Of course, Winona was joking. Adele wouldn’t be scared so easily. Only First Snow’s pupils trembled, truly believing that Adele was being taken to the Enforcement Bureau as a criminal because of her!

“Meow!” She immediately wanted to explain, It’s not Sister Adele’s fault...it’s mine! And if you really thought about it, Adele was actually the younger one. First Snow’s lifespan, compared to a human’s, was terrifyingly long. So if anyone should be arrested, it should be First Snow. This was probably something most people wouldn’t think of.

Adele sensed First Snow’s nervousness and her desire to defend her, so she reached out and patted her cat ears, saying, “Silly, the Headmistress is joking. I have other important business at the Enforcement Bureau.”

“R-Really, meow!?” First Snow instantly understood. No wonder Winona’s tone sounded like when she tricked her into believing that “eating too much fish would get you caught by a sea monster.” It was all lies! And as First Snow grew up and became braver, all kinds of strange fish were just meat in her eyes! If there really was a sea monster, Hmph, I’ll make sure it never returns, meow!

“Of course, don’t you trust your big sister, or Headmistress Winona?” Adele smiled and threw the question back at First Snow.

First Snow stammered, not daring to blame either of them!

Dorothy, who had already seen through everything, kept her gaze fixed on Adele’s smiling face before shifting it to Headmistress Winona. Coincidentally, as if anticipating Dorothy’s gaze, Winona also looked at her. Their eyes met, and many unspoken words were understood.

“Then please take care of my Adele, Headmistress Winona,” Dorothy blurted out. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

If Adele had been drinking water, she would have choked. Winona sighed, thinking, These young people... But it was also enviable. When Winona was young, she pursued magic too intensely, missing many opportunities for romance. “Women will only affect my magic training speed.” As a result, she remained single until now, her status and power increasing, and no one dared to approach or ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ confess to her. Let alone the trouble caused by Adele, keeping her busy.

“I’ll take good care of her, giving her all the warmth and care she needs~,” Winona said with a smile, her eyes narrowed. But Adele felt a chill down her spine.

“Also, Dorothy, we won’t interfere with your choices, nor will we restrict your freedom,” Winona added enigmatically. But one thing was certain: the “we” she referred to was undoubtedly humanity. Winona had the right to represent humanity.

Dorothy lowered her head and softly replied, “I understand.”

Adele stood on tiptoe and touched Dorothy’s drooping pink hair. She rarely tied her hair into twintails now, preferring the more mature, loose hairstyle. And besides comforting Dorothy, Adele also had to pet First Snow and Xiao Ai. After cuddling with everyone, she finally said goodbye and followed Headmistress Winona, whose lips were twitching, out of the dorm.

Dorothy, Xiao Ai, and First Snow didn’t retract their gazes until Adele and Winona disappeared around the corner. They weren’t worried that Adele would be harmed by Headmistress Winona. They only cared about when Adele would return.

..................

Flying and using magic were forbidden in human territory. This applied to Winona as well. Otherwise, like when Teacher Victoria suddenly teleported to the museum, it would attract the attention of many Enforcement Bureau agents. She brought Adele to the academy’s parking lot and then into her car. Although Winona’s salary was high, or rather, money was just disposable paper to her, the car she bought wasn’t luxurious, but a practical model with good performance and cost-effectiveness, fitting Adele’s image of a powerful figure focused on education and magic.

Although Winona looked quite young, at most like a homeroom teacher in her thirties, she wouldn’t be happy if she knew Adele’s thoughts. Because the term “homeroom teacher” sounded like a middle-aged woman.

“Fasten your seatbelt, we’re leaving.”

“Okay.”

The car started, and after a smooth twenty-minute drive, Winona parked in the Enforcement Bureau’s underground garage. Then, together with Adele, they took the elevator to the top floor of the building.

There, they could clearly feel the difference between the personnel and ordinary people. Many people in protective suits or uniforms similar to police uniforms were coming and going. There were even foreign races! Like beast-eared girls with dog ears and tails, and another race with obvious bat wings, but they didn’t seem to be vampires. Were they recruited and assimilated foreign races? This journey truly opened Adele’s eyes. And she clung closely to Headmistress Winona, acting obediently like a student being brought to a formal occasion for the first time, like a thesis defense.

Many of the people passing by showed great respect to Headmistress Winona, while looking at Adele with an inquisitive gaze.

Soon, they arrived at a conference room with multiple security doors that required identity verification. Adele, taking advantage of Winona’s privileges, also successfully entered. Winona asked Adele to wait at the door for a moment, then she entered the room. The girl could faintly hear conversations inside, some laughter and some serious inquiries, but they were distorted by some kind of force, making it impossible to distinguish the content even if the voices were loud. Is it for confidentiality, so there’s a special magic array interfering with our senses...? Perhaps. Adele gradually accepted this. After all, when in doubt, blame it on magic.

Finally, when everything quieted down, Headmistress Winona came out again.

“Now, come in with me, Adele.”

“...Yes, Headmistress Winona.” Due to her innate respect for authority, Adele acted very obediently.

She followed Winona into the conference room, which could almost decide the fate of the entire city, even a small part of humanity, in an instant. Nine human high-ups, besides Headmistress Winona, were sitting around the oval conference table. Yashi, the Bureau Director, was among them. But to Adele, she was also a stranger.

Adele stood nervously before them. Although the air conditioning was on full blast, an inexplicable pressure still made her teeth chatter slightly. Winona patted her shoulder before taking her seat, seemingly casting a calming spell. Adele instantly felt much more at ease and looked at Headmistress Winona gratefully.

It was worth mentioning that the seating arrangement of the ten high-ups in the conference room clearly followed a strict order. Winona’s seat was the third, which meant that her influence in the Eastern Capital was probably among the top three? Thinking of this, Adele suddenly recalled her past actions before Headmistress Winona. It’s fortunate that the Headmistress is so magnanimous...

Director Yashi’s seat was the fourth. The second seat was occupied by a man with a resolute and firm appearance. And in the center of the round table sat a blonde woman whose mere presence exuded sanctity and elegance. Adele didn’t dare to look directly at this behind-the-scenes power holder of the Eastern Capital, but even just a glimpse from the corner of her eye made her feel the woman’s unparalleled beauty. But beauty alone wasn’t enough to surprise the girl so much. What truly shocked Adele was a unique feature of the woman’s appearance: her pointed, slender ears.

This elegant feature...Adele could only think of one race: the legendary...elves!?