Chapter 92: Assembly (2)

Students filtered into the great hall, hushed discussions echoing off the walls as the entire populace of the school arrived in numbers. The total populace of students was close to six hundred across all grades—despite the smaller intake of first-years this season.

Michael watched from the elevated stage at the end of the great hall, trying to keep himself from fidgeting. He wasn’t used to appearing in front of so many eyes, especially when it came to delivering such bad news.

His gaze moved across the crowd, seeing some teens joking around with their friends, or merrily chatting away—unaware of the tragedy that took place earlier in the week.

While many here would not be affected by the news, there were those who would have had families in Newhold. Since the news had yet to reach the castle, it was their duty to inform these students.

He caught Magnus by the entrance of the great hall, pulling a few students out of the crowd before the announcement began. Like they had planned, he would be the one to deliver the news directly to these poor souls, in an effort to contain the outcry.

“This doesn’t feel good…” Michael muttered, feeling his stomach tighten.

Having experienced the exact same fate when Velmara fell, he could empathize with these students—but that only made it more difficult.

He felt a hand on his shoulder, it was Rose who gave him a weak smile. “Stay strong, you just need to stand beside us—we’ll handle the announcement,” she said in an attempt to reassure him.

Michael nodded dutifully, appreciating the gesture. His demeanor had clearly been mistaken for nervousness, but he didn’t bother to correct her. It showed just the kind of person Rose was, and likely one of the reasons she was a class representative.

By now, students had stopped filing into the great hall, and Michael caught sight of some professors lined up on the edges of the students, looking relaxed yet alert.

Magnus raised his hand from the entrance, giving the signal before he ushered the students he’d pulled aside out of the great hall and closed the heavy doors.

The sound of the doors closing echoed within the hall, causing the incessant chatters to die down almost immediately.

Taking the intitiative, Rose stepped forward towards the front of the elevated platform, clearing her throat. She mumbled a few words under her breath before a blue magic circled floated delicately from her hand, slipping over her head and fixing itself around her neck like a necklace.

“Ahem, can you all hear me?” she spoke, her voice now loud—projecting across the entire great hall.

A few of the students in the front grimaced as their hands shot up to their ears, clearly startled by the loud volume. However, when she spoke next, the sound was perfectly calibrated.

“I apologize for the sudden meeting on a Sunday, but we had no other choice,” she explained, gazing around the room. There was a certain confidence in the way she held herself, yet her expression remained somber—a perfect combination.

This announcement caused cries of shock and chatter to break out within the student body. At first, there was no panic, but it was only a matter of time.

“What do you mean loss of life!? My uncle lives there. Is he okay!?” A third-year student stepped forward, pushing through to get towards the front.

He was only the first who yelled, quickly giving rise to panic amongst the anxious students.

Rose raised her hands, trying to calm the brewing storm, “The royal family are investigating the phenomenon… But at this stage, it seems like anyone within a twenty mile radius of the mana spring have lost their lives.”

“Impossible!”

“What nonsense are you spouting?”

More and more shouts of disbelief and anger rose from within the crowd, agitating the situation even more. Michael watched on with trepidation, seeing the devolving state of the students—if no one intervened, things would get out of control fast.

“I’m leaving to go check on my Uncle!” the first student announced, turning back towards the entrance of the great hall.

Rose’s expression faltered briefly before announcing in a slightly panicked tone, “You cannot leave, the castle is now in lockdown.”

“Lockdown!? We can’t leave?”

“Is that mysterious thing going to attack us too?”

Unfortunately, Rose’s words seemed to provoke an even greater panic—a panic of the unknown. The younger students especially began to push and shove, wanting nothing more than to run away and hide from fear.

Michael could see students being knocked around, like they were a small boat atop a raging ocean. If no one did anything soon, someone could get hurt.

Just when Michael thought things were going to escalate even further, an oppressive force hummed within the great hall—silencing everyone present at once. It wasn’t that they couldn’t talk, just that no one dared to.

A short figure wearing a crimson robe and donning a fiery red beard appeared from the side of the hall. He walked into the air, as if ascending a set of invisible stairs—his presence causing those to look at him with awe and respect—despite the situation.

His eyes glanced over the group of students, falling upon Rose standing upon the raised platform. He nodded briefly at her, as if thanking her for performing the announcement.

Then, his gaze returned to the student body.

“What Miss Lyon said is true, the castle is currently in a state of lockdown,” he announced solemnly. “But do not fear, it is just a simple precaution, made with the idea of protecting the nation’s brightest pupils.”

“The restrictions will ease upon the completion of the royal investigation—so do not fret.” He added, his gaze moving to the third-year student who was the first to raise his voice in protest. “A list of the deceased will be provided to the academy in the next few days, please wait patiently for us to notify you of the results.”

“And for those of you who have been directly impacted by this event, we will be making counseling available. So I ask of you, please follow the instructions of your professors, and keep calm.” He stated softly, without losing his gravitas.

His words seemed to work, the anxious crowd settling after his announcement. His confident yet somber demeanor was backed up by his strength and status.

In comparison Rose seemed like a mere child. Of course, objectively speaking—she could still be considered so.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep