14
The air tasted bitter involuntarily.
Millij, a girl with beige hair, ran without pausing to catch her rough breath.
‘Eran of the Rubrium Institute, and Senior Knight Lumen of the Light…’
The girl clenched her small fist tightly.
Both were famous figures she wouldn’t dare to call.
Lumen Reburns, more famous for the title ‘Knight of Light’ than his name, and Eran of the Rubrium Institute, a confident second-year student in the Knight Department.
With almost last place in the entrance exam, no splendid background, and not even excellent grades, they were like dreamlike beings to her.
… But.
‘I have no choice now!’
By now, the seniors in the dormitory must be working hard to stop the fiend that appeared because of her mistake.
‘Though the seniors said it’s not my fault…’
Adrian Rothschild de Repelheight.
But now, a second-year senior living only under the name ‘Adrian’ after being driven out of the family.
Terrified by all sorts of ominous rumors circulating even before enrollment, she had no one else to turn to for help.
‘I have to do this myself.’
The conviction hidden in her words.
The belief that there must be a solution in the Rubrium Institute, the certainty contained in that statement, made Millij nod her head involuntarily.
She also felt a sense of responsibility.
If she hadn’t skipped the summoning magic assignment back then, the fiend wouldn’t have appeared, no one would have been hurt, and none of this would have happened…
“The Rubrium Hall is a bit away from the Merin Hall.”
Unlike the Rubrium and Adel Halls inhabited by only a few in the residential area of Reben Island, the bustling Merin Hall is divided into separate zones.
Hence, to go from Merin Hall to Rubrium Hall, one had to walk a straight distance of about 3 kilometers without stopping.
Millize was running that distance.
Without paying attention to the surroundings, Millize, who was leaping across the river and running along the dirt road, suddenly stopped in her tracks.
Someone was blocking the path on the other side of the road.
“Who… are you?”
A person in a black robe calmly looked this way.
Familiar school uniform. Judging by the tie color, maybe a 4th-year student.
With a book emitting a subtle aura in hand, a man with neat glasses on his tidy head gazed at Millize.
“You.”
A voice as cold as ice. Millize’s body stiffened, unable to even open her mouth.
“You’re the owner of that summoning magic circle.”
“….”
From the man who was approaching slowly, or more precisely, from the ‘malicious aura’ emanating overtly from the spellbook in his hand, Millize unconsciously took a step back.
“And, who are you?”
“How is the situation in Merin Hall now?”
“I believe I’m not obliged to tell you.”
Trembling, Millize replied.
Clearly, the man was not in a normal state.
The long shadows under his sinister face looked even more eerie under the moonlight.
It was frightening, but if she answered, it could lead to greater damage in Merin Hall.
Upon hearing Millize’s response, the man let out a deep sigh.
“I’ll let you go if you answer.”
“It… It could be a lie.”
At her words, the man casually stepped aside.
“If you answer honestly, I’ll let you go.”
“I’m sorry. But, no, I can’t!”
“Then swear on my magic. [If you speak only the truth to me right here, I won’t harm you in any way.]”
Millize closed her mouth.
The man then nodded slightly.
“Freshman. It seems like you have a place to be right now, but are you going to miss the opportunity due to hesitation?”
Millize bit her lip tightly.
“I accidentally summoned a, a monster from the summoning magic circle. A Lycanslope…”
The man’s expression as he listened was impassive.
“So, all the seniors in Merin Hall were affected…?”
“They were all severely injured, but no one’s life was in danger.”
A subtle change in expression.
But Millize didn’t notice it.
“When I came out, Senior Adrian was carrying the injured, and the senior from the 2nd year Knight Department was facing the monster alone…”
The man’s eyebrows furrowed.
“…Adrian? Are you talking about Adrian Rothschild de Repelheight?”
“Yes.”
Millicent saw the man’s expression change strangely.
“…Why is he there at this hour?”
“He’s probably joining the fight by now. Well, I’ve said what I needed to. Please step aside.”
The man glanced at Millicent for a moment then stepped back to the edge of the road.
“It seems like you’re not lying. Go ahead.”
“…Yes.”
Millicent passed by the man and ran again.
It was a strange encounter. I should inform the seniors later. But now, there was no time to dwell on that meeting.
How far had she run?
In the distance, the wall of the Lubrium Hall came into view. As she pushed herself with all her remaining strength, an unfamiliar voice reached her ears.
“Oh, are you a new student? I haven’t seen your face before. What’s going on at the Lubrium Hall?”
Millicent raised her head immediately.
Black long hair and jade eyes.
She was looking at Millicent with a book hugged to her chest, smiling.
Breathless, Millicent blurted out, “Sen… Senior, Senior! Merin, Merin Hall, it’s… it’s dangerous!”
“Wait! Calm down, and tell me more details.”
Millicent explained to the senior, whose name she didn’t know, about what had happened at Merin Hall.
The monster coming out of her magic circle, Adrian moving the injured, asking her to go to Lubrium Hall for help, and him personally joining the battle.
Throughout the story, the woman with black hair listened with a surprised expression… until her expression hardened in one paragraph.
“He… He directly engaged in a battle with the Lycanslope?”
“Yes, I… Senior, how…?”
“Just call me Reyna. And he told you to bring Erhan?”
“Sorry for interrupting the story, but do you need my help?”
As their names were called, the black-haired boy who approached cautiously was stared at by Millicent and Reyna side by side.
