Chapter 54 — Professors II

"Rebellion? What the hell do you think this Academy is – some kind of empire or feudal kingdom?

These kinds of words, this kind of language, this kind of thinking, only entitled Noble students and their enablers use such terminology."

Seraphina’s voice dripped with contempt.

"You actually think Nobles are entitled to do absolutely anything they want without consequences?

For years, commoner students have been systematically suppressed, isolated, and mistreated in this Academy, and not a single hint of official complaint or concern has arisen from any of you gathered here today."

She stood up slowly, her presence suddenly dominating the entire room.

"And now that these students are finally going to develop some much-needed backbone, some basic self-respect and willingness to defend themselves, foolish people like you who only have their own comfortable positions and interests in mind suddenly can’t sit still anymore? How convenient."

Seraphina’s Aura began leaking out slightly, making the air feel heavier.

"Mind you, Professor Langsten, in the military, the real military, where actual combat happens, you would have had your head literally cut off by now for uttering such blatantly biased, politically motivated words that undermine unit cohesion and equality."

Her voice grew colder, harder.

"Only you comfortable fools who spend all your time living safely behind these walls, never once fighting the actual Monsters beyond the portals that threaten humanity’s existence, could possibly utter such complete nonsense with straight faces."

She walked forward slowly, her boots clicking against the floor.

"All humans are fundamentally equal when it comes down to fighting for our collective survival against the greatest threats to our species. That’s not ideology, that’s reality proven in blood every single day on the front lines."

Seraphina’s eyes swept across every professor present.

"You and your precious Noble families keep suppressing talented young blood based on nothing but birth circumstances, and we who fight to our death on the actual battlefield have to pay the terrible price of not having enough genuinely capable people when we need them most.

When Monsters break through. When entire cities are at risk. When real threats emerge."

Her voice rose with passion and conviction.

"The Federation has finally realized this fundamental problem after decades of inefficiency and waste.

And looking at the exceptional talents we received this year, they’ve started paying extra special attention to this Academy’s practices.

They even sent me, a battlefield General with an active combat record, to personally teach and protect these new students."

She stopped directly in front of Professor Langsten, looking down at him with undisguised threat.

"So let me make this absolutely, perfectly clear to everyone in this room right now."

Her voice dropped to a dangerous whisper that somehow carried to every corner.

"I dare you... I dare any of you to even seriously think about punishing any commoner first-year student over today’s events. In fact, I dare you all to even have the thought cross your minds."

Seraphina’s violet eyes blazed with promise.

"Because the next day, the very next morning, if I don’t personally send your head flying from your shoulders, then my name isn’t Seraphina Vale."

As soon as she finished speaking, she released her full S+ rank Aura to completely suppress every single professor gathered in the room.

Silence.

Complete and utter silence filled the staff room.

The air itself seemed to freeze under the crushing weight of Seraphina’s Aura.

Emmanuel Langsten’s face had turned completely red by the time Seraphina finished her declaration.

Although, it was genuinely hard to tell whether it was from the humiliation of her cutting words or from the suffocating pressure of her S+ rank Aura pressing down on him like a physical weight.

Probably both.

Salazar Blackwood looked toward Seraphina with genuine respect and undisguised awe shining in his eyes.

He really, truly liked the spirit of this new professor.

Finally – finally – someone who understood. Someone who wasn’t afraid to speak the truth that everyone else danced around with careful political language.

Someone who actually gave a damn about what was right instead of what was convenient.

"Relax, General Seraphina. Please."

Richard Evergreen spoke up carefully, his voice notably sheepish and conciliatory as he tried to diffuse the dangerous tension that had filled the room like poison gas.

"No one among us is actually going to interfere with the first-year students. You have my word on that."

Although Richard was also an S rank awakener himself – specifically S- rank, which was still incredibly impressive – he knew with absolute certainty that he wasn’t anywhere near strong enough to match this legendary battlefield General who’d earned her reputation through actual combat.

Fighting her would be suicide, plain and simple.

"That’s right, that’s right. Don’t worry too much about what Emmanuel said just now."

Vivian also jumped in quickly, trying her best to calm the volatile situation before it escalated further.

"Nobody among us even seriously planned to do anything about this situation in the first place. We were just... discussing possibilities. That’s all. Just talk."

Her voice was soothing, diplomatic, the voice of someone experienced in navigating Academy politics.

Seraphina continued eyeing Emmanuel coldly for several long, uncomfortable seconds, her violet eyes boring into him like drills.

Then, finally, she restrained her overwhelming Aura and turned away, walking back to her desk where she resumed her lazy, half-reclined position as if nothing had happened.

Emmanuel immediately wiped the cold sweat that had gathered on his brows with a trembling hand

Inside his mind, he was thinking miserably that he definitely wouldn’t have opened his stupid mouth if he’d known she was going to be that fiercely protective of the commoner students.

’Note to self: never, ever bring up Damian Valcor in Seraphina Vale’s presence again.’

The room remained tense, but at least people could breathe normally again.

"Actually..."

Admond spoke up again after a moment of heavy silence, breaking it with a thoughtful tone.

"Even if anyone here actually wanted to punish Damian Valcor for today’s events, they wouldn’t be able to do it anyway. Look at his weapon arts registration data carefully."

Everyone immediately pulled out their phones or tablets again, scrolling quickly to check Damian’s official Academy records.

There was a moment of confused searching, people squinting at their screens–

"Damn..."

Nathan spoke in a genuinely scared, almost reverent voice as soon as he fully understood what Admond was implying.

"Uhhh..."

Other professors who had been relatively silent until now also checked curiously, drawn by Nathan’s reaction.

But as soon as their eyes caught the relevant information displayed on their screens, they visibly stiffened.

Their faces went pale.

Emmanuel, still recovering from his earlier humiliation, looked down at his own phone with growing dread after observing everyone else’s reactions.

And the moment he saw it, the moment the information registered in his brain, he understood completely.

’Fuck... I really, really shouldn’t have opened my mouth today. Why didn’t I just stay quiet? Why?’