Professor Sarah's expression was as stern as ever.
However, Dark could still feel a slight difference in the way she looked at him.
This made Dark a little awkward. After all, he had given her a not-so-welcome gift for Christmas.
Fortunately, Professor Sarah was a person who kept her professional and private life separate and didn't dwell on the matter.
Dark then recounted in detail his reasons for entering the secret passage and the entire process and outcome of his encounter with the vampire.
He didn't hide much about using the [Paradise] card to defeat the vampire Vlad.
Although the school prohibited professors from giving Magic Guide Cards to students for free, even semi-finished ones.
But at Christmas, Claire was effectively no longer employed, which was a perfect way to circumvent this rule.
Furthermore, since Dark himself had handled the last two steps in creating the card, it didn't violate the "personally crafted" regulation either.
The only remaining issue was on a moral level.
Therefore, Claire had specifically instructed him not to use [Paradise] in any competition-related events.
Besides, these were special circumstances, and Professor Sarah wasn't someone completely devoid of human understanding.
She didn't press the issue, instead showing a considerable degree of appreciation for Dark's actions.
Then, her expression darkened at a speed visible to the naked eye!
"I recall giving a special warning that the secret chamber is extremely dangerous and entry is forbidden! Especially you, Virt and Robert, you just finished your detention!"
...
The shift in tone was so abrupt that Virt and Robert were completely caught off guard.
Virt, who had been on the verge of dozing off, was jolted wide awake.
Robert instinctively shrank back.
Scott's face didn't look too good either.
Only Betty retorted, "Professor Sarah, that was never made into a formal rule, and besides, it's the holidays!"
Sarah: "Yes, which is why I'm only deducting fifty points from each of you!"
Betty: "Professor, that's not fair! Sister Carian didn't say that!"
Carian: "Ahem!"
Sarah shot her a fierce glare before turning back. "Let's handle one thing at a time. Given that you did render a service by discovering the vampire, I will award you bonus points as compensation after I've verified the truth. Consider this matter canceled out."
"As long as we're not losing points..."
Virt gradually lay flat on his sickbed, his eyelids starting to droop again.
Professor Sarah continued, "As for Dark defeating the vampire and saving the four of you, I will report this to the accountant and the Principal, and the reward will be announced at a later time."
Dark couldn't help but smile. It seemed the material subsidies for [Fusion] and [Zoo] were secured.
Professor Sarah: "For now, you should all rest well here in the infirmary and let Sister Carian check your physical condition. We will handle the subsequent matters properly."
...
After Professor Sarah once again departed like the wind, Dark couldn't help but look on with envy.
Whether it was the Principal's entrance that was almost like spatial teleportation, or Professor Sarah's method of moving by transforming into wind, both were incredibly enviable.
He wondered when he would be able to master spells of a similar caliber.
As he pondered this, the fatigue from staying up all night suddenly surged through him.
Dark yawned, found a vacant sickbed, and lay down, closing his eyes shortly after.
Scott, Robert, and Betty were no different.
The group quickly fell asleep.
Sister Carian shook the sleeping potion in her hand, channeled her magic to heat it, and allowed the potion to vaporize, helping Dark and the others enter a deep sleep.
Afterward, she carefully examined the five of them, only truly relaxing after confirming there were no internal or external injuries.
"To encounter a vampire in their first year and escape unscathed... I don't know if they have bad luck or incredibly good luck."
She returned to her desk and sat down, turning her head to look out the window.
This year's winter was particularly unusual.
...
When Dark woke up, he realized just how much big news he had missed during the few days he was exploring the secret passage.
He leaned against the headboard, eating the dinner DemiDevimon had brought him while reading the last two days' worth of the *Great Sage Daily*, sighing in his heart.
"Christmas is really something else!"
Compared to their minor squabbles within the academy, the outside world was indeed much more eventful.
At midnight on December 25th.
While all the people of the kingdom were celebrating the arrival of Christmas Day, Bastia Prison, which was under the jurisdiction of the Holy Church, was unexpectedly attacked by a heretical cult.
