Chapter 48: A Group Full of Problems

After saying this, Professor Sanchez paused for a moment to make sure Miss Jones continued recording, and then spoke again:
"It is Mr. Bill Schneider."
Hennings held his breath, not daring to let it out. He had really been frightened just now; this habit of leaving sentences half-finished was truly terrible.
"Mr. Schneider's problem was only discovered by us in his third year. He is a psychologist himself, and his own awakened system as a ringed warlock is related to dreams and the mind, but he harbors something extremely dangerous within his heart. The Academy cannot accurately determine what it is, and currently only has some guesses, but it is quite dangerous. The Academy needs someone to monitor him by his side—or rather, to keep an eye on his condition. The moment Bill Schneider loses control, the Academy must be notified immediately to handle it."
Professor Sanchez looked into Haden's eyes. Knowing that the "person with a problem" was not himself, Haden relaxed a lot, though he felt deeply concerned about Dr. Schneider's situation:
"Will Dr. Schneider... lose control?"
The doctor was a very good person.
"Currently, his psychological stability is rated very high, but the possibility of losing control cannot be ruled out. However, it is merely a possibility; perhaps he will never have any issues throughout his entire life. Moreover, since we have not fully confirmed what exactly resides within his heart, there is no solution either. Mr. Hamilton, are you willing to take on this job? You do not need to do anything extra, just ensure that the moment a problem arises, the Academy is informed at the first possible instance."
Haden did not answer immediately, instead glancing at Professor Garcia, who nodded back at him. Haden thought about it himself: if it was just reporting at the very end, this actually wasn't much of a burden:
"I suppose that is fine, but may I ask, have you told anyone else about these things? I am merely a newcomer who just joined the team..."
It would seem more appropriate for other members of the team to carry out this task.
"Rate Augus also has a problem."
Compared to the stern Professor Garcia, this old professor from the School of Library Management was somewhat more humorous. He wore a regretful expression as he looked at Haden:
"You may already know the story of Father Augus, and the other members of the group should know it as well. But I can guarantee you, he has definitely never told anyone why he remains merely a priest after all these years—because even he himself does not know."
The professor with round-rimmed glasses suddenly lowered his voice:
"Thirty years ago, in the third year after Rate Augus joined the Church of Dawn, he was caught up as an ordinary person in a containment breach incident involving a high-grade sacred artifact. The full story of that incident is known only to the Church of Dawn and the Church of Nature, and Father Augus was one of the few survivors of that year. To ensure the stability of the survivors' minds and souls, the Church of Dawn erased that period of memory from them."
"A high-grade sacred artifact? Is it an angel-grade (Tier 1) sacred artifact?"
Haden asked in surprise. Even the [God's Gift Box] he had recently heard of was only at the sage-grade (Tier 2).
The professor shook his head, however:
"An even higher grade."
The young detective opened his mouth:
"So, angel-grade (Tier 1) sacred artifacts also having a standard benchmark of measurement truly makes sense."
"I appreciate your sharpness. Yes, angel-grade is Tier 1, and above that is Tier 0—the Unknowable grade. The incident Augus got entangled in was a containment breach of an Unknowable-grade sacred artifact."
Said Professor Garcia of the School of History, while Professor Sanchez added:
"The Academy generally regards the descent of an Evil God and the containment breach of an Unknowable-grade (Tier 0) sacred artifact as disasters of the exact same level.
The Academy suspects that Father Augus gradually recovered that memory over the past thirty years and joined St. Byronic instead of the Church after awakening his talent, precisely in order to uncover the truth behind the accident of that year. We cannot be certain whether that Unknowable-grade sacred artifact left any lasting impact on him, so although this priest's problem is relatively smaller compared to the doctor's, it must still be taken seriously. Of course, all of the above are merely guesses; the Academy will not treat this old gentleman any differently."
"Then, do I also need to report information to the Academy in a timely manner if Father Augus runs into trouble?"
Haden asked. Professor Sanchez nodded:
"Augus's problem is slightly smaller. If it is convenient for you, you can monitor him as well."
"Since that is the case..."
Haden looked at him hesitatingly, thinking of another question:
"Miss Dorothy Louise and Miss Luvia Annette surely don't have problems as well, do they?"
"Quite unfortunately, you guessed correctly."
As Professor Sanchez nodded, Haden seemed to notice the secretary lowering her head to record while struggling to hold back her laughter. If Haden himself were not an involved party dragged into this, he figured he would be laughing too.
"However, the problems of these two ladies are relatively smaller.
Luvia Annette is a ringed warlock jointly cultivated by the [Prophets' Association] and us. Of course, our lack of full trust in her is not because of this connection, but rather because the [Prophets' Association] has disclosed certain information: Miss Annette is rather peculiar... She is a diviner herself, but some of her divinations are simply too accurate. This is not a good phenomenon, as you will understand once you gain a preliminary understanding of the lore of prophecy... In short, Miss Annette's problem is not serious; it's just that the task of monitoring the doctor and the priest cannot be left to her. You do not need to harbor any wariness toward Miss Annette either."
Said Professor Sanchez.
"I understand. I will simply pretend I never heard what you just said about her."
Only then did Professor Sanchez nod with great satisfaction:
"I admire someone like you, Mr. Hamilton. Indeed, that is precisely the point. Lastly, there is Miss Dorothy Louise. This female writer's problem is the smallest—the Academy merely suspects she is a spy."
Speaking of the lady writer, Professor Sanchez's tone grew even lighter.
"A spy?"
Haden was baffled.
"Miss Louise has ties with the royal family of the Kingdom of Dalarion, yet these connections are completely untraceable by us—utterly untraceable. And the royal family of the Kingdom of Dalarion, purely at the level of the crown, maintains a relatively deep relationship with Zalaris Academy. Therefore, the Academy suspects she might be a spy sent by Zalaris Academy to St. Byronic, aiming for our knowledge and secrets."
Professor Sanchez arched an eyebrow at Haden:
"You understand, although the three major Academies of Arcane Arts maintain good relations with each other, but... actually, this is no big deal, because we would do the exact same thing, cough cough. It's just that for this reason, too many secrets cannot be entrusted to her. Of course, this again remains merely a suspicion, so the Academy will not treat her any differently, but the task given to you cannot be assigned to her."
"So, the Academy hopes I will remain in this team where everyone has a problem, and take responsibility for reporting certain matters to the Academy in a timely manner?"
Haden summarized after thinking for a moment. He roughly believed the information provided by Professor Sanchez, yet felt no ill will toward the other four members of the group because of it; he merely sighed that the surroundings of an outsider were truly never peaceful. Yet the other members of the group clearly looked completely normal.
The woman's voice in his mind let out a light chuckle.
"No, this is not a 'everyone has a problem' team; you have no problems at all."
Professor Garcia, who had been listening to the conversation all along, corrected him:
"The School of History conducted a key investigation into your background. Your identity is very clean—whether it was your past as a vagrant, being taken in by Detective Sparrow Hamilton, or regaining your sanity upon awakening your talent, none of these present any issues. Therefore, the Academy fully trusts you and shares these secrets with you."
"Fully trusts me."
Haden repeated with a deadpan face, nodding while continuing to listen to the soft laughter echoing in his mind:
"Yes, I have absolutely no problems. I am completely trustworthy."
Said the outsider burdened with secrets.