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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Yuziro
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As the sun dipped below the horizon and darkness descended, the remaining students sought sleep in their own ways.
Some time later, blue lights erupted across the island, signaling the transport of those who had chosen to forfeit the exam to the central safe zone.
“It’s begun again,” Cain remarked, watching the steady influx of students. “The first night’s hurdle…” He shook his head.
Hines stroked his beard. “Camping is never easy, especially for mages who rarely have the occasion.”
For students, mostly from noble families, camping was an unfamiliar hardship. Sleeping on the hard, uneven ground, enduring the pitch-black darkness until sunrise – it wasn’t easy for anyone.
“But they should have been prepared,” Cain said. “They must have heard about this from older students.”
Hines sighed.
“This might sound a bit old-fashioned, but it comes down to a lack of mental fortitude. Those who lost in combat can look forward to another chance. But those who gave up out of fear… they’ll struggle to achieve greatness.”
Cain nodded. To reach the heights of a Grand Mage or a Master, one couldn’t afford to surrender. A broken spirit was difficult to mend.
“More importantly… has your sense of danger changed?” Hines asked.
“Yes. It’s slowly… increasing,”
Cain replied. Like paper absorbing water, his ‘Danger Sense’ continued to send warnings.
A feeling of tightening dread brought a cold sweat to his brow.
“Perhaps I should have heeded your words, even if it seemed drastic…”
“No, Headmaster. Your judgment was sound.” If the situation had been truly dire, Cain would have been more insistent. “In any case, all we can do now is wait for sunrise.”
Just then, someone materialized before them.
“Ugh…” The man groaned, collapsing as soon as he arrived.
Hines recognized him and exclaimed in shock. It wasn’t a student, but a professor. “Professor Slane! What happened?!”
His clothes were torn, as if attacked by a beast. Wounds and blood were visible through the rips. The fact that a professor, not a student, was injured sent a chill down Hines’s spine.
“D-danger…” Slane stammered.
“Just hold on. I’ll cast a healing spell.” It wouldn’t be as effective as a priest’s divine magic, but it should stop the bleeding.
While Hines prepared the spell, Cain hastily poured a potion onto Slane’s wounds.
Hiss…
“Ugh…!” An ominous smoke rose as the potion touched the wounds. Seeing the injuries resist healing, Cain’s jaw tightened. “Magi…! A heretic is here.”
Magi-inflicted wounds were notoriously difficult to heal, rendering potions less effective and most healing magic useless.
Hines grimaced, witnessing the Magi repel his magic.
“Drink this. It’s not fatal,” Cain said calmly, examining the wounds. He poured several more potions, forcing them to take effect. Finally, the bleeding stopped.
Once Slane’s breathing stabilized, Hines asked, “What happened?”
“Magical beasts… They appeared. Individually, they were mid-rank or lower, but their numbers…”
A mid-rank magical beast shouldn’t have injured Slane so badly. Just how many were there? Hines’s face hardened as he raised his staff.
“I’ll dispel the transcendental spell.”
“No! You can’t!” Cain grabbed the staff.
Hines’s eyes widened at the forceful grip. “Do you intend to let the students die?!”
Maintaining the
consumed a tremendous amount of magic, even for a Grand Mage like Hines.
It left him significantly weakened.
Against an unknown enemy, every ounce of magic was precious.
“Even if you regain your magic by dispelling it, it will be the same! Don’t you see? That’s what they’re waiting for!” Cain argued.
Dispelling the spell would allow external enemies to enter. Leaving it active would delay rescuing the students. Faced with this terrible dilemma, Hines’s beard trembled.
Cain released the staff. “Fortunately, the island’s protective magic is still functioning. I’ll go and investigate. Headmaster, please secure this area.”
“That’s too dangerous for you.”
“I’ll be fine. Unless it’s an Archbishop, I can handle them.” Even if it was an Archbishop, he could escape. Cain thumped his chest confidently.
Knowing it was bravado, Hines couldn’t stop him. “Be careful.”
“Don’t worry. The sun will rise in a few hours. We just need to hold out a little longer.”
Cain bowed his head and sprinted towards the forest. As his figure disappeared, Hines looked up at the sky.
“May… the gods be with us.” Countless stars twinkled in the dark night sky.
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Phew…
The bonfire crackled cheerfully. Amy slept soundly, nestled close to me in Taxi’s warm fur. I was lost in thought when I sensed it.
“This is… troublesome.”
Magical beasts were approaching.
My extended senses, stretched out to protect Amy, had given me early warning. They hadn’t noticed us yet. If they had, they would be charging towards us.
“What to do…” I needed to decide quickly, before they got closer.
“It’s a pain, but we should move… Hmm?”
I sensed someone fighting the magical beasts. A professor? A student? Either way, joining forces was the best course of action.
“Wake up, Amy.”
Amy stirred, blinking sleepily. I pulled her out of the sleeping bag without explanation and hoisted her onto Taxi’s back.
“Professor…?” she mumbled, confused.
“I’ll explain on the way. Let’s go!”
Howl!
I nudged Taxi, and he shot off. The rush of wind seemed to wake Amy fully. She gripped her staff tightly.
“What’s happening?”
“Someone is fighting magical beasts.”
“Magical beasts…”
“I think the exam will be canceled. I’m not sure, but there will probably be a retake or something.”
Amy’s lips pressed into a thin line. She must be disappointed. She had even fought a magical beast to avoid failing, and now the exam was likely canceled.
