Deep inside the Great Eagle Forest, Koko looked back in the direction of the academy with a smirk on its face.
A moment later, a calm and steady voice sounded in its ears.
“You really are good at playing the part of the villain, Koko.”
The White Gorilla stared at the space in front of it and narrowed its eyes. Although there was nothing in front of it, it knew that an old friend was standing there and talking to it.
“That’s because you were late, and that boy, Ethan, seemed to be in a pickle,” Koko scoffed. “It seems that your school policy is getting lax. Or, are you just too soft-hearted to punish your students?”
“Rest assured. I will summon everyone involved in this incident to my office and give them a stern warning.” Professor Rinehart suddenly materialized in front of Koko with a smile. “I have to thank you. Had you not stepped in at that time, I might have been left with no choice but to expel them for breaking the Academy’s rules.”
“You’re still too soft, Rinehart,” Koko replied in a disapproving tone.
“They’re still young, and young people make mistakes,” Professor Rinehart commented. “But if they don’t learn from it and repeat it a second time, that’s a different story. By then, I will no longer show any mercy and expel them from the academy.”
“Hmph! It’s your academy, so you decide what to do,” Koko scoffed. “But due to this incident, we have to change our meeting place. This time, it will be you who will be visiting me, instead of me visiting you.”
“Understandable.” Professor Rinehart nodded. “I already heard from Chessy, but I want to hear your report. Did that guy really break the barrier in the North?”
Koko’s expression turned grave after Professor Rinehart reminded him of the reason for their meeting.
“Yes,” Koko replied. “It is best if you strengthen the barrier around your academy. I tested it earlier and managed to poke a hole inside it. If I can do that, so can that guy. Once he sneaks past the academy’s defenses, expelling your students will be the least of your worries.”
The Headmaster narrowed his eyes because, if what Koko said was true, then the safety of the students was really in the balance.
“Perhaps appearing in the academy the way you did is a blessing in disguise,” Professor Rinehart commented. “I will now have a reason to ban any excursions in the Forest, as well as any camping trips in the near future.”
“Well, that is all good and all, but I still haven’t received my reward for the things I did for you,” Koko stated. “Also, add a little bonus. After all, I saved that boy, Ethan. You owe me, you hear me?”
Professor Rinehart smiled bitterly before reluctantly nodding his head.
“Fine.” Professor Rinehart agreed. “I owe you one.”
“Good.” Koko smirked. “I will now go visit Broodmother and have a nice long talk with her. Now that Wendigo is at large, there is no longer any safe place in the Great Eagle Forest.”
“Go and tell the Centaur Chieftain of this as well,” Professor Rinehart said. “Meanwhile, I’ll go and relay this news to the Satyrs.”
“Okay. I’ll go now. Remember to leave the rewards you promised me at my cave.”
“It will be there by tomorrow or the day after. I still need to do some cleaning up in the academy, as well as call for an Emergency Meeting. Keep a low profile for the time being, my friend. The Wendigo is not something that can be fought with brute force.”
Koko nodded before running towards the heart of the Great Eagle Forest, where the Broodmosther had made her nest.
Although he didn’t want to admit it, he would need the Broodmother’s help in order to fight against the nasty Monster from the North, whose cravings for flesh, and blood, exceeded that of Koko’s and the Broodmother’s combined.
—————————
Inside the Dud Manor…
Ethan was holding a mug of hot chocolate in his hands, sipping it as he watched the burning logs crackle in the fireplace of the Common Room.
An hour ago, the Headmaster of the Academy gathered all the students, as well as the Professors, to inform them that the Barrier that prevented any magical creatures from entering the grounds of the academy had been breached.
However, he assured them that repairs were underway and advised everyone to not go anywhere near the Great Eagle Forest until the ban had been lifted.
Everyone was also advised to not leave their respective Manors past seven in the evening as they would be implementing a forced curfew for the time being.
Any students caught loitering at the academy grounds at that time, unless they gained special permission from him or the Professors of the Academy, would be suspended and forced to remain indoors for a week.
Professor Rinehart also talked to Ethan and Henry in private, asking them to divulge anything they saw earlier.
Both agreed and promised not to speak of the incident involving Koko.
As Ethan was quietly sipping his hot chocolate, Chloe’s voice resounded inside his head.
‘Are you alright, Ethan?’ Chloe asked. ‘A few of my friends told me that my Manor Mates had tried to teach you a little lesson earlier today. You’re not seriously hurt, are you?’
‘I’m not hurt,’ Ethan replied. 𝐎𝗏𝐞𝓵xt.𝗇𝓔t
‘Are you sure?’
‘Yes.’
He heard Chloe’s sigh inside his head, which also made him sigh in his heart.
Fortunately, both of them were wearing Guardian Rings, so both of them could communicate even though they were forced to stay indoors.
‘You know, something unexpected happened to me today,’ Chloe said. ‘These two seniors of mine, who were both Second Years, approached me all of a sudden and asked me to pass a message to you. They said thank you and sorry for everything.
‘Mind you, the two of them were some of the people here in the Jaeger Manor who don’t like me because I am your cousin. I didn’t expect them to suddenly greet me out of the blue, let alone invite me to have tea with them tomorrow. Hey, are you perhaps trying to get under their skirt or something?’
Ethan spat the chocolate inside his mouth at the fireplace after hearing Chloe’s statement.
He then had a coughing fit, which made Luna, as well as the other members of the Dud Manor who were also in the common room, look at him weirdly.
‘Of course not,’ Ethan replied after wiping his mouth with a handkerchief. ‘We just had a misunderstanding earlier.’
‘Heh~ a misunderstanding?’ Chloe’s reply was filled with sarcasm that Ethan was certain that she didn’t believe him one bit.
If possible, he wanted to tell his cousin everything that happened. But due to Professor Rinehart’s request, he didn’t tell her everything and watered down the events that had happened a few hours ago.
——————
Meanwhile, inside the Great Eagle Forest…
A creature that stood four meters tall looked up at the moonlit sky as if reminiscing something of the distant past.
It had two, reindeer-like horns on its head, and its jaws were soaked with blood.
The creature had just finished eating, and yet, its hunger wasn’t the least bit satiated.
“Not enough…,” the Creature said as it began to walk towards the South, its eyes glowing in the darkness.
Its hunger for flesh and blood knew no bounds, but it could be sated if it managed to eat wizards and witches, whose flesh and blood were overflowing with magical energy.