Chapter 7.7

Sion and Jeras’s swordsmanship demonstration instantly lifted the slightly subdued mood. Although they weren’t competing against each other, it was a delight to compare Sion’s elegant and graceful swordsmanship with Jeras’s destructive and flashy style.

Riding the heightened excitement, the final event, the magic demonstration, began.

The first up was the student council president, Reo. True to his reputation as an exceptionally talented prodigy, he skillfully performed magic by blending fire, wind, and earth elements. The biggest cheer he received was for a giant phoenix that burst out of the ground. The phoenix, showing off its fiery wings, flew up and scattered on the wind.

Next was Claris, who focused on water magic, which Reo hadn’t showcased. A stream of water poured down from thin air like a waterfall, creating a magnificent sight. Before finishing his demonstration, Claris sprinkled a cool rain over the audience. Surprisingly, the raindrops evaporated the moment they touched the skin, leaving a feeling of refreshment rather than discomfort.

Finally, it was the last turn.

A low, heavy rumbling sound was heard, and a tent-like roof covered the venue. The surroundings instantly became as dark as night.

Jeras felt the faint mana that enveloped the area. It wasn’t just dark because of the tent. Someone had used magic to intentionally block out the light.

“This turn has a slightly special magic prepared. Everyone here must have been curious at some point about the light magic used by the Haiola Academy’s founder and legendary magician, Haiola. Now, we present the demonstration by Lady Eloered Shu Le Kilmaria, the successor of that light magic. Please give her a warm round of applause!”

“Light magic?”

“She’s a successor to light magic?”

“Kilmaria… wasn’t the Lady too frail to leave the duchy?”

A variety of murmurs erupted from all over.

Sion asked Jeras in a low voice, “What’s this about light magic? Did you know?”

“Shh, it’s starting. Just watch first.”

A gentle melody began to play. In the quiet darkness, small lights flickered like fireflies. The lights became more numerous and brighter, keeping time with the music. The lights began to form a shape, and small gasps of awe escaped the mouths of those who noticed.

The dress Eloe was wearing and the small tiara on her head were glowing.

Eloe, who was alone and dignified in the darkness, took a step forward. Under her feet, flowers made of light bloomed one by one. Soon, the flowers faded, and instead, a lawn of light spread out and covered the ground.

Stopping her steps, Eloe reached out her hand. A beam of light shot out from her fingertips.

“Wow…!”

The light scattered in the air became a galaxy. After creating the ground and sky with light, what Eloe created next were cute animals. From small and adorable animals like rabbits, cats, dogs, and deer to large ones like leopards, lions, and elephants, they all appeared.

A squirrel could have appeared, but it didn’t. Jeras chuckled, feeling her stubbornness.

The people were completely captivated by the vibrant illusion. An illusion swallowed an illusion, and the two intertwined, creating a new one.

A magnificent castle appeared where a man and a woman stood, looking at each other with longing. After the castle crumbled, a desolate tombstone remained.

And then again, large animals appeared and broke apart into small ones. The galaxy in the sky gathered in Eloe’s hand, and the lawn that had spread to the edge of the stage withered quickly.

The illusions were reversing in the same order they had been created.

The flowers that had bloomed at her feet became buds and faded. The light slowly died down from the hem of her dress. The small lights flickered, and then a thick curtain of darkness fell.

A deep silence settled over the world shrouded in darkness.

Jeras was silently in awe. He was certain that every magician in the venue felt the same way.

The beautiful illusion was amazing, but what was truly astonishing was the amount of mana that filled the entire venue. The sheer quantity and purity of the mana, and Eloe’s control over it, were beyond imagination.

It made perfect sense why Nia cherished her so much that she would give her private lessons.

In every audience member’s mind, Reo’s and Claris’s magic had been completely erased.

After a moment, with a pop! sound, multicolored lights burst. From within, small, winged angels popped out.

The angels moved among the people, dropping something into their hands. Inside the cute wrapping was a squirrel-shaped cookie.

The angels returned to the stage and formed a phrase.

[‘Welcome to the Night to Connect the Future!’]

With the thunderous applause, the tent was pulled back. Eloe, who had finished her demonstration, bowed several times and left the stage.

Jeras and Sion stood up abruptly at the same time, and Kieryk also quietly got to his feet. The three of them exchanged knowing glances.

No one realized that on the empty stage, a small, green blade of grass had sprouted.

 

***

 

The Hall of Glory, used for awarding students with outstanding academic achievements or appointing professors, was bustling with people. The hall, which had been made much larger than its original size with a spatial expansion spell, was not only able to accommodate the students and invited guests but also had tables and chairs set up to match the number of people. People filled the tables, forming groups based on their friendships and interests.

