Class S would not give chase.
That was one thing Irene made sure of after class B fled into the forest.
Several students had their weapons still raised, eyes fixed on the direction Ronan and the others had escaped. The silence that followed their departure was not calm.
"We should go after them," one of the students said.
Another nodded immediately. "They're scattered. If we move now, we can finish this before they regroup."
"They took the opening and ran," another added, irritation clear in his voice. "Why are we letting them go?"
Irene did not look at any of them at first.
Her gaze remained on the statue.
Darius Vale was still trapped in its grip, body locked in place by the stone hand wrapped around his torso. Runes crawled across his arms, neck, and jaw, suppressing his mana and sealing his voice.
Despite that, his eyes remained calm and focused. It was quite the contrast.
"Hold position," Irene said. "Our objective was Darius Vale. We have him."
