Chapter 261: Evaluation By Principal

Following Aldric, Vlad reached the roof of the Main Building, from where they used the teleportation array to reach the high clouds in the sky.

Aldric was a bit surprised that Vlad didn’t throw up this time after being teleported, but he decided not to comment on it.

Asking someone why they didn’t vomit was rather rude, after all.

The duo walked across the soft, fluffy clouds, approaching the grand palace before them. No matter how many times Vlad saw it, it still looked like a place in the heavens, too ethereal to be something forged by the hands of mortals.

They entered through the massive gates, and the next moment, they were standing inside the regular-sized office of the Principal.

Seraphina, Alisha, Hugo, and Raphael stood side by side in front of the table. On an office chair at the other side of the table, an arm-sized doll with big white eyes and black hair as long as its height sat with its arms crossed.

Its cheeks were like a pufferfish, with a tint of red blush.

The first thought that appeared in Vlad’s mind upon seeing it was..."So cute."

As he and Aldric entered the office, all eyes shifted towards them. The air inside the office was unusually tense, with all of them looking at him with unreadable expressions.

Aldric reached the other side of the table and stood beside the chair where the doll sat.

Vlad gave the squad a slight nod in silent greeting. They responded similarly. He reached them and stood between Seraphina and Hugo.

"Good morning, Miss Principal," Vlad greeted in a respectful tone.

"Hmm," the doll form of Lirien replied in a flat tone.

"Now that you are all here, I shall give you an evaluation based on the report your team leader submitted," Lirien began. Her voice came out soft and childish, yet all of them listened with serious expressions and straightened backs. An undeniable authority was hidden in each of her syllables. "Although you should have received the reward as mentioned in the quest description, but since this quest was a special case, your rewards will be given according to the evaluation."

Once her words settled in the room, she continued.

"Hugo D’Souza," she called, making the green-haired boy tense.

"Yes, Ma’am." Hugo stepped forward.

"Deliberately got yourself abducted by a Demonic Orchid to pull a prank on your teammates." Lirien’s words turned Hugo’s face pale. Why did Lady Seraphina have to snitch on him to the Principal?

"Minus one thousand credits."

Lirien’s declaration caused a gasp to escape Hugo’s lips. One thousand credits wasn’t a small amount, after all.

"You must be thinking it’s too unfair," Lirien said, reading him like an open book. "What you considered a little prank could have potentially put your whole team at life-threatening risk. What if there were some other monsters hidden close to the Demonic Orchid? You would have been ambushed while your guard was lowered, and it would have also invited unnecessary danger to the team."

Now Hugo understood why he received such a huge penalty. He had never considered the possibility of another monster.

"When you are on a mission, you must always remain professional," Lirien stated, pointing her little finger towards Hugo.

"I understand, Miss Principal," Hugo answered with his head lowered.

"Slained an orc, troll, and supported the party in killing the oni," Lirien continued, her eyes glancing through the report placed on the desk. "Also, fought against hundreds of undead, keeping them at bay to buy time for Raphael to create the array."

Hugo raised an eyebrow. If he wasn’t hearing it wrong, those were just compliments, right?

"Plus two thousand credits. Your total reward shall be eleven thousand credits."

Hugo blinked, shock palpable on his face. The reward was even greater than the original amount of ten thousand credits.

He gave a deep bow to the doll. "Thank you, Miss Principal."

"Alisha Morgain." Lirien called.

Hugo stepped back, and Alisha stepped forward. "Yes, Ma’am."

"Fell unconscious at the most critical moment," Lirien began in a tone of disappointment. "Not only did you become useless to the team, but you also became a dead weight."

Alisha lowered her head. She had no words to say in her defense. She had potentially put the entire team at risk, after all.

"Minus five thousand credits!"

Alisha flinched more from the sharp tone of Lirien than from losing the credits itself.

Even Vlad’s brows twitched. He had never heard Lirien use such a sharp and serious tone before. It showed just how furious she was with Alisha.

"Yes, Ma’am," Alisha answered, her fists trembling at her sides in fear.

"Still, you pulled yourself together later and provided the needed healing to Raphael and Hugo, saving them from life-threatening injuries," Lirien continued, hiding a sigh in her voice. "Plus three thousand credits."

"I don’t deserve it, Miss Principal," Alisha denied, even though she was terrified to talk back to the Principal. "The healing was what was expected of me. I can’t receive rewards for just fulfilling my role."

"Both punishment and rewards should be given when due," Lirien stated, her tone calmer now. "Your performance was better than what was expected of you, hence the reward. Your total reward shall be eight thousand credits."

Lirien’s little hands turned the pages of the report as she called, "Raphael Starveil."

The blonde-haired boy with a golden monocle stepped forward. "Yes, Ma’am."

"Provided accurate information about the surroundings to the team by scouting the area professionally. Provided the needed support in the battle against the Oni, teleported the team out of the cave by taking advantage of the opening, and made the needed and most difficult decision under pressure without letting your emotions get the better of you, becoming the major reason that the team survived."

In a calm tone, she declared, "Plus ten thousand credits. Your total reward is twenty thousand credits."

Although the team was surprised by such a huge reward, it was also natural that he received one, given the invaluable role he played.

Lirien turned another page of the report.

Her voice turned threatening, the temperature in the room dropping to ice-cold levels as she called, "Vlad Lumberjack."