Among them, there was one table that drew attention just by its occupants simply breathing. It was the table of Eloe and the trio.

Eloe’s magic demonstration had shocked everyone. No, the very existence of Eloe was a shock.

The sole successor of the fabled light magic, her flawless magical skills, and her background as a Lady, which had been shrouded in mystery.

It was only natural that interest would be drawn to Eloe, who was a combination of all these attractive elements.

A swarm of people, like ants, gathered around her, but no one, not a single person, was able to greet Eloe.

“Don’t be noisy and get lost.”

“From now on, I will prioritize my sister’s safety. Please keep your distance.”

Jeras and Sion stood firmly on her right and left, blocking any approach. When the crowd hesitated, unwilling to disperse, Jeras and Sion simultaneously released their sword aura. At times like these, they were a perfect pair.

“Eloe, try this, too. It looks delicious.”

“Yes! If my brother gives me a rock, I’ll eat that, too.”

“I would never give you a rock.”

Sion placed a mini cake in front of Eloe. It was a cute little cake with plenty of whipped cream and a strawberry on top.

Eloe, who cut a large piece and swallowed it in one bite, smiled brightly.

“It’s really delicious!”

“Good. Eat slowly. I’ll get you more whenever you want.”

“It would be a good idea to eat in moderation. You’ll pop your dress if you keep eating like that.”

“Did you come here with a magic circle, brother? Are our parents doing well?”

Eloe pretended not to hear Jeras’s taunt. A vein popped in Jeras’s forehead.

He was very displeased with the situation that had been going on ever since the demonstration. Eloe was only focused on having a pleasant conversation with Sion. I don’t need anyone but Sion! Jeras was getting angry at Eloe, who was screaming this with her whole body.

Then what about him? What about him, who suffered from working overtime for a whole week just to attend the event today?

“As I heard, your sibling relationship is very close. Sion, you’ve managed to let the Lady live alone in the capital.”

Unlike Jeras, who only grumbled and said mean things, Kieryk naturally joined the conversation. Sion’s face, which had been smiling fondly at Eloe, darkened abruptly.

“I… want to take Eloe with me right now. If it weren’t for the Academy, I would have.”

“Haha… I also like living in the Duchy with my parents and brother.”

“Then shall we go back together?”

Sion, who had been drooping like a sick chicken, brightened up again. Eloe shook her head.

“I have to study hard at the Academy. You promised to cheer me on until I graduate.”

“Right… I did… I regret why I ever did that dozens of times a day.”

“A sight you can’t see without tears.”

Jeras snorted and mocked her. Eloe glared at him. ‘What? Why?’

While Jeras and Eloe were having a silent argument, someone slowly approached the four people’s table.

“My apprentice…”

“Teacher! Please, sit down. The chair is…”

“It’s… fine. Jeras will get up. Get up, Jeras…”

“No, thank you. This chair is mine, Teacher.”

“You still don’t show respect to your teacher… When are you going to grow up?”

“I’m not the only apprentice you have. Sion is one, too.”

“You’re the one… with the worst personality. Someone like you… shouldn’t be by my apprentice’s side.”

“Pffft…!”

Eloe burst into laughter at the straightforward criticism. She quickly covered her mouth with her hand and turned her head. Jeras tapped the table with his fist as if to tell her not to laugh.

Just as Sion was about to give up his seat, a professor happened to be looking for Kieryk.

“I have to go for a moment. Teacher, please sit here.”

Kieryk, who gave up his seat to Nia, left the table. Nia, who had settled down in a comfortable position, looked at Sion and Jeras alternately.

“It’s been a while since we all gathered in one place… Have you been well, Sion?”

“Yes. You also seem to have recovered a lot of your energy, Teacher. That’s a relief.”

“That’s because… I met my apprentice. I never would have imagined it. Sion… that your sister would be the successor of light. You… had no talent for magic. Your mana was at rock bottom, and you were so… uncooperative.”

“…I’m sorry.”

It was interesting to see Sion, who was always so composed, flustered by Nia.

Eloe held back her laughter and listened to their conversation. She wanted to hear more details about Sion’s childhood, which she didn’t know about since it wasn’t properly mentioned in the original story.

Meanwhile, Jeras slowly moved and got closer to Eloe. Eloe, who felt his presence and turned her head, was startled.

Jeras wiggled his finger. It was a sign for her to come closer. Eloe, filled with doubt, subtly leaned in.

“Don’t lie and tell me honestly. Who’s been bothering the Lady?”

“…What are you talking about, all of a sudden?”

“It doesn’t make sense. That a Lady who just enrolled would be the representative for the demonstration. Who is it? Is it the student council president?”

“Jeras, I told you not to approach my apprentice.”

