Alexia moved quickly; her footsteps left a trail in the snow, gradually erased by the icy wind.

  ‘This damn cold…,’ thought Alexia with some annoyance.

  Her heart was pounding, and her breathing was labored as she looked ahead, eager to reach the place where Eleonora and that white-haired girl had gone.

  The fact that her companions' attacks had ceased provided some relief, but the sudden truce filled her with questions.

  What had happened?

  When she arrived, Alexia saw Eleonora calmly talking with Valentina, who was surrounded by students murmuring softly.

  Alexia took a deep breath, relieved to see that, for now, the situation hadn’t spiraled out of control.

  ‘Good… this won't escalate into something problematic…’

  “Oh, Alexia! I can’t believe you’re back!” exclaimed one of the boys in the line, barely recognizing her.

  “Alexia, you’re finally back! Where have you been?” a nearby girl asked curiously, looking at her with admiration.

  “Haven’t you heard? Alexia was exploring, wasn’t she?” another student chimed in, trying to explain her absence to those unaware.

  Alexia smiled politely, despite her irritation at the earlier attacks, and returned their greetings with a slight nod, maintaining her serious demeanor as she said:

  “Thank you all for the warm welcome, but I need to speak with the president.”

  Without another word, Alexia moved toward Valentina.

  Valentina gave her a surprised look, noting Alexia’s disheveled appearance—her clothes slightly damp and her cheeks flushed from the cold.

  “Can we talk alone for a moment? It’s about Camila and the girl accompanying her.”

  This statement surprised the president, who remembered that Alexia had initially gone exploring with Camila.

  ‘Maybe she’ll give me a better answer,’ thought Valentina.

  Eleonora, the summoner, Alexia, and Valentina stepped a little away from the group of students.

  Alexia led the way calmly, feeling the curious eyes of everyone on her back.

  Valentina was the first to break the silence.

  “What happened during the exploration? You’ve been gone a long time,” she asked, with a hint of concern in her voice.

  Alexia took a deep breath, noticing that the president seemed confused. She decided to be direct and see if she could clarify things with minimal explanation.

  “Before I answer, President… what do you think of Eleonora?” Alexia asked, observing Valentina’s reaction.

  Valentina blinked, bewildered by the mention of a name unfamiliar to her.

  “You mean… that girl?” she pointed to the white-haired young woman who, expressionless, watched silently beside her.

  Valentina’s confusion was evident.

  Alexia squinted, immediately realizing that Eleonora hadn’t revealed her true identity to Valentina.

  “I see she didn’t tell you who she really is,” Alexia said, raising an eyebrow before turning toward Eleonora. Seeing that she said nothing, Alexia decided to continue.

  “First of all, President, stay calm,” Alexia suggested in a soothing tone, noticing Valentina’s confusion growing.

  “Why are you saying that?” Valentina frowned, becoming increasingly anxious.

  “Because right now, you’re not talking to Camila,” Alexia explained carefully. “It’s Eleonora who’s in control of her body.”

  Disbelief painted Valentina’s face as she narrowed her eyes and gave Alexia an intense look.

  “Is this some kind of joke? Camila explained that this strange girl was with her, and…” Valentina paused, pensive, realizing that, although Camila’s words seemed consistent with her usual behavior, there was something… different about her demeanor.

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  In retrospect, though she had done her best to ignore it to avoid unsettling her classmates, Valentina had sensed an unusual distance in her friend.

  Had she really not been talking to Camila…?

  “Look closely at Camila,” Alexia urged gently, pointing toward the figure in front of them.

  Valentina turned her head to observe her friend and noticed something unsettling.

  The minor wounds that had previously covered her body seemed largely healed, even though Camila had refused all assistance from her classmates to heal them.

  An attitude that, in part, Valentina understood, since it was logical for her to be upset after almost the entire class had attacked her. But…

  How had she healed all those wounds on her own when Valentina hadn’t seen her recite any spell?

  Valentina exchanged a look with Camila, searching for answers.

  Eleonora let out a long sigh before speaking with a hint of frustration.

  “It’s true, what Alexia says is true,” Eleonora said with slight annoyance in her voice, showing no hesitation.

  "So, what did you do to Camila?" demanded Valentina, her gaze filled with reproach.

  Eleonora looked at her calmly.

  "Camila is resting right now. In case you didn't know, she was on the brink of death."

  The harshness in her tone left Valentina stunned.

  Valentina shot an intense look at Alexia, seeking explanations.

