Chapter 22: Sofia’s Concern

Fili briefly recounted the process of clearing the ruins.

Sophia clasped her hands together, resting her chin on them, elbows propped on the desk as she listened intently.

“At first, we cleared the ruins smoothly, but when we were leaving, the ground collapsed, and Student Xi Ya accidentally fell in.”

Fili concealed the fact that Xi Ya had been controlled by the Demon God and framed her, instead blaming the Demon God’s trap on a cave-in.

Sophia’s eyebrow twitched.

“Student Xi Ya, are you alright?”

She lifted her head and looked at Xi Ya with concern.

“I’m fine. I got lucky—there weren’t any monsters down there. I dodged a bullet. Delina healed me, so I’m okay.”

Xi Ya glanced at Fili as he spoke.

“Good to hear you’re safe.”

Sophia sighed in relief.

“On the way back, we ran into some bandits. They weren’t a problem—we dealt with them—but then a Shadow Demon activated a Transfer Magic nearby, trying to teleport us away.”

Fili continued.

“Shadow Demon? You encountered a Shadow Demon?”

Sophia’s brow suddenly furrowed.

“Mm-hmm. Delina and I were fast enough to escape the Transfer Magic’s range, but Xi Ya got teleported by the Shadow Demon.”

Sophia looked at Xi Ya again, her eyes seeming to say, “You again?”

It made Xi Ya a bit nervous.

“Yeah, I didn’t make it out. I got sent to a forest. Luckily, I didn’t run into any beasts. Maybe I was just lucky…”

Xi Ya said awkwardly.

Having been in danger twice and claiming luck both times—that seemed pretty suspicious.

But if he said he’d single-handedly taken down the entire pack of Forest Wolves in that forest, that would be even more suspicious.

“The Academy sent out a notice two days ago. Since you weren’t here, you didn’t receive it. The Demon Race has been sending Shadow Demons to assassinate students on quests. Several students have already died. I can’t believe you ran into one. Good thing you’re okay and managed to escape from the Shadow Demon.”

Sophia didn’t press Xi Ya further; instead, she told them about the notice.

“Teacher Jidun, we didn’t escape~”

Fili smiled and put a hand on her hip.

“Oh? Did you kill the Shadow Demon? Or did someone help you?”

Sophia was surprised.

“Mhm~ That’s right, we took care of the Shadow Demon~”

Fili stepped closer to the desk, a confident smile on her face.

When Xi Ya heard Fili suddenly change her tone, he immediately looked at her.

‘What is Fili doing? Why did she suddenly switch to Player Mode?’

‘Oh crap, she’s not planning to go after Sophia, is she?’

‘She won’t even spare a Vampire old lady who’s probably hundreds of years old? She really has no standards.’

‘Wait.’

‘In the game, Sophia’s real identity was only written in the character intro at the beginning of the chapter. Only the players knew. Actually, the protagonist Fili never found out from start to finish.’

‘So in Fili’s eyes, Sophia is really just a twenty-year-old young female instructor.’

‘Oh no! Teacher Sophia is about to fall victim to the Female Sea King too!’

‘Should I stop Fili?’

After thinking it over carefully, Xi Ya decided not to stop her.

Let Teacher Sophia help Dolores share the pressure from the Female Sea King.

Sorry, Teacher Sophia.

“You three actually managed to defeat a Shadow Demon?”

Sophia found it hard to believe.

Even the Academy’s instructors couldn’t always get the upper hand against those Shadow Demon assassins.

How did these three newly enrolled students manage to beat one?

“Actually~ When Delina and I got there, a really pretty senior had already injured the Shadow Demon~ We just helped out and finished it off together with her.”

Fili’s eyes suddenly lit up when she said “really pretty senior,” and the corners of her mouth involuntarily lifted.

Xi Ya made a face like the old man looking at his phone meme.

‘She’s still thinking about Dolores.’

‘But Fili actually thought Dolores was an upperclassman? I thought she’d been mistaken for a new student of the same year.’

“You met a senior? What’s her name? Which department is she from?”

Sophia quickly asked.

The Academy had never issued a quest to kill a Shadow Demon, and there was no Academy mission in that canyon—so why would a student be there?

“Hmm…”

Fili tapped her chin with her finger, pretending to recall.

“That senior didn’t tell us~ I didn’t have time to ask before she left. Such a shame~”

Fili said regretfully, but the smile still lingered on her lips.

Xi Ya’s heart jumped into his throat.

When he heard Fili hadn’t mentioned Dolores’s name, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

‘Good. If Fili had said Dolores’s name, Sophia would have checked and found out there was no student named Dolores in the Academy.’

‘But why did Fili hide it? Wouldn’t it be easier to find Dolores if she spoke up?’

Xi Ya frowned.

‘I really don’t know what Fili is up to.’

“After that, we met a passing carriage and came back with it.”

Fili finished, then smiled and stepped back to Delina’s side.

“Alright, I understand. I’ll have the Academy look into it later. You can go back for now.”

Sophia thought for a long moment, then nodded.

“Oh, right, Student Xi Ya, please stay.”

Xi Ya had been about to turn and leave, but when he heard Sophia asking him to stay, he stopped and turned around.

‘What does Teacher Sophia want from me? Is she going to interrogate me because I survived two deadly encounters by luck?’

As the office door closed, only Xi Ya and Sophia remained in the room.

“Teacher Jidun, is there something you need?”

Xi Ya asked first.

Sophia didn’t answer immediately.

She leaned back in her chair and tapped the desk lightly twice with her fingers.

“Student Xi Ya, do you know how you got into the Elite Class?”

“Yes. Someone cheated on the exam and was disqualified from enrollment, so my ranking went up.”

Xi Ya replied flatly.

“Actually, the Academy initially didn’t plan to let you into the Elite Class.”

“Huh?”

Xi Ya was startled by this sudden remark.

“Your practical combat score was too low—barely passing. The Academy believed you weren’t qualified for the Elite Class and planned to leave that slot vacant, then fill it from the Regular Class in the next assessment. However…”

Sophia paused and sat up straight.

“I put in a word for you, and the Academy agreed.”

Xi Ya fell silent.

‘So you also had a hand in sending me to sit in the Elite Class prison?’

“When I heard you were in danger during the entrance exam, I was quite worried.”

Sophia’s tone turned concerned again.

“I’m glad you’re safe. Otherwise, all my efforts for you would have been wasted.”

Hearing this, Xi Ya didn’t know what to say.

‘Teacher Sophia is a Vampire, hiding in the Academy for some unknown purpose, but she is still a teacher. She would naturally do her best to help her students. I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions about her.’

“Thank you, Teacher Sophia.”

“No need to thank me, Student Xi Ya. You just didn’t have the same advantages as the nobles—it’s not that you lack ability. Scoring full marks on the written exam shows you’re smarter than most. Now that you’re in the Academy and have the conditions, you can gradually train your practical skills. I believe you’ll do well.”

Sophia’s tone was very gentle, and her eyes held encouragement.

“Work hard, Student Xi Ya.”

This made Xi Ya feel even more guilty about his earlier thoughts.

‘I thought Teacher Sophia was going to interrogate me, but she was just concerned about me.’

‘I really judged a gentleman’s heart with a petty mind.’

“Mm, I will.”