"Now we have to talk about something else. We''ve heard something very interesting," Adrien said as he stored the enormous animal in his small bag. It was still a mystery how he did it…


    "What''s going on?" Dani asked as she took a spoonful of food to her mouth.


    "On our way to theke, we found ourselves in the middle of a fight between ss 2 and ss 3. Naturally, we preferred to wait until they finished their business. Once they were done, we tried to kill off the stragglers, but a few of them escaped.


    We interrogated two of them, one from each ss, and the most important thing they mentioned was that they saw their leaders talking to someone hiding in the shadows," Adrien exined, grabbing a bowl and scooping food with arge spoon.


    "Talking to the shadows?" Dani frowned deeply.


    "I guess it has something to do with their unique ability," Beatrice pointed out with her spoon.


    "It''s a bit strange. Dark arts are supposed to be linked to demons," Olivia agreed, sharing Dani''s somber expression.


    "I also don''t think the academy staff would allow djinns on the premises... Right?" Elias asked, eyes wide.


    "It would be a total insult to the entire empire," Adrien shook his head, not believing that the academy would go to such extremes. It was also true that it would be an affront to the saint… He nced briefly at Dani. Although demons are the sworn enemies of the empire, to the Church of Light, they are the worst possible abominations they cany eyes on—especially djinns.


    Arthur remained silent, thinking about djinns. These are humans who sold their souls to demons, and it could be for various reasons: power, ambition, need, revenge... They sell their souls to the demon they made a contract with, and their souls are basically lost and corrupted.


    They think they''re very powerful and all that… but in reality, their souls are in the hands of the demon, who can crush and consume them at any moment.


    But, as always, there are different types of djinns, just as there are different types of demons. Any demon can make a contract with a human whose soul is small and weak. The power of a djinn depends on the demon''s power. When a great demon lord makes a contract, the djinn is much stronger, but their soul is much more corrupt and essentially unsalvageable.


    The best part of all this is that they''re talking about demons, and I''m sitting right here in front of them... The best and worst part, I''d say. It''s all so absurd. I have no idea who this young ss 5 leader using dark magic is or if it''s just a unique ability, as they said.


    Maybe they''re exaggerating, and it''s just rted to that unique ability, but as I can see, the mere mention of a demon makes them nervous...


    But I agree that if this young student really is a djinn, I don''t think the academy or the empire would allow such an offense. In the end, though, it''s all spection.


    "Should we pay a visit to ss 5''s territory?" Beatrice asked Dani.


    She set the bowl aside and thought for a few moments. "I''m not sure..." She turned to Adrien. "What do you have in mind?" she asked for his opinion.


    Adrien adjusted his sses. "If their ability allows them to hide in the darkness or shadows..." He looked beyond, toward the limits of the fire''s light. "They might be with us right now, hiding while listening to us in silence," he said with a cold smile.


    "W-wait... that makes sense, after all," Olivia tensed up. Readtest chapters at empire


    "Yeah, that means they''ve been spying on us since the beginning, from the moment the event started. They located our territory… and shared that information with ss 3 and 4 to ambush us at the shopping center," Dani bit her lip in frustration. Her first defeat came at that moment, and because of her, most of herpanions were eliminated... which means...


    "We''ve been in their hands from the very beginning," Adrien said as he continued to gaze into the darkness between the trees.


    Everyone fell silent, except for Leslie and Evelyn, who didn''t care about what was being discussed. Evelyn, in particr, was utterly focused on her bowl of food, smiling brightly as she ate…


    Briefly looking into the surrounding darkness, I sighed mentally. What an amazing power it must be to control shadows or darkness... Remembering many stories of protagonists with that kind of power, I couldn''t help but frown. In my case, my power hurts me every time I use it...


    "What''s wrong, Arthur?" Dani asked, trying to sound as normal as possible, her golden eyes flickering as she struggled to keep her expression steady.


    "It''s nothing. But in my opinion, regarding our situation, it''s better to finish the event tomorrow," I nodded and looked at all mypanions.


    Adrien pursed his lips. "Why do you say that?" He raised an eyebrow.


    "Well, it''s pretty simple. If the ss 5 leader has that kind of ability, the more time we give them, the harder it''ll be for us to make any moves. It also gives them more time to form an alliance with ss 2, assuming they haven''t already. But aside from that, attacking ss 5''s territory tomorrow is, in my opinion, the best course of action. Of course, that''s just my opinion.


    Since I can''t move from this spot, my view is limited," I said before falling silent.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "Please!! Let''s do it! I want to finish this event as soon as possible," I thought as I nced at Leslie from the corner of my eye. She''s been acting really strangetely! Since the afternoon, she''s no longer been glued to me, and now her gaze is lost… A bad feeling crept over my body. Something''s going on in her mind, and it''s definitely not something good!


    All I want right now is to leave quickly… I suppose I''ll talk to herter. Maybe I can fix this. In the story, the character never had an intimate conversation with Leslie. That only started after the first event... Hopefully, this will fix things...