The Relentless Chase
“Hohwawa-?! When did such a wide clearing appear here?!”
“W-what is this? It’s almost like……?”
Inside the thicket Derke had discovered lay a vast clearing. Yet it was nothing like an ordinary one. There was an artificial, hollow feeling to it, as though someone had deliberately swept the entire area clean.
“Senior? These are definitely traces of battle! It looks like a fierce fight just took place!”
“That can’t be. B-Breeder, where could he be……?!”
The scene clashed violently with the surrounding dense trees and grass. Just as Raylin said, anyone could tell these were marks left by combat. Trees lay scattered and broken. The ground and rocks bore deep gouges from something sharp. Enormous boulders were riddled with cracks. Even patches of ice, utterly out of place in spring weather, glistened coldly.
“Hoh, could this just be Senior’s training ground, perhaps……?!”
Derke offered the desperate suggestion, unwilling to accept reality. Everyone’s faces darkened at the thought that Breeder might have been caught in something dangerous.
“Haah, unfortunately, that doesn’t seem to be the case.”
“Huh?! B-but……!”
Sofia answered Derke’s hypothesis with cool composure.
“Who else would come all the way out here on a weekend to train in such a remote spot except Raylin? And earlier, Derke, didn’t you say you could smell Breeder around here?”
“Heeek, that’s true, but……!”
“Hohwawa-? Then where on earth is Whitey……?”
Everyone scanned the surroundings in frantic worry, hoping to find any trace of Breeder.
“……”
Sofia silently bent down, studying the jet-black soil with intense focus. The earth looked tainted, almost corrupted. With a soft rustle, she scooped up a handful and let it scatter into the air.
“This is unmistakably demonic energy……”
“S-Senior?”
“The traces aren’t very old. And just as Derke said, I can faintly sense Breeder’s presence as well.”
Sofia murmured while gazing at the corrupted ground. Then her golden eyes flashed with sudden resolve.
“…We can’t afford to hesitate. Raylin?!”
“Yes, you called?”
“They probably haven’t gone far. From here on, I’ll take the lead, so follow me while carrying Derke.”
“Pardon? What do you mean by that……?”
“That’s right, Raylin.”
—Fwoosh……! Flap!
The moment Raylin finished speaking, golden wings burst from Sofia’s back. Massive membranes covered in golden scales spread wide, far more majestic and enormous than Raylin’s own.
“Time is of the essence, so follow me! I’ll protect my man with my own hands……!”
—Flap! Flap!
Pink membranes beat rapidly through the air, desperate and urgent. Even though she had caught an updraft, Sonya kept pushing the air with all her might, flying as though she couldn’t afford to slow down for even a second.
“Teacher? Are you all right……?!”
Even so, Sonya kept checking on Breeder, who clung to her right arm.
“I’m fine! So please focus on flying and don’t worry about me!”
“That’s right, Sonya! At this rate they’ll catch up! Can’t you go any faster……?!”
Eros chimed in at Breeder’s reply. Both girls gripped Sonya’s hands tightly, urging her to hurry. Everyone’s lives depended on her.
Breeder and Eros clung to Sonya’s hands like lifelines. While Breeder’s inability to fly was understandable, even Eros was relying on her despite possessing wings of her own. Her flight ability and wings were pitifully weak—those small, adorable wings resembling a lesser demon’s could barely lift her own body, let alone carry others.
In short, not every dragon was built for soaring through the skies.
—Twitch! Twitch!
Eros’s wings trembled faintly in the air.
‘Darn it all! If only I could fly freely through the sky……! Then I could be the one carrying Teacher Breeder! If I could, I’d hold him tight and tempt him with my chest—’
—Screeeeeeee……!
While Eros was grumbling about her unsatisfactory situation, a pitch-black circular object suddenly came flying from behind at terrifying speed.
“Hwaaaah?! I almost got hit by a magic bullet! Teacher, are you okay?!”
The black sphere-shaped projectile grazed between Breeder and Eros. At the same time, a few strands of Eros’s purple hair fluttered away in the wind. She had nearly been struck dead-on.
“Huu……! I’m fine too!”
The reason they were relying on Sonya was obvious.
「Kheheheheeeek-!!!」
A magical beast was hot on their tail. They had landed a solid hit earlier, but the still-inexperienced second-years simply weren’t strong enough. Even after several more fierce battles on the ground, they still couldn’t completely subdue the creature. Whether from lack of experience or sheer monstrous resilience, the beast had shrugged off Sonya and Eros’s attacks and continued its relentless pursuit.
“Sonya? It doesn’t matter where—just head for the academy and get help……!”
That was why they had no choice but to flee. Continuing the battle of attrition would be suicide.
“Right! If we stay like this we’ll get caught! Can’t you speed up a little more?!”
“Khh……! I’m doing my best! And even if Teacher Breeder isn’t the problem, your mace is slowing us down……!”
“What?! So now it’s my fault?!”
“No, that’s not what I meant……! You idiot! And while we’re on the subject, can’t you just drop the mace for now?!”
“No way! It was left to me by my late father!”