In the interest of maintaining stability, the Holy Church only released this news the day after Christmas.
It was immediately met with a storm of criticism from the kingdom's elite!
The Holy Church claimed that the prison's defenses were extremely solid and that all heretics who invaded Bastia were annihilated, with no survivors!
But those who were not fond of the Holy Church's ways seized the opportunity to attack, firmly believing that the Church must be hiding something. Otherwise, it would be impossible for them to have waited until 48 hours after the incident to release the news.
The reason for the information blackout was stability, but if all the heretics were wiped out, it would undoubtedly be a morale-boosting event and should have been publicized as a joyous occasion!
Therefore, the Holy Church must be lying about this matter!
Such rhetoric grew more and more intense, and the kingdom's newspapers were filled with related speculations.
The core reason for such an uproar was that Bastia Prison primarily held vicious and brutal war criminals!
Among them were even demi-humans with Demon Clan blood.
...
Dark temporarily put down the newspaper, picked up his soup bowl to drink the last mouthful, then placed the utensils in a basket for DemiDevimon to take back.
...
The appearance of a vampire in the secret passage of St. Marian Academy should have been a major event.
But with the Holy Church now facing a major crisis, the academy was already being charitable by not kicking them while they were down. The Holy Church was likely too preoccupied to care about anything else.
The *Great Sage Daily* also mentioned that the kingdom had forcefully intervened and was set to conduct a full and thorough investigation of Bastia Prison.
Naturally, the influence of the dovish faction could be seen in this.
For a time, all sorts of rumors flew about. Some prophets, eager to stir up trouble, frantically added fuel to the fire, spewing prophecies about the Demon King's revival, causing widespread panic among the populace.
Without knowing the truth, Dark couldn't make any wild guesses.
However, the prophets' predictions weren't entirely for shock value.
The revival of the Demon King was likely a matter of sooner or later; the only question was in what form it would happen.
...
Another half hour passed.
Sister Carian returned from outside, bringing news that was neither good nor bad.
Professor Sarah had always been decisive and efficient. After leaving that morning, she had immediately gathered the professors still at the academy and conducted a thorough search of the secret passage.
With a bat tracker temporarily created by Professor Kazel, they managed to hunt down and kill every single bat in the secret passage in just one day!
However, Vlad was not found among the slain bats!
This meant two possibilities.
① Vlad had not yet possessed a body.
② After possessing a bat, Vlad had managed to evade the professors' search.
...
The first possibility was more likely.
The soul was a forbidden domain.
The mages' understanding of the soul was still very shallow.
If Vlad hadn't possessed a bat and was still drifting as a soul, it would indeed be difficult to detect him.
However, a soul could only wander the physical world for a maximum of 168 hours, and an ordinary soul would dissipate within 24 hours.
During this time, the soul would gradually weaken, and its self-awareness would rapidly fade, turning it into a mindless, wandering spirit.
If Vlad failed to find a bat to possess within 168 hours, he would have no chance of being reborn.
But the above was just a conclusion based on normal circumstances.
Vlad's soul seemed to be unusual!
...
The second possibility was almost zero.
But since it was within the secret passage, perhaps there truly was an unknown hidden place that even the professors couldn't find.
...
To deal with this matter.
The professors had already sealed all entrances and exits to the secret passage and dispatched Golems to stand guard.
...
Shortly after Sister Carian's return, a school-wide notice from Professor Sarah popped up on Dark's and the others' academy cards.
From the moment the notice was issued, the secret passage would become a forbidden zone.
Anyone caught entering the secret passage would be expelled immediately!
Such a harsh prohibition was extremely rare in the history of St. Marian.
This meant there was no possibility of trickery or getting around it.
If you wanted to challenge the academy's tolerance limit, then congratulations, now was the time=!
Having learned the outcome, Dark and the others no longer lingered in the infirmary.
After thanking Sister Carian, they left one by one.
...
Dark returned directly to his dormitory.
After being away for three days, he found that he missed his Cat Grass more than he expected.
The Cat Grass apparently felt the same, chirping happily and flocking to him the moment they saw him.
