Thora ran while softly coaxing, "Easy now, don't fuss." Shirley finally calmed down. The two of them ran alongside Thora for a while and said a few words, but Thora soon sent them off. After all, this was a military academy—too many people watching, and she was still being punished. It wasn't appropriate for them to hang around. Especially since they were freshmen and hadn't figured out how things really worked at the academy yet. After leaving, they went to eat, but Thora had to finish her run before she could. The two soldiers supervising her stared with serious faces. Even though their stomachs growled from hunger, they didn't dare relax for a second. Thora smiled, feeling a little respect for them. She glanced toward the spot where Roxen had been, but he was gone. This is really weird... When did he leave? Thora frowned and thought back—he must have left the moment Shirley and Tristan appeared. What a weird guy. She shook her head and kept running. Meanwhile, at the Principal's office. "Mr. Mercer, you don't seem to be in a very good mood today," Davis said, hands folded in front of him, leaning slightly against the back of his chair as he looked at Valen. Valen had just finished reporting on the freshmen. His expression had been sour from the moment he walked in, which is why Davis spoke up. Valen's face darkened. "Mr. Ewing, I'm requesting not to take part in next year's freshman admission test.Davis looked surprised. "Huh? Why's that?" "Too likely to give me a heart attack," Valen said in a low voice, clearly annoyed. Davis was speechless. He could roughly guess why Valen felt that way. Valen was one of his most valued teachers—hot-tempered but extremely capable. Among all the staff, Valen was one of the few whose performance chart was almost maxed out. His overall strength was very impressive, and in the academy, just his name alone could command respect from students. That was why Valen had been in charge of this year's freshman intake. But Davis had never seen Valen this frustrated and angry before. He must have really been pushed to his limit. Davis cleared his throat to comfort him. "Well... Valen, young people these days have a lot of ideas. It's normal if you can't always keep up with them." Valen replied coldly, "Hmm." "Oh, and that freshman you've been keeping an eye on, Thora—I heard she caused a scene in the Combat Institute on her very first day. Made quite a stir," Davis said slowly, taking a sip of coffee. Valen frowned. "That brat—troublemaker from the start! The Combat Institute dean better put her in her place! Unbelievable!" In Valen's eyes, Thora had caught his attention, but he was a strict man—any rule-breaking behavior deserved punishment, especially from her. Davis paused, feeling that Valen's attitude toward Thora was almost like how he treated his own students. "By the way, any signs from that issue yet?" Davis said, shifting gears with a serious tone. Valen understood that Davis was talking about a possible traitor inside the academy. He immediately controlled his emotions and replied seriously, "So far, no suspicious person has been found, and there are no leads." He nodded. "I'll leave this investigation to you." He paused, his expression growing even more serious. "Pay special attention to Nine Tower."Valen's brow tightened. "Mr. Ewing, did you suspect..." "We can't rule it out. You know the students who go in and out of the Nine Tower regularly—they all have special abilities," Davis said. His voice dropped very low, heavy, and grim.