"Very creative idea." Luo Wei lifted her skirt with one hand. "Think bolder—instead of hidden weapons, wouldn't hiding two assassins inside be simpler?"

  Hessel's pupils dilated. Under the skirt—you could hide PEOPLE?!

  She stared at Luo Wei's enormous skirt, thoughts racing. Wait, could there already be—

  "What are you thinking?" Luo Wei waved her hand. "Let's go!"

  Hessel snapped back. "Right. Let's go."

  Headmaster Morrison hadn't attended tonight's ball. Once the Church Prince left, no one else had the status to make him socialize.

  Luo Wei wasn't sure they'd find him, but they could check his office first. Maybe he was still there.

  They circled to the chapel's side door. Using the wand's dim yellow light, they walked into the corridor where the headmaster's office was.

  Light leaked under the wooden door at the corridor's end. Luo Wei said quietly: "There's light. He should still be inside."

  Hessel: "I'll knock."

  "Okay." Luo Wei lifted her skirt and followed.

  At the office door, Hessel raised her hand. Before she could knock, Headmaster Morrison's voice came from inside.

  "No need to knock. Push the door and come in."

  Hessel froze. She and Luo Wei exchanged glances, both seeing surprise in each other's eyes.

  Morrison knew they were coming? Was he waiting for them?

  Thinking it over—Morrison was a Grand Archmage with sharp senses and profound magical power. He'd probably detected them the moment they entered this corridor.

  Hessel and Luo Wei looked at each other and nodded. They both pushed open the door and walked in together.

  At his desk, Headmaster Morrison set down his quill and looked up.

  "Hessel, Luo Wei." He looked at the two girls, tone gentle. "Coming so late—have you encountered some difficulty?"

  Hessel was about to speak when Luo Wei stepped forward first. "Yes, Headmaster. We have, and I'd like to ask your forgiveness."

  "Ask for my forgiveness?" Morrison looked puzzled.

  "That's right. This is my apology—flower tea that beautifies the skin and calms the mind. It's modest. I hope you won't mind."

  Luo Wei gently placed the tea box on the desk, stepped back, and began explaining.

  "I'm very sorry, Headmaster. Yesterday I received an invitation from Prince Alfried. Today I attended his luncheon at Siria Temple. I'm sorry—I've let down your kindness."

  "Child, you haven't let me down. You don't need to apologize." Morrison said. "In fact, I should thank you. The Prince's regard for you is recognition of Siria's teaching. Thank you for bringing honor to our academy."

  "But..." Luo Wei hesitated. "Headmaster, I don't know if this is accurate, but I feel the Prince has some misunderstandings about Siria."

  She looked at Morrison with concern, actually observing his subtle expressions. "At the luncheon, he told me something—a prophecy about a hero."

  Morrison's eyebrows moved slightly. "A prophecy about a hero. Interesting. Can you explain more?"

  "Of course." Luo Wei nodded. "He said that ten years ago, a prophet predicted our academy would produce a commoner hero. This hero would destroy the Church of Light, trigger a catastrophic war, kill countless innocents, and plunge the Western Continent into suffering."

  "He also said ten years ago, our academy produced an evil undead who openly opposed the Church and tried to rescue a condemned criminal from execution."

  "Although you personally dealt with this undead, he suspects you secretly hid him and didn't actually kill him."

  "Therefore, he wants me to leave Siria and join the Church. He also said... said..." Luo Wei trailed off.

  Morrison's expression remained steady. "What else?"

  Luo Wei pressed her lips together. "He said Siria tolerates evil and shelters demons. Soon it will fall apart and be completely destroyed."

  "And you, child?" Morrison looked at her. "Do you also think Siria tolerates evil?"

  "No." Luo Wei shook her head. "My answer is the same as before. Siria Magic Academy is wonderful. I really like it here."

  Morrison: "Then there's no need to worry about Alfried's words. I won't let what he said happen."

  Luo Wei: "But he threatened my teammates' lives. He knows their identities. I've already made a deal with him—I'll do everything I can to help him become Pope."

  Morrison was silent for a long time before speaking in a low voice. "You shouldn't have gotten involved."

  "But I'm weak and alone here. I had no other choice. Headmaster, even now, are you still unwilling to tell us the truth?"

  Luo Wei looked seriously at Morrison, tone emphatic. "If you'd told us earlier, perhaps we wouldn't have reached this point."

