After pointing out the mistakes, the tutor chuckled and shook the manuscript, waving his hand magnanimously: "No, if you want to have fun, go out and have fun. Don't think about anything else. Juliana and Coles are guarding the dungeons around the academy, Cecil and Martai (whom we visited before) are guarding the Holy Tree Stronghold, and two archmages have recently come to stay in Pis City. In short, they are all impregnable."

"The north is more troublesome, but it's not about the beast tide; it's about Frosttana."

Slightly taken aback, but after a moment's thought, I came to the conclusion: "The aftermath of the theft of [Frostheart]?"

"Yes~ After all, the Frost Tower was originally built to protect against the cold waves from the north. Now that the core is missing, although the defensive formation can still function, it has a weakness that can be breached. In addition, the missing magic power needs to be constantly guarded, so extra manpower is needed to help—that little Frost Tower guy has been working on this for a long time recently."

"Didn't the headmaster say he'd caught the tail? He even had me deliver some magical tools a couple of days ago. Hasn't he found all the missing items yet?"

A subtle, fox-like smile appeared on the mentor's face: "The man-made passage in the back wall of the academy, right? And those people who met with Adrian in Piss City... Hmm, that's a bit difficult to do in the short term. At least for now, we haven't been able to piece together all the puzzle pieces. All we can do is wait patiently."

"Just like the cases you haven't given up investigating."

Our mentor did indeed know the background of the event we were investigating, but his "even if you beg me now, I'm not going to tell you" attitude made us grit our teeth in anger.

I boldly asked her, "Even if the chimera experiments spread widely, it's still okay?"

A clear smile appeared in his bright golden eyes: "No, the truth is, their experiment has come to an end, there is no more. And they will soon face an irreversible failure."

In a time when there is absolutely no certainty about where chimera laboratories might still be lurking, is making such grand pronouncements merely an attempt to appease people?

However, I cannot simply question the veracity of my mentor's words. I can only hope that some unexpected event will occur in the future to resolve this troubling problem in one fell swoop.

"Hoo~ It's almost time to depart, isn't it? Then allow my dear disciple to ask one last question."

That's really strange.

I looked my supervisor up and down, whose attitude was no different from usual, but I felt a vague sense of unease.

Although it was meant as a farewell before leaving, today's mentor, aside from appearing somewhat lazy, was much more attentive than during our previous meetings.

But just like my advisor said, the departure time is approaching. Even without this last question, I must prepare early so that I can arrive on time.

So, what should we ask for the last question?

I was troubled, but before I could finish thinking it over, a simple question that had been building up from the beginning suddenly popped out of my mouth:

"Mentor, will you really always support me?"

"Why are you still like a child? You're so grown up, yet you still like to act like a child and act like an adult."

He squinted, and answered just as he had on their first meeting, returning without hesitation: "Sure, I will always watch over you and support my dearest disciple. Whatever you ask for, whatever you want to do, I will always stand firmly by your side."

"So, did you get the answer you wanted?"

I nodded, feeling strangely calm.

The silver key hidden beneath the clothes on the chest emanated a faint warmth, as if someone had reached out and gently caressed and embraced it.

"Then go early and come back early, and remember to take good care of yourself." The mentor waved his hand, urging her to leave for the first time. "And remember to bring along the little one that Juliana has been taking care of recently. Although she's not very useful, at least it'll ease her mind."

Nodding again, I bid farewell to the hounds guarding the gate as usual, and greeted Arie, who was still staying at the academy during the holidays, and Grey's noisy group of friends. I knocked on the headmaster's office door and, guided by the assistant, met Ms. Juliana, who still had a gloomy face, and a quiet boy sitting obediently on the sofa, licking a lollipop and swinging his legs.

"...You've arrived, Yumi."

It took her a moment to turn her gaze from the documents on the desk to me. With slightly dark circles under her eyes, Ms. Juliana gently rubbed her temples and sighed briefly, "I'm sorry, there's been too much going on at the academy lately, so I really haven't been able to find the time. Please forgive me."

I shook my head to indicate that it was okay, and then explained my purpose.

"I should be thanking you. It's also good that you're willing to help me deliver the items to the designated person. I'm really sorry to trouble you every time."

"I also happened to meet an elder I knew."

Although it was somewhat unexpected, I didn't expect to meet the white fox's owner with me. It just goes to show how small this world really is in a way.

The same thing happened on the night the Wan Jin Chamber of Commerce auction house had an incident; in the end, it was White Fox and his master who rushed over to clean up the mess.

Although it is unclear what position they hold in the city, it is unlikely that they are simply descendants of a merchant family.

"...I feel like I've been saying thank you too much lately, and it's become cheap."

Pinch the middle of her nose and squeeze it hard, put her glasses back on, and sip the cold tea in her cup. Ms. Juliana cheered up again: "But anyway, I still have to thank you for taking care of my child."

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