"I'm sure you were all aware of the rupture that happened a few hours ago. We've identified the source and, as it happens, the Maiden's Tower was the epicenter of the rupture and has deactivated. The peace officers we sent to investigate were not able to enter the tower even with the access granted by the databank. This leads us to believe that the Maiden's Tower has been successfully conquered."
Kitmar could hear a few murmurs from beyond the holograms projected around him, though he could not see the expressions on the silhouettes. As much as he disliked having a meeting with the administrators, the recent incidents were considered emergencies worth their attention. He had to do his job and report to his superiors.
"Will this affect the defense system of the Nonaphrontistery now that the tower is sealed?" a voice came from one of the screens. "No, administrator. The Tower will still protect the Nonaphrontistery, but we can no longer enter and alter the instructions we engraved into its system," Kitmar responded.
"Even if the tower was no longer functioning, we have the other towers. Losing one shouldn't be a problem," a dissatisfied harrumph came from another screen, "Something else bothers me. None of the current students in the Nonaphrontistery are strong enough to even get past two floors. Am I to believe that at least one of them managed to conquer all ten of them?"
Kitmar thinned his lips. This administrator was right. The Maiden's Tower will only allow wordsmiths in the Rudimentus Chapter to proceed, and all the professors have been deployed under the administration's orders. He also thought of the students, but their best ones have only entered the Abraxas Chapter, and their numbers were only within counting fingers.
"Ah, you have little faith in the students, Ingrid. Wasn't there a time when a student managed to conquer the central tower despite being in the Abraxas Chapter?" another administrator laughed lightly, "That was from five to six years ago. Now, that student of ours is the ruler of the entire empire."
The administration panel did not answer, making the administrator continue. "Nothing is impossible with the students we train. They are wordsmiths, after all—The cornerstone of society across worlds," the administrator said, "However, the identity of the person who conquered the Maiden's Tower―and their reasons― are still unknown. Say, Kitmar, has your investigation led to any other useful information?"
"…No. Forgive our incompetence, but the investigation is still underway," Kitmar said. "Oh? It seems my subordinates worked faster than you, haha!" the administrator said jokingly, "They told me something quite concerning: Someone outside of the Nonaphrontistery has been lingering quite close to the Maiden's Tower a few days prior. They must have been keeping their sights on the Tower and acted now while the professors have been sent elsewhere."
"An outsider?!" the other administrators were in disbelief. "How in the bloody Expansion did they enter the Tower? Only we have the rights to enter the Tower," another administrator frowned. Kitmar frowned to himself, "Could there have been assistance from inside…?"
The atmosphere in Kitmar's office turned cold. Kitmar's brows furrowed at this. They must be thinking the same thing, too.
"This sudden set of incidents is becoming a headache. If only Theodore hasn't fallen into a comatose, he'd be able to deal with the situation," an administrator clicked their tongue. "Yes, the case with Theodore is also another matter," another spoke grimly, "His collapse did not go unnoticed outside the Nonaphrontistery. I don't know what the correlation is, but since Theodore's comatose, 'they' have gotten warier and has taken interest in the affairs of the Nonaphrontistery."
Kitmar's eyes widened slightly. "Administrator, you don't mean…" he trailed off.
"Yes. A few agents under the Emperor began interfering with any and all investigations we make on Theodore's activity outside the Nonaphrontistery," the administrator said seriously.
"This is bad," Kitmar muttered grimly. If the Emperor's men are preventing Erzem's activity from being brought to life, they might end up crossing a line with the Emperor himself. The situation is graver than he previously estimated.
"I am told that Theodore has an apprentice. She was put under trial, too, wasn't she?" Administrator Ingrid asked. "Unfortunately, yes. She is charged with a few other violations aside from illegal association with Professor Erzem," Kitmar answered.
"In any case, keep a watchful eye on her. She's a casualty and a close lead to our investigation. If we're not careful, our enemies and the Emperor's men might use her," Administrator Ingrid stated. "Yes, administrator," Kitmar said.
"Ah, my heart aches for the poor child…" an administrator softly whispered, her voice woeful and tragic, "Putting her on trial just to protect her from the harsh world outside may be an act of love…but is simply cruel. Oh… She must be dreading the situation she is now…"
Kitmar stayed silent until the administration panel adjourned the meeting. The holograms disappeared, and he was left alone in his office. He exhaled loudly and leaned against his chair, casting a glance at the walls of glass displaying the view of the Nonaphrontistery.
CK… She has been strangely silent since the hearing and only makes an appearance when she wants something to eat at the cafeteria. Her own classmates haven't been in contact with her, making him wonder what she was up to.
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She's too lax. Perhaps she is confident in the outcome of the trial. Kitmar wanted to believe her inactivity is credited to this, but a few things made him wary.
The Maiden's Tower is Erzem's responsibility as a Core Instructor. This naturally meant that he had access as well as the keys to the Tower. However, the keys were not in his office. Even without the keys, Kitmar could enter the Tower with the access of the databank. However, the keys going missing is concerning.
