Chapter 28
Translator: True Detective
Chapter 28: Crushed by the Disaster I Brought Upon Myself (8)
“Mr. Ethan?”
“.....The door is locked.”
“Yes!?”
Rattle rattle.
I tried a few more times to open the door, but the lecture room door didn't budge.
However, this door couldn't be easily locked because the lecture room door wasn't the type to push and pull but the type to slide sideways.
Unless the locking mechanism was broken, it couldn't be locked like this, but the problem was that we never locked the door separately.
The Saintess also tried opening the door a few times, but naturally, the result wouldn't change just because she opened it.
“Let's go out through the window.”
There is an option to break the door, but I pushed that to a lower priority.
If there is no other way, we have no choice but to break the door, but the act of breaking itself would cause a disturbance, and being locked in an empty lecture room alone with the Saintess was sufficient material to spread unnecessary rumors.
Already there are bizarre rumors circulating from discord between the Saintess and me to love triangles and what not, and I didn't want to add fuel to that.
So the next best option chosen was the window.
Although this is the 3rd floor, neither the Saintess nor I were at a level to get hurt by falling from the 3rd floor.
Tung tung-
But unfortunately, the next best option was also blocked.
“There is something like a membrane.”
“....It seems to be a barrier.”
Because when we tried to reach out the window, something like a transparent membrane blocked our escape.
“It's strange. What could be the reason a barrier is cast here?”
“That is what I'm saying. It's not like the Magic Department holds classes in this building...”
The buildings used by the Knight Department and the Magic Department were entirely different.
Students with double majors like Senior Luciela or Magic Department students taking liberal arts subjects in the Knight Department side could come this way, but what reason would such people have to cast this kind of barrier.
“Let's examine the lecture room once for now.”
“Yes.”
We looked around the lecture room quickly once.
Then we discovered a magic tool blatantly on the lectern.
“It seems this is the cause.”
“I think so too.”
A cube-shaped magic tool shining brightly as if signifying an activated state.
I don't know why this is here, but it seemed correct that this cube was the cause of the current matter.
However, if there is a problem…
“Mr. Ethan, do you know how to handle magic tools?”
“I do not know. What about Alicia?”
“I am also not good with magic..”
I was a pure martial artist and Alicia was a figure close to a Holy Knight, so we had zero knowledge about magic tools.
We knew how to use household magic tools, but we had zero understanding of other magic tools.
I thought about just breaking it, but since I don't know whose it is or its value, I decided to think a little more.
If it really doesn't work, couldn't we just break the door or this magic tool and escape?
If the Saintess and I project firepower with full strength, it won't be impossible.
I grabbed the magic tool for now.
Perhaps because it was cube-shaped, the magic tool fit right in one hand.
As a result of turning it this way and that, there were no separate buttons or anything, and having 3x3 type faces was exactly a Rubik's Cube.
“Shall we try turning it?”
“Let's try anything!”
Since I obtained the Saintess's consent, I turned the cube without hesitation.
“....It doesn't turn.”
It wasn't stiff either.
As if it were just a hexahedron only having the shape of a cube, the magic tool had no intention of turning.
“I'll try it once!”
Alicia also tried once, but the result wasn't different.
“Ugh…! It doesn't work…”
Her returning the cube regretfully. Suddenly thinking wouldn't it work if I infused mana since it's a magic tool, I tried infusing mana while holding the cube.
“....This isn't it either.”
Seeing there was no particular reaction, it seemed we had to operate it in some designated way.
But since there was no manual either, we, who had zero knowledge about magic tools, couldn't find the answer.
“Can't be helped. Let's break the door.”
“Yes?!”
“Wouldn't it be better to break the door than break the magic tool? It's not our fault either, so we won't be held responsible.”
“Th.. That is true but.”
It seemed our kind Saintess felt guilty about the act of breaking the door, so I helped her step up voluntarily.
“Think about it carefully. Even if we stay still here, someone will feel strangeness and come to help. But when they pierce the barrier and open the lecture room door, it's just the two of us alone in the empty lecture room.”
“Hik…!? A… Alone…?”
Alicia hearing my words suddenly started to distance herself from me as if realizing something.
Her glancing at me while stepping back hesitantly.
Just what is she thinking to show such a reaction.
To reassure her, I kindly sent a look full of contempt.
“I'm sooorry…!”
Alicia, who had become tamed to being pressured by my gaze all this while, reacted immediately.
“Rumors about the relationship between Alicia and me are circulating recently, and I don't really want to sprinkle more bait here. Breaking the door, will you help me?”
“Yes…!”
Her running to my side hurriedly.
We lifted our respective weapons.
Since it's breaking a barrier, I drew up Aura and Alicia drew up divine power.
“I will break it on the count of three.”
“Yes.”
“One, two, three!”
Kwang-!
Two weapons struck the lecture room door like a battering ram.
But unexpectedly, the barrier withstood our attacks.