  Morrison closed his eyes. "I didn't want to implicate you."

  "But we're already implicated! Or rather, the academy's been implicated because of us!"

  Luo Wei said earnestly: "Siria isn't just your life's work—it's the place we consider home. Many hands make light work. Why don't we protect it together?"

  Morrison's eyes were complex. "This is my matter alone. Nothing to do with you."

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  "Ha! Nothing to do with us?" Hessel looked up with a cold laugh, eyes dark as she stared at Morrison. "Ten years ago, the old Silver Dragon left the dragon lair because he prophesied Siria would produce a hero who'd overthrow the Church. His whereabouts were exposed and he fell into the Church's hands."

  "To intimidate Siria, the Church brought him here for execution. Before he died, he gave the All-Seeing Eye to an undead at the academy, and you hid that undead."

  "I came to this academy searching for the All-Seeing Eye. Because I participated in the magic competition, my identity was exposed. Alfried caught me, and it implicated Luo Wei too!"

  "And now you say this has nothing to do with us?" Hessel's chest heaved. "Since you say it's unrelated, give me back the All-Seeing Eye! That's also something unrelated to you. I'll take it and level the Church to avenge the old Silver Dragon!"

  Morrison's brow furrowed sharply. "What did you just say? Your identity was exposed too?"

  Hessel's eyes shot out angry, cold light. "So you DID know my identity all along!"

  He knew why she'd come, yet watched her search everywhere like a headless fly. If she hadn't met Luo Wei, she still wouldn't know the undead who took the All-Seeing Eye had been saved by him!

  Hessel's emotions were too agitated. Luo Wei looked at her worriedly and explained: "Alfried does know Senior's identity. He told me personally he knows there's a Desperate Black Dragon at our academy."

  Not just Hessel—Hol, Laura, and Theodore's identities were also exposed. At the luncheon, Alfried had clearly identified all four of their races.

  Luo Wei had been mentally prepared, so this result wasn't too terrible for her.

  At least Alfried hadn't suspected her, and Senior Sebastian had also escaped disaster.

  But Morrison's expression looked grim. Clearly, this wasn't good news.

  On Siria's territory, right under his nose, his students had been threatened by the Church.

  Alfried was demonstrating against him, all because he'd refused the olive branch Alfried extended.

  He really didn't want to get involved with Alfried. Among the Church's nine princes, Alfried had the weakest power, but he was a hundred times more troublesome than the other eight princes—even more than the Pope.

  The other princes were arrogant and didn't take Siria seriously. They believed their positions were unshakeable and disdained to win him over.

  Alfried was different. His excellence had attracted the Pope's wariness and the other princes' exclusion. He couldn't advance within the Church, so he turned his gaze outside it.

  Alfried often left his temple to travel throughout the diocese preaching, providing disaster relief and food aid, trying to recruit every force the Church overlooked.

  With the other princes, Morrison only needed to refuse once and they wouldn't embarrass themselves again.

  But Alfried would use any means to achieve his goals and wouldn't give up until he succeeded.

  He was also very good at manipulating hearts. He knew these Siria students were Morrison's greatest weakness, so he started with the students, using Morrison's weakness to force his compliance.

  Such a person—Morrison had to guard against him.

  "Alfried..."

  Morrison's fingers on the desk slowly curled. He absolutely couldn't let Alfried become Pope. If he became the next Pope, it would be an enormous disaster.

  "Headmaster?" Luo Wei called tentatively.

  Morrison came back to himself. "What is it?"

  "Nothing, just that you don't look well. Were you thinking about something?" Luo Wei asked carefully.

  Just now for an instant, Morrison's gaze had been so sharp, his eyes radiating killing intent. It made one's heart turn cold.

  "Ah, yes, thinking about some things." Morrison's expression returned to its usual gentleness, brown eyes looking at them kindly. "I was thinking—you came tonight specifically because you want to know the truth about what happened back then?"

  Luo Wei said respectfully: "My main purpose was to apologize for acting on my own and seek your forgiveness. Of course, if you could tell me the truth, that would be even better."

  "I've already investigated what happened back then. Even if you don't tell me, I know." Hessel's attitude was resolute. "Give me the All-Seeing Eye. I only want the All-Seeing Eye."

  Morrison looked at Hessel with deep apology. "Child, it's not that I don't want to give it to you, but... the All-Seeing Eye was already destroyed ten years ago."

  Hessel's expression changed. "Destroyed?"

