In front of me stood several students trembling in fear.
Their gazes were filled with terror as they looked at me. My reflection in their eyes must have appeared horrifying.
My hair and uniform were soaked in the monster’s blood, and my golden eyes burned with a fierce intensity like an unquenchable flame.
I even held a blood-stained hand axe in my grip. I certainly looked every bit like a murderer.
I had no words to defend myself from their misunderstanding.
Furthermore, the male who had collapsed with a single blow from me added to their fear. He seemed to be the leader of their group.
He had been shouting at me before being sent to dreamland by a single strike of my axe.
Of course, I had no intention of punishing them severely.
To be honest, there was a part of me that wanted to, but things were not favorable for that right now.
The lack of time was the biggest issue.
I was in the midst of chasing the imperial princess. There was no time to correct every single mistake of theirs when I needed to find her as quickly as possible.
Also, though I felt a bit indignant, they had not inflicted any lasting harm on Reto.
I decided to show some mercy and let them off the hook for the life-threatening experience they had just undergone.
This must have been the first time they were faced with death.
It would be a lie to say it wasn’t frightening or difficult. There were still tears lingering in their eyes.
This indicated that they were exhausted both physically and mentally.
Therefore, there was no need to resort to violence to make a point. A mere threat would suffice to ensure they wouldn’t bother me again.
However, it seemed they felt fear merely from my presence, without me needing to threaten them.
One of the women among the trembling group opened her mouth. It was a stammering plea.
Her legs were shaking so violently that it seemed like they would give out at any moment.
“P-please spare my life…”
What did they think of me?
I let out a hollow laugh out of despair.
Until now, the only person I had killed was Guildford. Even he was a mage, so it could be said that I had never killed a pure human.
Aside from that, I had only severed a few limbs, at most.
To be honest, it had been a rather harsh response. I hadn’t been in my right mind at the time.
Yet, perhaps due to my restrained self-control, the severed limbs had been clean. I had even heard that rehabilitation was going smoothly.
Although my astonishment was still lingering, I quickly calmed my heart.
Yes, I could understand how they might be mistaken.
At this moment, it might be better to use their misunderstanding to my advantage. My hand axe soared directly into the sky.
“Eek, aaaaaah!”
A high-pitched scream pierced my ears. However, despite the terror, the axe merely lodged itself beside the woman.
The hand axe, embedded in the ground, trembled as if it could not withstand the force.
The fear reflected in the students’ eyes deepened.
Having escaped a deathly peril, they now faced another life-threatening situation—how hopeless.
Of course, I had no intention of killing them, nor did I even want to engage in a deep dialogue with them. But I deliberately left their fear intact.
The only thing I cared about was one thing: the whereabouts of the imperial princess.
My expression turned serious. The voice that came from my mouth dropped an octave.
“…Where is the imperial princess?”
At my chilling question, one of them let out a choking sound. He stammered in reply.
“W-what do you intend to do with the princess…?”
With a snap, the hand axe that had been stuck to the ground returned to my hand.
It was the same technique I always used—an elegant mix of stillness and movement. The axe’s trajectory could be manipulated dramatically, allowing me to command its path.
Though I could only alter the trajectory once due to my inexperience.
Yet, that was enough to crush the man’s fleeting courage.
I uttered just two words.
“…Answer.”
At that single word, the man soaked in fear spilled out his response through tears.
“She… she went ahead! The guard knights are slaying the monsters, so she must have arrived at the Academy by now!”
Finally, a satisfied smile appeared on my face.
It seemed my suggestion to reinforce the guard knights had been effective.
Having initially considered punishing them a few times as retribution for Reto’s sake, I decided to overlook it, recognizing their contribution in providing information.
As I was about to leave, I suddenly caught sight of the injuries of the trembling group.
Most were shallow wounds, but some appeared more severe. As academy students, they could survive with some first aid, but there was a risk of aftereffects.
For a moment, hesitation clouded my expression.
After all, they had crossed the line. Worrying about them would only bring me harm.
It contradicted my temperament of demolishing those who dared to reach out to me.
But for a moment, I clicked my tongue and opened my potion pouch. It held the last healing potion I had.
With a thud, the healing potion was thrown to the ground.
The sound echoed in the tense atmosphere. Once more, the eyes of the group went blank.
“Don’t regret this later; use it only for serious injuries. If you suffer any aftereffects, you’ll be the first to get expelled next semester.”
With those words, my steps to leave hesitated.
I had just recalled a message I needed to leave for them.
Just before I kicked off the ground, I firmly cautioned those still gazing blankly at me.
“And you all, apologize properly to Reto… If you don’t, you know what will happen, right?”
I didn’t expect a response from them.
I thought they would understand well enough, and when I took a step forward, the space around me tightened.
