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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Yuziro
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“Oh?”
“Wow.”
After who knows how long, they finally reached the end of the hallway.
The group looked around with astonished eyes.
‘It’s huge… incredibly spacious.’
That was Isabel’s succinct impression.
Spread out before them was a wide-open plaza.
It was strangely bright despite its size.
At the same time…
Click.
The moment Isabel stepped onto the ground, the floor caved in as if she had pressed a button.
The hallway behind them collapsed with a rumble, sealing their retreat.
Still, no one blamed Isabel.
They had all come to accept that this sort of thing was inevitable when they were with her.
‘It doesn’t really matter that the path behind us is blocked.’
The magic circle leading back outside would activate as soon as they obtained Lepista’s Wand anyway.
The only disconcerting thing was that they could now only move forward, meaning they would soon encounter the dragonkin.
No, it seemed they had already encountered them.
An indescribable bloodlust emanated from the opposite side of the plaza.
Unrestrained ambition and murderous intent, the hallmarks of the dragonkin, were palpable.
It wasn’t long before several dragonkin darted out from the passage across from them.
The dragonkin stopped, facing Adrian and his students.
“What…?”
“Dr-Dragons…?”
The faces of the girls and the boy stiffened.
‘Bloodlust.’
It was raw and unrefined, and the students could feel its full force.
Standing in the center was a crimson dragonkin. He frowned as he noticed the academy students next to Adrian.
He didn’t seem angry, just confused.
“Humans… what are they doing here?”
The situation was different from when it was just Adrian.
‘Don’t act alone.’ Neltarion subtly turned his head towards Regita and asked,
“What about the rest of them?”
Just then, the tallest dragonkin of them all made his presence known.
With proudly erect horns, shining golden hair, black eyes, and golden pupils shaped like crosses…
It was Regita.
Even the clueless students could tell that this dragonkin was the highest-ranking one present.
Regita tapped a finger against her forehead for a moment.
She glanced at Adrian, then at the human children, then back at Adrian, then back at the human children.
Then, she let out a small laugh.
“Kill the rest.”
With those words, Regita casually stabbed her greatsword into the ground and sat down cross-legged as if to watch the spectacle unfold.
The decision now rested solely with Neltarion.
Eliminating the human mages wouldn’t be difficult. But it would be a different story if Jekkiel was protecting them.
Should he test the waters by sending one of his subordinates first?
He quickly abandoned that thought, remembering Maligos.
Letting his guard down would be foolish.
‘There’s only one way.’
“We all attack at once.”
Neltarion prided himself on being perceptive. It was the reason he had survived for so long under Regita.
Jekkiel was not someone to be underestimated.
A scared dog might bark incessantly, but Jekkiel’s demeanor was completely different.
He was unnaturally calm. He was even suppressing his dark magic.
There had to be a reason for his composure. He must have been in this situation countless times before.
“What are you waiting for?”
Regita’s question snapped Neltarion back to reality.
He had been lost in thought, overwhelmed by the tension. The fear of being disposed of by either Jekkiel or Regita was getting to him.
“I’ll take the lead.”
The other dragonkin nodded at Neltarion’s declaration.
The students’ eyes widened as they listened to the conversation.
“Wh-What’s going on? Are they really going to attack us all at once?”
“Seems like it…”
“Charlotte, Charlotte, are you okay?”
Charlotte was trembling.
She was rendered speechless, unable to even express the depths of her hatred for the dragonkin.
This wasn’t rational anger stemming from careful consideration; it was primal rage, etched into her very being.
“Like I said, you guys just focus on staying alive.”
His words, spoken with such composure in this dire situation, strangely reassured them.
‘He’s completely unfazed.’
Even in this predicament, Adrian’s expression remained unchanged.
The students couldn’t tell if he was genuinely confident or simply putting on a brave face for their sake.
However, one thing was certain: he was trying to appear strong to protect them.
One by one, the dragonkin slowly closed in.
Adrian calmly assessed his opponents’ strength.
He had briefly considered provoking their pride and trying to engage them in one-on-one duels. However, the more he interacted with them, the higher the chance of his true identity being exposed.
