Academy Assembly: The Devil's Tactical Strike
Rai and Leila stepped into the temporary conference room set up in one of the academy's auxiliary halls.
Inside, people who had clearly stayed up all night filled the space, their faces etched with exhaustion they could no longer hide.
Bright, who had remained behind to defend the academy, sipped his tea listlessly, his usual dignified posture now limp and defeated.
Albert and the other instructors showed similar signs of fatigue, the weight of sleepless nights pressing heavily on them all.
The younger academy staff members like Dudley and Hana, who had also pulled an all-nighter, still looked surprisingly alert. Youth, it seemed, could not be beaten by experience alone.
Even the most veteran elites, no matter how battle-hardened, found their greatest weakness was raw physical endurance when the sun went down.
"Oh! Instructor Rai! You took down that Death Knight, didn't you?! You're truly amazing, as always!"
Paul, the fundamentals combat instructor with his long white beard and towering muscles, greeted Rai with the most energetic smile among all the teachers.
Rai, who normally grumbled about training talk, forced a awkward smile and nodded.
"This is Laurence, the mayor of Legandia, and this is Guard Captain Kelly."
Headmistress Celenas introduced them with her usual alluring tone.
Laurence rose from his seat and took Rai's hand with both of his own.
"Thank you for slaying the Death Knight. Thanks to you, our citizens are safe."
His eyes glistened with gratitude.
Short and chubby, with an oval-shaped body that gave him a curiously cute appearance despite his middle-aged frame, Laurence looked like someone who could easily be used by Celenas.
In reality, the real power in Legandia belonged almost entirely to the academy head, and the mayor was little more than a figurehead.
Rai looked down at the rabbit-like, squinting eyes and petite form of Laurence, suppressing a bitter smile.
"In the end, I still lost him."
"No! We witnessed the brilliant flare of the Light Dragon's Roar! It was as majestic as a dragon taking flight! Even during tactical training, I thought you were extraordinary, but yesterday was truly shocking. I can't imagine how much damage we would have suffered without you."
At the mention of "Light Dragon's Roar," Rai briefly wondered what it meant before realizing it was simply a swarm of magic bullets.
Just a simple barrage of magic missiles, yet these people praised it as if it were the most poetic feat imaginable.
He nodded awkwardly.
"I'm Guard Captain Kelly. I represent the city's guards and offer our respect."
"Ah, no need for that. Anyone could do it. Hey—"
When two people treated him like a true hero, Rai responded with his usual sarcastic flair.
Bright's brow furrowed slightly at the lack of modesty, but fatigue had dulled his senses, and he simply kept sipping his tea.
Instead, Albert stared intently at Rai.
His expression gave nothing away, and it was clear he was hiding his true feelings.
The very instructor who had challenged Rai the day before had witnessed thousands of magic bullets erupting into the sky and been left speechless by the absurd mana capacity.
"Um... have we met before? Your face looks so familiar..."
"Probably during tactical training? Or maybe I pass through the city often, so our paths cross sometimes."
Leila tilted her head, studying Rai's face closely as he quickly offered an excuse.
When they had met previously, he had been disguised as a woman, so there was no way she would recognize him. But if she did... that would be a disaster.
"Since introductions are out of the way, let's proceed to the situation."
With Celenas's order, everyone took their seats around the table.
Leila began by recounting the events of the previous night and explaining about the Black Knight.
"How on earth did he master horse riding? What kind of brutal training did he endure in life?"
Paul nodded in admiration, muttering to himself, but no one paid it any mind.
"From now on, we'll secure all the horses at Legandia until we deal with the Death Knight. A horse-less Death Knight is far weaker than people think."
"Do you think we can really trust that report?"
One instructor eyed Rai skeptically.
Despite Rai having proven his strength repeatedly, there were still instructors who refused to accept reality and dismissed or belittled his power.
"If you don't believe it, try fighting him yourself."
"... ... What did you just say?"
Rai, who usually ignored backhanded compliments or insults, had reached his limit due to the accumulated fatigue from battling the Black Knight all night.
When an instructor from behind continued his mocking, Rai's nerves snapped.
"Hey, ease up. Is this the time for a verbal fight? Idiot? If you don't believe me, I'll make you believe."
His usual carefree tone turned into a killing glare, and the instructor's face paled.
"You're tougher than I expected."
Laurence whispered to Kelly, but she ignored him completely.
"Let's continue. Any irrelevant comments will be ignored."
Leila spoke calmly, unfazed, and went on to explain.
"When the Death Knight appears, we'll deploy barriers to separate the roads and buildings, just like Instructor Rai did yesterday. Pure mages from Legandia have already begun the work. Those with the strength to face the Death Knight will join the reserve, while most patrols will be handled by the guards and the adventurer's guild."
After her explanation, she asked if there were any questions.
Rai raised his hand.
"Mind if I suggest Plan B?"
"Please go ahead."
Leila, who always spoke formally in this formal setting, gave her permission.
Rai found her attitude amusing and smiled faintly.
"You said you'd isolate the horses, right? What if that guy shows up riding one? I still haven't found the horse the headmistress gave me."
"Even if it means risking city damage..."
His words were polite, but his eyes were sharp, urging her to get to the point quickly.
Leila's furious glare satisfied Rai, who turned to Celenas.
"Can the academy's teleportation magic send anyone anywhere?"
"As long as we know the location, we can teleport most targets inside the academy."
"Ah, so that's what was embedded in the bracelet."
Rai remembered the strange mark on the bracelet given during last year's march training, used to detect mana overuse. He nodded in understanding.
Celenas let out a bitter smile at Rai's ability to grasp situations instantly.
