Chapter 173

Chapter 173. Premonition (2)

A mountain not far from the school.

We arrived at the location where Professor Elisha and I had previously descended into the massive underground ruins beneath the school—the “Abyss.”

Of course, the place we were investigating this time wasn’t the underground ruins.

It was a large forest near the entrance of the underground ruins.

An area where C-Rank monsters frequently appeared, often used as a training ground for candidates to gain practical experience.

“Hmm… So, summarizing what Candidate Dale said…”

After hearing everything about Lanes, Professor Elisha stroked her chin and nodded.

“Are you saying that thanks to Candidate Dale’s reckless womanizing, we were able to prevent a great catastrophe in the future?”

“……”

Well, a lot of information was omitted, but…

Yeah, sure.

Looking at the result alone, it’s undeniable that his two-timing helped suppress Lanes’ rampage.

“Hahaha! This is… truly a solution befitting Candidate Dale, I suppose…”

“Is this really a solution that represents me?”

What kind of person does Professor Elisha think I am?

“Anyway, it seems Candidate Dale has once again changed the future. A future where half the continent would have frozen over.”

“Looking at the result… I guess so.”

“However…”

Professor Elisha narrowed her eyes and trailed off.

“Whether this change will lead to a good outcome… is still hard to judge.”

“But it’s still better than the previous life, right?”

How many futures could be worse than a catastrophe where half the continent froze and millions of people died?

“Hmm. I think differently.”

“Differently?”

Professor Elisha lowered her head slightly and continued.

“According to you, in the previous life, Candidate Lanes was a disaster for the demons too, wasn’t she?”

“Well… yes.”

Her power, the “Blessing of Frost,” was so overwhelming that she indiscriminately slaughtered both allies and enemies.

“Then, isn’t it good news for the demons that Candidate Lanes didn’t betray humanity and join their side?”

“…Huh?”

I widened my eyes at Professor Elisha’s words.

The idea that Lanes’ change could also be good news for the demons…

“I hadn’t thought of that.”

Indeed, in the previous life, Lanes was the one who nearly ruined the demons’ plan to release the Devil God.

If I, Yuren, and countless other heroes hadn’t succeeded in killing her, the Devil God might never have been freed from its seal.

‘But if that had happened, instead of half the continent freezing, the entire continent would have frozen.’

The release of the Devil God and the survival of the witch.

It’s hard to say which outcome was better.

But one thing is certain.

‘If the Devil God hadn’t been freed, at least humanity wouldn’t have been completely wiped out.’

Maybe 99% of humanity would have perished in the blizzard, but 1% might have survived the extreme cold.

In other words.

The fact that I killed Lanes in the previous life might have led to the complete extinction of humanity.

“……”

My mind was tangled with thoughts I hadn’t considered before.

“Candidate Dale, there’s no need to blame yourself.”

Professor Elisha patted my back as if to comfort me.

“Even if humanity survived because of it, they would have been barely clinging to life in the freezing cold. Could you really call that ‘living’?”

“That’s…”

“Having a pulse isn’t everything… Isn’t that something Candidate Dale knows better than anyone?”

“……”

Memories of my past life naturally surfaced.

When humanity was wiped out, and I was left alone.

Wandering through endless snowfields, screaming in loneliness.

For me, life became a curse beyond comparison.

“…Yes, I know. All too well.”

It’s not about being alive.

It’s about how you’re alive.

In that sense, killing Lanes in the previous life wasn’t a wrong decision.

However.

“By the way… I wonder who made Candidate Lanes side with the demons in the previous life. Did the demons not know she was an uncontrollable force?”

“That’s… unlikely.”

The ones who brought Lanes Malam to their side must have known she couldn’t fully control her power.

‘If they knew, why did they bring her in?’

In the previous life, it was never revealed who brought Lanes to the demons’ side.

But.

If they knew she would become a disaster even for the demons and still brought her in…

“……”

My mind was a mess.

Questions kept piling up, but no clear answers came to mind.

As I was lost in thought…

“I think I’ve said something unnecessary.”

Professor Elisha gave a bitter smile and gently pinched my cheek with the hand that had been patting my back.

“No need to overthink it. Just because you’ve experienced the future doesn’t mean you know everything about the world, right?”

“That’s true, but…”

“What’s more concerning is that Candidate Dale is currently two-timing.”

“……”

I flinched at Professor Elisha’s words.

I’ve known for a while that she has more than just a teacher’s affection for me.

But standing in front of her and boldly saying, “I’m dating other women. Two of them at the same time,” wasn’t easy.

“Are the others Candidate Iris and Candidate Yurina?”

“…Yes.”

“Hmm. I see.”

Professor Elisha crossed her arms and looked at me.

She was trying to act calm, but I could easily notice the slight tremble in her eyes.

“Two… yes, two.”

Professor Elisha, continuing her thoughts, smiled faintly.

