Chapter 142: Chapter 142 - Returning to the Academy!

Morning sunlight gradually spread across the vast territory surrounding the Valecrest Duchy while a luxurious black carriage moved steadily along the wide stone roads leading away from the manor, the golden crest of the Valecrest family engraved prominently across its polished exterior. The rhythmic sounds of the carriage wheels rolling across the road mixed softly together with the distant noises of merchants opening shops and guards changing patrols throughout the awakening territory.

Inside the carriage—

The atmosphere remained considerably quieter.

Soft cushions lined the interior while faint sunlight filtered through the elegant curtains beside the windows, occasionally illuminating Damon’s white hair whenever the carriage passed beneath open stretches of sky.

Meanwhile, seated across from him—

Sahira quietly adjusted the tray resting upon her lap for the third time despite nothing actually being wrong with it.

Clearly—

She was nervous.

Every now and then, her eyes would cautiously drift toward Damon before immediately looking away again whenever he seemed close to noticing.

And Damon noticed every single time.

Yet he said nothing initially.

Instead, he simply rested one arm against the side of the carriage while quietly observing the scenery passing outside the window.

The silence stretched for several more moments afterward.

Then finally—

Sahira softly opened her mouth.

"...Young master..."

Damon did not look toward her.

"What?"

Sahira hesitated immediately after hearing his calm response.

"T-that..."

Her fingers lightly tightened together.

"...this time at the manor..."

Damon’s golden eyes shifted slightly toward her afterward.

"What about it?"

Sahira visibly hesitated again as though carefully choosing her words.

"I-it felt different..."

Damon looked at her silently for a brief moment before casually asking,

"Different how?"

Sahira lowered her gaze slightly afterward.

"Young lady Cecelia smiled a lot..." she answered softly. "A-and young master Saffron also looked happier..."

Then after another pause—

"And..."

Her voice became even quieter afterward.

"...the manor didn’t feel scary anymore..."

The carriage itself remained quiet afterward except for the steady sounds of movement outside.

Meanwhile, Damon simply looked at her calmly before eventually turning his gaze back toward the window again.

"That sounds more like their problem than mine."

Sahira blinked slightly after hearing the cold response.

Yet strangely—

Instead of looking disappointed, a faint smile slowly appeared across her face afterward.

"Y-you really have changed a bit..."

Almost immediately—

Damon’s brows furrowed faintly.

"Do not say strange things."

Sahira visibly flinched.

"S-sorry..."

Then after another brief silence, she quietly continued speaking again.

"...but everyone in the manor was talking about it..."

This time, Damon looked back toward her again.

"Talking about what?"

Sahira nervously fidgeted with the edge of her sleeve before answering.

"T-that young master didn’t hurt anyone unnecessarily this time..."

A faint awkward pause followed. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

"...a-and that young master even sent medicine to the guards after sparring with them..."

Damon immediately looked away again afterward.

"They would become useless if untreated injuries accumulated."

Sahira softly nodded.

"I know..."

Then quietly—

"...but before, young master probably wouldn’t have cared."

The carriage fell silent once more afterward.

Meanwhile, Damon himself rested his head lightly against the carriage wall while inwardly clicking his tongue faintly.

...Annoying woman.

The more Sahira spoke naturally like this—

The harder it became maintaining emotional distance from her.

And Damon disliked that feeling.

Meanwhile, Sahira herself seemed completely unaware of his thoughts as she carefully poured tea for him afterward before softly asking,

"...Do you think young lady Cecelia cried after we left?"

Damon accepted the cup calmly before answering without hesitation.

"She definitely cried."

Sahira immediately looked saddened afterward.

"A-and young master Saffron probably tried pretending not to care..."

This time, a faint chuckle unexpectedly escaped Damon.

"That brat was practically glaring holes through the carriage before we left."

Sahira blinked slightly after hearing the unexpected amusement within his voice.

Then slowly—

A small smile appeared across her face once more.

The luxurious carriage continued moving steadily through the wide roads stretching across the Valecrest territory while warm morning sunlight filtered softly through the curtains beside the windows, occasionally illuminating the elegant interior before fading again whenever the carriage passed beneath shadows cast by towering buildings or large trees lining the roads.

Meanwhile, inside—

The atmosphere had gradually relaxed compared to earlier.

Sahira quietly sat across from Damon while carefully holding the tea tray steady despite the slight movement of the carriage, and after hearing Damon’s comment regarding Saffron glaring at the departing carriage earlier, a tiny laugh unintentionally escaped her lips before she quickly lowered her head again.

Then softly—

Almost too softly to hear—

She muttered something beneath her breath.

Damon’s brows faintly furrowed.

"What was that?"

