My Family in the Novel?

Chapter 90: Ownership of the staff of Estelle 11

In a spacious white room, a large round table dominated the center, surrounded by twelve chairs, their occupants facing each other. Ten individuals, each bearing a distinct expression, occupied the seats, their attention converging on the impending meeting.

The door swung open abruptly, introducing a blonde-haired woman sporting particularly large round glasses. She entered the room with an apologetic expression, breathless from her hurried arrival.

"S-sorry I'm late!" she stammered, seeking understanding from the assembly.

"Don't mind, the principal's not here yet either, huhu," chuckled a mature-looking lady, adorned with a brooch on her left chest—a clear indicator of her role as the head of the faculty for the magic department.

"Y-yes, thank you, Miss Camiel," the blonde-haired lady replied, her nervousness apparent. Having recently been promoted to the same ranks as the top heads of the academy, she felt a palpable tension at being tardy for the first meeting where all heads were summoned.

Despite the initial worry, a sense of relief washed over her as she realized she had at least arrived before the principal. The pile of papers awaiting her attention back at her office had momentarily detained her, and she silently thanked her lucky stars for making it in time.

"Tsk... This is why the newcomers are so complacent. Hey, newbie, don't listen to that hag and come faster next time. You dared to come here later than us?" grumbled a bulky old man, an unlit cigar dangling from his mouth. The brooch on his chest revealed his role as the head of the combat department.

"Y-yes, I'll come faster next time, Mr. Gunther," the blonde lady replied, flustered by the admonishment.

Gunther just scoffed dismissively. "Hmph."

"Hey, who are you calling a hag, you Baldy old man? And stop scaring the newcomers! This is why you're so unpopular with everyone," retorted Camiel, her gaze sharp as she glared at the old man.

The exchange ignited a verbal skirmish between the two, each firing pointed remarks at the other. Sparks of electricity seemed to crackle in their eyes as they faced off, injecting a charged atmosphere into the room.

"Quiet down! And please take a seat, Miss Sasha," Vice Principal Edward interjected with a sigh, shaking his head wearily as he observed the bickering between the heads of the magic and combat departments. Not only were their departments at odds with each other, but even the faculty heads struggled to get along.

"Y-yes, Vice Principal," Sasha stammered as she took her seat, casting a nervous glance around the room. The intimidating presence of those gathered weighed heavily on her.

To her right, she couldn't help but gulp as her eyes settled on a figure with a massive build, surpassing even the already imposing Combat Department Head, Gunther Rikini.

Seated calmly, Klaus Heinrich held a position that rivaled the faculty heads, serving as the head of security and defense in the school.

Although Klaus appeared calm, Sasha and everyone in the room sensed an undercurrent of simmering anger within him.

The recent incident in the commercial district, marked by a massive explosion, had claimed the lives of several students and some of his knights stationed in the area. The weight of this tragedy undoubtedly gnawed at Klaus, whose pride had always centered on boasting about the academy's safety under his vigilant watch.

The tension in the room heightened, magnified not only by the strained relationships among the faculty heads but also by the lingering repercussions of the recent catastrophe.

Seated to the left of Sasha was a large man with a perpetual smile, his protruding belly nearly causing his belly button to peek through his kempt yet snug formal attire. This jovial figure was none other than Armin Dieter, the president and council head for the Heiron commercial district at Estelle Academy.

Essentially, he served as a pawn for Duke Heiron and the Heiron family, strategically positioned within the academy's structure. Despite the apparent happiness in his eyes, Sasha discerned the same undercurrent of anger within Armin as she sensed in Klaus.

"He must be in deep trouble with the duke. I feel slightly bad for him" Sasha mused silently, noting the complex dynamics at play. The recent tragedy had cast a shadow over Armin, particularly since one of the victims was Schwi Heiron, the sole heir to the Heiron family.

Schwi's disappearance from the school following the accident had stirred considerable concern and investigation. Private investigators hired by the Heiron family, alongside the royal family's private intelligence officers, were relentlessly searching for her.

The prevailing assumption was that she might have perished in the explosion at her office. The weight of such a loss undoubtedly added to the turmoil brewing within Armin.

As Sasha observed her surroundings, she couldn't help but notice the clear divide in loyalties among the faculty heads. Those aligned with the Principal occupied the seats in front of her, while those sympathetic to the Heiron family were on her side of the round table.

The longstanding love-hate relationship between the Heiron family and the school was no secret among the staff. The current heightened tension only exacerbated the animosity between the two entities. The school depended on the Heiron family's financial support, yet the prospect of allowing them to exert undue influence over the institution was a cause for concern.

The palpable tension in the air was suffocating for Sasha, who wished she could retreat to the safety of her office. The responsibility of navigating the delicate balance between the school's survival and maintaining its independence weighed heavily on her young shoulders.

'Ah I want to go back on my office!'

'Why am I sitting here? In the first place I want to cry' Sasha thought, feeling the weight of the difficult decisions ahead. Despite the seemingly insurmountable challenges, she held onto a glimmer of hope that the meeting would somehow end on a positive note. It was a fleeting desire, acknowledging the improbability of such an outcome, but a girl could dream, couldn't she?

The tension in the room reached its peak as the door swung open, revealing the Principal with her customary happy-go-lucky expression. She entered with a cheerful demeanor, completely oblivious to the palpable animosity radiating from the room.