“Now I can somewhat understand Candidate Lanes’ feelings.”

“……”

“Haha. No need to worry. I don’t intend to make things difficult for Candidate Dale.”

However…

Professor Elisha, unlike usual, continued with a slightly frightened expression.

“Just… don’t forget about me.”

“……”

Why?

Seeing her avoid eye contact made my heart race.

Whether she knew my feelings or not, Professor Elisha covered the scar on her left eye with her hand and spoke in a subdued voice.

“Of course… I’m not as young, beautiful, or charming as the candidates you’re seeing, but…”

Still.

“My feelings for you… I think they’re no less than theirs.”

“……”

My heart, already racing, beat even harder at her words.

I barely suppressed the overwhelming emotions and spoke.

“Well, I think differently.”

“…Differently?”

“I think Professor Elisha is plenty beautiful. You have charm as a woman too. And as for age… well, in terms of years lived, I’m actually much older, aren’t I?”

“……”

Professor Elisha’s pupils trembled.

She desperately tried to suppress the corners of her mouth from curling up and let out a fake cough.

“Candidate Dale, you really know how to charm women.”

“No.”

What did I even do?

“Haha. Never mind. Anyway, we’ve wasted enough time. Let’s get back to the investigation.”

Professor Elisha walked ahead, her steps almost as if she were dancing.

I swallowed a bitter smile and followed her.

Step, step.

We arrived at the spot where the candidates had encountered the Ten-Eyed monster.

“Indeed… there are traces of monsters.”

Professor Elisha, with her glowing purple eyes, scanned the surroundings.

“Traces of a Ten-Eyed monster?”

“No. I can’t tell that much.”

Professor Elisha shook her head slightly and approached the monster traces.

Then.

“Grrrrrr.”

A faint, low growl.

Professor Elisha and I exchanged glances.

“Professor.”

“It seems… this was its territory.”

We turned our heads toward the direction of the growl.

Through the bushes, we saw a massive black wolf.

The wolf’s body was covered in sharp spikes like a porcupine, and its breath flickered with blue flames.

And the most important thing—the number of eyes…

“An Eight-Eyed monster.”

“As expected, the candidates were mistaken.”

Of course, even an Eight-Eyed monster is tough for candidates to handle unless they’re in a particularly strong party like Aaron’s.

But compared to a Ten-Eyed monster, it’s still a significant step down.

“I’ll handle it.”

“No, I’ll do it.”

Professor Elisha stopped me as I stepped forward.

When I looked at her with questioning eyes, she clicked her tongue and shook her head.

“If Candidate Dale steps in, that monster will turn to ash in no time. For the investigation, capturing it alive is better.”

True, if the goal is to capture it alive, Professor Elisha is the better choice.

Her “Spider Threads” are more suited for binding and capturing than killing.

“Grrraaaah!”

The wolf monster roared and charged at Professor Elisha.

She spread her arms wide toward the approaching monster.

Transparent spider threads shot from her gloved fingertips, wrapping around the charging monster.

“Grrk! Grrrk!”

In an instant, the monster was entangled.

As the wolf thrashed violently, the spikes covering its body cut through the threads.

Freeing itself, the wolf roared triumphantly and reached Professor Elisha in the blink of an eye.

“Hoh. Quite a strong one among Eight-Eyed monsters.”

Professor Elisha smirked fiercely as the wolf closed in.

Thud.

She clenched her fist, and transparent spider threads wrapped around it.

With a rough step, she delivered a punch.

“Bind.”

With a low incantation, her fist struck the wolf’s face.

Thwack!

“Kiiieeeh!”

The massive wolf was sent flying back by the terrifying impact.

Professor Elisha climbed onto the wolf and hammered it with her fists.

Thud! Crunch! Crack!

Blood splattered everywhere.

Broken teeth and torn flesh scattered with each punch.

I looked at the wolf’s mangled face and let out a hollow laugh.

“Uh, Professor? You said you were capturing it, right?”

Because it sure looks like you’re just killing it.

“Ah, I got too excited.”

“Grrk… Grrrk…”

The wolf, bleeding from its mouth, whimpered.

Its appearance was a mess, but thankfully, it was still alive.

Professor Elisha dipped her finger in the wolf’s blood and brought it to her lips.

“Now, let’s see where this thing came from…”

Then.

Rustle, rustle.

The sound of bushes moving.

The moment I heard it, my body moved before my mind.

“Dodge!”

I grabbed Professor Elisha and rolled us both away.

Whoosh!

A crimson aura swept through the spot where Professor Elisha had just been.

“Grrroar!”

The wolf’s body was brutally crushed by the aura.

“That’s…”

“……”

I turned my head toward the direction of the crimson aura.

Through the dark bushes, five pairs of glowing eyes stared back.

“Looks like the candidates weren’t mistaken after all.”

I drew the sword at my waist and gritted my teeth.