After Julius and Victor convinced Larissa and the other kids to come out, the academy guards acted swiftly.
The children, both conscious and unconscious, were directly transported to a "secure room" in the academy's most protected area. The term "secure" was a polite euphemism for what it really was: an interrogation chamber adapted for minors, though decorated with soft furnishings and warm colors to mask its true purpose.
"Do we really need this many guards here?" Julius observed the security deployment around the "secure room" with disgust. "They're just children..."
"Children who defeated a Yino transformed spy," Victor leaned against the wall, his eyes fixed on the closed door. "One with an abyssal beast."
"Defeated?" Julius let out a dry laugh. "Someone or something tore him apart... But he was only silver rank 1, this is excessive."
The initial priority had been investigating the seed.
With adults unable to enter through the cracks due to their size, they sent small beasts specialized in reconnaissance. The creatures worked efficiently, transmitting vital information back to their tamers.
The director approached with a preliminary report.
"Sir," he addressed Victor, "the reconnaissance beasts confirm Princess Larissa's story. The body... what remains of it, shows clear signs of abyssal corruption. The transformation fused with his flesh permanently."
"Like the last one," Julius murmured.
"No," the director shook his head. "This one was different. Weaker, yes, but... the fusion was deeper. As if it had almost completely lost control."
Victor straightened, suddenly more interested. "As if the beast was transforming into the tamer?"
The silence that followed was heavy. Julius closed his eyes, his expression darkening.
What they found confirmed Larissa's first rushed words. Harold's partially charred body lay where someone or something had defeated him, the remains of his abyssal transformation still visible in the carbonized flesh.
"The Goldcrests traitors," Victor spat the name like poison. "And Yino experimenting on children…"
"Now we have proof," Julius smiled humorlessly. "The body, the papers showing they forced a spy into the academy, Larissa's testimony..."
Larissa's preliminary testimony, though carefully edited to protect Ren, provided the necessary context. Harold had been a Yino agent, infiltrated into the academy thanks to the Goldcrests. The evidence was undeniable.
For the first time in years, they had tangible proof against one of the kingdom's three most powerful families.
Victor struck the wall with such force that the stone cracked. "Enough," his voice was pure ice. "This ends now."
"No brother… You know that we need more than this," Julius tried to reason. "The Goldcrests have too much influence and power. Besides, even with absolute proof... As long as father doesn't return, we fighting them alone would just end up creating the perfect situation for Yino's invasion..."
And too many questions remained unanswered.
In the "secure room," surrounded by guards with beasts specialized in perception, the children slept unaware of the chaos they had unleashed.
The mushroom boy also slept deeply, not knowing that his actions to explore and save Luna had changed the kingdom's balance of power.
Although the room seemed comfortable, with soft beds and pleasant decoration, the truth was evident in the guards' watchful eyes. No one would leave until every question was answered.
The children had been separated into two rooms, one for the girls and another for the boys.
In the girls' room...
"It's about time you tell us the truth, little demon… What happened to the ring?" Julius kept his voice soft while observing Larissa.
This was the most important situation of all and had priority… but they had searched their bodies and no one had it.
The princess, seated with her cousins and guards in the elegantly decorated room, smiled with feigned innocence. "It disappeared."
"It's true!" she protested. "I literally saw it disappear. One moment it was there and the next..." she made a vague gesture with her hands.
"Who defeated the spy?" Victor tried another angle.
"An elemental light attack," Larissa responded without hesitation. "The light beam pierced through him."
"And where did this powerful light come from? Only you or Lucy can use that element among those present and you're not at that level..."
"The beam came from inside the seed, of course," Larissa blinked with a confused expression. "Where else could it come from?"
Luna coughed to hide a smile. Her cousin was in her element, telling incomplete truths with the innocence of someone who never breaks a plate...
Even Luna didn't know exactly where the attack had come from, she had only seen the flash and acted on instinct.
Liora had been knocked out so also knew nothing.
Julius and Victor exchanged frustrated looks. Each of Larissa's answers was technically true, but they felt she was still hiding something important.
"How many potions exactly remain?" Julius tried to be specific.
"Seven," Larissa responded cheerfully and without hesitation. Her mineral fairy glowed slightly, while her brothers detected that she wasn't lying.
"Two belong to me by right and five are Ren's group's."
"Why does the boy have more? Can you explain the discovery situation?" Victor arched an eyebrow.
"Of course. There were two groups who entered: mine and Ren's. Ren entered first so he had priority, but he gifted us two... the potions, like any artifact, belong to the Yano citizen who finds them first."
"And the other three?" Julius leaned forward.
"Oh, Ren's group used them immediately," Larissa waved her hand dismissively. "Well, two of them and Ren..."
Luna observed her cousin with interest. It wasn't exactly a lie, but...
"Did the mushroom boy not take one?" Victor straightened, suddenly more attentive.
"Yes… He took it from the pedestal... Mm-hmm," Larissa nodded while playing with her dress. "The potions belong to them, so they'll be made nobles and can use them as they want, right?"
"But the two you have..." Julius began.
"Are mine to distribute," Larissa interrupted firmly. "Two belong to me even if by tradition I'm not allowed to use them directly, but as the princess I am… I'll ensure they're used appropriately and justly, also the other five are Ren's group's."
"Appropriately and justly?" Victor crossed his arms.
"They always are for the men of the royal family, of course," Larissa smiled innocently. "It's tradition that whoever finds them distributes them to the men of the family, isn't it? Like the ones father keeps in the castle and hasn't distributed yet."
Julius and Victor exchanged looks. It was a difficult argument to refute.