10
Chapter 10
[Someone here is quite impatient. Still a student—perhaps it's the youth? Far too hasty.]
At a gesture from the man who introduced himself as Reika, a figure in a black hood embroidered with light blue began casting a spell, attacking her in an instant.
[It looks like one guest has already departed.]
"Departed, my ass."
She burst through the smoke from the magical explosion, continuing her charge while dodging or batting away the subsequent spells.
[Ah, so you're not just any student. Estella Pendragon, the greatest genius of this generation. How interesting.]
A smirk played on his lips as he spoke.
At that moment.
From the floor.
From the ceiling.
From the walls.
From the void.
Countless magic circles manifested.
She shouted.
"Everyone, do your best to survive!"
'Charge now. We have to reach them before they can activate the Barrier, no matter what. That's the priority.'
She accelerated further.
I watched her ascend, radiating a brilliant light within the fracturing space.
***
"I assume the first stage was a success?"
The light was too blinding to tell if she'd reached the effective range. Even if she had...
"No, worrying about her is a complete waste of time."
First, I need to survive.
I looked around.
The heat was oppressive, as if it wanted to boil the blood in my veins.
Rivers of glowing red lava flowed nearby.
"Damn it, my luck is atrocious."
Of all places, I had to land in a hellhole like this.
I began to scan the horizon.
Even if the space had been fractured to isolate people, it couldn't possibly be split into as many pieces as there were individuals.
That meant there were inevitably others trapped in the same area as me.
In a life-or-death situation, teaming up with strangers is a gamble, but I couldn't survive this place alone. I had to find as many allies as possible.
Scanning the area, I spotted someone who was impossible to ignore.
A figure clad in silver armor, gripping a massive lance in one hand.
Seeing me, the figure began to approach.
I pulled my bow from the bag on my back.
"Stop right there. Identify yourself."
There was no way my arrow could pierce that armor, but I drew the bowstring anyway.
No one in the Order of Star Carving had been described as looking like that. They could be a new lackey or a Magic Beast mimicking a human; it was better to be safe.
Just as the gun that hasn't fired is the most fearsome, the opponent had no way of knowing if my arrow could pierce their armor.
Hearing those words, the armored man stopped in his tracks and spoke.
"I am not your enemy. I am also a freshman."
His voice was steady, almost mechanical.
The helmet caused the sound to echo, making it hard to discern the exact tone, but since he could speak normally, I was certain he wasn't a Magic Beast mimicking a human.
"Which department?"
"The Spirit Department."
I frowned slightly.
I had no memory of him, and if he was in the Spirit Department, there was a high probability he was someone who died at this point in the original story.
"Do you have any intention of taking off that helmet?"
"I have my reasons; I cannot remove this armor."
His words only served to fuel my suspicion.
"Look out!!"
In that instant, mana erupted from the armored man's body and converged into the right arm holding the lance.
With the mana gathered, he hurled the lance toward me.
Or rather...
Crunch—
He had thrown the lance at a Magic Beast attacking from behind me.
"Are you alright?"
The armored man approached me.
Having just experienced that, I no longer had any reason to doubt him and released the tension on my bowstring.
"Ahem, thank you."
I looked away, feeling embarrassed that I hadn't noticed the attack from behind despite being on high alert.
"It was nothing. It is only natural for a knight."
He responded as if it were no big deal.
"May I ask a question?"
"What is it?"
"You seem quite skilled, so why are you in the Spirit Department?"
The power he just showed was beyond the level of an average Spirit Department student. It was an attack that wouldn't have been out of place in the Close Combat Department.
And he had called himself a knight.
"I missed the Close Combat Department exam. By the time I arrived, time had run out."
I responded, sounding bewildered.
While I was still processing this, he stepped closer.
"By the way, could you give me a hand?"
"Are you injured?"
"No, I used up all my mana, even the part for temperature control, so I'm far too hot."
"Ah, I see."
I think I know what kind of guy he is. Serious, yet surprisingly clumsy.
"Also, you can speak casually to me."
"Uh, okay."
"I'm also in the Spirit Department, and my name is Lee Seo-ha. Let's introduce ourselves properly."
"I see, I'm Ki-h..."
"Ki? Ki-what?"
"Quixote. I am called Don Quixote."
"Alright, Quixote. Let's look for other people first. There must be others trapped here somewhere."
"As a knight, I cannot simply ignore those in distress."
If he really was a freshman at the Academy, there was a high chance he was one of the characters destined to die. A character with this personality and set of traits wouldn't have gone unnoticed if he were still alive.
Man, this armor is scorching.
It didn't take long before we encountered several living creatures.
And by creatures, I mean not humans.
"Pawn lieutenant-grade spotted ahead."
"I'll draw their attention with a preemptive strike, so ambush them once they're focused on me."
"Understood."
Unfortunately, cooperation wasn't exactly easy. He and I shared a synergy that could only be described as a complete disaster.