A strong wind blew and pushed Jeras back with an uncharacteristically firm voice. Jeras managed to regain his balance and stand up just before he fell. Instead, his chair fell over unceremoniously.

Jeras’s expression was serious, as if he was angry at Nia’s prank. Nia clicked his tongue.

“You’ve got good reflexes for no reason…”

“Lady, get down!”

“Huh? Ahhh!”

“Eloe!”

A deafening roar enveloped the Hall of Glory. The walls collapsed and the floor cracked. Billowing dust rose, completely obscuring all vision.

Jeras activated his “Eyes.” He was looking for Eloe, but the situation wasn’t unfolding as he had hoped.

“Grr… grr…”

A black, viscous, slime-like monster, covered in black slime, was rippling after breaking through the ceiling of the hall. The aura Jeras saw was a deep purple. It was undoubtedly a demon.

‘How did a demon get in here? There’s a barrier over the entire Academy grounds. The intrusion alarm didn’t even go off.’

“Grrrk…!”

The demon stretched vertically, as if it were inhaling. It was a bad sign. Jeras’s instincts, honed from countless battles with demons and monsters, warned him that this thing was dangerous.

The demon, which had swelled up to its full size, quickly shrank and then suddenly expanded as if a bomb had exploded. Black slime dripped from the demon’s body and was shot out like arrows in all directions.

Anything that came into contact with the small bits of slime immediately began to dissolve with a sizzling sound. People were no exception.

Painful screams erupted, and the whole area instantly became a scene of pandemonium.

After its first attack, the demon stood still, as if to build up its strength.

Jeras used this opportunity to find Eloe. Not far away, from behind the debris of the broken ceiling, he saw a small light glowing like a prism. It was the aura coming from Eloe’s soul, which only he could see.

He glanced at the demon. It didn’t seem like it would attack again right away. He quickly ran over to her.

“Are you all right? Are you hurt?”

“Cough, cough! I’m… I’m okay. I was just startled.”

As she said, aside from being covered in dust, she didn’t seem to have any problems.

Jeras lightly brushed the dust from Eloe’s head and shoulders. Eloe’s eyes wavered, if only for a moment.

“Can you stand?”

“Uh… no. My legs feel weak. I’m sorry. But what in the world is that?”

“It’s a demon. I’ve never seen a form like it. It seems to be quite strong.”

“Eloe! Where are you? Answer me! Eloe!”

“Oh, brother! Over here! I’m here!”

Sion, who had rushed over, looked at Jeras with a puzzled expression. His eyes seemed to say, ‘I didn’t expect to see you here.’ But he quickly checked on Eloe’s condition.

Eloe, after glancing at Jeras, clung to Sion’s arm. Jeras’s eyes narrowed, openly showing his displeasure.

Sion looked down at Eloe and said, “I’ll take Eloe to a safe place. It’ll only take a moment.”

“…Do as you please. It doesn’t matter if you come back or not.”

The Academy professors and the invited experts, who had assessed the situation, began evacuating the students.

Jeras didn’t look back and headed straight for the demon. While everyone else was scrambling to get away from the demon, he didn’t even flinch.

He muttered in a low, biting tone, “I found her first. Is being a brother everything?”

“Grr, grr.”

The demon, which had been quiet for a while, showed signs of movement again. Jeras’s face turned pale as he naturally reached for his waist. The one thing he absolutely needed to fight the demon wasn’t there.

‘Damn it. All the weapons were collected before we entered the hall.’

At the Academy, only security guards or people who had received the Headmistress’s approval in advance could carry weapons. It had never happened before, but it was to exclude the possibility of a bloody incident breaking out among the students.

This meant that the barrier blocking outside intruders was supposed to be flawless. Such a barrier would never have let a demon of this level in without any kind of alarm.

“Grrrk.”

“This is all so annoying.”

Jeras picked something up off the floor. It was a staff, the closest thing to a sword among the abandoned items. Compared to the greatsword he loved to use, nothing about it was to his liking—not its length, width, or strength.

But there was no choice. He had to buy them time. Jeras cast a glance at the spot where Eloe had been sitting. Neither Eloe nor Sion were there.

‘It would be best to hold it off for as long as possible. So they can escape safely.’

Jeras gripped the staff like a sword. The staff vibrated with a low hum as pale blue sword aura enveloped its surface.

Without even a preparatory stance, he slashed. To the untrained eye, the attack was so fast it left no afterimage, the sword aura surging like a flood.

“Screeeeeech!”

The blow landed. The monster shrieked grotesquely. Jeras twirled the staff in loose, easy motions—his eyes, however, were sharp as blades.

The demon flowed like water and flattened itself on the floor.

In the next moment, Jeras doubted his own eyes. The demon wiggled and changed from a round slime into a completely different form. It looked like a three-headed snake.

