For a few seconds, silence gripped the group as they absorbed everything Guinevere had shared.

Many of them were busy writing notes, occasionally raising questions, most of which revolved around how to evaluate the level of each Sink.

"There have been several attempts by Towers across the world to create a tool capable of measuring the threat level of a Sink," Guinevere said, arms crossed. "But until now, all we can rely on are our instincts and the physical indicators I just explained."

Emma leaned back in her seat, her gaze drifting as her thoughts wandered.

Guinevere was right. Like many other Towers, East Wind had been attempting to develop such a tool for years.

Yet nothing concrete had ever come from those efforts.

Is there a way? the silver-haired girl wondered.

Actually, there was.

But Emma was unsure whether she should retrieve it.

Her recent encounter with Merlin during the contest had revealed something unsettling. Unlike what she once believed, there had been someone tracing her movements all along.

Emma had already altered the flow of events before.

She had retrieved relics that were originally meant to fall into the hands of canon characters. She could do it again. She knew exactly which stone could serve as the foundation for the tool this world desperately needed.

But would that not expose her too much?

[What's on your mind?]

Amid the storm of confusion and conflicting thoughts, a calm, familiar voice reached her.

Emma glanced at the speaker before answering honestly.

[I have a way to create an artifact that can measure the threat level of a Death Sink.]

If there was anyone she trusted completely in this

world, it was her father and the man seated beside her.

That was why she did not hesitate to tell him everything.

William's brows lifted slightly.

[If you think you can make it, then why are you so reluctant?]

As far as he knew, Emma was an exceptional researcher and inventor. Even before joining the Academy, she had created things that bordered on miraculous. So why the hesitation now?

[Is it because you think it will draw too much attention to you?]

Emma responded with a small, hesitant nod.

William sighed softly.

[Well, I won't force you to decide anything. But if fear of attention is stopping you from doing what you believe is right, then I think you should rethink your priorities.]

Emma parted her lips slightly, then fell silent.

Her gaze dropped back to her notepad.

At the corner of the page, a single name was written.

Glaceryx.

The name of the stone that could bring yet another positive change to the world.

And now, more than ever, she felt resolved to make it happen.

Just then, Kevin spoke up.

"Commander, are we not going to learn about the final Death Sink? The highest-graded one?"

Every gaze shifted back to the raven-haired woman standing at the front.

Guinevere hummed softly. "Well, there is no harm in knowing."

She turned to the board and wrote:

Class EX: Abyssal Sink.

Turning back to face the students, she said, "If this appears, the world is more or less doomed."

Her expression hardened as she continued, "According to the elders, Monarch-ranked Devils no longer exist.

But we do not know what lies beyond this realm. And because of that, we can never be certain."

There was no hidden implication in her words.

No attempt at exaggeration.

It was nothing more than plain, undeniable truth.

Someone from Daverfall asked, "How strong are Monarch-ranks exactly?"

No academy taught anything about Monarch-ranked Devils. The subject itself lacked concrete records and reliable data.

However, a seated member of the Great Hall was bound to know whatever little information had been preserved for the masses.

That was why the room grew noticeably attentive, every ear turned toward Guinevere.

After a brief pause, she finally spoke.

"A Monarch-rank is a disaster," she said calmly. "An existence capable of bending the laws of nature. A born ruler. One who is feared or revered by their kin without needing to assert dominance."

Her voice remained steady as she continued, "It is said that more than ten General-ranked Devils serve under a single Monarch. Their authority within the Underworld is so vast that eliminating even one could erase the possibility of a Sink appearing for the next ten years."

Just from that alone, it was easy to imagine how overwhelming a Monarch-rank truly was.

William himself had only heard fragmented mentions of them. For generations, no one had laid eyes on a Monarch-ranked Devil.

Yet a memory surfaced.

"Four Monarchs appeared during the Great War," William muttered before he realized he had spoken aloud.

Guinevere slowly nodded. "That is correct. And it was both the first and the last time humanity witnessed what a true Devil was capable of."

Natalie asked, "Then how are we still alive? Shouldn't they have wiped us all out?"

Guinevere let out a quiet sigh. "It's not surprising that you're unaware of what truly happened back then."

The public archives only recorded the chaos, the Hero, and the conclusion.

A deeper understanding of the war, what humanity lost and what it gained, was information preserved by only a handful of organizations.

Guinevere spoke calmly, "It is said that the world balances itself. And in that era, something unprecedented occurred."

She rested the marking pen on the table before continuing. "Four blessed humans were born around the same time as the hero. They were not ordinary blessed ones like us.

They were chosen directly by the Archangels."

Her gaze swept across the room. "When the Monarchs rose, those chosen warriors were forced to stand together and face the threat as a single force."

Comprehension slowly spread among the students.

So the scales had always been balanced.

Guinevere added, "Since then, the four Chosen Ones have never been born within the same era again. Nor the hero's successor has awakened. Because of that, the chances of another catastrophe on that scale occurring are almost nonexistent."

Emma winced at those words, after all, she knew that stars were going to align once again now that not only the four Chosen ones but the Hero has returned as well.

And nowhere else but that Hero was sitting a few rows ahead of her.

Looking at Guinevere, she inwardly muttered, 'Well, thanks for reminding me that this world was heading toward its possible doom…'

However, now, she has hope that she will do much better. Not only because of her knowledge but also now that she has a strong pillar standing by her side.

°°°°°°°°°

A/N:- Thanks for reading. If you have been enjoying the story so far, please drop a comment.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.