she should tell her grandfather about it.
The only thing that was different from my dream... was Elysia and Ash. Elysia is still injured, so she couldn’t have done it. That leaves only Ash. He’s the only one who could’ve changed the outcome.
But... should I really tell Grandpa?
She wasn’t sure.
She remembered how hard Ash had fought to protect everyone.
Even though she had lost consciousness and most people believed it was the mysterious ’Unknown’ who had saved them, Amelia held a different belief.
In her heart, she was sure it was Ash.
He was the one who saved them—not some nameless shadow.
But she had no proof.
Nothing she could use to confirm it. Only a quiet certainty that lived in her gut.
Sigh... I’ll confirm it first. If I’m sure....
Just as she was about to complete her thought, her gaze drifted toward the academy gates.
That’s when she saw him.
Ash.
He was walking toward the academy’s exit, his figure steady and silent against the backdrop of the courtyard.
Where is he going?
Normally, she wouldn’t have given it a second thought.
But, after the demon incident, the academy had announced a one-month break, allowing students to return to their homes to recover.
Only those who had families waiting for them were permitted to leave.
But Ash was an orphan.
That thought alone made her curiosity spike. If he has no home to return to... then why is he leaving the academy?
With that question burning in her mind, she quietly followed, careful not to be seen.
But, as she got near him,
She saw something she never expected.
And in that moment, all her questions only grew heavier.
***