I patted her shoulder. “Don’t be too upset. You’ll pass next time. I’ll even talk to the Headmaster if I have to. They’ll compensate you somehow.”
Amy looked up at me. “How long… will you stay at Minerva, Professor?”
“Well, unless I receive different orders, I’ll be here for a while.”
I’d likely be teaching until the heretic problem in the Empire was resolved. However long that took, it wouldn’t be short. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be encountering Magi everywhere I went.
What is the Holy Kingdom doing…? I wondered.
“Oh…” Amy murmured.
“What was that?”
“If you’re here, I wouldn’t mind staying another year.”
“Huh?” What did she mean? Wasn’t graduation the most important thing?
Seeing my bewildered expression, Amy turned back to face forward. “It means your lectures were that good. You should be proud.”
“Oh… uh, thanks…?” I wasn’t sure if that was the right response, but I expressed my gratitude. She liked my classes that much? A sense of pride swelled in my chest. I had a talent for teaching after all.
As I basked in self-congratulation, Amy whispered, “That magic… it’s like Her Highness. And… I think Ariana and Sena are there too.”
“Really?” My senses were sharp, but not enough to distinguish individuals so precisely. As expected of honor students.
“Are there any others besides those three?” I asked.
“My detection magic isn’t picking up anything.”
“I see. Then…” I stood on Taxi’s back, focusing aura into my legs. “Follow me quickly with Amy. If you’re late or take a wrong turn… you know what will happen.”
Woof, woof!
“Be careful,” Amy said.
I smiled. “Don’t worry. If I were going to die in a place like this, I wouldn’t be teaching you.”
“
”
“Wind and Cloud Art.”
I leaped from Taxi’s back, sprinting towards the source of the magic signatures.
Amy blinked, watching Allen vanish. “He… ran through the air…?”
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In the dimly lit forest, a blue blade flashed.
Bark!
“Damn it…! I’m exhausted!” Ariana had to swing her sword multiple times to take down a single wolf magical beast. And she had to protect the Saintess and the Princess behind her.
“Damn you bastards! Give me a break!”
The moment she glanced back, another magical beast would pounce. She was only holding out thanks to Allen’s training. Gasping for breath, she forced a grin.
“So it was useful…!”
Yelp…!
She dispatched another wolf, wiping the sweat from her brow. In that instant, another magical beast lunged from her blind spot.
“Shit…!” She braced for impact, focusing her aura.
Lux saved her.
“
”
Swoosh…!
The snake magical beast disintegrated into dust.
“Thanks!” Ariana exclaimed reflexively.
“Idiot…! Behind you!” Lux shouted.
Ariana spun around to see a massive bear magical beast swinging its paw.
I’m dead… she thought.
“
”
A shimmering, translucent barrier appeared before her just as she envisioned her demise.
Clang!
Roar!
The bear’s attack couldn’t penetrate the barrier, infused with the Saintess’s will.
“Don’t you dare! You won’t lay a finger on Ariana! Huff…!” Sena yelled, her voice strained.
She wasn’t the only one exhausted.
“Phew…”
“Pant… pant…”
They had been fighting for over an hour.
If they hadn’t found each other, they would have been overwhelmed. They were holding on, but their limits were fast approaching.
“You two should escape,” Ariana said, feeling her sword grow heavier.
“No,” Lux replied firmly.
“I won’t leave,” Sena added.
“You idiots! We’ll all die!”
The reason they hadn’t forfeited was Ariana’s torn robe. Without it, she couldn’t receive the island’s protection or be transported to the safe zone. Lux and Sena were fighting solely to protect her.
“It’s better than abandoning a friend,” Lux said.
“I agree,” Sena affirmed.
“You… idiots…” Her friends were risking their lives for her. Ariana bit her lip, tightening her grip on her sword. Blood trickled from her torn hand.
There was only one way out of this: eliminate every enemy in sight.
“I’ll kill you all!” She raised her sword, gathering all her strength.
“A vanguard must always remain calm,” a familiar voice said.
Ariana’s sword stopped mid-swing. Someone had caught it.
“Wh-what…?” Her eyes widened in disbelief.
Allen smiled, stroking her dark blue hair. “You’ve done well holding out this long. You’ve worked hard, Ariana.”
His familiar smile eased her tension, and tears welled up in her eyes. “Idiot… you’re late… sob…”
“Yes, yes, I’m sorry. I’ll make it up to you later. Just rest for a bit.” He soothed her, then turned, murmuring, “Thank you for waiting.”
Despite radiating Magi, the magical beasts didn’t dare move. Allen’s murderous aura pinned them down. The arrival of an apex predator triggered their primal instincts.
Whimper…
Growl…
“As a reward… I’ll kill you quickly.”
“
”
“Chaos Severance.”
An overwhelming force, a fusion of magic and aura, enveloped Allen’s hand. He swung it lightly.
The magical beasts within range didn’t even have time to scream. They simply vanished.
The three students behind Allen stared at the decimated forest, speechless.
“Is everyone… alright…?” Amy arrived on Taxi, her words lost as she took in the scene.
Whine…
Only Taxi, remembering a terrifying past, whimpered and tucked his tail between his legs.
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Lol poor taxi
The last couple chapters were poor. Teachers being way too cavalier with the safety of their students.
well, maybe in this world human life is not valued so much, and they think that it’s normal if a few die