Lena sighed softly, whispering, "Guess we really pushed it this time..."

Edwin, still processing everything, frowned. "You mean... I’m also being punished?"

Kalden looked up and gave a small nod. "Oh, you’re here. You’ve recovered quite fast."

"I’m fine sir," Edwin replied.

"Good," Kalden said. "Then you’ll join them."

Edwin’s eyes widened. "Wait— I wasn’t part of their reckless fight!"

"You were part of the fight that led to the injuries and destruction of academy property," Kalden said evenly.

"That’s enough."

The students exchanged glances. Even Elysia seemed surprised but said nothing.

Kalden handed the paper to the attendant beside him and stepped forward.

"You will begin your punishment immediately after breakfast. You’ll be supervised by two instructors and myself. Any attempt to remove the cuffs or use mana will extend your punishment by another week."

No one dared to speak.

Then Kalden’s gaze softened slightly as he looked at Elysia. "You all may think this is harsh," he said, "but this academy was built on discipline and restraint. Talent without control leads only to ruin."

Elysia lowered her head, murmuring, "Yes, Professor."

"Good." Kalden nodded once and turned around. "You have one hour. Then report to Ground Two."

Professor Kalden stepped out and the heavy doors closed behind him.

"Ahh, whatever," Edwin said, shoulders dropping as if the weight of it was more annoying than shameful.

By the time breakfast ended, all the first years were gathered at Ground One.

Rows of students stood straight, uniforms pressed, faces set with the kind of polite attention that turned into murmurs as soon as Professor Sylvia climbed onto the low stone platform.

"Your next demon clearing is tomorrow. I hope you have prepared?" she asked, scanning the circle of students.

A chorus of short answers rose: "Yes, Professor."

" "We’re ready." Some looked nervous, others steady as stone.

It was the sort of response teachers liked to hear. They wanted readiness; they wanted discipline.

"Remember what I said after the last rescue mission," Sylvia continued.

"Stick to your own plan. Avoid unnecessary risks. If you can rescue and retreat, do so. Do not engage in a dangerous fight unless absolutely necessary. There will be no glory in needless deaths."

"I trust you all to be careful."

She looked around, then frowned. "Where are Jin, Elysia, and Edwin?"

A first year near the front raised a hand. "They’re doing punishment at Ground Two, madam," one of them said.

Sylvia’s brows drew together. "Punishment?"

Yes, madam," the boy echoed, looking sheepish. "They were summoned to the Discipline Hall."

She stepped down from the platform with an impatient set to her jaw and walked toward the path.

A few students followed, whispering.

When they reached the edge of Ground Two she stopped. From where she stood she saw three figures bent over rubble near the arena’s far wall.

Around their wrists, faint bands of pale stone glowed dimly — the Sea Stone Cuffs.

Sylvia called out, "Kalden!" Her voice carried like a bell.

Kalden came up the path with measured steps, clipboard in hand. He stopped before Sylvia and bowed his head slightly out of habit.

"What is the meaning of this?" she asked sharply. "They are scheduled for the clearing tomorrow. They need their strength. Why are they bound with Sea Stone?"

Kalden cleared his throat. "Professor Sylvia, the Head of Department approved restraint. The property damage and reckless use of mana in the arena required a formal response. This punishment was set to remind them of restraint and consequence."

Sylvia’s mouth tightened. She glanced at the students working under the cuffs. Elysia’s hands were dirty; her hair clung to her forehead with sweat. Jin’s face showed concentration and quiet anger; Edwin moved like someone who did not want pity.

None of them looked like troublemakers so much as young people who’d made a mistake and now paid for it.

Sylvia took a breath and then spoke. "They will be released immediately."

Kalden blinked. "My orders—"

"My orders are the Academy’s orders when I give them," Sylvia replied coldly. "You will release them, and they will join the rescue mission tomorrow. Their punishment for breaking the rules will be recorded and reviewed, but it is not acceptable to make them useless when the academy needs them."

Kalden opened his mouth, then closed it. He nodded once. "Very well, Professor. I will see to it."

The attendant came forward and traced his fingers along the cuffs’ seam. A soft click echoed as the Sea Stone Cuffs opened and fell away.

The glow died. The three students sheltered their wrists as if the sensation of power returning might burn them.

There was a small collective intake of breath from the watching first years.

Elysia rubbed her wrists slowly. "Thank you," she said softly, more to Sylvia than to Kalden.

She looked exhausted.

Edwin said nothing.

He flexed his fingers and looked at his palms as if seeing them for the first time in a long time.

Jin simply adjusted his sash and kept his eyes forward.

Sylvia turned to them. "You have one day," she said. "One day to rest, prepare, and review the rescue mission.

Eat well tonight. Sleep early. We will meet at first light. Remember: no showboating. Work as a team. If any of you act recklessly, you’ll answer to me and the Head of Department."

Ethan, who had been watching from the side, muttered, "Finally. About time."

Lena’s expression hardened. She had been near the front when this all happened — the third years had gathered after training, and some had been openly hostile.

As the first years began to head back toward the dorms, they had to pass a line of older students.

The third years’ faces were a mix of amusement and scorn.

Lena stopped outright. Her eyes blazed with indignation.

"Sir, why are they leaving without finishing the work?" she demanded, loud enough for the front rows to hear.

Kalden tried to explain. "They have a rescue mission—"

Lena cut him off. "A rescue mission? They were the ones who caused the mess. You let them go and we clean it up? That’s not fair!"

A few of the other third years snorted or laughed. "Why should we suffer their mistakes?" someone added.

Kalden looked uncomfortable. "from Professor Sylvia. The mission takes priority."

Lena’s hand tightened into a fist. "When you come back," she said under her breath but loud enough for her friends to hear, "better be prepared to be beaten up."

The third years had always prided themselves on being top-tier; they resented incompetence in younger students, especially if that incompetence could be read as endangering the academy’s reputation.

Elysia’s jaw tightened when she heard it.

She looked as if she might answer, but she swallowed the impulse.

Kael, standing a short way away with Cecelia, watched everything.

He noticed the tension between the groups.

Kael kept quiet. He understood the logic in both positions: discipline mattered, but so did the lives of whoever they would rescue tomorrow.

One of the first year stepped closer to Kael and whispered, "They’ll survive. But Lena isn’t the type to let things slide."

Kael nodded. "Let her rage. We have bigger things to plan for."