The Vermilion Royal Academy
"Headmistress, the special class student has returned!" One of the instructors hurriedly barged into Bridget's office and announced, shock evident on his face.
Bridget, her purple hair catching the light shining through her arched window, looked up from the load of paperwork at the instructor.
"Really?" The laziness and exhaustion from working disappeared instantly as she stood up abruptly from her seat.
"Yes, Miss, I was shocked as well," the man said.
"Did something bad happen?" The shock on Bridget's face was replaced with concern. The mission should've taken a week or even a month! It was a Level 6 Dimension, for crying out loud.
Bridget rushed over to the window. The administrative tower was the tallest structure on the royal island, overlooking the entire academy campus. Through the window, she gazed at the south side of the academy and saw the portal from which all the students who had gone on the mission were returning.
"They're truly here." Her eyes widened.
Bridget didn't wait for the students to arrive. She quickly left her office and went to meet up with them.
Bridget moved swiftly, her long strides making quick work of the distance between her office and the academy's teleportation ground. Her mind raced as she tried to make sense of the situation.
A Level 6 Dimension… completed in just a few days? That was unheard of. Either something had gone terribly wrong, or… someone had done something extraordinary.
Bridget was leaning more toward the former.
As she approached, the air was thick with tension. Instructors and students alike had gathered, murmuring in hushed voices as they watched the special class students step through the portal one by one.
Her sharp gaze scanned the crowd. Most of them looked exhausted, battered, and worn. Some had injuries, others looked shaken, but none of them carried the look of absolute despair. That meant—
But something still didn't seem right. She felt something was wrong. It took Bridget barely a minute to figure out what it was.
Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward. "Welcome back," she said, her voice firm but gentle. "I was expecting you all to return far later than this. What happened?"
A heavy silence followed her question. The students exchanged glances, some looking unsure, others unwilling to be the first to speak.
Bridget's gaze swept over them. Some of them looked hesitant, casting wary glances toward Wendy, while others looked outright disturbed.
Bridget's stomach tightened. What exactly happened in there?
It was Wendy who finally stepped forward.
"…We completed the mission." Her voice was steady, but there was something else beneath it. Something unreadable.
Bridget frowned. "So quickly?"
Bridget folded her arms. "Then explain. How?"
Wendy hesitated, her eyes flickering toward Nyx for a brief moment before she spoke again. "Nox… handled it."
Bridget's frown deepened. "Handled it?"
One of the other students, a boy with a bloodied bandage wrapped around his arm, scoffed. "More like he was the mission."
Bridget turned to him sharply. "Explain."
The boy exhaled sharply, dragging a hand down his face. "At first, it was very difficult. The beasts were all Emperor-Tier. We were supposed to investigate and clear threats, but before we even got a chance, things escalated. We thought we were done for. But then—"
"Nox started doing things that shouldn't even be possible," Blake chimed in, an animated expression on his face as he recalled the towering wall and the usage of powerful skills at the ultimate tier.
With a frightening level of fascination shining in his eyes, Blake's tale sounded like something straight out of a fairy tale. But this was Eos... everything was within the realm of possibility, so Bridget didn't doubt him for a second. But this wasn't what she wanted to hear.
What she wanted to hear was...
Why were Nox, Zara, Ainsworth, and Brandon not present?
Those four were very powerful. No matter what, they should've been among the survivors—especially Nox.
Wendy exhaled, rubbing her temples. "That's not all."
Bridget arched a brow.
The atmosphere turned even heavier.
Wendy hesitated for a brief moment before saying, "Brandon Chai… tried to kill Nox."
The reaction was instant.
Gasps erupted from the gathered students and instructors. Bridget's eyes darkened with immediate fury.
Nyx clenched his fists and continued, "That coward took advantage of the chaos in the dimension and tried to eliminate Nox. But…" she took a deep breath, "it didn't end well for him."
Bridget's gaze snapped to her. "Did he—?"
"They're dead." Wendy's voice was devoid of emotion as she said this.
A stunned silence followed.
Bridget's mind raced. Brandon Chai was from one of the noble families. If he had tried to kill Nox and ended up dead instead, this wasn't going to end with just words.
But… if what Wendy was implying was true, then it wasn't just an attempt—it was an ambush.
"What about Zara... and Nox? Where are they?"
"He said he had something important to attend to," Wendy said.
"I see." Bridget muttered.
Wendy hesitated and looked at the headmistress with an expectant gleam in her eyes. Wasn't she forgetting someone?
Bridget's eyes narrowed slightly. She had asked about Nox and Zara, but there was still one more name unaccounted for.
"Prince Ainsworth... what about him?" she asked. One could tell she didn't care about this name… if not, he wouldn't have been the last person she asked about. Nevertheless, he was still very important—she just didn't care about him.
The moment she asked, the air around Wendy seemed to tighten. Several students flinched, and an eerie silence fell over the group.
Wendy hesitated, then finally spoke. "…He's dead."
Bridget's breath hitched. "What?"
She looked around, searching for someone to contradict those words, but no one did. The remaining students kept their heads down, unwilling to meet her gaze.
Bridget's heart pounded, and for the first time, the students present saw a frightened expression on their headmistress's face.
Bridget's heart pounded. "How?"
Wendy shifted uncomfortably before finally exhaling. "He… challenged Nox."
Bridget felt a chill run down her spine.
Ainsworth was strong, but Nox… was something else entirely.
"…And Nox killed him," Wendy added.
Bridget's lips parted slightly, but no words came out. The prince... dead? Killed by Nox?
"Damn it! This is bad!" she mumbled to herself after a while.
At the same time, in the Vermilion Royal Castle, King Aldric received the bloodied package.
"Open it," he ordered the royal knight.
This Bonus Chapter was sponsored by Kyle_Hilbert. Thank you for the castle!