Jeras gripped the staff, which he had been handling like a toy, tightly.

“Gurgle, screech!”

From each of the three heads, different-colored mucus spewed forth, targeting left, right, and below. Jeras wrapped his staff in sword aura and slashed, intercepting the one that shot toward the right.

But something unexpected happened. Instead of vanishing, the blocked mucus clung to the weapon, spreading to cover it.

‘This… it’s absorbing sword aura?’

“Why are you just standing there, Jeras!”

Sion’s thunderous shout was heard. Jeras snapped back to reality. The monster’s tail was already right in front of him.

A silver-white arc was drawn in the air.

The viscous tail that had lunged at Jeras was split in two. The long pieces of slime that had fallen to the floor writhed hideously.

“Screeeeeech!”

The monster roared. Sion threw a sword he had brought for Jeras to him. Jeras dropped the staff and caught the sword. It seemed to be a backup sword, unadorned and crude, but it was much more useful than the staff.

The two men slashed down on the severed tail. It might have looked like a simple strike, but their blows were wrapped in sword aura, more than enough to deal damage.

This was an annoying type of monster that would continue to move and divide even when its attacks were successful. This kind of monster had to be attacked quickly, without giving it time to regenerate.

Jeras chopped the slime into smaller pieces as he spoke. “Did you take the Lady to a safe place? I was going to take her.”

“Why would you take my sister?”

“It’s a matter of efficiency. I’m stronger than you, Sion, so I can protect her better, can’t I?”

Sion glared at Jeras with a look of fury. Jeras smiled annoyingly.

“You take the left. I’ll take the right. Let’s go. Don’t fall behind.”

Immediately after he finished speaking, the two of them disappeared.

The monster had already returned to its initial slime form. Its large, liquid-like rippling seemed to be an attempt to transform a second time.

The slime monster had the advantage of being able to change its shape freely, but it also had the disadvantage of not being able to move or attack its opponent while it was transforming.

Jeras, who knew this well, appeared on the right side of the monster and gave a signal.

“Sion!”

Two sharp sword tips plunged deep into the slime. It was not easy to pierce the elastic body with a sword.

But just piercing it wasn’t enough to damage the monster. In fact, the monster was nonchalantly accelerating its transformation.

Jeras gritted his teeth. It seemed like the only way to damage it was to stab through it or swing at it at high speed to tear its slimy body.

Sion must have reached the same conclusion—he twisted his sword from within and enveloped it in aura. At that moment, Jeras caught sight of the bluish-white light dancing along the blade’s edge. A flash of memory struck him.

“Wait! Don’t use sword aura on its core—it might absorb it!”

“It can absorb aura? Damn it…!”

The monster, which had finished its transformation, seized the momentary opening Sion had created. Vines covered in sharp thorns bound Sion’s limbs.

Sion dropped his sword because of the vines that were tightening their grip on his arms.

The monster’s head, a mouth with large petals, chewed on Sion’s sword with a crunching sound.

There was a sizzling sound and the smell of melting metal. It looked like it was chewing, but in reality, the slime was melting the sword.

“Grrk, grrrrrk!”

The monster shook its body triumphantly.

Jeras leapt high. Instead of aura, he poured weight and speed into his strike, aiming to sever the vines holding Sion. But his blade met nothing but water—the blow had no effect.

Instead, the monster, stimulated by Jeras’s attack, spewed slime from its vines. His clothes melted, and he felt a searing pain on his skin.

Sion gritted his teeth and held back a scream. In a rush, Jeras imbued his sword with mana and lightning-fast sliced the vines. Freed, Sion used a breakfall just before hitting the ground, avoiding a major injury.

“Grrk, grrk…!”

‘It wasn’t a mistake. It’s gotten noticeably bigger in this short amount of time.’

The monster, displeased that it had lost Sion, opened its mouth wide. Slime dripped from the tips of its wedge-shaped teeth.

It had a disgusting appearance that matched its disgusting ability. Even Jeras, who was sick of monsters, felt a sense of revulsion.

“…So it absorbs aura. Then how do we fight it? Ordinary strikes won’t work.”

Sion, who had recovered his strength, approached and asked. Jeras frowned at Sion’s shoulder, where the skin was peeled off. It must be painful, but his lack of reaction was very much like Sion.

“I don’t know. Without aura or mana, it’s a damn nuisance. By the way—why is it just you and me left standing? Did everyone else die already?”

“As always, Your Highness, you’ve got such a pleasant tongue. No one’s dead yet.”

From where the voice came, Nia, Vanessa, and Professor Vark, a swordsmanship professor, were standing. Vark wrapped a bandage around Sion’s shoulder as a first-aid measure. Nia asked Jeras a question.

“So this thing absorbs aura and mana…?”