He couldn’t blame them for their tactics. They were being perfectly rational, prioritizing their goal of obtaining Lepista’s Wand.
This wasn’t a duel bound by rules and honor; it was a free-for-all, a desperate struggle for survival.
Should he make the first move, or wait for an opportunity to counter?
He was torn.
“…?”
Meanwhile, the dragonkin that were closing in on them suddenly stopped, their eyes widening.
“Taking down our opponents is a form of defense, don’t you think?”
Someone had confidently stepped forward and positioned themselves next to Adrian. In fact, they weren’t even next to him anymore; they were standing in front of him.
All eyes were now on the girl.
Michelle Meinens.
The daughter of the renowned telekinetic family stood proudly before Adrian, a confident smile on her face.
Adrian grimaced.
There was a time and place for everything, and this was not the time for her to be stepping forward.
“Go back to your position, Michelle.”
“This is my position.”
Woosh—
A green aura began to emanate from the telekinetic girl.
“It would be great if you guys died so I wouldn’t get penalized, but then I realized it would be a shame if you didn’t get to see me get promoted. That’s why…”
Should he restrain her by force?
That thought was immediately interrupted by a small presence pressing against his back. It was Charlotte.
“You told us to run if we saw demons… but I think we need to break that rule this time. I’m scared of disappointing you, Professor… But I’m even more scared of watching you face danger alone.”
Her back was trembling. If it weren’t for Adrian’s support, she probably wouldn’t even be able to stand.
And yet, she stood her ground.
“…Well, I don’t know if we’ll survive this,” Lotten said, squeezing between Adrian and Charlotte. She sniffed the air, scanning their surroundings. “I don’t want to be known as the one who just stood there and watched.”
“Me neither. I want to make up for touching the torch!” Isabel chimed in.
“And stepping on the wrong tile!”
“And always being the slowest eater!”
“…”
Isabel clamped her mouth shut. They were truly awful.
Regardless, he couldn’t praise them for their recklessness. He had to remain firm if he wanted to protect them.
“Consider yourselves grains of sand. Stay put, and I’ll shield you.”
“We don’t need your protection.”
To his surprise, it wasn’t Michelle who spoke, but Charlotte.
“Professor, I want to be a student you can be proud of. I want to be someone you can rely on, not just someone who survives by your side.”
The girl continued in a steady voice.
“I believe in you, Professor Adrian. But… I realized I’ve been relying on you too much. If this continues… I’ll forever be clinging to you, running away from every danger… That’s why…”
She swallowed nervously before declaring,
“…I think it’s time to break that rule.”
He couldn’t deny their determination, but their opponents were far too strong.
“There will be other opportunities. You can step up then.”
“But Professor…”
Michelle cut him off, turning her head to survey their surroundings.
“Well, have we ever listened to you?”
Her casual defiance brought a smile to Adrian’s face.
In the end, he couldn’t bring himself to break their spirits. He knew how stubborn they could be.
“Just like last time. I’ll focus on attacking, Charlotte and Lotten on defense – Isabel—”
“I know, I know!”
Had they finally learned to work together?
“Oh my.”
Regita’s eyes gleamed.
She felt as if she had stumbled upon something far more fascinating than Lepista’s Wand. Something intangible, yet radiant.
“You’re all getting point deductions. Massive ones.”
Point deductions. The threat no longer held any weight.
“You too, Professor. Trying to handle this all by yourself.”
“What? We can deduct points from the Professor?”
“I don’t know, idiot. Maybe?”
“Yay! Professor Adrian’s getting points deducted!”
Michelle and Isabel were chatting as if they weren’t surrounded by enemies.
And with that, they took their positions.
“Let’s go! Let’s get Professor Adrian deducted!”
“Charge!”
Adrian quickly circulated his mana, converting most of it into a defensive form to protect his students.
As he enveloped them in shields, he couldn’t help but mutter to himself, almost delirious:
Look at them, Christine.
They’re still lacking… so much…
But these kids… they’ll create the world we dreamed of.
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[Dragons? In this part of tay and lcated entirely withing this tunnel?]
