Sylvia's heart lurched at the sudden explosion, too.
She was just as curious about what had caused it, but as a saintess candidate of the Church of Light, her first instinct was still to worry whether anyone had been hurt, even though she disliked that identity.
She took a deep breath, suppressed her unease, and prepared to turn around and change out of her nightdress into something easier to move in. Then she would visit the site of the explosion to see whether anyone needed help.
But just as she took a step back from the window, before she could turn around-
A figure appeared silently on the open windowsill, like a phantom.
Moonlight shone from behind the figure, tracing a hazy halo around her while leaving her face shrouded in shadow, impossible to make out at first.
But the dark robe bearing an Academy professor's insignia, together with the faintly feminine outline, soon told Sylvia who her visitor was.
"You're... you're... Professor Audrey?"
Sylvia instinctively retreated half a step, her pink eyes filled with astonishment and confusion.
She knew this associate professor from the magical history department. Though they weren't close, Audrey had always struck her as stern, rigid, and even somewhat gloomy.
Why would she appear outside her bedroom window at this hour, in this manner?
In the lamplight spilling from the room and the moonlight, Sylvia could see that Audrey, standing on the windowsill, wore no expression at all, only an almost numb calm.
She looked at Sylvia and nodded, her voice flat and devoid of any discernible emotion.
"Good evening, Sylvia. Although... things have deviated slightly from the original plan, I would like you to come with me now."
"Come with you? At this hour?"
Sylvia's heart sank.
Audrey might be an associate professor at the