“So far, yes. I’ve confirmed that its size increases after it absorbs them, but I’m not sure about other changes yet.”

“I’ll… take a look.”

Nia stomped her foot once. The ground shook with a low rumble from the immense magical power she released.

The monster, sensing a change, let out a shriek and extended its vines in all directions. An invisible barrier Nia had cast trapped the vines and the monster at once.

No one laughed at the grotesque sight of the monster wildly swinging its vines in the air.

“If it’s not a direct attack… it doesn’t absorb it…”

“It’s still just as tricky. Trapping it with a barrier won’t make it starve to death, you know?”

“What if we move the whole barrier… to another location?”

Nia, who had been muttering to herself, immediately tried to put her thoughts into action. A magic circle with a much wider range than the barrier was on the verge of completion.

A long staff was suddenly summoned into Nia’s hand. Then, a green gem embedded in the staff lit up, and the mana she had been hiding in her small body exploded, enveloping her companions.

It was a mana shield.

“GROARGH!”

A strange shriek and a thick dust storm covered the surroundings. Thanks to the mana shield Nia had cast, her companions were unharmed.

After the storm subsided, they were speechless at the sight before them.

The monster, now standing on two feet, had grown to a size that far surpassed a five-story building. A mouth with petals was where its head should have been. Its body was still the black slime that didn’t suit its giant size and monstrous, threatening form.

Nia lowered her mana shield.

“The barrier was absorbed. If it gets any bigger, it will absorb the outer barrier as well, and we won’t be able to control it. We have to destroy it somehow without mana…”

“Headmistress! It’s dangerous!”

Vark threw himself at Nia.

After barely dodging the monster’s attack, black, thick spears were plunged into the ground around the two people who had fallen. The spears intertwined with each other, turning into a small prison.

“Damn it! No aura, no mana—how the hell are we supposed to fight that thing? Let go! Damn it, let me out!”

Sion tried to save Vanessa, who had been caught by the monster’s hand. But without a way to attack, Sion was also caught up in the attack with Vanessa.

The monster smashed Sion against the wall, then hurled Vanessa down on top of him. He barely managed to catch her, but the impact broke his ribs. Every breath stabbed with agony.

“Jera…s…”

“Kukukek.”

In just two attacks, everyone except Jeras was incapacitated.

Left alone on his feet, Jeras wavered. Could he even push this thing back without aura or mana—just raw swordsmanship? Against a demon-beast of this scale?

Besides, time was on the monster’s side, not Jeras’s. The monster would continue to grow by absorbing the mana around it.

If it absorbed the mana of all the magicians at the Academy, it could become a national disaster.

“Kieeeeeek!”

The monster opened its mouth and spread out its six arms. Countless mouths sprouted from the arms and spat out slime. The slime became a tight-knit net in the air, flying towards Jeras.

His feet wouldn’t move. Jeras looked down and cursed under his breath. Sticky slime had already attached to his feet, immobilizing him. It was the same slime he and Sion had chopped up earlier.

Jeras swung his sword. The blade wrapped in the slime net didn’t last ten seconds before it melted. He threw away the sword, leaving only the hilt.

His gaze was fixed on the second wave of slime flying toward him from the front. The single mass of slime split into dozens of smaller pieces.

There was no way to avoid it. Considering the monster was still growing, should he just use overwhelming firepower to subdue it in an instant? But this monster had absorbed Nia’s barrier, even if it was a temporary one. If he failed…

At that moment, a light flashed.

Pzzzzzt! The sound of sparks crackled loudly as an even stronger light stung his eyes.

Jeras raised his arm to shield his eyes and opened one. In the view he had struggled to get, he saw a familiar back.

“…Lady?”

Eloe was holding out both her arms, blocking the attack.

As soon as she heard the roar, she had a bad feeling and ran toward the sound. The sight before her eyes shocked her. Sion was badly injured, the Academy teachers were trapped in a prison-like structure, and Jeras was in danger, fighting the monster alone without a weapon.

Before her mind could comprehend the situation, her body had moved first.

A golden mana began to spread rapidly from her fingertips, protecting and enveloping Jeras, as well as the fallen Sion and Vanessa, and the trapped Nia and Vark.

Eloe, who had never learned how to cast a barrier or a mana shield, was operating mana itself, purely and single-mindedly, without a spell.

Dozens of slime pieces collided with the golden shield. Once again, there was a sound of sparks and a terrible smell of burning, rotten things.

The slime masses the monster had shot out burned with a pitch-black smoke. Not a single one of them was able to penetrate Eloe’s mana.

‘It burned it?’

Jeras looked for the net that had been flying toward him. Instead of the net, a mound of unrecognizable ash was piled up nearby.

“Grrrrrk!”

