On that very night.

  Roman was sitting alone in his office, going through the school reports when he sensed something.

  Someone was approaching.

  When he said the school was within his line of vision, he meant it in the literal sense.

  A moment later...

  He lifted his gaze to the door, which opened, revealing a tall black man—

  Marlrik.

  Marlrik closed the door behind him and took a seat before asking, "Have you read the report?"

  Roman's body shook slightly, irritated. He took out a piece of paper.

  He started reading it aloud.

  "Yo, this is Marlrik. Things don't look good… assassins." He set it down and picked up another piece of paper.

  "Yo, this is Marlrik. Random bastards in black are active."

  Then, he picked up a third. "Yo, this is Marlrik. I'm done with the guarding duration of Swamp City."

  By the time he was done, his jaw was clenched, and his beastman canines slipped outside his lips.

  Roman's veins were tense, visible on his forehead.

  Bam~

  He slammed his fist onto the desk.

  "IS THAT A FUCKING REPORT?! WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO UNDERSTAND, YOU BASTARD? YOU'LL KILL ME YOUNG, DAMMIT!" he shouted.

  Marlrik, unfazed, looked at him. "Did you need further details?" he asked, his tone clueless.

  Slap~

  Roman facepalmed himself.

  "You airhead bastard..." He shouted.

  "Teacher called you an airhead. Now I understand... I didn't think it would be something like this... Teacher... I wish I could have understood sooner."

  He started rubbing his temples.

  Roman lamented.

  Marlrik reached into his jacket's inner pocket, retrieving a small insignia and placing it on the desk. Roman studied the insignia intently, his mind racing with countless thoughts.

  The insignia featured a lone sword between steel wings and a drop of blood.

  "The Salixes Empire?" he exclaimed.

  Roman's voice was surprisingly calm, though his eyes betrayed his thoughts.

  Marlrik nodded. "They're probably behind the entire situation. I found this in Swamp Forest. I passed through before heading back to check for evidence regarding the kidnapping of the young tree guardian. There was a knight there, smashed. He had it."

  This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  Roman, deep in thought for a moment, spoke. "It could have been left there on purpose."

  Marlrik shook his head. "Unlikely. The convoy wasn't supposed to fail. Pakpok didn't let anyone investigate, but he refused to say hello when I went there."

  'So, you bastard can still hold a proper conversation if you want.' Roman thought inwardly.

  He massaged his temples, getting back to the topic. "Are they trying to start a war?"

  Marlrik nodded. "Likely. The elves, though split into two factions, won't let the heir and artifact both disappear. Considering the kidnapping took place inside the territory of the Sun Kingdom..."

  Marlrik didn't continue. Roman was lost in thought for a moment before saying, "Once the elves take action against the Sun Kingdom, an insignificant and small kingdom, the Salixes will send aid in the name of humanity, which will most likely turn the world into an all-out war."

  A moment later, Roman asked, "But does it make sense for the Ecliptic clan to stay silent for so long?"

  Marlrik, who didn't know the answer, remained silent for a moment before saying, "The kid who just joined today, Jean... I think he was sent by Pakpok and Finn Twist. He seemed like a half-Skyborn."

  Before Roman could speak, his door opened. It was Isolde.

  "Welcome back, Marlrik," she said as soon as she saw him, seemingly unsurprised by his return.

  Marlrik nodded.

  Roman walked toward the shelves on the side of his office. He found one of the files and started going through it. He came across a certain piece of paper, which held the face of a man and the word "Missing" at the bottom.

  He placed the paper on the desk for Isolde and Marlrik to see.

  Both of them understood what he meant. The man had platinum hair and eyes, looking exceptionally handsome. His ears were pointy, but not the ears of an elf.

  His face was oval, with a light smile on his lips, radiating gentleness.

  "This is where we should start investigating again," Roman declared.

  Isolde was taken aback for a moment. "Isn't that the guy who eloped with the youngest daughter of the Ecliptics while Teacher was still here?"

  Roman nodded. "That kid, Jean. According to the reports by Quenlith and Marlrik, he has Feral affinity of the Skyborn, but those eyes nor his hair are of a Skyborn. There's also no way for young Skyborns to leave the clan before adulthood. I'm 90% sure he's the son of that crazy guy."

  "Will I take this mission, too?" Marlrik asked. He actually wanted to return to his combat class. He had been a teacher before starting to run Roman's errands.

  "No," Isolde said. "I'll investigate this part. I also want to check on Pakpok and Finn Twist. No matter where they lived, for Jean to get lost in the Swamp Forest, he must have lived somewhere within the mountain range."

  Roman pulled the desk drawer open.

  He took out a map of the region. The center of the map was Swamp Forest, the largest in the eastern region.

  The northeast held Swamp City. Further in the same direction was the school.

  To the west of the forest were the borders of the Sun Kingdom. Usually, the outskirts of the forest were safe for travel, so they took the long route.

  Roman pointed to a spot on the map, within the forest.

  To the southwest, there was a mountain chain. This place was rough for travelers, but the mountains were fertile and suitable for living. This was where the search should begin.

  "The Swamp Forest is huge, but there are places that people cannot approach," Roman said before turning to Marlrik.

  "Marlrik, can you point to where you found the knight's corpse?"

  Marlrik thought for a moment before pointing at a spot somewhere near the northern part of the forest, between the route of the Sun Kingdom and the western borders of the Breen Kingdom.

  It was near Swamp City, but there was no established route for travel within this area.

  Roman's face stiffened. "Breen Kingdom is affiliated with the Salixes. It's also where that bastard is staying… Now everything is clearer."

  Isolde stated, "For now, investigating the Skyborn guy is the right option. Investigating the Breen will give us away without even trying."

  Roman scratched his mane for a while before nodding. "We need to find a way or an excuse for being there…" He paused before asking.

  "Isolde, aren't you running the affinity tests for the new kids tomorrow?"

  Isolde, surprised, replied, "Uh… Yes, what does that have to do with anything?"

  Roman smiled. "First, confirm the Feral affinity, but don't make it public within the school. Second, depart for the mountain range investigation tomorrow night. Take as much time as you need, but once you return, take a few students and teachers to the Breen Kingdom."

  He smiled widely...

  "We will run our investigation in the name of recruitment and teaching partnership."