  "Yes." Morrison nodded. "The All-Seeing Eye can see the future. If it fell into the Church's hands, the consequences would be unthinkable. So when the Church's people caught up to that undead student, I destroyed it. I'm sorry."

  Hessel swayed. The thing she'd searched for so long had already been destroyed ten years ago!

  Deep, piercing sorrow welled up in her heart, but she also clearly knew she couldn't blame Morrison. What he did wasn't wrong.

  If the All-Seeing Eye had fallen into the Church's hands and become a tool to slaughter opposing forces, not only would she be unable to accept it—if the old Silver Dragon were still alive, he definitely couldn't accept it either.

  But Hessel still couldn't suppress the fury in her heart. She knew this was wrong, but she couldn't help demanding: "You could destroy the All-Seeing Eye—why didn't you save him! With your power, you clearly could have saved him. You clearly could have—"

  "Senior!" Luo Wei grabbed her arm. "Don't be like this. Calm down. The headmaster had unavoidable difficulties. He didn't want this either."

  Morrison still had to consider Siria's teachers and students. In that situation, if he'd acted, he would have fallen into the Church's trap. Not only would it have implicated many innocent civilians, but beastmen and demons would have lost their only remaining support.

  Luo Wei waited for Hessel to quiet down before turning to Morrison. "Headmaster, let me make a bold guess. The undead student who tried to save the Silver Dragon Patriarch—he was acting on your instructions, wasn't he?"

  Seeing Morrison unwilling to admit it, she said: "A few months ago, when I was patrolling the perimeter, I met this senior. He said his name was Wordsworth."

  "Oh, and you punished me with perimeter patrol specifically so I'd meet him, right?"

  Seeing Morrison still not speaking, she smiled. "After meeting this undead senior, I discovered some strange things. For example, his body isn't mechanical but a preserved corpse with a layer of black oil on the surface. Such a body should be very difficult to disguise. Who helped him?"

  She'd been curious for a long time about what that black oil was. Later she realized it might be tar used for corpse preservation.

  "Also, the undead senior is very timid. He's afraid when he sees people. How did someone with such small courage dare to disguise himself as human and enter the academy?"

  "Headmaster, aren't you curious?"

  The facts were irrefutable. Morrison finally spoke. "Everything you guessed is correct."

  "Wordsworth is a pitiful child. He was made into a skin puppet by an evil Puppeteer and locked in an abandoned cellar for hundreds of years."

  "After I found him, I brought him to Siria, hoping he could live a normal life here and learn to protect himself."

  "When the Church wanted to kill the Silver Dragon Patriarch, he wanted to help me save him. I tacitly approved. Later his identity was exposed and the Church hunted him. I used another corpse I'd prepared in advance to substitute for him and quietly teleported him back to the academy."

  "It's just the Silver Dragon Patriarch—I'm sorry. He refused to leave with Wordsworth. I originally wanted to save him, but after he gave the All-Seeing Eye to Wordsworth, he committed suicide."

  So it wasn't that Morrison didn't want to save him—the Silver Dragon Patriarch didn't want to implicate them and chose to end his own life.

  Hessel clenched her fists, voice hoarse. "Before he died, did he leave any words?"

  Morrison shook his head. "I don't know. You can ask Wordsworth."

  Hessel asked: "Then where is he now?"

  Morrison answered: "The North Bell Tower. He's inside ringing the bells."

  Luo Wei: ???

  Her face was full of questions. "You're saying the undead senior is in the North Bell Tower... ringing bells?"

  "Yes." Morrison's expression was very serious. He even asked them: "Haven't the bells these past few days been punctual and loud?"

  Luo Wei: ...

  She didn't know about punctual, but they were definitely loud.

  So the academy had gotten so poor it couldn't hire a bell-ringer and was dragging undead into forced labor?

  Morrison coughed. "The North Bell Tower has magic runes that repel dark elements. It can block his undead aura. Plus it was just renovated and is still operating. Ordinary people won't go up to look. It's relatively safe."

  Luo Wei was silent for a moment, then asked: "I found a wooden box in the North Bell Tower. It also had runes that repel dark elements, and inside were smelted high-purity magic stones. Did you put it there?"

  "Wordsworth put it there." Morrison sighed. "But having you go up to clean and repair—that was indeed my instruction."

  "You deliberately let us discover it. Why?" Luo Wei felt puzzled. "Do you know what's inside?"

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