Some time passed before Charlie and I returned to the room.
When we entered, the scene before us was almost identical to when we had left. The woman remained seated on the bed with her legs drawn tightly against her chest and her arms wrapped around her knees. Her head was lowered, causing her loose hair to partially obscure her face, and from the look of it, she hadn't moved much during our absence.
The atmosphere within the room felt quiet and heavy.
Whether she had been lost in thought or simply sitting there in silence, I couldn't tell.
Charlie carried a tray containing a simple meal while I walked over and pulled a chair closer to the bed. Taking a seat across from her, I observed her quietly for a moment.
Despite having calmed down somewhat earlier, she still appeared withdrawn. Her posture remained guarded, as though she were trying to make herself as small as possible.
Without disturbing the silence, Charlie stepped forward and carefully placed the tray on the bed in front of her. The aroma of warm food immediately spread through the room, filling the air with a comforting scent that contrasted sharply with the tension that had lingered there since morning.
Without saying anything, Charlie stepped forward and placed the food on the bed in front of her before moving back to stand nearby.
For a few moments, the room remained silent.
Neither Charlie nor I disturbed her. We simply waited as the woman sat motionless on the bed, seemingly lost in her own thoughts. Her gaze remained lowered, but from the occasional glance she cast toward the tray, it was obvious she had noticed the food.
Eventually, I broke the silence.
"You must be hungry. Eat something."
The woman didn't respond immediately.
She remained sitting in the same position for several moments, her arms still wrapped around her knees and her head lowered toward the blanket. Then, slowly, she lifted her head and looked toward me.
Our eyes met briefly.
A moment later, her gaze shifted toward the tray resting on the bed.
The hesitation in her expression was obvious.
Even after everything that had happened, she still hadn't fully lowered her guard around us. Her eyes moved between the food, Charlie, and me, as though weighing whether accepting it would be a mistake.
However, her body was clearly in no condition to refuse.
After spending the previous night fleeing through the streets and exhausting most of her energy, she was undoubtedly hungry.
Eventually, hunger won over caution.
Slowly extending her hand, she reached for the plate and carefully pulled it closer.
At first, she ate cautiously, taking small bites while occasionally glancing in our direction. It was almost as though she expected something to happen the moment she let her guard down.
That caution didn't last long.
With each passing bite, her movements became noticeably quicker. Before long, she was eating at a much faster pace, no longer paying attention to Charlie or me. The food disappeared steadily from the plate as her body eagerly absorbed the nourishment it had been deprived of since the previous day.
Neither Charlie nor I interrupted her. The woman continued eating while we waited quietly.
Several moments passed before I finally decided to speak.
"So, can you tell us what happened?"
The woman's movements slowed slightly. For a brief moment, I thought she might answer.
Instead, she lowered her gaze and continued eating in silence.
I didn't press the issue.
Judging by the way she focused entirely on the food in front of her, she was either unwilling to speak or still gathering the courage to recount what had happened. Either way, forcing the conversation now would serve little purpose.
Charlie remained standing quietly nearby while I waited patiently from my chair. Neither of us disturbed her again, allowing her to eat at her own pace.
Several more minutes passed before she finally finished the meal. After taking the last bite, she slowly lowered the plate onto the bed and sat quietly for a moment, as though organizing her thoughts before speaking.
Then, at last, she spoke.
"Yesterday evening, my friend and I were traveling to Astravia Academy."
I listened quietly.
That part wasn't new information. Charlie and I had already traveled alongside her, her friend, and the middle-aged Controller in the same carriage earlier that day.
The woman's gaze lowered toward her lap as she continued.
"We were almost there. The academy wasn't far away anymore."
Her voice gradually became quieter.
"Then... we were suddenly attacked."
A thoughtful look appeared on my face.
So my suspicion had been correct. Until now, I had only been making assumptions based on the circumstances, but hearing it directly from her finally confirmed what I had suspected all along.
"They killed the driver first."
Her voice trembled slightly.
"It happened so fast that none of us had time to react. One moment the carriage was moving normally, and the next..." She paused briefly, her expression darkening. "The driver was already dead."
The room fell silent for a moment.
"After that, they started attacking us."
Fear flickered across her face as the memories resurfaced.
"There was also another passenger traveling with us... a middle-aged man. He said he was a newly appointed professor at Astravia Academy."
I remembered him. During the journey, I had sensed that he was a Moderate-Level Controller. Considering he was traveling toward Astravia Academy, I had already suspected he might be the professor she was referring to.
"From the very beginning, their target was the professor. At first, he tried to fight back, and we thought he might actually be able to stop them. But there were three Moderate-Level Controllers among the attackers."
Her fingers tightened around the blanket.
"He never stood a chance... they killed him."
The room fell silent for a moment before she continued.
"After that, they captured us and started taking us somewhere. We didn't know where they intended to take us, and they never explained anything. My friend and I could only follow them while waiting for an opportunity to escape."
Fear gradually resurfaced in her eyes as she recalled the events.
"We knew there was no chance of escaping while the three Moderate-Level Controllers were there, so we endured it and waited. Eventually, all three of them left for some reason, leaving only the others behind."
The woman fell silent for a moment as though gathering the courage to continue.
"When the three Moderate-Level Controllers left, my friend and I realized it was probably the only opportunity we would get. The people guarding us were still strong, but they were only Low-Level Controllers. We knew that if we waited any longer, we might never get another chance."
Her fingers tightened slightly around the blanket.
"So as soon as we found an opening, we attacked them and ran."
For a brief moment, the fear and grief on her face seemed to recede, replaced by the determination she must have felt while making that desperate escape.
"At first, we thought we had succeeded. We ran as fast as we could and didn't dare stop for even a moment. But it wasn't enough."
The determination quickly faded.
"They caught up to us."