Kitmar tapped a finger against his armrest. CK is Erzem's apprentice so she must know how to access the Tower. She is also one of the strongest students so she may have a chance to survive the Tower. But even so, she can't conquer all ten floors unless…
Kitmar sat up as he frowned uneasily. No, the process doesn't matter. The question is, why would she bother herself with the tower in the middle of her pending trial? What could she possibly gain from it?
"Hmph…" Kitmar leaned back and shut his eyes, trying to get a few minutes' rest. CK may be behind the tower's sealing, but he doesn't need to find proof to give to the administration.
Erzem may have asked her to do something, but as long as it is not harmful to the school, he'll turn a blind eye. This is the least he can do to give CK a chance at proving herself innocent at the trial.
"She must be having a hard time…"
"Malphas, I'm out of fries! Do you want me to starve to death?" CK groaned while loafing about the pillows and sheets propped around the throne of the dungeon. Malphas sighed as he appeared mid-air, not daring to step unto the pillows surrounding CK.
"But I don't want to get out anymore! I'm tired and you still want to send me out to do an errand?" CK pouted and burrowed herself in clusters of pillows and blankets, "Terrible servant. Terrible, terrible!"
Malphas' eye twitched at the sight of CK's dramatic episode. The sight of the pillows all across the throne room is not helping either!
CK had entered the dungeon to re-decorate it out of boredom some time ago but initially visited the repair sector of the school to have her glass pen fixed up. It was splintered badly during the fight with the purple-eyed man, but she dare not say how she broke it.
She just 'dropped' it. How clumsy of her, right? Gosh, how silly.
Now, Malphas did not mind the renovation of the dungeon since CK was now the master of it, but the way she decorated the throne room in particular… It just left him speechless. It's like she decided to host a pajama party-themed nonsense in the dungeon's most important room.
She draped curtains from the ceilings, placed several couches and mattresses across the floor, and an ungodly amount of fluffed-up blankets and pillows to the point that the floor of the throne room was no longer visible.
And the throne…the sacred throne itself… CK turned the throne into a love seat for her to lounge on like a lazy cat! The throne that countless demons once bowed before has been reduced to nothing but a place for a human to sleep on! She's even wearing a pair of pajamas to go with it!
Malphas was exhausted just staring at the re-decorated throne room. He reckons that CK will turn the rest of the castle into some leisurely facilities. What will she do to the torture chambers next? Turn it into a sauna? Most likely!
"You don't look very happy with what you see, Malphas," CK pointed out and looked around, "Are we still lacking pillows?"
Malphas smiled, his hands clenched unnaturally behind his back. "Oh, and I decided a name for the dungeon," CK grinned.
"Huh?" CK blinked in confusion to see Malphas facing against at a wall sullenly. Ah, how far they have fallen…
CK was on the verge of dozing off until she forced herself awake. She grumbled as she snuggled her pillows. "Anyway…" she sat up while rubbing her eyes, "Do you think the commotion about the tower's ripple of energy has died down already?"
Malphas regained seriousness.
"Ah, that's fine! Even if they figured it was me, I've got nothing but good intentions. I'll give it back once I'm done. They have nothing to worry about," CK said as she summoned the [Manuscript] into her hands, "What I need to worry about is how to operate this thing. I've tried for hours, but this thing just won't react or open."
Shake it, slam it, smack it—CK tried every aggressive tactic to force the book open, but it remained unscathed. Ever since leaving the Maiden's Tower, the book was lifelessly dormant. This made CK upset. She went through plenty of work to get the book but it's useless unless she can open it.
"So that's what the master knows about the book? Haha! Guess I'm one step ahead of him, then. This is good," CK giggled as she sat on the throne, "He'd kill me if he knew what I needed the book to do."
The daemon was nudged by the telepathic strings connecting their consciousness together.
"You could see it, couldn't you? Hehe. If my hypothesis is correct, the [Manuscript] will be the only thing I'll need to overturn the trial against me," CK said. Malphas simply bowed his head as response, no longer asking.
CK huffed as she rested her chin on a palm. "Although I know what the book can be used for, 'how' is still a problem. Hm…" she frowned in thought.
"I looked through the office and other hidden nooks in the library building. Master doesn't have anything of the sort," CK shook her head.
After a while of thinking, her eyes sparkled with an idea. The [Maiden's Manuscript] and the Maiden's Tower were both delegated to Professor Erzem while he was a Core Instructor. That means that even if the professor didn't have enough information, the administration of the Nonaphrontistery will be sure to have what she's looking for.
CK crossed her legs and held her chin thoughtfully. Madam Yanyan has mentioned that the administration has a separate databank that grants access to almost every other sector in the school that normal students could not.
"If only I could access the administration's databank…" CK muttered and frowned. There's no way she could coerce any of the professors to help her. That'd be straight up revealing she had the book and could have it confiscated before she can even use it.
Malphas observed her curiously, watching the smallest changes on her facial expressions. CK hummed in thought, letting her gaze travel around the room idly until her gaze fell on the spear displayed on the wall.
It was the spear that the paladin of the Radiance Church left behind, displayed inside a frame. The Radiance Church…
"Aha~" a sinister smirk graced CK's lips, "I've got an idea."