As the professors discussed matters in a somber mood, the students chanted in unison, each uttering different phrases, much like a hungry mob. Because most of them were from noble birth, this was probably the first time they had to demand something from the authorities, given that they and their families or merchant organizations were the authorities themselves. Of course, many of the princes and princesses of the three great kingdoms remained at the very back.

They mainly supported the protest itself but did not actively participate in it, maintaining their dignity by avoiding the general crowd. Some were demanding answers, while others wished they could be back with their family and friends. Some wanted to leave and return home, while others sought to understand what was truly happening and what was causing this. Some had gone with the flow, and some didn't care. But most of them wanted one thing, which was the promise of safety, after all, in the face of unknown fear lurking in the dark shadows.

What would be more alluring than the confirmed promise of your own safety? Human nature was such that, using the excuse of another's demise, one tried to ensure one's own safety. The principal knew this very well. The nature of human psychology. Suppose he had promised the students safety and answers from before. Giving them things on a silver platter. It would not be appreciated; they would then demand more. After all, humans often fail to appreciate something they already have or something they've gained too easily.

Only the things that require conscious effort and genuine work to achieve are genuinely appreciated. And this whole situation could not help but disappoint and disgust the principal again. He thought they would have learned and changed a bit since their time in the academy. But alas! it does not seem to be the case.

The whole point of the fortress war game was to make them all fight against their fear when the situation demanded. To stand against the enemy even when there was no hope of winning. To fight, stand proud, and think logically, even in the hardest of times. Because that is precisely what will happen when humanity is faced with the threat of the other powerful races.

Alric shook his head and inhaled deeply; his figure turned into countless light fragments, and he disappeared from his office. The light fragments flowed like tiny glittering shards of glass from the window of his office. It was absolutely breathtaking for anyone to see the process, no matter how many times one sees it. The glittering shards of light reassembled into the imposing figure of the Principal Alric Stragoy, still hovering over the height of the five-story building. His figure cast a large shadow on the students, as the sun was shining right behind him.

There was a moment of deafening silence as all the 1000+ students stopped shouting like rabid dogs and stared at the top, at the 4th most powerful individual amongst all of the humans. But the principal did not impose any pressure on the students, nor did he express any intent. Just his existence itself was heavy enough to change the atmosphere and create a tension in the air that was palpable.

But alas! The silence of the students was shattered in an instant as fear and desperation gripped their minds, and they began shouting again, each demanding something different. It all became an incomprehensible string of noise, which made it sound like utter gibberish. But the principal's expression remained serene and unmoving.

Squabbles of the little children not bothering him in the slightest. But unlike him, there was someone else who was not so tolerant and patient in front of such blatant disrespect. The vice Principal, Selwyn Brown, released a fraction of his pressure as a peak 4th phase seeker. All the students' faces went pale as most of them got their heads slammed into the ground right below their feet.

Of course, the pressure weighing on their body and minds was not too great, as the stronger ones mostly remained standing, but the immense struggle for it was written all over their face. The vice principal stated in a chilling tone,

"Remember this, little ones, even the kings of the three great kingdoms themselves do not disrespect the principal Alric Stragoy, let alone you."

A heavy silence descended on the place, and the pressure being enforced by the vice-principal was nullified as the principal himself intervened, "Enough, Selwyn. They are not at fault here."

However, the words only reached the vice-principal, not the students; otherwise, this would appear to be a deliberate show to the students. Alric sighed and spoke the following words, directing them towards the students below, "I apologize, my students, but you are all right. This is indeed my fault. For not being able to understand or figure out why and how the students have been disappearing or stopping this."

He paused, letting the words sink into the minds of the students as they all got up, now much more controlled in their expressions and phrases. Low murmurs followed, but no one spoke the frustration hidden inside of them anymore.

The principal continued, his tone now creating a serene feeling within their minds, "But do not worry, I have found a way to make sure no more disappearances can occur in the academy anymore."

"I have created a spell that will null all spatial movements of every kind within the entirety of the academy's area. And I can also assure that the culprit has not taken the disappeared students to somewhere else or harmed them in any way."

"They are all alive and unharmed. We have methods of knowing such information. So, I can promise you this: none of the disappeared students will be harmed. I will bring them all back safely; that is my promise."

While the promise of the principal about bringing back the disappeared students without harm was captivating, most didn't care about that. Instead, their eyes lit up at the prospect that they would not face the unknown danger. Prince Luther, this time, asked the principal in caution, "Sir, can I ask when your spell will be active?"

The principal smiled subtly for the first time in a while, but the tiredness of responsibility for the disappeared children remained on his shoulders. A swirl of various colored energies started to gather on the hand of the principal. They intertwined and mixed in the format of a mini tornado. At this moment, this clone of the principal was at the very center of the academy's area. The energies began to mix and transform, eventually taking the shape of a sphere.

He added something inside of it, a small piece of unassuming rock, but on that rock was a rune written in shining golden color. He held that sphere upward with one hand, and arcs of energies began to form lines and patterns until they formed a complicated magical circle. A beam of light shot upward from the enchanted circle formation. Similar to this, five more light beams shot out from different corners of the entire academy island.

The beams of light stopped 500 meters above the island and coalesced into one, and from it a thin transparent membrane spread like a dome around the entire span of the island. Even the beast forest was covered, and to the unknown eyes of the students. The membrane continued to descend, covering the entire island from beneath as well. So, the whole of the island was covered by this dome from above and below in every way with no gaps. And within this space, no type of dimensional travel or spatial disturbance was allowed.

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