“One more time.”
“Yes.”
Kwang-!
A barrier that didn't even scratch even when hit twice.
“Tsk…. This is really hard.”
“Indeed. To be this extent even when hit with full power…”
Currently, my realm is about mid-level Aura User, and the Saintess holding the Holy Sword is also at a similar level to me.
We only get crushed by Professor Kell, but probably possess skills to easily beat even up to the lower-middle ranks among 3rd and 4th-year seniors.
It's because this generation is a Golden Generation artificially created by warlocks; getting called a genius just by becoming a low-level Aura User around age 20 is common sense in this continent.
Professor Kell, who rolled in the battlefield, didn't take charge of 1st-year subjects for nothing.
But this barrier blocked the attacks the two of us hit with full power as if it were nothing.
It seemed this was an object designed so even high-year seniors couldn't break it.
“Mr. Ethan, what do we do about this?”
“Try a few more times, and if it doesn't work, we have to give up, well.”
“Yes?”
“Because if about a few hours pass, someone will feel strangeness and come.”
I have a lecture to listen to from Master in 30 minutes, and if the Saintess also disappears suddenly, there are many people who will look for her.
If they start looking for us, since Kairin knows our location, we will be rescued soon.
However, if many people flock, as worried earlier, seeing us alone in the empty lecture room, they will chatter this and that, so that was a bit annoying.
Afterward, we tried attacking diverse places including the lecture room door, other walls, and windows, but there were no particular results.
Lastly, we attacked the cube, but this was likewise the same.
Eventually, we ended up in a situation where we had to wait quietly in the lecture room.
An empty lecture room.
A situation where there is no worry of anyone entering and we have to stay alone together for a while.
Alicia felt like she would go crazy because she was too conscious of this situation.
She was someone who avoided Ethan continuously due to the disgraceful behavior shown a week ago.
Just seeing his face made her face flush and memories of crying in Ethan's arms came up.
Simultaneously, even his warm voice understanding her and comforting her saying it's okay….
Ah, I recalled it.
“Heueut…!”
“Are you sick anywhere?”
“No!”
Ethan reacted to the voice that popped out without her knowing.
Somehow feeling more ashamed of the current situation, she shook her head vigorously emphasizing it's nothing.
Ethan looked at such a Saintess as if strange but moved on thinking so be it.
‘Why am I like this…’
Recently, Alicia had been continuously in this situation.
Even while doing other things, the image of Ethan comforting her kept coming up, and her body trembled just by hearing his voice.
Just how severe this is, a week has passed but there were no signs of getting better at all.
Since Alicia had never been like this until now, she didn't know what to do and could only choose to avoid Ethan.
Seeing this appearance, surroundings wondered what the situation was, but to confess to someone, she had to explain even being held in Ethan's arms, so it was a situation she couldn't dare speak of.
Ethan who understood her came up as the last option but…
‘Absolutely not…!’
Explaining her situation to Ethan, the person causing this embarrassment, was truly an impossible thing.
Eventually, the only thing she could choose was to suffer alone thinking it would get better someday.
Has about 30 minutes passed spending time in the lecture room conscious of Ethan like that?
Before she knew it, Alicia's face had become bright red.
Just how much that was, even Ethan who thought it must be because she was shy wondered if this was a bit too much.
“Alicia, are you sick anywhere?”
Ethan's worried voice.
Although Alicia felt grateful for his worry, the reason her face became bright red was entirely because of him.
Unable to dare say her face became red because she was shy, Alicia shook her head and denied.
“No, I'm fine.”
“Your face is too red. Do you have a fever or something?”
“I am really fine...!”
She explained even using hand gestures to reassure him, but Ethan thought Alicia was lying because she didn't want to make him worry.
“Then let's at least measure your fever.”
“Eut.... I'm really fine though...”
Since Alicia had no justification to persuade the worrying Ethan, she yielded a step thinking it would get a bit better if temperature was measured.
Ethan placing his hand on her forehead obtaining the Saintess's consent.
It was then.
Kwang-! Kwang-! Kwang-!
Kwajijik-!
“Eut!?”
“What...!”
The two people were startled by the tremendous roar starting to be heard from outside the lecture room.
Immediately after, the lecture room door flying away entirely along with the sound of the barrier breaking.
“Disciple! To skip class, have you lost your mind!”
Simultaneously, what was heard was the voice of Ethan's master.
“............”
“............”
“............”
“............”
Master kicking the lecture room and entering, and Kairin following behind.
What they saw was the appearance of the two people sticking right next to each other.
“....It seems the timing is not good.”
“Hum hum... Disciple, if there was such a circumstance, you should have at least told me.”
Rattle...
The master, becoming awkward, brought the lecture room door he blew away with speed like lightning, fitted it back, and left the lecture room with Kairin.
In the lecture room where the storm passed, only the sound of the lecture room door closing smoothly was heard.