"This is a serious incident—the first in twelve years—and it has implicated Flander Academy. It's only natural to treat it with the utmost gravity," said Warren.
"Of course. Anything involving forbidden summoning will definitely make the King of Flander restless," Felice replied casually.
"This is indeed a severe matter," Warren said. "And it's unprecedented to have our academy tied to such an event. The summoning involved a high-tier abyssal demon, and the incriminating planar array was found just within the dormitory zone, less than a hundred meters from here. Beyond that, however, we know almost nothing."
Felice remained calm on the surface, but inwardly, she was uneasy. "With such an incriminating planar array in the dormitory zone, wouldn't it rule the academy out as a suspect? Who would be foolish enough to implicate themselves?"
Warren chuckled. "That's precisely what makes it brilliant. The individual responsible must still be in the academy."
Felice's heart skipped a beat. Did they have any concrete evidence? She quickly asked, "Why do you think so?"
"Think about it," Warren explained. "Who would have the easiest access to the dormitory zone? It's the students who can freely enter and leave. Outsiders aren't permitted on academy grounds, and even if they were involved, they'd need someone on the inside to help. That's why the suspect has to be a student or someone closely related to the academy."
Felice feigned interest. "That does make sense, but couldn't they just hire someone to do it far from here?"
Warren shook his head. "That would only complicate things. A long-distance planar array like this requires precise calculations. How many space mages capable of such work could they even find? The difficulty and risk of exposure increase exponentially if multiple people are involved. If it were me, I'd work alone."
Felice let out a half-hearted laugh. "So, if you were the culprit, what would you do?"
Warren leaned back, his expression confident. "If it were me, I'd place the planar array in a location I'm most familiar with, somewhere close to home. Then I'd stage an accidental summoning in a remote, untraceable location with natural planar interference. When I leave, I'd use multiple sequential teleportations, coinciding with a large-scale transmission to make the trail harder to follow."
Felice's heart sank further. It was as if Warren had read her mind. He had described her exact strategy to the letter.
"But if I succeeded," Warren continued, "I'd leave the academy immediately. My goal would be achieved, and I'd create a plausible story for my disappearance. Suspicious or not, an unknown individual who's mastered spatial transfer and harbors an abyssal demon would be incredibly hard to track. They'd be no more traceable than someone like Lyzador, the dark summoner who's been on the continent's most-wanted list for years but remains at large. Without concrete evidence, you can't be universally condemned."
Felice felt a cold sweat form on her back. She had planned for the possibility of never returning to the academy, but circumstances forced her to stay—and the summoned high-tier demon had proven to be utterly useless in fulfilling its intended purpose.
Warren, however, wasn't finished. "Of course, we can't rule out the possibility that this person has reasons to remain in the academy despite the risks…"
Felice clenched her fists. She could barely contain the urge to strangle him. How could he have deduced everything so perfectly?
Warren didn't seem to notice her turmoil and continued, "Regardless, the planar array left in the dormitory zone must have self-destructed during the elemental storm. That storm provided the perfect cover for the explosion."
Felice remained silent. She had to admit, Warren's analysis was spot on. But even with this level of deduction, they still lacked concrete evidence. That was why the academy hadn't seriously pursued the planar array.
"But even if it self-destructed," Warren added, "the site wouldn't be completely clean. Surely, there'd be some residue, like a crater or some debris, right?"
Felice asked with feigned curiosity, "And what could you possibly learn from such remnants? The person responsible wouldn't have left any trace of the array's inscriptions, would they?"
Warren grinned, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "Of course not. The inscriptions would be gone, but there could still be other traces. For example, the summoning circle in the Dark Swamp also self-destructed, but it left behind a faint elemental signature of high-tier abyssal demon blood. That's how Cardis managed to identify it. Events leave marks. They can't simply be erased. No matter how careful the summoner is, they're only human, and mistakes are inevitable. If you don't search, you'll never find anything."
Felice let out a small sigh of relief. Even if Warren's deductions were accurate, they had no way of tying the incident to her. The academy wasn't even attempting to locate the planar array remnants.
"Well, it seems you've tracked the trail all the way to this dormitory zone," said Hatch, cutting in with a mocking tone. "And somehow, that led you to spying on a girl bathing."
Felice shot Warren a glare. "Your paralysis seems to be improving. Maybe it's time for you to leave."
Warren stood up with exaggerated dignity. "Felice, I swear I'm innocent. I came here to investigate the planar array incident, nothing more…"
Felice crossed her arms and stared at him. Deep down, she worried—could Warren have any suspicions about her? While his deductions were unsettlingly accurate, there was no way he could tie them to her. Could he?