Outside, the school's security team stood at the gate trying their best to block the influx of journalists trying to force their way in, without harming them.

  Suddenly, as if materializing from thin air, Professor Valtorix emerged, accompanied by Emilia.

  "Take care of this, fast..." Emilia muttered as they both stared at the crowd of reporters.

  "It's the school's owner!" One of the reporters shouted as he saw Valotrix.

  This triggered a frenzy among the rest of the reporters.

  As Professor Valtorix approached the gates, a barrage of questions were thrust at him, with many microphones pointing at him like they were animals thirsting for his reaponse.

  "Professor, how do you plan to address the current crisis?" one reporter demanded.

  "Rakuzan's negligent security measures endangered the students. How do you intend to rectify this?" another pressed.

  The interrogations were relentless and came in all at once, drowning Valtorix in a sea of words. Each question was more deeper than the last.

  "They're really not letting him talk at all, are they?" Kyle whistled. "I've only seen stuff like this in movies and now I'm witnessing one first hand. Who would've thought..."

  "I'm surprised they're able to control themselves from acting out of anger to be honest," Levi sighed.

  Violet glanced at him. "I'm guessing you're done with your internal monologue..."

  "Huh?" Levi asked, caught off guard by her comment.

  "So you didn't notice how you were smiling like you won a lottery or something some seconds ago?"

  "Oh... That," Levi replied, brushing through his hair with a faint nervous smile.

  He wasn't sure if he should let them know about the whole issue with the System and how he was not indirectly free from its commands. He promised not to involve them in it but this situation was different. Now there were no more compelling quests, so even if he told them, his fear of them insisting on helping him with his quests would never come true.

  Valtorix on the other hand was still stuck in the pile of questions he wanted to answer, but they weren't given him the chance to speak and just kept barraging him with words. And he knew he had to be careful with his words given the situation.

  Suddenly, a surge of crimson energy erupted from a few feet behind him. The sheer force of the aura immobilized every one of them, rendering them speechless as they locked eyes with Emilia.

  She had a slight frown on her face and they could all tell the message her demeanor was passing. It was a wordless command telling them to organize themselves.

  The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  In an instant, the energy emanating from Emilia vanished, rendering the atmosphere calm again and the journalists silent.

  In a more calm manner, they now directed their questions towards Professor Valtorix. "Excuse me, Professor, could you address the security lapses at Rakuzan that endangered its students?" a male journalist inquired, his eyes switching between Valtorix and Emilia.

  Valtorix cleared his throat, letting out a deep exhale before speaking up. "As we all know, Rakuzan prides itself on its robust security measures. However, an oversight in our system led to the unfortunate events we currently face."

  "While words may not suffice, I extend my sincere apologies to every parent affected by this incident," he added solemnly.

  This was the only answer he could give at the moment. Because they all knew if he projected the idea of an intruder or a traitor within, it would bring more problem and public panic.

  A female voice from the back of the crowd queried, "What about the injured students?"

  "Rakuzan pledges to bear all expenses for the treatment of the injured students," Valtorix assured.

  Before he could proceed further, another reporter brought grave news to light. "Anonymous information have confirmed the loss of three esteemed sentinels in the recent battle, including Reinhart, the King of Hell, Garrion, and Lian, the Barrier Master."

  At this revelation, an unsettling unease crept over Valtorix, his composure faltering slightly. "Anonymous information..." He muttered to himself.

  The more he thought about it, the more feasible Emilia's deduction of an intruder within seemed.

  "If two of our most renowned military assets suffered in this conflict, what assurance do we have in the vanguard's ability to safeguard us?" the reporter asked.

  Just as Valtorix prepared to respond, a loud female voice emanated from a group of students behind Levi. "My sister is not a mere weapon!" A girl with long light pink hair shouted

  "Sister?" Levi and his friends turned back immediately with shock.

  "You fucking treat them as if their sole purpose is to protect you," the girl continued, her voice trembling.

  "Like they aren't human beings with families, lives, and emotions. They willingly risk everything to protect you, yet you fail to even do the least and acknowledge their humanity."

  Immediately, Emilia stepped forward, her presence drawing their attention as the crowd remained stunned from this outburst.

  "That's enough questions for today, please," she declared firmly, her gaze sweeping across the assembled reporters. "Further inquiries can wait until the situation is brought under control."

  "As you can see..." she glanced backwards at the students

  Levi remained silent, watching everything unfold in shock from where he stood. His gaze stayed on the girl, who was still trembling as she yelled at the reporters.

  Kyle folded his arms, exhaling softly. “Wow… I never knew that Miss Lian had a younger sister in our class,” he muttered, glancing at Levi.

  He scratched the back of his head. “Well, if I’m being honest, we only joined this class some days ago, remember? It’s not like we even know half the people here.”

  "This is all such a drag,” Levi muttered in a weary tone. “We all really need to cool our heads off right now.”

  “Yeah, I think so, but—” Violet was cut short by the sudden appearance of Emilia before them.

  Before anyone could react or say anything, she grabbed Levi’s wrist with a grip so tight it made him wince.

  “We’re going,” she said.

  “What—” Levi barely managed to get the word out before they suddenly vanished and reappeared inside a room with dropped cottons.

  It was illuminated softly with floating orbs hovering in midair like miniature moons.

  Levi blinked, his head spinning from the sudden movements. “Where—”

  “What’s it saying?” Emilia cut him off.

  “What…?” He responded still disoriented.

  Emilia stepped closer, “You know what I’m talking about,” she snapped. “What is your goddamn so-called system saying?”

  Levi froze. “I—It’s…” He stammered, unsure how to even begin.

  Her voice cut him off again. “Do you have any idea what just happened,” she hissed. “Those people didn’t come here by chance. They came because of you. Do you even realize that the ones who died—those who were lost—were because of you?”

  Levi’s eyes widened, his mind struggling to catch up.

  “And yet here you are,” Emilia continued, her tone rising. “Standing there like it’s nothing. You’re not even trying to get stronger."

  "You’re just depending on that damned system like it’s supposed to do your job for you.” She took a step closer, her voice lowering. “Do you know how many more people are going to die because of your carelessness?”