The monster roared with a phlegmy sound. A long arm, stretched out like a whip, was swung directly at Eloe.

Eloe couldn’t see the monster’s attack, but she knew it was coming by the sharp, tearing sound that cut through the air.

In that brief moment of less than ten seconds, her legs and arms trembled with the fear of death.

But Eloe didn’t back down.

‘If I… if even I back down, everyone will die.’

Eloe put all her strength into her shaking legs and arms. She gathered all the mana she could muster and focused it on her fingertips.

The thin protective barrier and the monster’s arm collided head-on. The impact created a dent in the floor and a swirling air current.

She didn’t flinch and pushed her arms forward even more.

The sight of her slender body holding back the monstrously huge arm was something that was hard to believe, even when seeing it with your own eyes.

A faint magic circle appeared at her feet, and wings of light sprouted from her back. They vanished in the blink of an eye, but Jeras saw them clearly.

“GRAAAH…!”

The monster’s arm could not pierce the protective barrier; instead, it began to burn from the tip, as if fire were spreading.

The monster belatedly pulled its arm back and stumbled backward, but the half-burned arm, which was injured by the mana, did not regenerate.

“Lady, are you okay? Lady!”

Jeras grabbed Eloe’s shoulder. The mana that had enveloped him had removed the sticky slime from his feet, and he could finally move.

Eloe looked up at Jeras with a deathly pale face. Her blue eyes were out of focus. Seeing her blue lips and trembling fingertips, Jeras carefully pulled Eloe into a hug and gently patted her back.

“It’s okay. You did well. I’ll handle that bastard now. Instead, could you make me a sword? With light magic.”

“A sword…?”

“Yes. Just like the demonstration earlier, gather mana and give it a form. I’ll take care of the rest. Will it be hard?”

“The one I showed in the demonstration was a hallucination, so it didn’t have a solid form… No. I’ll try my best.”

Eloe broke free from Jeras’s embrace and closed her eyes. Her face was pale as she squeezed out her remaining mana.

Jeras looked at her with a complicated expression. She didn’t run away until the very end.

Meanwhile, the monster began to try and break the barrier around the hall. The flow of mana was greatly disturbed.

He had to buy time until Eloe’s magic was complete. Jeras ran forward without a sword and shot a magic arrow at the monster’s leg.

“Grrrk, kieeeek!”

The enraged monster stomped its feet. The ground shook, and large and small cracks appeared. The monster didn’t care about Jeras’s interference and kept pounding on the barrier. Crack, just like the ground, the barrier cracked too.

Jeras stepped onto the monster’s leg and climbed up to its shoulder and neck. The gooey slime wrapped around his legs, as if to swallow him.

“Jeras! Catch!”

A sword flew from behind at the perfect moment and landed in Jeras’s hand. It was a greatsword that shimmered with golden light. The form wasn’t completely solid, but this was enough.

Eloe had kept her word once again.

For the first time since the monster appeared, a faint smile appeared on Jeras’s lips.

Jeras mixed his mana with the sword Eloe had created to harden its form.

Mana with high purity is not easy to mix with mana of a different attribute, but Eloe’s mana had an exceptional reaction rate and accepted Jeras’s mana without any resistance.

Jeras held the sword at an angle and held his breath. Just by holding it, he could feel the strong mana infused in the sword. It was different from the mana of the four attributes that magicians dealt with. It was mana on a higher level.

“Keeeeeek!”

A spectacular sword dance of light unfolded. First, all five of the monster’s arms were cut off at once. Then, its legs and torso were sliced to pieces.

The slime was cut cleanly by the sword Eloe had created, and the cut surfaces were charred as if they had been burned, so they couldn’t regenerate.

The monster was too busy getting sliced to pieces by Jeras’s sword. Nothing but ash was left where the sword had passed.

Jeras’s movements were so fast that to Eloe, the light looked like it was dancing, leaving a long trail as it moved this way and that.

Eloe, just in case, gathered mana and created several arrows, which she shot at the monster. The arrows embedded themselves in the monster’s body, radiating a blinding light.

While Jeras was cutting down the monster, she was able to heal Sion and Vanessa and free Nia and Vark from their prison.

In less than a minute, the monstrously huge creature was reduced to half its original size. The arrows Eloe had shot exploded inside the monster, speeding up the process.

Jeras thrust the blade of the glowing light sword deep into it. The monster couldn’t even make a sound and disintegrated into a handful of ash, disappearing with a hiss.

In the spot where the monster had been, a black mana stone with a sword plunged into it remained.

A mana stone, which was used by injecting mana and hardening it like a stone, was a magic tool that could be used for various purposes. The color of the mana stone changed depending on the attribute the magician preferred to handle.

Jeras pulled out the sword and picked up the mana stone, which was split in half.

“Is it… over?”

