SSS Rank: Strongest Beast Master

The return to the Academy was the complete opposite of their arrival in Greenfield. There were no cheering crowds, no thrown flower petals, and certainly no one chanting "Savior!". A honor guard was there to escort them, their faces showed no feelings.

The team was exhausted but moved with confidence. They were no longer just a collection of specialists thrown together for a mission; they were a unit, forged in the heart of a corrupted forest and bonded by a victory that felt more like a beginning than an end.

They didn't go to their dorms or labs. The honor guard led them directly to the main spire, to the one place where a mission of this magnitude was properly concluded: the Headmaster's office.

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The Headmaster stood by his large window, looking out over the Academy grounds as they entered. He turned, and a satisfied smile spread across his old face.

"Welcome back," he said, his voice a low rumble of approval. "Your first report was… impressive. Show me."

One by one, they presented their findings. Master Fen placed a large, sealed container of glowing golden ash on the corner of the massive desk.

"A growth catalyst of unmatched power!" he declared. "This one sample could change healing magic for a long time!"

"Lira put a small, healthy plant on the desk. It was a dead stick just two days ago. "The land's life is coming back, Headmaster. It's healing."

Vanessa slid a data slate across the desk. "The runic signature of Thorne's plague has been completely neutralized. I've cross-referenced it with the cleansing energy from Jonah's Progeny. The way they work together is… unlike anything I've ever seen."

Finally, Jonah stepped forward. He didn't have a sample or a slate. "The mission was a success. The blight is gone, and the Veridian Province is recovering. Dr. Thorne escaped, but he is marked. We will find him."

The Headmaster listened to it all, his eyes moving from each member of the team.

"You have done more than heal a forest, children," he said, his voice resonating with power. He picked up the container of ash, his eyes gleaming. "You have proven a fundamental point."

He began to pace slowly in front of his desk. "The Bureau of Elite Development, for all their resources, creates only monsters and chaos. The Holy Church, for all its faith, knows only how to purge with fire and judgment."

His eyes settled on Jonah. "You… you have shown them a third way. Not destruction, not purging, but true restoration. The Academy has demonstrated a power that neither of our rivals could ever hope to wield. This victory is not just practical; it is political. And I intend to capitalize on it."

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The announcement came the next day. A formal paper was sent to all teachers and student group leaders. It was also shown on the big boards all over campus.

By order of the Headmaster, in recognition of the evolving threats to our nation and the great work of our students and faculty, a new institution is hereby established within the Mystic Pheonix Academy.

The Department of Ecological Restoration and Sacred Beast Studies.

The order then explained that this new department would be a mix of many fields, combining the practical knowledge of Beast Studies, the wisdom of Druidism, the science of Alchemy, and the foundational principles of Runic Engineering. Its primary mission: to study, contain, and heal unnatural blights and magical disasters.

It caused an immediate commotion. It was the first new department to be created in a very long time.

Back in Jonah's workshop, the team was processing the news. The Headmaster had summoned them personally an hour before the public announcement.

"He really did it," Vanessa said, staring at a copy of the order on her datapad. She looked up, her eyes shining. "We're… we're a department. An actual, official department."

"Indeed!" Master Fen declared, already drawing up plans for a new, larger lab on a spare chalkboard. "With a proper budget, I hope! My genius requires a steady supply of risky reagents!"

Lira just smiled, a calm expression on her face. "We can help more places like Veridian now."

Jonah was still processing the part that came next. The Headmaster had looked directly at him. "A new department needs leadership. And while Master Fen is a genius, his… temperament… is not suited for administration." Fen had grumbled at that but couldn't really argue.

"Therefore," the Headmaster had continued, "I have created a new title. One befitting your unique position and authority. Jonah, you are hereby named the Academy's first 'Senior Research Fellow'."

The title was more than just a name. It gave him a big budget, a small group of eager student assistants, and the power to approve and lead future healing missions himself. He no longer had to wait for threats to appear; he could now actively seek out places that needed healing.

The rest of the team had received their own honors. Vanessa, Lira, and Master Fen were all named senior staff members, the founding faculty of this new branch of magical science.

They were no longer just a field team. They were pioneers.

Draven appeared at their open door, leaning against the frame with his arms crossed. "Heard the news," he said, a smile on his face. "Senior Research Fellow, huh? Does that mean we have to start calling you Professor Jonah?"

Jonah threw a paper ball at him. "Don't you dare."

Draven laughed. "Congratulations. All of you. You earned it." He gave them a respectful nod and was gone.

Jonah looked around the room at his team. His friends. Vanessa, already lost in new runic equations. Lira, quietly communing with her rescued pot plant, which was now thriving. Fen, arguing with himself about the optimal layout for a fume hood.

He looked down at his own datapad, at the official document confirming his new title. Senior Research Fellow. Head of a department. It felt very heavy and light, all at the same time. His quest to fulfill a promise had grown into something so much bigger. He now had a platform, a team, and the power to make a real difference.

And with that new authority, he knew, came new responsibilities he couldn't even begin to imagine.