Later that night…
The lights in the dormitories gradually dimmed, as though the academy itself were trying to swallow everything that had happened during the day in a heavy, suffocating silence.
Students returned to their rooms—some so exhausted they barely had the energy to speak, others gathering in the corners of their quarters, whispering about the incident in hushed voices that mixed fear with curiosity.
As for Gilbert and Raymond, they were granted special permission to rest without any direct interrogation… at least until further notice.
In one of the upper rooms of the administrative building—far removed from the quiet of the dorms—a closed meeting was taking place in the shadows.
Three men dressed in dark formal coats stood around a large table at the center of the room, staring at an unfolded map marked with numerous red symbols.
One circle surrounded a forested area… the place where the two students had been found.
Behind the table sat the fourth man, clearly the highest authority among them.
A thick file lay before him, its first pages filled with a preliminary report.
One of the standing men spoke, his voice low yet sharp.
"The destroyed facility in the restricted zone… it was supposed to be completely inaccessible.
We were told there was nothing left there to warrant concern."
Another replied, his eyes hardened, his tone dry.
"Clearly, something remained.
Something enough to provoke that creature into moving."
He paused, then added more heavily,
"And the biggest problem… they may have seen it."
A brief silence followed before the third man spoke cautiously.
"That is precisely what makes the fact they're still alive… a potential risk to us."
The seated man cut in, his voice calm but decisive.
"We are not eliminating talented students so hastily."
He slowly lifted his gaze from the file.
"Sir would not be pleased to hear about the loss of such valuable specimens."
Then he continued,
"For now, we'll begin with preliminary investigations only.
We must ensure that nothing leaks to the outside."
After a moment of silence, one of them spoke more sharply.
"And if they witnessed something they should not have seen—
something that could pose a direct threat to our project—then it would be wiser to act quickly.
His Highness will not overlook such a mistake."
Another responded coldly.
"That man would not hesitate to erase any obstacle in his path, even members of the Imperial family themselves.
So there's no need for unnecessary escalation.
Even if some information leaks… it will disappear as though it never existed."
"This isn't the first time a leak has occurred."
"A separate incident. It has nothing to do with us.
Compared to what happened back then, this is insignificant."
"Then there's no need to give this matter more weight than it deserves."
At last, after listening in silence for a long while, the man in charge spoke in a steady voice.
"We will deal with the situation… but not before gathering sufficient information."
Then he added,
"There are two other targets we need to settle matters with as well."
He ended his words by tossing the files onto the table.
One sheet slipped free, bearing at its top a photograph of a girl with hair as red as flame.
— Alice Klein —
His gaze lingered on the image for a few seconds before he turned toward the window overlooking the student dormitories.
Some windows were still lit, faint lights stubbornly resisting the darkness of the night.
Meanwhile, inside a quiet room…
Raymond lay on his back, eyes fixed on the dark ceiling.
Despite the accumulated exhaustion, sleep felt distant.
Too much had happened that day—far too much to ignore or bury so easily.
Although he had told Gilbert that he didn't clearly remember the details of the white room, that was only half the truth.
His memories were vague, blurred—but not empty.
He knew exactly what kind of place it was, the place where he had lived for a period of time he could no longer recall.
Even if he tried to forget the past, the pain engraved into his body's memory remained—vivid, unmistakable, merciless.
And what could he possibly do…
when those experiments were carried out under the authority of people standing at the very top of the Empire's power structure?
There was only one person he had ever shared that truth with.
Mikael.
No one else.
His only brother—the one who did not abandon him when the world turned its back, branding him a curse that brought disaster wherever he went.
Mikael had never seen him that way.
He never thought of him as a burden or a harbinger of misfortune.
Instead, he always told him to ignore the whispers of others and supported him until he reached his current strength.
Because of that, Mikael was the most precious person in Raymond's life.
But… this was not something he could afford to dwell on now.
He murmured quietly, clenching his fist without realizing it.
"If Mikael gets dragged into this because of me…
I'll never forgive myself."
And finally, as he surrendered to sleep…
another scene awaited him deep within his mind.