The students waved their wands, casting the fire-extinguishing spells.
This time, their magic seemed to actually be working.
Streams of water shot out from their wands, rushing toward the flames.
Although the fire still raged fiercely, it appeared that the water was beginning to suppress it, no longer spreading uncontrollably.
"It's working!" Dean Bruce exclaimed, his spirits lifting. "Everyone, keep going! We can put out this fire!"
Encouraged by Dean Bruce's words, the students redoubled their efforts with the fire spells. Gradually, the fire began to subside. Eventually, after a collective effort, the flames were completely extinguished.
"We did it!" the students cheered with excitement.
Dean Bruce stood watching, a deep sense of accomplishment welling up inside him.
He knew that while the fire had been terrifying, it had also brought the students closer together and made them stronger.
"Well done, everyone," Dean Bruce said with a smile. "This fire has taught us the importance of unity and cooperation. No matter what challenges we face in the future, as long as we work together, we will overcome them."
The students nodded in agreement.
They understood that this experience would be a valuable memory in their lives.
After the fire, the school quickly organized a team to handle the aftermath. Although the library had suffered extensive damage, thanks to everyone's efforts, normal classes resumed swiftly.
However, Dean Bruce hadn't forgotten about investigating the cause of the fire. He gathered Krupp, Prolo Hawthorne, Alice, and Delina Reba, and they began to carefully analyze the origin of the fire.
"Based on the scene, this fire wasn't a natural occurrence," Dean Bruce said seriously. "We must find the arsonist to prevent something like this from happening again."
Krupp nodded. "That's right. This fire was likely intentional. We need to investigate thoroughly."
Prolo Hawthorne raised a question. "Professor, do you think it could have been the Black Hole Organization? They've tried to attack the academy before."
Dean Bruce frowned. "That's certainly a possibility. But we can't jump to conclusions. We need solid evidence."
Alice suddenly spoke up. "Professor, I think we should start by looking at the burned books. Maybe we can find some clues there."
Dean Bruce's eyes lit up. "Great idea, Alice. Get some students and head over to the library to sift through the wreckage. See if you can find any useful information."
"Yes, Professor," Alice replied, and she quickly gathered a group of students to head to the library.
Meanwhile, Dean Bruce took the rest of the group and began his investigation around the academy. They interviewed several witnesses in an attempt to reconstruct the events leading up to the fire.
After some effort, they finally uncovered a lead. A student told Dean Bruce that before the fire broke out, he had seen a mysterious figure lurking suspiciously near the library.
"Can you describe the mysterious person?" Dean Bruce asked.
The student thought for a moment before replying, "He was wearing a black cloak and a mask, so I couldn't see his face. But I remember he was tall and walked with a bit of a limp."
"Who are you? Why are you arresting me?" the man in black struggled, asking.
Dean Bruce stepped forward and coldly looked at the man. "You don't need to know who we are. All you need to know is that we have exposed your arson at the library."
The man's face turned pale upon hearing this.
He realized he could no longer escape, so he stopped struggling and quietly allowed himself to be taken by Dean Bruce and the others.
...
In the interrogation room, the dim light flickered.
The man in black was tied to a chair, his eyes filled with fear and despair. Dean Bruce, Krupp, Prolo Hawthorne, and the others stood before him, the atmosphere tense.
"Speak. Who are you? Why did you set the library on fire?" Dean Bruce asked in a deep voice.
The man in black remained silent for a moment, seemingly weighing his options. Finally, he spoke. "I'm a member of the Black Hole Organization, code name 'Shadow Demon'. We found out that the academy holds important information about our organization, so we planned to destroy it."
"Important information? About what?" Dean Bruce pressed.
The man hesitated for a moment but eventually gave in. "It's about the location and defense layout of one of our secret bases."
Dean Bruce's mind stirred—this could very well be the lead they had been searching for. He pressed on. "Where is this secret base?"
Shadow Demon shook his head. "I don't know the exact location. Only the higher-ups have that information. I was just following orders to carry out this task."
Dean Bruce furrowed his brows. This response wasn't unexpected, but he knew there was little more he could extract from Shadow Demon at this point.
"Alright," Dean Bruce said coldly, "Since you're not willing to cooperate, we'll find other ways to gather information."
At these words, Shadow Demon's face went even paler. He knew that "other ways" were unlikely to be anything pleasant.
Just then, the communication crystal suddenly lit up. Dean Bruce answered it—it was the principal calling.
"Professor Dean, how's the interrogation going?" the principal asked.
"We've made some progress, but we still need more time," Dean Bruce replied.
"Alright, keep at it. Also, I've just received word that the Black Hole Organization may have other plans. We need to step up our vigilance," the principal advised.
"Understood, Principal." Dean Bruce hung up the communication crystal and turned to Krupp and Prolo Hawthorne. "It seems we can't afford to waste much time here. We must find the location of that secret base as soon as possible."
Krupp nodded. "Exactly. Since Shadow Demon doesn't know the exact location, we'll have to approach this from another angle."
Prolo Hawthorne suggested, "Professor, we could try looking for clues in the burnt book fragments. Perhaps there's information we've missed."
Dean Bruce's eyes lit up. "Good idea, Prolo. You take a team to the library and search those fragments carefully. Krupp and I will continue questioning Shadow Demon, see if we can get more intel."
"Yes, Professor!" Prolo Hawthorne responded, then quickly left the interrogation room.