“I’m not saying throw it away forever! We can come back for it later when it’s safe!”
“I refuse! Absolutely not this one thing!”
Even now the two continued bickering. Every time they snapped at each other, their balance wavered and their speed dropped further.
“Ladies……?! This is not the time to argue! We really might get caught at this rate!”
Breeder shouted in frustration.
“But Sonya started it……!”
“When did I?! You’re the one who told me to leave that heavy lump of metal behind!”
“Haa……”
They might be old in years, but they were no different from children. Squabbling even in a situation like this. Thanks to them, he was starting to feel motion sick.
—Kiiiiiiing!
Thud……!!!
Even amid the chaos, the magical beast kept firing magic bullets while chasing them. For some reason, it pursued them with single-minded persistence, almost as though following someone’s orders.
—Fwoooosh!
One of the recently fired bullets tore Breeder’s shirt to shreds. Thanks to Sonya and Eros staggering during their argument, only the collar had been grazed—fortunately.
“Haah, Teacher……???”
“I’m all right. More importantly, Sonya?!”
“Y-yes?!”
“Shouldn’t we head down to the academy now and call for help? Why do I feel like we’re getting farther away from it instead?!”
Breeder was right. While fleeing had been the right call, for some reason they were flying in completely the wrong direction.
“I want to as well. But……! That beast keeps forcing us off course……!”
Sonya bit her lip and steadied herself. As she said, they had originally planned to return to the academy for reinforcements. But with the beast breathing down their necks, they couldn’t choose their own flight path. That was why they had been forced into this unwanted direction.
「Kyaooooooo━──!!!」
Meanwhile, the magical beast was deliberately herding them toward sparsely populated areas, like a predator driving its prey.
“Everyone, hold on tight! I’ll try to fly us somewhere as safe as possible……!”
After several minutes of being chased through the sky—
—Whooooooosh……!
A sudden, freezing gale swept over them.
“Huh? Is this snow……? How in this spring weather……?”
Just as Breeder’s bewildered reaction suggested, this was no ordinary wind. It was a blizzard mixed with tiny pellets of sleet. And for good reason……
“Sonya? This is the direction of the observation post, isn’t it? Why are we heading this way……?!”
“I-I don’t know! While we were being chased, I somehow ended up flying all the way here……!”
In their desperate flight, they had unintentionally reached the snowy mountains near the watchtower.
“…Ah?! A-actually, this might be perfect!”
“Sonya? Perfect? What do you mean?”
“Just like you said, if we go a little farther we’ll reach the observation post……! Let’s hide there for now! And with all this snow, I think we can manage something!”
“Sonya, don’t tell me……?”
Even entering a tiger’s den could be survived with a clear head. Sonya was turning this crisis into an opportunity.
“Yes! Teacher?! Could you hold on just a little longer? I’ll land right away……!!!”
—
“Huu……! We finally shook it off, huh?”
Originally, this was supposed to be a pleasant(?) shift together with Teacher Breeder. But the sudden appearance of the magical beast had ruined every plan. She had nearly gotten the teacher hurt as well.
‘Still, we should be safe here……!’
At least their luck wasn’t completely terrible. Though they had been driven here by the beast, the emergency landing spot wasn’t bad at all. Thanks to the raging blizzard and rugged terrain, they had managed to slip out of the creature’s sight—for now.
“Everyone, hurry inside……! We should be safe here for a while!”
Moreover, they even had a shelter to hide in. Leading everyone inside the watchtower located at the highest point of Valkyrie Island, Sonya concealed them within its walls.
‘I have to make sure the magical beast can’t approach any further……!’
After successfully shaking off their pursuer, the first thing Sonya did upon entering the watchtower was……
—Wuuuung……!
She deployed a barrier around the structure. First, she manipulated the frigid darkness to maximize her mana output, enveloping the entire watchtower in a fierce snowstorm. Even a magical beast born from Detronos’s power would struggle to pierce this icy barrier in one go.
“Fwaa……! With this, we can finally catch our breath.”
Was this what real combat felt like? She had been overconfident in her abilities all this time. She had thought someone of her level could handle a mere magical beast without much trouble……
“…S-Sonya?! Come here!”
“Huh? Eros, what’s wrong? Did something else happen?”
Just when she thought they could finally relax, Eros called out in an urgent voice. What on earth could have happened now? Even though they were roommates and closest friends, after everything that had occurred during their shift together, Sonya couldn’t help but worry that Eros had caused yet another incident.
The seniors had warned that the first shift would be the hardest, but reality far exceeded her imagination. If she had known things would turn out like this, she never would have asked Teacher Breeder for the favor.
“…T-Teacher Breeder’s condition is strange!”
The moment she finished stabilizing the barrier, a bolt-from-the-blue announcement reached her ears.
“What……? W-what do you mean all of a sudden?!”
“I don’t know the details either! It’s just……he collapsed the moment we entered the watchtower!”
“T-that can’t be……? He seemed perfectly fine until just a moment ago!”
“Anyway, come here quickly! Hurry……!”
“D-don’t tell me he got injured during the flight?!”