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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Yuzio
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The hallway stretched endlessly before them, showing no sign of ending.
What was even more unnerving was the fact that whenever they moved forward, explosions would erupt behind them, blocking their retreat.
It was as if the hallway itself was forbidding them from leaving, urging them to stay and die.
“…Professor, do you think this hallway has an end?” Charlotte asked nervously, her eyes darting around anxiously.
“Of course it has an end. But one thing’s for sure,”
Adrian replied confidently.
“What’s that?”
“As long as we don’t do anything stupid, this hallway won’t harm us. That much is certain now.”
Everyone’s gaze instantly shifted towards Isabel.
Ah, right.
There was one fool among them…
Isabel offered a sheepish smile.
“I-It was an accident! I had good intentions. As a student specializing in healing magic, I couldn’t resist.”
“And yet you were the first one to sprint ahead,” Michelle retorted sharply.
Isabel clamped her mouth shut, defeated.
Adrian discreetly glanced at the map, making sure it was hidden from the students.
Vivian had truly gone above and beyond.
He could tell their approximate location at a glance.
‘It’s like a maze…’
Of course, Rahel Academy hadn’t intentionally designed this space to be a maze.
They had simply created a series of hallways.
However, to reach their destination, as indicated on the map, simply following the hallways wasn’t enough.
They had to find a hidden path, like navigating a maze.
Thump, thump.
Adrian started walking, tapping on the walls of the hallway as he went.
“Professor, why are you doing that?”
“You all should do the same.”
Thump, thump.
They had no idea why, but they silently followed his instructions, tapping on the walls as they walked.
‘Didn’t he say no stupid actions?’ Michelle thought to herself.
What if they triggered another explosion?
But she had no choice but to follow.
She trusted Adrian implicitly, to the point where she would willingly strip naked if he told her to.
It wasn’t difficult, but not knowing the reason made it tiring.
Still, they persevered.
“Professor Adrian.”
Isabel called out to Adrian.
Everyone shot her a sharp glare.
Isabel waved her hands defensively.
“I-I’m not calling you for no reason!”
“…Anything you do is unsettling.”
“No, it’s not!”
Isabel was truly frustrated.
What had she done to deserve such distrust?
Unfortunately, she had a history of… impulsive actions.
Excitedly volunteering only to have her workload increased, excitedly volunteering only to get points deducted, excitedly volunteering only to have class extended…
And just moments ago, she had triggered an explosion.
“What is it?”
Adrian asked.
Isabel hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“I just tapped on the wall… and the sound is different here.”
“Hey!”
“Oh, come on!”
“Seriously! You again, Isabel?”
The other three immediately braced themselves to run again.
How had she become such a troublemaker?
Isabel felt tears welling up in her eyes.
“Good job.”
But Adrian’s reaction was unexpected.
He walked towards Isabel and pointed at the wall with his index finger.
“This wall? The sound is different here?”
“Uh… yes.”
Boom—!
As soon as Isabel answered, Adrian unleashed an explosion on the wall.
The wall crumbled, revealing another passage.
Invisible exclamation marks appeared above their heads.
“Let’s go.”
Adrian led the way.
The students followed behind him, their faces filled with relief.
‘As expected of the professor! Things must be going well!’
However, Adrian’s expression was grave.
As soon as they entered this new passage, he could sense a faint demonic presence.
Lepista’s Wand was located at the exit of this maze, so they had no choice but to follow this path.
‘But the presence is more dangerous than I anticipated…’
It was the scent of dragons.
And not just one or two, but a considerable number of them, like Maligos.
It seemed Regita wasn’t alone this time.
Dragons were inherently proud creatures, often preferring to act independently.
That’s why, in legends, only one dragon was found slumbering in a cave.
However, the fact that Regita had mobilized this many dragons meant she was serious this time.
‘I’m fine, but the students are a problem…’
He would protect them.
He had to.
His role here wasn’t Jekkiel, but Adrian.
He was a professor, and his duty was to protect his students, no matter what.
Adrian gritted his teeth and took another step forward.
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“Lady Regita…”
Neltarion cautiously gauged Regita’s mood.
“Would it be possible to… grant us a short break? Everyone is exhausted from digging through these walls without a map. They need to rest.”
“Fine.”
“……?”
She agreed so easily?
Neltarion flinched.
“Why?”
“Ah… nothing. I just didn’t expect you to be so… understanding.”
“Tell those who wish to die to rest. I have no reason to refuse them eternal slumber.”
“……”
He should have known better.
Neltarion glanced worriedly at the surrounding dragons.
They had demolished countless walls, yet each one only led to another dead end.
They had no idea where to go.
But he couldn’t suggest they explore each path systematically.
Not with Regita present.
Regita tapped her greatsword thoughtfully for a moment, then…
“Impatient fools.”
With that, she swung her greatsword.
Kwaaaaaaaa—!
A golden wave erupted from the blade, blasting through the wall.
It completely obliterated what was once a wall, creating a new path.
The deafening roar might have alerted their target, but she didn’t care.
In fact, that was part of the plan.
“This way.”
Regita pointed towards the newly created path.
‘Jekkiel.’
She could sense him in that direction.
The unmistakable aura of a high-ranking being was impossible to conceal.
What annoyed her was the fact that he wasn’t even trying to hide it.
It was an arrogant display, a blatant challenge.
‘Fine. I’ll come to you myself.’
She had to kill Jekkiel anyway to retrieve Lepista’s Wand.
Kwaaaaa—!
Regita continued to carve a path with her sword, her followers trailing behind.
Some of them were thinking, ‘Why didn’t she do this from the start?’ But none dared to voice their complaints.
As they walked, Neltarion suddenly asked, “Lady Regita.”
“What?”
“Why do you think Jekkiel is after Lepista’s Wand?”
Neltarion tilted his head.
“He seemed intent on protecting Christine at her coronation. Wouldn’t it be more beneficial for her if he didn’t touch the wand?”
“I don’t know.”
And that’s what’s so infuriating.
Regita let out a chuckle.
But Neltarion’s questions didn’t end there.
“I can’t understand his motives. Why would he risk a confrontation with you, when it contradicts his previous actions?”
“It is contradictory.”
“Ah, and I heard he’s disguised as a professor at the academy. Do you think he’s grown attached to humans? Maybe he wants to process Lepista’s Wand and give it to a human mage…”
“Do you really believe that’s possible?”
Silence hung in the air for a moment.
“…I suppose not.”
“Don’t try to understand his actions.”
“Pardon?”
“That bastard Jekkiel is more secretive than even that snake Vivian. He’s always been that way. Pretending to be loyal to the Demon King while plotting something for his fiancée… I’m sure he has a plan this time as well.”
Regita’s eyes gleamed with a newfound intensity.
“So all we have to do is get the wand and kill Jekkiel. Don’t try to understand him. We’ll never be able to comprehend his motives.”
Her words seemed dismissive, but they held a truth that couldn’t be ignored.
As Neltarion was about to apologize,
“…Found him.”
With those words, Regita swung her greatsword once more.
Kwaaaaaaaa—!
A powerful wave blasted through countless walls, carving a path with brute force.
After a long, winding journey, they reached a wide-open space.
It was the most inefficient yet effective way to reach their destination.
The dragons sniffed the air.
A strong scent of vampire permeated the space.
“Go. Catch him. Now.”
The dragons charged forward in unison.
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[WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR]
BIG FIGHT INCOMING