"How could you miss that?"
"What do you mean, how could *I* miss? You're the one who messed up!"
"Please stand still. I cannot thrust my lance freely for fear of piercing through you."
"If I stand still, I'll be chewed up by that maw instead of being pierced by your lance."
"Hmm, your accuracy is lower than those in the Shooting Department, but your movement shooting is far superior."
"Stop just watching and actually help me!"
"I challenge you to a duel!"
"You lunatic! Why are you challenging a Magic Beast to a duel?"
"Why on earth are you engaging in close combat while holding a bow?"
"Because it works."
"Please carry me. I'm so hot I feel dizzy."
"I told you to just take off the armor."
"What is this? Using yourself as a shield?"
"I didn't leave you behind, so just be grateful, you idiot."
On second thought, calling it a 'disastrous synergy' is an understatement. We're so bad at this that the concept of synergy itself would sue us for defamation.
The only saving grace was that we found someone who might actually be able to help us. Or so I thought.
"I see someone over there."
A girl with dusty, light purple hair greeted us.
"I'm from the Alchemy Department... I'm so sorry...! I didn't think I'd need anything for the entrance ceremony, so I didn't bring any finished products or materials..."
The realization that she wasn't actually helpful stripped away the small bit of comfort I had felt.
"It is alright. Young lady, you have endured well despite your situation."
"Right... it's okay..."
"Cheer up, Seo-ha. It is the duty of the strong to protect the weak."
"I'm not the strong one here."
To be honest, if it hadn't been for Quixote, I probably would have taken a couple of dangerous hits on the way here.
"Nonsense! Everyone possesses their own inner strength. You are plenty strong. I can see the eyes of a warrior."
"Warrior my foot. You're the one who killed most of the Magic Beasts we encountered."
"True, I did take down about eighty percent of the Magic Beasts. You are quite clumsy."
"It was seventy percent, not eighty! And I only missed because I was worried about hitting you; I'm the one who started most of the preemptive strikes!"
"Indeed. Even without barely infusing mana into your arrows, you've taken down thirty percent of the Magic Beasts. It proves you possess the strength to face them. So, have confidence!"
He spoke while giving my back a hearty pat.
"Ugh, what is this specific brand of annoyance?"
I felt like my pace was being completely thrown off.
The Alchemy Department student, who had been watching Quixote and me bicker, spoke up.
"But... why are you carrying him while he's still in his armor...?"
True. This armor-obsessive was still being hauled around by me.
"Because this idiot threw a fit, insisting he'd rather die than take it off."
"Seo-ha, how could a knight ever leave behind his armor and lance?"
"Coming from the guy who was just dying of heat, really?"
I dropped Quixote onto the ground as if tossing him.
"Would you like me to cool you down...? I can at least do that much..."
"You're actually useful!"
"Seo-ha, that was far too rude."
"It's okay..."
I accidentally spoke my inner thoughts out loud.
"But is this really okay...? I don't know how we're supposed to get back..."
"It'll be fine."
I trusted him.
***
"My apologies for meeting such nostalgic faces in this manner."
Light leaked through the gaps of his hood.
The professors could identify him by that light alone.
"I would like an explanation, Lumiere. Why are you here?"
One of only five Great Heroes in history, the Immortal, the Savior of the Third Continent.
"Indeed, it has been a while, Wilhelm. Did I not tell you back then? I would find a way to fulfill my wish."
"Yes, you said you wanted to die. Was a mass lynching the method you found?"
"Hahaha, I hope you won't waste your efforts trying to kill me."
Kim Hye-ra interrupted them.
"What happened to the students? I couldn't observe it closely, but it seemed to be a unique type of Barrier."
"Well, apparently he created an artificial place similar to the Demonic Realm and tossed them in to hunt. One student managed to rush out while I was strolling, but since it's a student and not a professor, it should be fine. I've stopped the professors who tried to follow."
"Then we have to go save them."
"That is impossible. While my chances of winning against everyone here may be near zero, hindering you from analyzing and dismantling that complex Barrier is quite easy. And don't think of breaking it by force; we haven't tested that method, so we have no idea what would happen to the students inside."
He continued speaking, oblivious to the darkening expressions of the professors.
"Don't be too sad. The plan is to kill about half of them, though it might be slightly more or less. Once half are gone, the Barrier will lift automatically. Besides, this year's freshman class is about three times larger than usual, isn't it? Even if half die, it's still more than..."
Suddenly, Lumiere lunged toward Nova, the Alchemy Department professor.
"You're unraveling it with your eyes. Your skills have improved since I last saw you, Nova. It's quite complex."
"There really is a senile old man here."
The attack on Nova was blocked, but his light grew even more brilliant, making it impossible to see even an inch ahead, let alone the Barrier.
"I truly regret that things turned out this way, but unfortunately, you all must stay here."
The Great Hero who had reclaimed the Third Continent alone now stood in their way.