Dark crouched down and hugged all three Cat Grass, burying his face in them affectionately.
After a long, loving reunion, he finally remembered to deploy [Paradise] and then summon his Magic Guide Spirits.
The dormitory instantly felt a bit warmer.
Dark took off his clothes, brought the three Cat Grass into the bathroom with him to wash off the dust, and took a good long bath himself.
The Trash Slime had climbed onto the edge of the bathtub at some point, so he grabbed it and applied it to his face.
"So relaxing~"
Overall, this treasure-hunting trip had been very fruitful.
Not only did he see rare sights he normally wouldn't, but he also obtained the Valkyrie's refinement circle and even got to practice against a vampire.
Best of all, the academy helped clean up the mess afterward.
There could be no better Christmas gift than this.
Dark thought with delight.
This was the only year Alvit hadn't given him a Christmas present.
Couldn't be helped, he just had to get one for himself!
...
Unlike Dark's leisurely state, Robert parted ways with Virt after leaving the infirmary.
It wasn't that he wanted to separate, but that Virt chose to go with the cult.
Everyone has their own path, after all.
There was nothing Robert could do.
In any case, he couldn't be on the same side as Scott.
Robert came from a military family and grew up among old soldiers. He was taught to be clear about kindness and grudges, to seek revenge when wronged, and to deal with things as they are, without all the fussing around.
But since the start of the school year, he and Virt had been inseparable. Now that they were going their separate ways, it felt a bit lonely.
He arrived before the Knight House tower and nodded to the knight statue guarding it. The old knight smiled kindly and opened the tower door.
Robert walked into the common room, watched two upperclassmen play chess for a while, and then couldn't resist making a comment, which got him shooed away.
He chuckled and scurried up the stairs, opened the door to his dorm, and sat on his bed for a long time.
"What's Virt doing now? Is it fun being with Scott and the others? Speaking of which, what's the name of that cult?"
He muttered all sorts of questions to himself, only remembering after a long while that he should take a shower.
But after his shower, he had nothing to do again.
He had to take out the Magic Guide Chess set he bought on his first trip to Traveler Street, teasing the pieces and then playing against himself.
Back home, he could entertain himself for a long time.
But for some reason tonight, he got tired of it after just ten minutes.
"What's going on..."
"Why is it so boring..."
"Is there anything else fun to do?"
The twelve-year-old boy learned to be sentimental for the first time.
And then he suddenly realized that, besides Magic Guide Chess, he had nothing at all!
...
"If it were Virt, what would he do?"
"What about Dark? Or Emma?"
"What do they do when they're alone?"
Robert couldn't help but start to think.
Imitation is the nature of intelligent life.
Especially during childhood.
When personality and habits have not yet been set.
It's easy to be influenced by those around you.
Robert couldn't figure out what Virt would do, but with a turn of his eyes, he thought of what Dark and Emma would do.
[Read a book!]
A strange voice whispered from the bottom of his heart.
"Read a book!"
Robert suddenly had the urge to read.
He shot up and walked to his desk.
And then he froze, completely stunned!
"I don't have any books!"
Other than textbooks, he had no books at all!
[Textbooks work too!]
"I'll pass on the textbooks."
Robert shook his head and retreated to his bed.
[...]
"So boring..."
...[Damn it!]
...
The cult had a meeting tonight.
There were two purposes for the meeting.
One was that since Virt and the other two had just returned from the secret passage, the rest of the cult members wanted to hear their adventure stories.
This kind of activity, gathering around to listen to stories, seemed ordinary, but it was a rare experience for the cult members, and they wanted to know what it felt like.
The other purpose was to choose a name for the cult.
A new year, a new beginning. No one liked to lurk in the shadows forever.
The cult members had reached a consensus: in the new year, they would turn over a new leaf and emerge as an official club.
To achieve this, they first needed a banner.
Now that they had this banner.
They needed a name.
Previously, although they called themselves the Goddess Cult, they had never officially named it.
And that name could no longer be used.
They needed a new name, one that the academy would officially recognize!
________________________________________
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