Eloe came up to him and asked blankly. Sion, who had been healed by Eloe’s magic, was with her. Jeras hid the mana stone.

“Thanks to the Lady. Are you okay? You seem to have used quite a lot of mana… Lady?”

“…Sob.”

Eloe lowered her head and whimpered. The slight trembling of her shoulders gradually grew more intense. Sion and Jeras panicked and surrounded Eloe.

Even the mischievous Jeras didn’t scoff or grumble and tried to soothe her with a gentle tone.

“Lady, don’t cry. Why are you crying? It’s all over. I took care of it. See? There’s not even a trace left.”

“Eloe, are you hurt somewhere? Let’s go to the temple and get you treated. Lean on me, okay?”

“No, it’s not that… I was so, so…”

Eloe, who was trying to answer in a tearful voice, eventually began to cry like a child. Hearing Eloe’s cries, Nia, Vanessa, and Vark came running. The three of them had been checking to see if anyone had been caught up in the incident.

Nia, seeing the tears streaming down Eloe’s face, swung his staff and hit Sion and Jeras on the back.

“How dare you make my apprentice cry? You’re just big and useless things.”

“No, it’s not that… hic, it’s just that my brother and the teachers were so badly hurt, and I’ve never seen anything like that before, so I had to do something… I was so scared…”

Tears fell from Eloe’s eyes like pearls as she talked incoherently. She didn’t want to cry in front of people, but the tears wouldn’t stop, and she was embarrassed.

But once the floodgates opened, the crying wouldn’t stop. It was a mixture of the tension and fear that had built up during the fight, the shock of finding the injured people, and the relief that it was all over.

“My little sister must have been so scared. I’m sorry. Your brother couldn’t do anything and put a heavy burden on you… I’m sorry.”

“…sniff, brother…”

Sion hugged Eloe tightly and patted her back and shoulder with a gentle touch. His affectionate and sincere touch was kind, and his embrace was warm and comforting.

Eloe burrowed into Sion’s arms like a spoiled child. The comfort from the first family she had in this place was so sweet that she wished it would never end.

Jeras, who had been looking at the two of them with a sullen expression, subtly approached and put his hand on the empty space on Eloe’s back and patted her.

It didn’t matter if Eloe knew. He just wanted to comfort her too.

“…Vanessa.”

“Yes, Headmistress. What is it?”

“Am I… worthy of being a teacher…?”

Nia’s muttering voice was as dark and musty as a damp basement.

She hadn’t been able to protect her own apprentice and was even indebted to her for her life… She had lived for a long time, but there had been no humiliation to compare to today’s event. There would be none in the future, and there should not be.

Because right now, in this very spot, she was going to turn into a handful of dust and disappear!

“My apprentice… you’re even crying for your unworthy teacher… Thank you…”

“What in the world are you talking about! Snap out of it, Headmistress! Headmistress!”

Nia planned to return to the earth, using Eloe’s cries as a funeral song. Vanessa grabbed Nia, who was about to dig a hole and crawl into it, and stopped her.

 

***

 

Meanwhile, there was a gaze from afar intently watching the six people who were being boisterous for their own reasons.

“I thought it was just a rumor.”

From behind a pile of collapsed building debris, a man muttered in a low voice. His gaze, which had been fixed on Nia being held by Vanessa, soon turned to Eloe.

Surrounded by the tall Sion and Jeras, it was almost impossible to see her properly. However, the man’s red eyes persistently followed Eloe’s movements.

As if to tease the man, her small, round head would occasionally pop out and then quickly disappear from view.

The man’s already emotionless face hardened even more. He looked like a elegantly and neatly crafted doll, without a shred of human emotion.

“Are you going to interfere with me again?”

Eloe, who had stopped crying, broke away from Sion’s embrace. It seemed as if Sion and Jeras both pulled out handkerchiefs to wipe her face at the same time.

Finally, the man could see her fully. She must have used all her mana to defeat the monster he had summoned, but she didn’t look particularly tired.

“Well, it doesn’t matter. After all, you and I are both the same, Aletheia. We both have our limits.”

It would be a fight to see who could surpass their limits first. Just like that time, hundreds of years ago.

The wind carrying ash blew. After the wind died down, only the ash that had been blown and piled up remained in the spot where the man had been.

Even that was soon carried away by the wind that blew again and disappeared.

 

***

 

The “Night to Connect the Future,” which had been so ambitiously planned, was ruined by the monster’s attack.

The shattered Hall of Glory was in relatively good shape. The building could be restored with magic or simply rebuilt.

The problem was the students who were mentally traumatized and the flood of complaints from parents who demanded to know why the Academy’s security was so lax. Vanessa complained every day that the level of the complaints was extraordinary, since many of the students came from prominent families. I was worried that my parents might be among them.

