Chapter 113: 113. Meeting – 1

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Andrea walked inside the meeting room with measured and deliberate steps, while Kevin followed two steps behind her with a rigid posture that reflected the gravity of the situation.

The sound of the door closing echoed faintly through the chamber, signalling the start of a discussion that would not be light in any sense.

The room had already been prepared for the investigation committee, with a large round table positioned at the center and several seats occupied by senior figures of the academy.

Marcus sat at the head seat, leaning against the backrest of the seat, with his feet crossed over the table with a fierce and impatient expression on his face, his fingers tapping lightly against the armrest as if he had already been kept waiting for too long.

“What is it, Andy?” Marcus asked sharply, his voice carrying irritation as he leaned forward slightly.

“We have already concluded the investigation and identified every party involved in the cult’s attack. We know it was Amon and Lilith’s doing, so why have you called us again out of the blue, and why did you halt the preparations that were already underway for the response strike?”

General Marcus spoke all of this in a single breath, and the tension in his voice made it clear that his patience had already worn thin.

Andrea did not respond to his rant immediately.

She calmly moved toward her seat across from him and sat down with a composed expression, her expression remaining unreadable to everyone in the room.

Kevin remained standing beside her, and with a small motion of his hand, a giant file appeared from his storage ring, landing heavily in his grip.

With his other hand, Kevin activated a projection crystal, and a faint buzz filled the room as a bright display formed on the white wall in front of them.

The crystal projected a static emblem at first, waiting for the explanation to begin.

Kevin took a deep breath and walked closer to the projected wall before turning to face the gathered professors.

These individuals were mostly senior professors who had already been part of the earlier committee; each of them was experienced enough to recognize when something serious was about to be revealed.

Among them sat Blood Rose, a new presence at the table, who had recently taken over Steve’s position.

Earlier, she had been deployed on a secret mission due to her major rank in the Celestial Army, and after her return, she had been briefed on all prior events by her colleagues and had been assigned by Marcus as the one to lead the response strike.

Now, her crimson eyes observed Kevin closely for what new development had halted her preparations for the response strike.

“Everyone,” Kevin began in a clear and firm tone, “we have two important developments regarding the demonic cults.

These developments will affect not only the planning of our response strike but also our overall approach and policies concerning how we deal with demonic cult activity from now on, for several years to come.”

He paused briefly, allowing his words to settle, before continuing with greater emphasis.

“These developments will also supplement our resistance against the cults as a whole.”

As Kevin stressed the importance of the meeting, the members of the committee straightened in their seats, the earlier impatience fading as they realized that this discussion went beyond a common meeting.

Once Kevin confirmed that he had their full attention, he slammed the giant file lightly onto the table.

He opened it, revealing stacks of organized documents inside.

With a flick of his fingers, mana flared, and several reports flew from the file and landed neatly into the hands of each professor present.

Everyone looked down at the reports they had received and began reading them carefully, their eyes scanning each page with focus.

However, within moments, expressions across the table shifted. Disbelief surfaced on their faces as if they had been pranked by Kevin.

“Is this some kind of joke?” Professor Morgan finally spoke, his voice heavy with annoyance as he lifted his gaze toward Kevin.

“These are cases of missing individuals. What exactly are you trying to imply by showing these to us?”

Marcus added in a cold tone, “These are civil matters; either hand them to the respective empires or post them as missions for students.”

“What do you actually want us to infer from stacks of missing people cases?”

Kevin met their gazes calmly and responded without hesitation.

“Among the missing reports in everyone’s hands, no case is the same one. A total of two hundred cases were distributed among you from this file alone, and within this same file, there are over 2000 additional reports of missing individuals.”

He paused, letting the weight of the number sink in.

“All of these reports came in within the last two months.”

The room fell silent.

“Now, you may not be aware of earlier statistics,” Kevin continued steadily, “but in the past two months alone, there has been a 900% increase in such cases across the Aris.”

“What?” Several voices murmured at once, disbelief evident. Even professors who had initially dismissed the reports could not ignore a figure that massive.

“Yes,” Kevin confirmed firmly. “And we have not even counted the requests submitted through the mission hall. I have already sent someone to retrieve those records.”

Almost on cue, a knock sounded at the door, and Kevin’s assistant entered the room carrying another thick bundle of documents. The assistant placed them on the table and stepped back quietly before exiting the room.

Kevin spread the new reports across the surface of the table as he looked at the reports. “More than three hundred additional cases from mission hall requests alone,” he said. “And there are still likely unregistered cases that were never reported at all.”

At this point, every person in the room wore a grave expression. The earlier irritation and skepticism had vanished entirely, replaced by visible concern. Some leaned forward unconsciously to look at the papers, while others clenched their hands tightly.

Kevin continued, his voice steady but heavy.

“The principal and I believe these cases are connected. Approximately eighty percent of these individuals went missing along trade routes leading to the southern empires, particularly near the junctions bordering dragon territory.”

He gestured toward the projection, where maps appeared. “These areas contain numerous inns and commercial settlements established by various races to support trade and travel.”

Kevin’s gaze swept across the room. “Most of the missing individuals originate from the north. Humans and elves form the majority, which has resulted in delayed reporting back to their empires in the far north, and also, there is already misplaced suspicion toward the southern races, mainly vampires.”

“This pattern of kidnapping was deliberately carried out to cause unrest between empires once they realized these numbers; thankfully, we caught wind of it earlier.”

He straightened slightly. “And I firmly believe that the demonic cults are involved in this mass kidnapping operation. This is not speculation but a logical conclusion based on past patterns.”

Kevin’s expression darkened as he began recounting prior incidents.

“The kidnapping of Elven Princess Seraphine ten years ago and the massacre of innocent elven residents five years ago,” he said slowly. “The Bloody Tears incident in Riverdale three years ago.”

“Beastfolk Crown Princess witnessing a mechanical beast slaughtering sacred white lions in the forests.”

His voice hardened further. “The attack on the Holy Sun Imperial Palace a year ago. The kidnapping of Princess Katherine. The attack during the recent World Academy trials.”

The room felt colder as he continued. “And most recently, reports of a divine spark demon named Dahek freeing Vorin’s daughter from the dragon prison. Thankfully, the dragon emperor eliminated both immediately.”

Kevin paused, exhaling quietly.

Before he could continue, a Titan professor spoke up. “There was also news of a low-tier official of the Skybreak Empire disappearing mysteriously during the river tempering ritual near the Skybreak Empire.”

“When the guards arrived, all they found was demonic blood splattered across the ground.”

Kevin nodded in agreement. “As you can see, in nearly every immoral or catastrophic event over the past several years, the demonic cults have been involved either directly or indirectly.”

He let silence fall again before concluding, “And I believe they are behind these mass kidnappings as well.”

Kevin wanted the listeners to take some time to digest the news before moving forward, but Andrea dropped another bomb.

“One of our first-year students is missing.”

“WHAT?” Marcus’s eyes widened, and he roared as he stood abruptly, his aura flaring violently as he stared at Andrea with wide, furious eyes.

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