“Well, if he asked you to bring you, there must be a good reason. Come along.”
“Re… Reyna Senior! Lumen Senior also…”
“We’re in a hurry. Since Lumen Senior is currently absent, at least we need to go to Merin Hall ourselves.”
Her voice, unlike the earlier casual greeting, was urgent.
“I’ll gather the people to help you, so please wait a bit.”
As she walked briskly into the Lubrium Hall, about fifteen students followed behind her.
“Millicent, come with us too.”
“Yes, me?”
“Come on, let’s go.”
And so, Reyna von Wolfgang led the elite forces she had gathered toward Merin Hall.
Far away, the walls of Merin Manor came into view.
Reyna quickened her pace.
As they drew nearer, a sinister smell of blood wafted through the air. The group promptly entered through the wide-open main gate.
“….”
Inside the main building, injured students had gathered.
Wrapped in bandages, having consumed potions, their conditions were dire.
‘…As expected.’
Looking at the vial-shaped potions, even if they were basic, they only slightly boosted regenerative abilities, offering little help.
She gestured to a fellow student by her side.
“Please.”
“Yes, leave it to me. [Intermediate Water Elemental Magic: Fountain of Water].”
Large water droplets emerged from the tip of the wand and adhered to the wounds on the students.
“Focus on treatment here.”
“Understood.”
And as soon as she stepped into the courtyard…
“….What is this.”
Reyna saw a large ice formation rising from a sword embedded in the ground, with a wolf trapped at the end of the ice stem, and two people lying unconscious on the ground.
Both individuals were covered in blood, their flesh torn on one arm each.
There was no trace of magic, just shallow breathing.
She immediately divided the team, taking the fallen ones to the main building while rushing towards the other.
“Adrian, Adrian, it’s me.”
“….Ah.”
A faint groan. Then his thin eyelids flickered.
“Reyna… Is it you. Why are you here…”
“Yes, it’s Reyna. I brought people from Luvrium Manor. You can rest now.”
“What about Eran…”
“I brought him too.”
“…Lumen?”
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“…Unfortunately, it seems he won’t be able to come right now.”
“Reyna.”
“Yes.”
He licked his lips.
His words were always accurate. Reyna listened carefully to her fiancé.
Licking his lips.
Adrian closed his eyes again. Reyna nodded and stood up.
“Eran.”
“Yes!”
“Take charge and finish off that monster. We’ll protect you.”
“…Me, me? Can I… handle such a heavy task?”
At the hesitant words of the black-haired boy, she looked at her momentarily stunned fiancé and firmly replied, “He can do it. Because he said he could.”
She drew her wand from her waist.
Upon this, the students of the Department of Magic also drew their wands after her, Ernan brandishing a large greatsword from his back, and the students of the Knight Department each raising their own weapons.
The wolf monster, half-trapped in ice, rolled its eyes despite being encased in ice, staring in their direction.
“…I won’t forgive you.”
Crackle!
─Krrr!
Ice shattering into pieces and a lycanthrope howling from within.
“Now’s the time! Attack!”
As her wand tip unleashed the first spell, a barrage of numerous spells followed, raining down towards the lycanthrope.
Crash!
“Knight Department!”
With explosions, the Knight Department students surged forward, slashing and stabbing at the lycanthrope.
Once the Knight Department students retreated, there followed another round of magical attacks, then a combined assault by the Knight Department students.
The body of the lycanthrope, missing one arm, bore numerous wounds.
And then─.
“Krrr!”
Kwooong…
It was when the lycanthrope, unable to overcome the accumulated damage, knelt down on one knee.
“Now’s the time! Finish it, Ernan! [Intermediate Earth Elemental Magic: Ground Chain]!”
“Yes, senior!”
The ground vibrated, and earth rose up, forming chains that bound the lycanthrope’s limbs.
Amidst the front line, the black-haired boy leaped out like a bullet, swinging his large sword.
“My seniors entrusted this task to me! So, I must take responsibility and resolve it!”
“Chahahahaaat─!”
The black hair turned ghostly white, and his sword shimmered with seven distinct colors of magic.
“[Heroic Sword: Truth]!”
Clang!
Ernan, driving the sword straight into the weakened lycanthrope’s heart, immediately twisted it out.
The lycanthrope’s purple blood poured out.
The massive body of the lycanthrope slumped, taking its last breath without leaving a trace.
The boy’s head, which had turned pure white for a moment, returned to its black hue.
The boy gazed down at his sword and hands with a vacant expression.
…The battle was over.
Watching Ernan in such a state, Reyna turned her head away at the rumbling.
“Um, Student Reyna, what on earth happened…”
“Professor Ludfel. Since the situation has concluded, I ask you to handle the aftermath. For details, please ask Student Milije.”
Just then, the first-year students who had escaped brought the professor along.
Reyna swiftly ran over, placed her fiancé on her lap, and gently stroked his hair.
Above all, her safety was the priority to him.
It wasn’t because he was her fiancé, her guardian.
“Oh my, this side of skin is all stripped. [Intermediate Wind Element Magic: Cradle of Mountain Wind].”
How much did it hurt?
“If it were the you from before, even if such a thing happened, you wouldn’t have stepped forward. What on earth happened?”
No answer.
But then, he would surely tell her later. She believed that.
“…Now that it’s all over, rest well, Adrian.”
She smiled down at her fiancé, who had fallen asleep with his head on her lap.