  However, Alexia met her gaze with determination.

  "Have you forgotten that I was also in the same area where everyone was attacking? It wasn’t just me—there was Isuke, Leo, Aiden… Have you seen me complain about it now?" Alexia replied, firmly defending her stance.

  Valentina, confused but starting to grasp the seriousness of the situation, turned toward Eleonora.

  "Then, what do you want?" she asked, lowering her guard, though her voice still held tension.

  Eleonora sighed, seemingly more relaxed.

  "For now, I need a place where my candidate's body can rest. Although I can heal her wounds, the accumulated fatigue is something she has to manage herself, and if I return control to her now, she’ll most likely faint from the pain."

  ‘So that’s why Darius was walking awkwardly, even though she healed him with her blood…,’ Alexia thought quickly, recalling the strange way Darius had moved.

  "Then… how are you able to stand and walk so easily?" Valentina asked, unable to hide the disbelief in her voice.

  Eleonora let out a small laugh.

  Controlling a body that had barely escaped death wasn’t easy, especially since all its limbs had suffered significant damage. Camila’s body still moved clumsily, and most of the time, Eleonora had to force it to keep up with her pace.

  As more time passed, Eleonora realized how much her power had diminished from creating her summoning, suspecting that she didn’t currently possess her full strength.

  But still, despite the considerable fatigue from moving her candidate's body...

  "Because this is nothing for me," Eleonora replied dryly.

  "Well… since we’re in a safe place, maybe you should let Camila regain control so she can rest, don’t you think?" suggested Valentina, keeping her voice soft but firm.

  Eleonora barely let her finish before interrupting.

  "Where’s the device?" Eleonora asked directly, her gaze fixed on Valentina.

  Valentina frowned, blinking a few times at the sudden change of topic.

  "Do you mean the teleportation device?" she asked, trying to understand where the conversation was headed.

  "Yes. That one. Where is it stored?"

  "Well..." Valentina replied, choosing her words carefully, "the professor is guarding it; he keeps it under strict surveillance while it recharges..."

  A nearly inaudible sigh escaped Eleonora as she slightly tilted her head.

  ‘Well… let’s see if what he told me is also true,’ Eleonora thought before saying:

  "Tell me something, Valentina: did you all really end up here by accident?"

  Valentina shuddered at the question.

  "Yes," she answered, somewhat confused by the implication, "it was an accident. No one expected the device to bring us here."

  Eleonora narrowed her eyes, revealing a cold smile before continuing.

  "And do you trust that professor to get you out of here?"

  Valentina blinked, clearly caught off guard.

  "What do you mean? What are you implying?" she asked.

  Eleonora maintained a serious and precise tone.

  "The presence I sensed there," Eleonora said, pointing to the high mountain where the professor had been before, "disappeared just as I started talking to you. Even an ally wouldn’t turn their back on someone like me… unless they only saw you all as expendable."

  Valentina and Alexia exchanged a look; neither seemed to fully grasp what Eleonora was saying.

  "Are you saying… he used us as shields?" Valentina asked, disbelief etched on her face. "But… he promised he would activate the device to bring us back home. He said he was doing everything possible to get us out of here."

  "Are you sure he promised that?" Eleonora replied immediately.

  The question hit Valentina like a bucket of cold water.

  Her mind suddenly began to replay all the interactions she’d had with the professor since they’d arrived in this strange place.

  She recalled his upright figure, watching events unfold with apparent calm, but… now that she thought about it, she couldn’t remember him ever saying, in clear terms, that he would activate the device to send them home.

  It all seemed to have been an assumption, something the class had naturally believed.

  Valentina felt a pang of unease as she remembered how several students had become increasingly critical of the professor.

  His distant attitude, his coldness in dangerous situations, and above all, that lack of expression on his face, which, in hindsight, was becoming unsettling.

  What if he never really intended to help them return?

  Valentina took a breath, trying to dispel the growing knot in her chest, and looked Eleonora directly in the eyes.

  "Despite everything… there must be a reasonable explanation for all this," she murmured, with some uncertainty.

  ‘I figured as much… these humans are still very young and foolish…,’ Eleonora concluded.

  "As you wish," Eleonora responded, with a wry smile. "But I want to see him face-to-face. At least once."

  Valentina didn’t respond immediately, still processing what she had just heard.

  Alexia, for her part, was also quite pensive about the conversation.

  Meanwhile… Eleonora’s summoning watched the entire exchange without really understanding much.