Amy had just taken down a beast tainted by demon energy.
Unaware of the greater dangers lurking, the students were each giving their all to the exam.
“Dead!”
“Like I said, not happening. You useless brat!”
The moment eyes met in Battle Royale, it was an instant charge.
“I’m starving… Can I eat this?”
“Hmm, that one’s poisoned, so don’t.”
In this awkward nature, survival was key.
Not only raw skill, but utilizing all knowledge was essential for the Midterm Exam.
Since any misstep with water could lead to perilous situations, naturally proper safety measures were in place.
“Aaah! Dammit! Eliminated again?!”
“Heng~ Aim for next year!”
“At the Academy, I’ll kill youuuu…”
Before the enraged student could finish their threat, they were enveloped in a transparent sphere and teleported away.
Their destination: the center of the Island of Wisdom.
That is, where Heinz was waiting.
Anyone wearing the owl robe on the Island of Wisdom was practically invincible.
The island’s mana protected them from life-threatening danger.
Though, as merely an emergency measure, it couldn’t handle outright murderous intent.
Thus, Heinz had to use transcendent magic.
With no external threats, the students would be safe.
Or rather… no external threats…
***
Deep within a cave somewhere on the Island of Wisdom lay a professor sprawled out, twitching.
“Wha… How…!”
The moment he stepped near the treasure chest, black thorns pierced through his abdomen.
Neither the protective magic tied to his proud owl robe nor the sand armor made from earth magic could stop it.
“You toooo… bad luckk-?”
A lethargic voice like someone just waking up from sleep.
The half-lidded eyes revealing delicate eyelashes evoked strange emotions in the man who locked gazes with her, causing him to spit out blood.
“Y-you’re… the Thorn Princess?! Cough…”
Real Name: Esphina Ferreira
Code Name: Thorn Princess
Special Note: A witch infamous for wiping out an entire city for disturbing her slumber.
Sworman Kingdom lost a city due to a single mage, sending countless troops after her, none of whom returned alive.
“How… how could you be here…!”
The professor, staring at the world-famous bounty of 4.4 billion gold coins, couldn’t close his gaping mouth.
“So you know me…? But that info’s kinda old-school now, huh?”
Haaam-
The woman lazily yawned while rolling around in bed.
Only then did the professor realize she was lying on it.
A luxurious bed adorned with black cloth and red embroidery, completely out of place in this dark cave.
This disparity drove the professor further into fear.
“From now onnn… call me ‘Archbishop of Sloth’?”
“…!!!”
At this shocking statement that erased even pain, the professor’s eyes widened.
Certainly, the Archbishop of Sloth was supposed to have died in the Southern War.
It seemed Esphina had taken their place.
For one of the top ten global wanted criminals to transform into a heretic was the worst-case scenario.
“I must report…!”
The professor summoned his stored mana to escape.
He had to deliver this information, even if it meant dying here.
Thankfully, his specialty was information magic…
“Sorryyy… can’t let you do that.”
At Esphina’s gesture, the professor began sinking.
He only realized his body was being dragged into an endless abyss when more than half of him was already submerged.
“S-someone help…”
Gurgle-
And just like that, the professor vanished without a trace.
Gazing blankly outside the cave, Esphina tilted her head.
Then she closed her half-open eyes.
“Ahh… wrong timingg?”
Haaam-
She lazily yawned again, drifting back to sleep.
This was how ‘Sloth’ gained power…
As the Archbishop of Sloth fully succumbed to sleep, a sound echoed through the cave.
– Thump… Thump…
The source of the sound was a giant egg beside the sleeping Esphina.
It greedily absorbed the demon energy flowing from her.
– Thump! Thump! Thump!
The louder the egg absorbed, the bigger the heartbeat grew.
It even started shaking slightly.
Crack!
Little by little…
The shell was beginning to crack.
As if it were about to hatch any moment…
***
At the center of the Island of Wisdom, the safe zone.
Where eliminated students gathered.
Looking around at the increasingly crowded area, Cain asked,
“The pace seems faster than expected. Already a third are out, right?”
“True, but still within acceptable limits…”
Heinz stroked his beard, gazing at the sunset sky.
“Soon the sun will set. I wonder if they’ll all endure.”
“At least a few are definitely fine, I think.”
Cain thought of Reinhardt and Ariana, who always complained loudly in his class about Allen’s lessons being too hard.
Yet they handled his teachings effortlessly, making him want to crank up the difficulty sometimes.
“Are you talking about Allen professor’s students?”
“Did you know, Headmaster?”
Cain looked surprised at Heinz.
“Thought you wouldn’t know, with your busy schedule. Even professors don’t exactly know what’s taught in ‘Great Barbarian Survival Techniques.'”
They only knew the students’ skills kept improving under Allen’s tutelage.
Even the two duchess daughters everyone had given up on showed visible improvement.
“Everyone’s curious. Some professors even grilled students for details.”
Scratching his head, Cain decided to ask directly.
“Headmaster, do you know Allen professor’s secret?”
“Secret… how should I know such things? Just remember he’s an excellent professor doing his best for the students.”
“Tch, saying that makes it sound like other professors aren’t trying their best.”
“Heheh”
Heinz merely chuckled, stroking his beard.
Curiosity piqued further, Cain pressed on.
“Come on, give me something. I want to improve too…”
At that moment, a sudden chill ran down Cain’s neck.
His ability ‘Danger Sense’ had activated.
“Is something the matter?”
Seeing Cain’s tense face, Heinz followed his gaze.
Using detection magic out of caution, but found nothing unusual.
“… Perhaps we should consider ending the exam early.”
A bead of sweat rolled down Cain’s face.
Seeing this, Heinz bit his lip and asked.
