Saratoga Castle.

At one of the highest spires in this ancient castle sat the Headmaster's office. Inside, Professor Whitaker and a few other faculty members stood in tense silence, grim expressions etched across their faces.

These were the only faculty members left guarding the ancient castle—just a handful of Mana Vortex Magi. The rest of them had gone to witness the Grand Magus Tournament.

And now… whether they were alive or not was unknown.

Fortunately enough, the vast majority of Saratoga's students still remained inside the safety of the castle. Whether it was by design or happenstance, the students were told to remain in the castle until after the tournament had concluded. There was supposed to be a special closing ceremony held at the castle.

Of course, the one to give that order was none other than the Headmaster himself. Now, with all that was happening in Ravenfell, the few faculty members couldn't help but feel grateful for the Headmaster's foresight.

As long as the future of Saratoga was in safe hands, nothing else mattered.

Professor Whitaker had just finished telling the rest of the faculty members about how exactly Ravenfell had been attacked by the vile cultists, and how Adam had safely teleported the hundred and fifty contestants—and their close friends and family—to the castle.

"Just what the hell were those Councilors thinking?"

"Goodness arcana! How could they fail so miserably?"

"The walls of Ravenfell have been breached for the first time since its founding!"

"Just how could they let such a thing happen?"

"I heard the Emperor Emeritus has also joined the battle!"

"Surely everything is going to be alright with the Headmaster and the Second Emperor leading our Magi!"

While the faculty members were discussing the battle of Ravenfell within the Headmaster's office, Professor Whitaker was standing by the tall, arched window, gazing at the twin moons' reflection on the surface of Marian Lake.

Indeed, how could the cultists breach the city walls so effortlessly? She thought with a solemn expression.

What was Sabrina thinking?

From the way the tournament was organized, I was sure that it was meant to lure the cultists into a trap…

But we're the ones who've fallen into their trap instead. I just don't understand…

Suddenly, one of the faculty members called out to her, interrupting her train of thought.

"Professor Whitaker, what are the Headmaster's orders?"

The elderly woman turned to the speaker and said after a moment of deliberation, "It is our duty to keep the students of Saratoga, as well as the young Magi of the other Pillars, safe. That is the Headmaster's orders."

Subconsciously, many of the faculty members heaved a sigh of relief. These were old men and women who were scholars by profession. It had been a long, long time since they'd set foot on a battlefield.

If these faculty members were to fight on the frontlines, the outcome, more likely than not, would not have been what one would expect of a Mana Vortex Magus.

Now, with the Headmaster ordering them to stay put in the castle and protect the students instead, they were visibly relieved. After all, the safest place for them to be was within the walls of this ancient castle.

Or so they thought…

Seeing their expressions, Mathilda Whitaker couldn't help but slightly frown. She was about to tell them not to lower their guards when suddenly she heard the familiar sound of the flapping of wings.

She abruptly turned her head towards the window. Out there in the dark sky, a small raven was quickly flying towards her, and it seemed to have come from the direction of… Ravenfell.

Suddenly, the elderly woman's heart was gripped by a foreboding feeling. Soon, everyone else in the office was also alarmed by the arrival of the raven.

It was the Headmaster's messenger, after all.

Why would the Headmaster suddenly send a raven to Saratoga?

As the faculty members waited with bated breaths, the raven finally arrived before them, gently landing on the ledge of the window. Its face looked oddly… nervous.

Before Professor Whitaker even had the chance to speak, the raven screeched:

"Marden Benton! Enemy! Enemy! Activate Ink Protocol!"

"Marden Benton! Enemy! Enemy! Activate Ink Protocol!"

The strange bird repeated the warning several more times, ensuring those words were carved into the recipient's heart before dissipating into wisps of darkness and vanishing from everyone's view.

The raven had only spoken a few words, but those few words echoed thunderously inside the faculty members' minds.

In the dire heat of battle, the Headmaster had sent a raven messenger to them and given them new orders.

"Ink Protocol!"

"I-It can't be!"

"How can this be possible?!"

While the rest of the faculty members felt their world crumbling like a fragile mirror, Professor Whitaker had an extremely pale look on her face. Unlike them, she was focusing on something else entirely.

Marden Benton… enemy?

She thought to herself incredulously.

Sabrina's youngest son is in league with the Cult?!

In that moment, everything fell into place. Whitaker instantly understood how the city had been so effortlessly breached by the cultists, rendering every security measure utterly useless.

She also realized why the Headmaster instructed her to activate the Ink Protocol…

It was because Marden Benton was once a student of Saratoga Castle. As such, he deeply knew the ins and outs of this ancient stronghold intimately. After all, he had spent years within its walls.

Marden Benton also knew the ins and outs of Ravenfell, and now the city was on fire…

So what did that mean?

Professor Whitaker's eyes trembled. She involuntarily looked toward Marian Lake and muttered incredulously, "It can't be…"

As if vanquishing any lingering doubts she might have had in her heart, a low rumble spread through the walls of the ancient castle, and a moment later… the distant sound of an explosion echoed in the ears of her and the faculty members.

Professor Whitaker's eyes widened. Without wasting another moment, she rushed towards the Headmaster's desk. Pulling open a drawer, she quickly pressed a hidden mechanism inside.

Following that, a real-time illusion of the entire castle suddenly came to life on the surface of the wooden table.

Countless blue dots were scattered throughout the illusion. These represented the students of Saratoga. Around two hundred green dots were gathered in a particular hall. These were the contestants, and their friends and families.

Finally, in one of the underground levels of the castle, over two hundred red dots had suddenly appeared, with one of them emitting so much light that it caused the elderly Professor's body to sway.

"Impossible…" Whitaker muttered, her tone filled with disbelief. "A Mana Core Magus!"

In the time it took for her to utter those words, several blue dots near the red ones suddenly died out.

"No!" Professor Whitaker screamed in overwhelming sadness and fury.

She knew what those blue dots blinking out of existence meant, of course. And so did the rest of the faculty members. Some were shaken to their cores, while others were simply fuming with anger.

With bloodshot eyes, the elderly woman gritted her teeth and retrieved a large, black, unassuming conch from a concealed safe under the table. With trembling hands, she quickly brought the shell to her lips and then blew on it.

No sound was produced, but invisible waves radiated from the shell, spreading far and wide, reaching across several miles.

Nothing happened for a few moments.

And then…

The surface of Marian Lake suddenly rippled.

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