Chapter 30: Unseen Blades.

Chapter 30: Unseen Blades.I opened my eyes slowly. The world came back into focus. White ceiling. Soft line sheets. A faint scent of herbs in the air. My body was almost recovered. I tried to sit up. "...Where am I?" I muttered, my voice was roughed. "You’re awake!" a voice called out gently. I turned toward it. A young woman in a white and blue uniform stood nearby, wiping down a table. Her Arcadia badge shimmered faintly under the infirmary light. "You’re in the Academy’s medical infirmary," she said with a relieved smile. "What a relief... we were worried." I looked around the room. There were twenty beds. Three of them were occupied—by Zevir, Kaelric, Renhal, and myself. Veyla and Orion must’ve recovered first. Or maybe they were in a different room. "And those from group one must have recovered too". "How long have I been out?" I asked, my throat dry. "Three days," the caregiver replied. "You were completely unconscious when they brought you back." (Three days...?) I fall back against the pillow. On the day of the battle—after we collapsed from our injuries! The Academy’s rescue teams had arrived in time. The emergency alerts were successful, and rescue teams quickly arrived to save the students from danger. Those who were injured in Blackroot Forest were carried back to Arcadia on emergency stretchers. The entire academy went on high alert. But the news didn’t stay inside Arcadia. No—by evening, it had exploded across the City of Elaris. In the City of Elaris! A large number of people had gathered or crowded around the front area of the academy. Reporters and news anchors—gathered, pressing against the outer security lines. One woman embedded, shouted over the noise: "Is it true that multiple first-year students were attacked by unknown assassins during a training mission?!" Another reporter pushed forward, thrusting toward the guards: "There are rumors the students defeated six assassins—can you confirm that?! Who sent them? Was this coordinated terrorism?!" A third yelled, "Did any student die? Are children safe in Arcadia Academy?! What does the Headmaster have to say?" The guards stood firm, armor gleaming in the sunlight, shields raised to block the press. One of them raised his voice. "This is official Arcadian territory! Please clear the gate. The Academy will issue a statement soon." But the crowd only grew louder. "Tell us the names of the students involved!" "Is this related to the Demon’s faction?" Despite the chaos, no reporter was allowed entry. The gates remained sealed. Inside Arcadia – Rumors Among the Upper Years! While the press circled outside, the news had already reached the Second and Third-Year students. Whispers flew through the dormitories, training halls, and private sparring rooms. "Did you hear? A bunch of first-years took down six assassins during their field quest." "That’s ridiculous. First-years? Against assassins?" "No joke. I heard Professor Sylvia personally confirmed it. One of the students even fought one on one that injured a Dread-level killer." "What? Not possible... We haven’t even faced anything that dangerous in our first year." In the upper training barracks, a group of third-year students trained with sharpened blades. One of them spat to the side, clearly annoyed. "Tch. Bunch of rookies getting all the attention..." "I just don’t like that the first-years are getting more credit in a week than we did in a year." They raised an eyebrow. "Or maybe they’re just stronger." His eyes narrowed. "They got lucky." But deep inside, many upper-year students weren’t just annoyed—they were uneasy. Searᴄh the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Because no matter how they justified it, the truth remained: A first-year team had survived a professional assassination squad. And not just survived—but killed some of them. That kind of power... wasn’t normal. Back in the Infirmary! I stared blankly at the ceiling, the scenes of that day looping in my mind. The blood. The shouting. The overwhelming presence of death hangs thick in the air. And then... Cecelia’s voice, soft and shaken: "You saved me." My hand curled into a fist beneath the blanket. (That battle... it wasn’t supposed to happen). (Not to us. According to the novel, that event never occurred like this to other groups. So why did it happen to us? Why now? Was the story beginning to change?) Back in the Academic Office—Arcadia Academy The large council room buzzed with tension. Fifteen teachers sat around the oval marble table. The walls had fancy cloth banners with the school’s symbol. At the far end of the center sat Principal Aldric Vaelen, a tall, broad-shouldered man with streaks of silver in his beard and a gaze that could silence a room. To the right sat Professor Treneth, Head of the Department Barlowe. Beside, there was Professor Grendar Voss, arms crossed tightly. Professor Sylvia stood near the corner. "Luckily none of the students died," said Professor Treneth. "But that luck won’t last if this happens again." "There were seven assassins," said Grendar, his voice with anger. "Armed with dark magic and coordinated tactics. They were skilled." "No," said Principal Aldric, steepling his fingers. "They weren’t." A beat of silence followed. The atmosphere turned colder. "They knew exactly where the students would be placed," said Professor Kalden. "That wasn’t a coincidence. This was planned." "Agreed," said professor Yulia grimly. "They waited. They struck precisely during the field test, when there were no security. Someone must have leaked information." ("An inside job?), Professor Aelra, a female teacher. "Is that what we’re suggesting?" (We can’t point it out,) Orwen. "I examined the bodies. Five were killed in combat. None carried identification. No guild brands. No kingdom insignias. And not a single trace of summoning tags or communication scrolls." "No evidence at all?" Aldric asked. "None," Orwen confirmed. "Worse, the corpses bore no lingering magic signatures. Whoever sent them knew how to cover tracks." Professor Sylvia spoke. "I failed to reach my students in time. They were nearly killed because of me." A few teachers glanced at her, some with sympathy. Others... with judgment. "First-years shouldn’t have been able to survive such an assault. It means our first year students are strong..." "Or we’re facing enemies who underestimated them," Aldric said, finishing his sentence. Sylvia raised her voice. "The students were stronger than expected. Some showed... terrifying growth, but their resilience and teamwork saved lives." Orwen nodded. "All of them fought well beyond standard expectations." Principal Aldric said. "We cannot afford to start turning on one another." "This is now a crisis." "We are under attack." He turned toward the large arcane projection crystal in the center of the room. With a flick of his hand, it displayed images of the Blackroot Forest aftermath—scorched ground, broken trees, bloodstains on leaves. "We will begin an investigation immediately. Anyone who had access to student deployment logs will be reviewed. Surveillance magic is to be doubled." He turned to Sylvia. "Professor Slyvia, despite the timing, your class survived and performed admirably. But from this point on, all first-year missions will be accompanied by at least one supervisor. We won’t take the risk again." "All the students in our academy are our future heroes" Sylvia nodded silently, guilt still in her eyes. Aldric then looked to Orwen. "What of the one you killed? No hints of contract magic? Summoning circles?" "None," Orwen answered. "But the way they moved, the coordination... those weren’t mercenaries. These were trained killers. Loyal to something. Or someone." A cold silence fell. "They were after students only, but why?" said Grendar, narrowing his eyes. "The attack was too focused to be random?." No one answered. But a few eyes flicked toward Sylvia. Principal Aldric’s voice dropped low. "From this day forward," he announced, "Arcadia’s gates will remain closed to all outside visitors unless directly authorized. Security formations will be embedded at every teleportation point and forest perimeter. And..." His gaze sharpened. "...we begin hunting for the traitor within."