"Then if he rides a horse, we'll bring him to the academy."
"You want to invite the Death Knight inside the academy?"
The academy's outer wall, empowered by ancient ruins, was essentially another fortress that blocked all intruders.
During emergencies, if Legandia's walls were breached, there was even a plan to shelter the city's citizens inside the academy. It was an excellent defensive structure.
Yet Rai was suggesting they open the gates.
"Yes. Send both of us to the Immutable Forest. It's better for the forest to be damaged than the city."
The people in the room fell into quiet deliberation.
Bringing a dangerous Black Knight into the academy, which housed students, was risky, but Rai's logic held weight.
"That can only happen if Instructor Rai is certain he'll defeat the Death Knight."
Albert offered his opinion quietly.
Rai's eyes widened in surprise.
"Why? You think I can't win? And why only me? There are confident instructors here, and plenty of excellent people. We could just bundle him up and have a free-for-all."
That made sense.
Leila had been gathering reserves to face the Black Knight, yet the people in the room assumed a one-on-one duel between Rai and the knight.
The instructor who had tested Rai earlier now shrank back when pointed at, glancing nervously around the room.
Leila, who had never included inexperienced instructors in her reserves, looked at the tense man with disdain.
"I think it's a good plan. If we pour all our forces into one location without dividing reserves, the damage will be minimized. However, the headmistress must make the final decision."
Attracting the enemy into the academy's final stronghold.
There were many merits, but if the Black Knight rampaged and entered the academy grounds, students could get hurt.
Rejecting the plan to protect the students would mean sacrificing the citizens.
While Celenas hesitated over the impossible proposal, Bright spoke up, still clutching his tea.
"Headmistress, follow Instructor Rai's suggestion. It's an excellent idea."
It was oddly out of character for Bright, who always thought of the students first.
He had clearly made up his mind. He set down his cup and met Celenas's gaze with determined eyes.
"I'll cast and maintain the barrier at the teleportation site. Although I'll be excluded from the reserve, I'll protect it with my life."
"No, you don't need to risk your life."
Rai offered softly, but Bright ignored him and continued staring at Celenas.
Celenas, meeting his resolute eyes, smiled faintly and nodded.
"Very well. Then we'll entrust it to Vice Principal Bright. When the Death Knight appears riding a horse, we'll follow Instructor Rai's plan and lure it to the Immutable Forest."
With Celenas's approval, the plan against the Death Knight was finalized.
Now the issue was the undead that had appeared inside the academy.
Albert explained for Rai and Leila, who didn't know the full story.
The summary was simple.
Students forcibly summoned to the academy because of the danger had sneaked out in frustration.
They couldn't leave the academy grounds, but headed toward the Immutable Forest, where rumors of unicorns had spread.
Hoping for a stroll and a little adventure, they discovered something strange on the forest's edge.
Expecting a unicorn, they approached the silhouette between dense trees.
When moonlight pierced the leaves, it revealed decaying flesh, worn clothes, and gray bones between the rotting flesh—surprisingly intact.
Students drew their weapons and attacked, but the creature disappeared into the darkness without fighting back.
They pursued, but it vanished into the dark forest.
"It's undead, but we don't know its true nature."
Leila's words made Celenas nod.
"The darkness made it hard to identify. It moves on four legs and is extremely fast. That's all we know. But the bigger issue is that undead have appeared inside the academy."
An undead creature inside an academy protected by ancient ruins.
The academy had every combat-related course except necromancy.
Social norms prevented teaching necromancy openly, and the ruins' power prevented using it inside.
Yet undead had appeared.
If it came from outside, it meant the academy's defenses had been breached.
A Death Knight had breached the walls. Undead had breached the academy itself.
It was an unbelievable situation. Even if the problem was solved, Legandia would have an unknown weakness that had to be investigated.
"Staff and instructors searched for traces, but nothing was found. Every student who went into the forest gave the same description, so it's not a mistake. This is actually fortunate—the undead might be only one creature, or their numbers are small enough not to leave many traces."
Small numbers were a relief. Without beings like the Death Knight, undead were most dangerous due to endless numbers.
Still, the presence of undead was unsettling.
The Immutable Forest was vast enough for march and tactical training, making searches difficult.
They might even be connected—the Black Knight and the unknown undead.
Not "might be," but "definitely are." Only confirmation was missing.
"So we just need to handle both of them inside the academy?"
Rai summarized simply.
There was much to consider, but the immediate problem could be solved as he said.
After outlining several plans to deal with the undead inside the academy, the meeting ended.
When Rai emerged from the conference room, he let out a massive yawn and approached Leila.
"Busy?"
"Coordinating with the guards, searching routes, dealing with the Death Knight..."
"I see. Got it. Then I'll go alone."
Before she could continue her long explanation, Rai cut her off and waved his hand.
Leila closed and opened her mouth again.
"Where are you going?"
"Looking for a horse that doesn't even recognize its own master."
"You know where it is?"
"If I find the Black Horse, I'll find the Black Knight."
"I'll put anti-theft magic on it, so its location is vague."
"Don't take the knights with you."
"No, no. I'm not going now. I'm going to sleep."
Leila's eyebrows furrowed at his calm statement during an urgent situation.
"Everything has its timing. When is the undead at its weakest?"
Rai pointed toward the sky with his fingers.
The weakness of undead tied to darkness was the sun.
Leila quickly understood.
Rai continued.
"At three hours past noon, when the sun is at its highest, we'll raid its hideout. Until then, you should rest too. You're tired."
Rai headed home with those words.
Leila watched him with quiet admiration, promising to return in three hours before heading to the guard captain.