“Excuse me, Lady Eloe…?”

“Yes?”

I was on my way to the great hall alone after my private lesson when I turned around. Three female students, who looked to be in their mid-teens, were fidgeting as they looked at me.

The hallway was very crowded because all the students were gathering in the great hall for a special assembly. I quietly moved to a corner, and the female students followed me.

“Why did you call me? Do you have something to say?”

“Oh, yes. Yes! Well, I mean! So, that!”

“Oh, just let me say it! We were so impressed with you that day, Lady Eloe! Thank you so much for saving us!”

“That day…?”

“At the Night to Connect the Future event!”

“Ah… you don’t have to thank me. I just moved without thinking because it was an emergency…”

“No! Everyone else was just trembling in the shelter. You were the only student who went out and fought.”

“You did this! You protected us! We saw everything. It was so cool!”

The female student in the middle, who wore glasses, resolutely stretched out her arms. ‘Please don’t imitate that in front of me. It’s embarrassing…’

My face flushed with heat. Were they being sincere, or were they trying to make me feel awkward?

“It’s an honor to attend the Academy with you, Lady Eloe…! We’ll be rooting for you from afar! You can do it!”

“You can do it, Lady Eloe!”

“Your light magic demonstration was… so cool, too… I want to use light magic now, too. Even if it’s impossible… Well, then…”

They all said their piece and ran off without even waiting for my reply.

They must have thought they were out of my sight because they were stomping their feet in the distance while looking back at me, which was actually quite cute.

Yes, that’s what high school girls are like. They’re so cute. I was like that once too.

‘Wow, I sounded like a total grandma just now.’

It had been less than three years since I graduated from high school, but it felt like a distant memory. My sense of time seems to have been completely shattered since I came to this world.

I shook my head and walked on. The great hall was already crowded with many students.

I sat down and took a breath, and Vanessa came up to the podium. It seemed it was time to start.

“Dear students, I have two announcements today. Quiet, please! This is important, so pay attention! First, we are further strengthening the Academy’s security since the last event. I can’t go into detail for security reasons, but we are establishing a double and triple-layered defense and security system, including the barrier. So you don’t have to be too anxious. All the faculty members are reflecting on what happened, and we will do our best to ensure this never happens again.”

There were dark circles under Vanessa’s eyes. Poor Vanessa… She couldn’t say it out loud, but what she really wanted to say was probably something like, ‘We’re doing our best, so please stop with the complaints!’

Nia was only the Headmistress in name, and she didn’t do a single thing befitting a Headmistress, so Vanessa was getting all the blame.

“And second, I’d like to take this opportunity to introduce a little hero to you all. If I say this much… you all know who I’m talking about, right?”

Vanessa gave a little wink. A bad feeling washed over me.

‘Please, please don’t do it. Don’t do it!’

“Please give a round of applause for our hero, Student Eloe, who overcame her fear and was brave enough to save many lives! Now, Student Eloe, please come up to the podium. Hurry!”

This is so… embarrassing…

There was no way to stay in my seat. I decided it would be better to go up and get out of there quickly. And then I would pretend to be sick for a few days and take a break from the Academy.

I closed my eyes tightly and quickly stood on the podium. The sound of applause and cheers came from all directions without a break.

I was overwhelmed by the fervent reaction I had never received before, but at the same time, something hot and overwhelming welled up inside my chest.

“If it weren’t for Student Eloe’s actions, many more people would have been hurt. The damage would have been much more severe. I, on behalf of the faculty, sincerely express my gratitude to Student Eloe, who came forward in front of a monster she had never encountered before and protected us.”

Vanessa bowed her head to me with a serious tone. How… awkward. When I bowed along with her, Vanessa raised her head slightly and smiled mischievously.

She straightened up and held something out to me. It was a certificate of merit and a small trophy.

“The fundamental purpose of the ‘Night to Connect the Future’ is to help you all figure out what kind of future you want and how to get closer to it. I believe that Student Eloe’s brave actions have given many of you inspiration, and I was also deeply moved. I hereby present the Brave Student Award to Student Eloe, who protected our safety and our future. Please accept it, Student Eloe!”

“Huh? Oh, yes?”

I received the certificate and trophy that Vanessa had practically forced on me. Applause and cheers, even louder than before, rained down on me along with the stage lights.

What… what do I do? As I stood there, flustered and at a loss, my eyes landed on the student council president sitting in the front row.

I couldn’t help but see him because while every other student was applauding, the student council president was the only one with his arms crossed, glaring at me.

Seeing him made me feel calm. This was the guy who had rigged the votes to humiliate me.

I smiled broadly and held up the certificate and trophy for him to see.

His face was scrunched up like a used toothpaste tube. I felt so much better.