The Rebirth of Evelyn Knox

Three gulps sounded in the room simultaneously, and the two pillars looked at each other first, and then turned to stare at the headmaster.     

Strictly going by the rules, Aurora should have put forth clear-cut reasoning along with irrefutable evidence in order to justify her actions, and if she refused to do so, they should forcefully interrogate her till they found out the complete truth of the matter.     

If the three of them combined their strength, subduing Aurora really wasn't too much to ask for. However, the problem lay in the fact that they would also be putting their neck on the line.     

Aurora had already made it clear that the primary offense of Mantis, who had been the strongest among them after the platinum blonde, was attacking her.     

That being the case, if they attacked her, even if their reasoning was to just force her to spill the truth, she was sure to retaliate in the same way.     

Even in the thousands of years they had spent observing her, no one had ever seen Aurora use anything but the most basic of skills. They would have to be incredibly stupid and naïve to believe that all she had was those. Clearly, it made far more sense to believe that no one had managed to make her bring out any of her stronger arsenal, and whoever had… never lived to tell that tale.     

Moreover, just as they knew Aurora, they also knew Mantis.     

The guy was a joker with a bad sense of humor, too confident in the invincibility that was assured by his position and strength. Sometimes, he did things that made no sense, and took his jokes a little too far. Even trying to molest Aurora, as suicidal a thought as it was, wouldn't be past a madman like him.     

If they really united their strength, it was possible that Aurora would be able to kill one of them still, and even if that didn't tip the scales in her favor… what happens then? Wouldn't they die of regret if it turned out that Mantis really tried to molest Aurora, and she killed him for it? Would they lose another pillar and risk the future of the academy for such a thing?     

Most importantly… which one of them wanted to die?     

Neither Kaizen nor Kaling were willing to lay down their lives to seek justice for someone like Mantis. In fact, the only reason they could bring themselves to even try to muster such a thought would be if they feared they would be next after him. But Aurora already said that Mantis attacked her first, and they would never be stupid enough to do that. And now that he was already dead, and Aurora had explained her 'reasons', that was good enough in their books.     

The headmaster could tell what they were thinking even from his seat, and shook his head in both disappointment and relief.     

In truth, if he saw their determination, he really would have attacked.     

Not to interrogate Aurora, but to kill her.     

She was clearly too big of a threat, and had now even shown herself to be not stable enough.     

Unfortunately, he had neither the strength nor the conviction. Right now, they were already short of one pillar. He couldn't make that two, or even worse if there were more causalities. And attacking her in this state, when he couldn't even be sure of the stance of the other pillars, was simply foolish.     

The headmaster cleared his throat. "What's done is done, we can always discuss this later. The most important thing right now, however, is to fill the empty pillar position!"     

Aurora could tell that the headmaster was dissatisfied with her, and would have surely pursued the topic further if the odds were a little more in his favor. Perhaps he even intended to later use this as an excuse to move against her, as the topic wasn't closed yet according to him, and they were only going to prioritize filling the pillar position first.     

But the platinum blonde couldn't bring herself to care about such a thing. After all, no matter his attitude, she didn't have an expert of his level to replace him with. Even Mantis had been irreplaceable for the academy for now, and Aurora would never have killed him had it not been for the latent threat he had made himself out to be towards Evelyn.     

The other two pillars didn't think so deeply of the matter, and only nodded in relief. As long as they didn't have to fight for their lives in a losing battle, it was all good.     

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Unfortunately, their next discussion wasn't so peaceful, and arguments over which senior professor would be the most suitable to fill the emptied pillar position lasted well into the next morning.     

In the end, no matter which candidate the headmaster tried to put forward, Aurora rejected him on the basis of the candidate being too weak.     

The headmaster couldn't help but slam his fist down on the table. "You're being impossible now, Lady Aurora! At this point, you've already rejected all of the senior professors. Are we supposed to beg some outsider to take up our pillar position then?!"     

Although neither Kaizen nor Kaling wanted to get into an argument with either of the two, they also couldn't help but agree with the headmaster.     

"H-Headmaster is right, Lady Aurora. We understand that the academy has certain standards, but we have to adjust according to our requirements. And who's to say that professor Harlan can't grow after getting the pillar position?"     

The female pillar also nodded. "I also support him for this, as he's the most qualified among the senior professors, and also the strongest. His only drawback is that he's a tad too biased against non-Terrans, but his core loyalty still remains with the academy."     

Aurora shook her head in rejection. It wasn't that she had never considered these candidates, or had anything against them. The other three simply weren't taking the most crucial factor into account if they thought that simply filling up the position with the most suitable candidate among their choices would work.     

"The three of you keep recommending one or the other senior professor, but think of the consequences. Let's take Harlan Stonehardt, for example. Yes, he can fulfill the basic duties of being a pillar, and can operate the array of the second tower, albeit to a lower efficiency… but what about the main defensive array? Can he take up the fourth position to power it?"     

The other three looked at each other after listening to Aurora's words, their expressions blank.     

Main defensive array?     

In thousands of years, when had they ever needed to use that thing?     

Even before they became pillars, they had never heard of the thing being used.     

The headmaster couldn't help but laugh, and the other two pillars also chuckled along. "Lady Aurora, you can't be serious, right? The main defensive array is completely irrelevant to us! We only need to ensure that the monitoring formation around the 'Tower of Solitude' is working properly, and a senior professor will be barely sufficient for that right now."     

Aurora furrowed her brows. "I agree that the tower of solitude needs to be properly protected, and for that the pillar position should be filled as soon as possible, but I refuse to accept anyone that cannot power the main defensive array! Without it, we will be truly sitting ducks if a throne attacked us!"     

"Ahaha…"     

"W-Why would a throne attack us, Lady Aurora?"     

"Don't scare us like that. Although the old headmistress used to joke around, when has such a thing ever come true?"     

Seeing that three of them truly had no intention of listening to her this time, Aurora couldn't help but feel a sense of helplessness from her heart.     

And the worst part was that she couldn't even force them to accept her solution, because she had no solution in the first place. After all, no one here was strong enough to take up the position, except…     

Suddenly, her eyes lit up and turned to the headmaster, who sat up straight in his chair in shock. 'W-Why is she looking at me like that? D-Don't tell me…'     

And the worst of his fears did come true, because the next moment, Aurora smiled. "Headmaster… I just remembered that there indeed is a candidate suitable to be a pillar. However, he sits in a position of power that gets him far more practical benefits."     

The two pillars also realized who she was referring to, and their eyes also lit up. Right! Didn't the headmaster fit all the criteria required by any of them to a T? Plus, he also satisfied the strength requirement to power the main defensive formation!     

Although he would be giving up a lot of his administrative power and privileges in the academy, they were sure that he would be willing to do it. After all, it was for the academy, and the headmaster cared for that more than anything else. Right?     

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