"I'm here, everyone! Did I make you wait? Oops, I did. Please forgive me, okay? I had some initial appointments, hehe," she chuckled, blissfully unaware of the lethal glares directed at her. The looks Sasha witnessed, especially the piercing stare from Armin, could have been enough to inflict a thousand wounds.

As the Principal settled into her seat, she leisurely stretched her back, further irking those already seething with frustration. The room, already charged with an intense atmosphere, grew even more stifling as everyone braced themselves for the impending discussion.

"Now then, let's talk about it" the Principal declared, her casual tone standing in stark contrast to the simmering hostility in the room. The faculty heads exchanged wary glances, uncertain of how this meeting would unfold and whether it held any promise of resolution.

....

As I swung the Sword of Light towards Peter, a massive dog, or more accurately, a giant wolf made of blood, materialized beneath his shadow. The sword, crafted from pure light, clashed with the wolf's jaws, causing the blood within it to boil. The wolf emitted a deafening roar, and the force of the impact sent me flying several meters away.

"Tsk, familiar, huh? Completely forgot about that," I muttered, realizing the complications of dealing with a vampire's blood-based familiar. Familiars, being comprised of a vampire's blood, still somehow retained a connection to the neutral side of the elemental spectrum. The Sword of Light, a weapon designed to neutralize and erase entities aligned with the dark side, faced limitations against such blood constructs.

This blood wolf presented a unique challenge, immune to the full effects of the divine sword. Furthermore, it possessed the ability to regenerate, ensuring it would return to the fray as long as its master, Peter, remained alive. It was precisely situations like these that had made me hesitant to engage in combat with high-ranking vampires whenever possible.

In the blink of an eye, the blood wolf lunged towards me, its deadly jaws aimed at my face. Reacting swiftly, I dodged to the right just in the nick of time, narrowly avoiding a potential decapitation. Capitalizing on the moment, I delivered a powerful, aura-infused kick to the wolf's body. Despite the explosion that followed, the wolf reconstituted itself in less than a second, ready to resume its assault.

Meanwhile, Peter seized the opportunity, summoning a blood spear to strike at me from behind. With limited time to react, my heightened senses warned me of the imminent danger. Simultaneously, I sensed a surge of intense mana gathering above me. Instinctively, I knew it was Charlotte preparing to unleash another blood bomb.

With threats closing in from all directions—Peter and his blood wolf from the front, a blood spear approaching from the rear, and a looming blood bomb from above—I had no escape. Faced with imminent danger, I activated my White Veil authority.

A protective white veil enveloped me, shielding me from all sides. The blood spear, the wolf's jaws, and the incoming blood bomb were all thwarted by the barrier. Although the rebound pain equivalent to the damage absorbed was intense, the effectiveness of this authority in preserving my safety was undeniable.

The shock on Peter and Charlotte's faces was evident; their attacks had virtually no impact. Even Peter's hands were visibly trembling, as if he had just struck a solid metal surface.

The blood wolf, its face melting upon contact with the white veil, presented a comical sight despite its near-instant regeneration.

Seizing the opportunity, I launched another attack. The blood wolf, quick to respond, pursued me as I aimed straight for Peter. Although Peter was slow to react, I managed a successful hit on his chest.

In a desperate move, he transformed into a swarm of bats, reappearing above a nearby tree. Coughing up blood, his chest torn open and sizzling from the intense heat of the sword, Peter seemed to be struggling to maintain his form.

Despite the relentless attempts of the blood wolf, the White Veil consistently blocked its attacks. Each time its face came into contact with the barrier, it burned and melted away, causing the creature to step back, its form disintegrating into a pool of blood. It appeared that the harm inflicted upon its master had halted its regeneration.

Glancing at Peter, who was barely holding on to the tree branches, I marveled at the effectiveness of the Sword of Light against creatures of darkness.

The temptation to end him then and there was strong, but a sense of caution lingered. I could sense a trap set by Charlotte, its nature unclear but undoubtedly dangerous.

The explosion echoed through the air, scattering droplets of blood and leaving behind a crimson mist. As the dust settled, Peter emerged, his regenerative powers rapidly healing the wounds inflicted by the previous attack. Fueled by irritation, he rose into the air with a swift motion.

"Tsk! Back from the start, huh? Fucking annoying" The relentless resilience of high-ranking vampires made them formidable adversaries, and despite the setbacks, and the damage he took Peter and Charlotte seemed determined to resume the battle.

As I pondered my next move, an acute awareness of powerful mana signatures surged through the air. The intensity of the magical auras hinted at a formidable group approaching rapidly.

My focus sharpened as I counted the signatures – seven, eight, nine, eleven – but the count continued, reaching a total of fourteen distinct sources.

Amidst them, one signature stood out, radiating strength and familiarity. It didn't take long for me to identify the formidable force; it was someone I had encountered before.

Sensing the imminent threat, I decided to act swiftly. Without hesitation, I invoked the Cloak of the Night, a magical veil that cloaked me in shadows, rendering my presence virtually undetectable.

As I vanished from sight, Charlotte, who was looking at me, expressed astonishment at my sudden disappearance. But quickly looked to the distance as she noticed the approaching danger, Peter, too, reacted to the subtle disturbance in the magical currents, realizing that danger was approaching.

Hidden within the shadows, I observed the unfolding scene with a sense of intrigue. The approaching group, led by the powerful individual whose mana signature I recognized, drew closer. Charlotte's expression shifted from shock to vigilance as she assessed the situation. Peter, though visibly fatigued from our recent encounter, braced himself for the impending confrontation.

"Now then I wonder how this will play out?"