Almost instantly, Sahira visibly flinched before rapidly shaking her head.

"N-nothing..."

Yet the faint redness spreading across her face clearly made the answer unconvincing.

Damon narrowed his eyes slightly while looking at her suspiciously for another moment before eventually losing interest and turning his gaze back toward the window beside him.

Outside the carriage—

The vast territory of the Valecrest Duchy slowly stretched past.

Busy merchants arranged goods outside enormous shops while civilians moved through the clean streets beneath the protection of heavily armed guards stationed throughout the territory. Elegant buildings carrying white-and-navy architectural themes stood proudly across the city districts while mana lamps, fountains, and carefully maintained roads reflected the wealth and authority of one of the empire’s great ducal families.

And seeing all of it again—

Damon quietly leaned back against his seat while his thoughts gradually drifted elsewhere.

...At least this trip wasn’t meaningless.

The original purpose behind returning to the manor had already been completed.

The truth surrounding Sahira’s background had been uncovered.

The hidden infiltration within the manor had been exposed.

And perhaps most importantly—

He had finally confirmed that someone connected to the academy was secretly targeting him from the shadows.

Damon’s golden eyes narrowed faintly afterward.

The academy...

Just thinking about Crownspire again immediately caused the strange unease within him to return.

The timing was too convenient.

The pressure around him had intensified only after entering the academy.

The suspicious movements.

The hidden interference.

The erased archive record.

Everything somehow connected back toward Crownspire Academy again and again.

Yet despite all of it—

The identity of the actual mastermind has been uncovered by him through torturing that man.

Meanwhile, another thought slowly resurfaced within Damon’s mind afterward.

...The breach.

Duke Valecrest’s words from the family dinner the previous night quietly echoed within his thoughts once more.

"Although there were losses..."

Damon’s brows furrowed faintly.

That particular detail continued bothering him.

For Duke Valecrest himself to specifically acknowledge losses meant the breach likely had been far more dangerous than publicly reported.

And considering almost all of the academy personnel had personally gone there—

The situation inside that breach probably wasn’t ordinary at all.

Damon’s gaze slowly shifted toward the moving scenery outside once more while his thoughts quietly deepened.

What exactly happened there...?

***

Far away from the peaceful roads stretching across the Valecrest territory—

Inside the towering white-and-gold structure standing at the very center of Crownspire Academy—

A completely different atmosphere lingered.

The Dean’s office remained silent beneath the soft glow of elegant mana lights embedded seamlessly throughout the modern architecture surrounding the room. Large glass panels stretched from floor to ceiling along one side of the office, revealing the distant view of the enormous academy grounds below while countless magical formations faintly shimmered beneath the transparent surfaces like hidden veins of light flowing throughout the structure itself.

The office carried the same refined aesthetic as the academy itself—

White.

Gold.

Elegant.

Yet coldly authoritative.

Meanwhile, seated behind the large desk positioned near the center of the office—

Dean Adrielle Storme quietly observed several documents spread before her.

Her white streaked black hair flowed neatly over her shoulders while the thin-framed glasses resting upon her face reflected faintly beneath the mana lights overhead, partially concealing the sharpness lingering within her calm eyes. Occasionally, she would pause while reading before lightly tapping the desk with one finger as though silently organizing countless thoughts moving through her mind simultaneously.

Several reports already lay scattered across the desk.

Casualty reports.

Mana fluctuation records.

Breach instability analysis.

And at the very top—

A file marked with the Velmora District seal.

The atmosphere inside the office remained completely still.

Then—

Knock. Knock.

The sound echoed softly against the quiet room.

Without raising her head immediately, Adrielle calmly spoke.

"Enter."

The office doors slowly opened afterward.

And a moment later—

A man stepped inside.

Garrick.

His usually composed appearance looked considerably worse than normal, faint irritation lingering visibly across his face while exhaustion subtly hid beneath his sharp eyes. His short dark hair appeared slightly disheveled, and although he still wore formal academy attire, the state of his clothing clearly suggested he had returned directly from the breach operation without properly resting.

The atmosphere within the office immediately became heavier after his arrival.

Adrielle finally lifted her eyes toward him afterward before slowly removing the glasses resting upon her face.

Then calmly—

"What’s the report?"

Garrick immediately lowered his head respectfully afterward, though the frustration lingering within his expression remained obvious.

"I apologize," he said solemnly. "I could not contain the situation."

Adrielle remained silent for several moments afterward.

Yet despite the seriousness of his words—

Her expression barely changed.

Instead, she simply exhaled quietly before leaning slightly back against her chair.

Because honestly—

She had already expected this much.

Then slowly—

Her eyes lowered back toward the documents spread across the desk before she finally spoke again.

"Tell me everything in detail."