“How do you explain this? It’s not something we can easily decide.”
The prestigious title of the empire’s top academy.
The students’ futures.
The professors’ reputations.
Even the Royal Palace’s honor.
So many stakes were involved in this exam.
Stopping it required at least some justification, even for the headmaster Heinz.
“Don’t you understand? I also find it hard to express clearly… It’s not absolute foresight, just a hint of precognition.”
Cain’s ‘Danger Sense’ only detected approaching danger to himself.
More akin to an animal’s survival instinct.
If he could precisely describe the threat, he’d already be working as a prophet.
“Just… We might die if we don’t leave this island soon. That’s the feeling I get.”
Looking at Cain’s furrowed brow, Heinz stroked his beard.
He trusted Cain’s ability, but making a decision based solely on it weighed heavily on his shoulders.
“Hmm…”
After much deliberation, Heinz sighed deeply.
“Do you think immediate danger is imminent?”
To this question, Cain narrowed his eyes and looked toward where ‘Danger Sense’ reacted.
“… Not immediately. We probably have a few hours…”
Though the sharp aura that felt like it would tear his throat out was gone, whatever it was, it didn’t feel like it would move tonight.
“Then let’s prepare camp first. It’s unreasonable to gather students immediately with the sun setting anyway.”
“Tch, but…”
“Instead, I’ll send an emergency signal as soon as the sun rises tomorrow.”
Heinz said seriously.
Knowing it was a carefully considered decision…
Cain could only heavily nod.
“… Understood.”
Watching Cain busily helping with preparations, Heinz sighed again.
“Is this the right choice…”
The headmaster of Minerva Academy.
A position one couldn’t reach without skill, thus Heinz’s rank was ‘Archmage’.
While he may not match his teacher among the Golden Way Zodiacs, he was one of the top mages in the empire.
Frankly speaking, there were few who could threaten him.
Still, knowing this, Heinz decided to halt the exam.
Because Cain had never directly mentioned death before.
One couldn’t gamble with students’ lives.
Spending the night was a reasonable judgment.
Even thinking that, Heinz couldn’t shake off the unease deep in his heart.
“If only Professor Allen were here…”
That battle-hardened veteran could handle any crisis.
Today, his teacher was truly regrettable.
***
“Is this… alright?”
“Hmm, good job. Pour in a bit more mana.”
Following my instructions, Amy concentrated her mana.
To erase the lingering traces of demon energy.
Continuously burning the area with flames eradicated the remaining traces.
“That’s it. Now we’re done. We can finally rest easy.”
I threw logs onto the remaining embers to create a bonfire.
Then handed the prepared sleeping bag to Amy.
“Here, use this.”
“Thank you… What about you, professor?”
“I need to keep watch. Don’t know when a demon beast might appear.”
I was used to solo guard duty.
Solo missions in war zones were common enough.
Can’t die in your sleep, can you?
At my words, Amy blinked then shook her head.
“I’ll stand watch too.”
“Appreciate the thought, but I’ve got it.”
I firmly gestured.
Only someone at my level could handle it without issue; it wasn’t something a pampered noble could manage from the start.
She’d likely end up dozing off anyway.
Better to sleep soundly.
“But…”
“Sleep well. Need to be in top shape for tomorrow’s exams. Though… if they even continue.”
I planned to report about the demon energy to Heinz when the sun rose.
If they hadn’t noticed the smoke by the beach, we probably wouldn’t have met Amy.
Thinking about it, the timing was incredible.
– Kyeeng…
The taxi seemed uncomfortable leaning against me.
“Quiet, you brat.”
– Ggeun~
I tapped it, and it sulkily buried its head in its paws.
Watching this, Amy made a sour expression.
“I’ve never seen a white feline so tame. They’re notoriously difficult to train even when raised from kittens… What’s your secret?”
“Really? Always been obedient to me.”
I vaguely deflected.
Can’t tell her I turned its whole family to dust.
Amy looked at the taxi curiously.
“May I touch it? It won’t bite, right?”
“Sure, if you value your life.”
Sending a warning glance, the taxi hastily nodded.
– Gong…
Remembering to stay quiet, it softly whimpered.
“Waah…”
Only then did Amy cautiously stroke its paw.
“Expected it to be rough, but surprisingly soft. And warm too.”
Looking at her innocent expression, it was hard to believe this girl incinerated a demon beast.
Demon beasts refer to animals tainted by demon energy; the stronger the creature, the more powerful it became.
Especially bears, sitting atop the food chain, when transformed into demon beasts…
Even seasoned officers struggled against bear demon beasts.
And this small girl took one down.
Proudly, I absentmindedly ruffled her hair.
“…!!!”
Startled by her reaction, I realized my mistake.
Considering our positions as professor and student, this proximity between adults of opposite genders wasn’t appropriate.
Might cause unnecessary obstacles in her future marriage prospects.
Realizing this, I hastily withdrew my hand.
“Sorry, no ill intentions.”
“No, it’s fine. Just startled.”
“The sun’s set, better sleep. I’ll keep my distance…”
Thinking to put some space between us as I stood up,
Amy grabbed my robe.
“It’s fine. Please stay nearby.”
“But…”
“Please.”
Her voice trembled slightly as she bowed her head.
Despite her usual composed and strong demeanor, she was still just a young student.
Facing such dangerous demon beasts, it would be unnatural not to feel fear.
Understanding this, I nodded and sat back down.
“I’ll be here. Sleep easy.”
“… Yes.”
Following my example, Amy leaned against the taxi, then gradually shifted until she was pressing against me.
Was this softness from the sleeping bag or…
Shaking off useless thoughts, I added more wood to the flickering bonfire.
