In the academy faculty board, the first-year instructors were gathered with some other staff, their expressions solemn.

"Steve? It would be good if you speak up. We’re all waiting to hear from you."

Rutherford said calmly, his aged voice spreading through the room.

The Class-D instructor raised his head and sighed.

"I already interrogated the clerk, and what he kept repeating was that it was a mission given to him by their god—whoever that is."

Hearing this report, the other instructors frowned.

"That’s quite an unsettling development." Myke chuckled, twirling a pen between his fingers. "Are they a group of occult fanatics? But how did he even infiltrate the academy?"

Instead of answering him, Rutherford turned to one of the other staff present.

The woman instantly straightened, her eyes focused.

"My team and I handle the employment of every worker on the campus, and we ensure to conduct proper background checks before employing them."

Rutherford hummed, his chin raised skeptically.

"But one of them still infiltrated the academy and tried to kill our student. Is that right?"

The woman froze, her lips pressed tightly.

When she didn’t answer, Rutherford’s glare intensified.

"Answer me!"

The woman trembled, her heart filled with primal fear of this cynical, old man.

"I apologize, Sir. There must have been a mistake in our check and he successfully bypassed our screening."

Rutherford said nothing, closing his eyes and reclining in the chair.

His pressure still filled the room, so no one spoke until he did.

"You’re fired. Your assistant will take your position."

The room froze, and the woman’s mouth hung open in disbelief.

Myke’s smile dimmed, his lips forming a thin line.

"Get out."

Still reeling in shock, the woman bowed and left the room with shaky steps.

Once the door closed behind her, Rutherford turned to Rina, his eyes narrowing.

"You’ve been unusually silent. Is there something you’re thinking about?"

Rina looked up, her green eyes locking with his.

"I am merely wondering if it’s actually a cult group."

’Hm?’

Interested, Rutherford gestured for her to continue.

"There are other possibilities to consider. What if he’s actually a normal Awakened, but was initiated after his employment?"

Myke’s lips curled into a frown.

"Could that be? I don’t think there should be anything like that in our academy."

Rina’s gaze shifted to him, questioning.

"Really? Didn’t we recently eradicate some moles in the academy that had tried to assassinate my student a few months ago?"

Her question made Myke fall silent, and he couldn’t retort.

"Alright, fine. We’ll consider your point too."

Suddenly, Natalie raised her head. "Um, guys... don’t you think this is a bit unsettling? If what Rina says is true, then the academy is slowly being compromised."

Her words made the room fall silent again, then Rutherford spoke up.

"Regardless, it is still our duty to ensure the safety of our students. It has been years since students died in this academy, and I wouldn’t like a repeat of the past events."

Among the instructors, he was the oldest, and had been one of the first set of students admitted when the academy was just created.

To him, it was a sacred ground where he had been brought up. And he swore to protect it.

"In that case, we can only tighten the security on campus and keep a watchful eye on the non-academic staff."

Steve said, his words raising no objections.

Everyone agreed with him.

............

Kaiser left Hazel in the infirmary, heading out to take a stroll.

With the healer attending to her already, she would be able to walk on her own soon.

’Hm?’

Kaiser’s brows rose, spotting a person that seemed to be waiting for him.

It was Logan, carrying a bag in his hand. It probably contained his towel and some other materials he had brought to the Training Facility.

There was a brief pause as they locked eyes, then Logan approached him with a confident facade.

"Hey, Kaiser."

His tone was solemn, as if he was about to deliver the news about the death of a thousand people.

Kaiser didn’t answer, merely tilting his head and keeping eye contact.

It was a gesture to continue.

Logan took a breath and spoke. "You aren’t... you aren’t in any kind of special relationship with Hazel, right?"

He paused, his red eyes narrowing.

"I mean, you have that pink-haired girl from Class-C who’s your whatever, and you’re even on close terms with Kiera. Surely, you and Hazel aren’t a thing, right?"

Kaiser sighed, rubbing his neck tiredly.

"If you want to go for something, go for it. Stop bothering yourself with details that don’t matter."

Patting the boy’s shoulder, he walked past him, leaving him to stay behind in a daze.

He was probably pondering his words with a reverent expression.

’As if.’

Not long after he left, Hazel came out of the Training Facility, catching Logan standing there in a daze.

"...go for it."

He was muttering something to himself, but she couldn’t catch the whole thing.

Upon seeing her, he immediately straightened, like a soldier before a general.

This puzzled Hazel, as she couldn’t understand why he was acting so rigid.

"Hey, Hazel."

He approached carefully, scratching the back of his head.

"I saw you were injured the other time. I guess you’re fine now?"

Hazel nodded, "I am."

Her reply was short and aloof, causing him to laugh awkwardly.

"That’s a relief." He sighed, "Do you perhaps care for coffee? Don’t worry, I’ll—"

"No need," Hazel cut him off. "I’m tired so I will be returning to my room."

Without saying another word, she walked away, feeling like something was different about Logan.

His scent seemed to have changed.

’Maybe I’m just that exhausted.’

She thought, touching her forehead gently.

As she made her way to the dormitory, she felt a subtle gaze on her, making her turn immediately.

By the opposite sidewalk, a trash cleaner was pushing a trashcan and picking waste materials from the ground into it.

It looked like he was doing his job perfectly, but Hazel had the feeling that something was wrong.

Ignoring the discomforting sensation, she hastened her steps and returned to her room.

Soon, night fell and the upperclassmen returned to the academy campus.