Chapter 208: Truth or Made-Up Truth
Madha slipped into the dimensional pocket to grab a pouch of beastkin powder.
After scattering it across every corner of the room, Gara followed him inside, leaving Fian outside to check for any remaining scent.
"There’s still a faint trace inside the room," Fian reported. "But nothing outside."
Gara stepped out again with a small sigh. "Alright, this will have to do for now."
...
Meanwhile, inside her own room, Vania wrinkled her nose.
A pungent scent of beastkin filled the air, so strong it felt like hundreds of them were crammed into one tiny space.
"Ugh! This smell’s awful! I’m gonna throw up," she groaned, fanning her face. "Could it be Miki? That rat boy? But he didn’t smell like this back in class."
Grimacing, Vania pulled out a jar filled with fragrant herbs and sprinkled its contents around her room. "There, much better... at least a little."
Just as she turned back to unpack her clothes, her crystal ring suddenly pulsed with a faint violet glow.
"Huh? Mom?" she murmured.
But when she pressed the crystal, a deep male voice echoed from the other end.
"This is Rucian. You know who I am. Come to the Staff Tower. Now."
Vania stiffened. Of course she knew him— Rucien, the assistant professor from the Snake Clan. But why was he calling her?
She paused, then decided to leave the rest of her unpacking for later. Grabbing her cloak, she stepped out of her room.
As she walked in the hall toward the floating stone, the beast scent grew even stronger— especially from the corridor on the left.
Her own room, and the rooms of the only other beastkin Class S’ students — Miki and Lysa — were all on the right.
So where was this smell coming from?
Vania frowned but didn’t stop. She didn’t have time to investigate, Rucien was waiting. She stepped onto the floating stone platform and descended.
Outside, the sky had already gone dark. The only light came from the glowing fire lightbulbs inside the building, casting faint reflections on the courtyard below.
But for tiger beastkin like Vania, who could see perfectly well in the dark, it was no problem.
She quickened her pace toward the Staff Tower— a building she’d seen during the academy tour, though students weren’t allowed to enter.
Standing in front of the tower was a tall man waiting for her. She recognized him from the entrance ceremony that morning, one of the staff seated separately from the professors.
Assistant professors didn’t share the same rows as the higher faculty.
"Professor Rucian," Vania greeted politely, bowing slightly. "I’m Vania Shereen from tiger clan."
"Follow me," Rucien said curtly, his expression unreadable as he turned and walked inside.
The interior was darker than the night outside. The fire lightbulbs weren’t lit, but these two beastkin could see clearly enough without them.
Vania’s eyes drifted toward the old staircase spiraling upward.
This tower, she remembered, was one of the oldest buildings on the academy— built long before floating crystals were discovered, which was why it still relied on stairs instead of floating platforms.
They climbed in silence until they reached a room filled with shelves of books, stacks of parchments, and a single desk facing a door marked: Professor Tito Strigi.
Rucian sat down behind the desk, steepling his fingers, and looked straight at her.
"You’re in the same class as those two humans— Gara and Madha, correct?"
"Yes, sir," Vania answered. "We’re all in Class S."
Rucian nodded slightly. "Good. Then I’ll tell you the truth— and as someone deemed worthy of Class S, it will be your duty to spread that truth."
"What truth is that, sir?" Vania’s heart pounded faster.
She had always longed for a moment like this— the chance to learn a secret truth unknown to others, a truth only entrusted to a chosen few.
Rucian leaned back, his slit pupils narrowing. "Gara and Madha, those two low-born humans... they cheated."
"What?!" The word slipped out before she could stop herself. Vania quickly covered her mouth, cheeks flushing with embarrassment.
"They don’t deserve to be in Class S," Rucian continued coldly. "Madha, for instance. He carries a Giant Bloodline, yes— and he did complete his initial mission in the borderlands.
But his so-called talent is useless. He ended up serving as nothing more than a guard in a small town— his own town, no less.
Even after an entire year, he showed no progress. Tell me, doesn’t that tarnish the prestige of Class S?"
Vania’s eyes widened. Her mind reeled.
It sounded outrageous, yet the way Rucien spoke made it feel undeniable. She nodded slowly, almost mesmerized.
Though, a whisper of doubt crossed her mind— hadn’t Miki once gossiped that the ghost girl in their class had an even stranger case than Madha?
Before she could dwell on that thought, Rucian’s voice cut through again.
"And Gara... he’s far worse. His talent is ’Unlimited Water.’ A skill like that takes at least ten years of training before showing real results. Do you think he’s reached that level? Hardly. He probably can’t even maintain a steady flow for ten minutes straight."
He leaned forward, voice dripping with disdain. "Class S students are supposed to show explosive potential within months, not crawl along like that."
Vania nodded again, more firmly this time. "Then... did they deceive Professor Langga?"
"Wrong." Rucian’s sharp tone made her flinch. "They didn’t deceive him. He deceived all of us."
Vania froze. "H-he did?"
Professor Langga, one of the most respected figures in the academy. And soon to be a part of her own family.
The thought made her uneasy.
Rucian folded his arms. "After awakening them last year, he personally offered those two a place in this academy. Maybe he thought their talents had potential.
But after a full year, the truth is clear— they’re hopeless. Their talents can’t be developed any further.
Instead of admitting his mistake, he forced their way into the this academy —even into Class S— just to protect his pride."
Each word struck Vania like a blow. Could someone like Professor Langga truly be so blinded by ego? Was he really risking the academy’s honor —and the prestige of Class S— just to save face?
...