"—Can this really work?"
Selina stroked her now-flat belly. Her voice was still somewhat weak, and she could not hide her doubts.
At that moment, she lay on a magic carpet floating amid the crown of the Old Scholar Tree, gazing toward Edge Academy. Though she could not see anything from this distance, she could still sense much through the eyes of her "children."
For instance, the rapidly gathering magic in the air surged violently like rolling tides; the young wizards on the grass vanished in haste; and several dozen Edge Type-1 units abruptly appeared along the advancing route of the aberration army.
The powerful aura they gave off made Selina tremble with fear, nearly causing the aberrations to lose control.
Lilith's crimson robe fluttered faintly in the cold wind.
She still stood on the branch extending from the Old Scholar Tree. Hearing this, she chuckled. "Of course it can. We never intended to actually do anything... The captain only asked us to stir up a little commotion and divert the school's attention. The commotion can be good or bad... Who says people with ill intentions can't make a pleasant sound?"
That made sense.
Yet Selina felt a powerful sense of dissonance.
Just as she was struggling with it.
Lilith's somewhat solemn voice suddenly sounded beside her ear. "—They're here!"
She looked in the direction of the voice and saw the calm air above the treetop ripple like water. Soon, the enormous form of the Whale Ray gradually emerged from the air.
The long whiskers beneath its jaw slowly descended, curling around the two women atop the Old Scholar Tree's crown and stuffing them into its mouth. Then, with a beat of its fins, the enormous shadow floated lightly upward.
``` "—Aptitude Candidate Physical Function Evaluation: Excellent."
"—Aptitude