The scenery tore apart in colorful lines, centered around me like a spear. It was only then that I heard a voice ringing in my ears.
“…Y-yes, sir!”
It was the group’s answer.
That voice was not filled solely with fear.
There was even a hint of relief in their cry. Upon hearing that, I sighed.
That healing potion was a gift from Senior Delphine.
It seemed I would need to stock up on a few more next time.
The chaos in the city quickly spread to the Academy.
It wasn’t just the news reaching them; the Academy also faced an assault from monsters.
The main forces were still participating in the ceremonial march.
Inside the Academy, they could only focus on responding to the monsters. The Academy grounds were vast and open, while the monsters were many and disguised as stray cats.
Moreover, in the sky, the crow monsters were dropping the cat monsters. The infiltrating cat monsters became incredibly difficult to track.
The non-combat personnel remaining at the Academy had no choice but to take refuge in the buildings.
With many teachers and various staff still inside the Academy, the combat personnel were focused on blocking the monsters while ensuring the non-combat personnel were safe in the buildings.
The troops securing the Academy were tracking the monsters that had spread throughout the grounds to guide the confused students to safer locations.
Even looking through the long history of the Academy, such an occurrence was nearly unprecedented.
Even the great Conqueror Emperor Aidalos had never stationed troops within the Academy. Yet now, hundreds of monsters were rampaging inside.
Moreover, a large-scale monster assault like this had not been seen in recent history, not just at the Academy.
The last record of such a massive monster attack dated back to the Great Divine War.
Some professors in the Academy felt a vague anxiety over this fact. However, for now, they were more focused on halting the monsters that were charging at them.
There was time to ponder the rest later.
In the midst of the battlefield, I stood.
Several monsters rampaging within the grounds charged at me. In reality, a couple of sword swings would deal with them easily.
While the number of monsters was large, their rank was not high.
The strongest among them was barely mid-tier. Even that was just among the more common entities; the majority were low-tier monsters that the first-year students could handle if they put their minds to it.
Yet, even that could pose a significant threat if there were hundreds of them.
No matter how low-tier, they were an undeniable threat to the non-combat personnel and the injured. That was why countless guard soldiers were running around.
I had never expected that even the Academy would be under attack.
Where was Emma?
That was the first face that came to mind. I had heard that Emma had been going back and forth between the workshop, dormitory, and temple for a while now.
I had also heard that Lady Lupeisia’s entourage blamed her for their injuries.
Even if I told her that the fault lay with me, I couldn’t convince her to budge. She had insisted with a gentle smile.
“I don’t want to blame I-an. After all, I am not your burden.”
Recalling her warm voice, my steps involuntarily headed towards the temple.
In this moment, neither the letter nor the princess crossed my mind. I had only one thought: I needed to secure Emma’s safety.
I had to save Emma.
I swore I would protect her so she would never get hurt again.
I made that promise the moment I saw her pale face lying in bed because I hadn’t properly informed her about the letter.
I didn’t want to see her crying again.
I didn’t want to see her pale face, silent and tight-lipped.
My sudden rush continued without end.
First stop, the dormitory.
“Emma? She hasn’t returned yet… What do I do?”
Next, the workshop.
“Emma’s workshop is empty. She wasn’t in the dormitory either?”
My heart tightened more and more. The anxiety was driving me to madness.
I began to run faster and faster. My breaths became ragged, and even encounters with monsters occurred, but I ignored them all.
The only place left was the temple.
I prayed to the Heavenly Deity in my heart.
Please, please let Emma be there. Don’t let me be too late.
Perhaps my prayers reached her.
Finally, I saw her.
Emma had already rolled on the ground, her clothes dirty with dirt. There were even visible signs of tearing. Yet, she stood with her arms outstretched to shield against two monsters.
Behind her stood a woman with golden hair. A voluptuous figure, she sat there trembling, hunched down.
Who was she again? Lady Lupeisia?
I had no interest in her. My eyes were solely on the two cat monsters lunging toward Emma.
In a moment frozen in time.
The hand axe I had drawn shot forward with rapid speed. It would be more fitting to describe it as a burst of light.
The blade whirled in the air, tracing a disc-like trajectory.
Swoosh, the neck of the airborne cat monster was severed.
The monster had no idea what was happening until its dying moment. It was the same for the second monster that was struck next to it.
Gouts of blood burst forth like a fountain.
The eyes of the cat monsters, who had been quietly waiting for an opportunity, turned to me.
But it was already too late.
Not slowing my speed in the slightest, I kicked the jaw of the cat monster.
With a crack, the sound of bone snapping echoed, and the monster’s head was tossed upward magnificently.
It was like a scene from a hair care commercial.
What happened next was me diving right into that space.
I slammed the monster to the ground and began mercilessly punching its face.
No, even punching wasn’t necessary. Remembering the existence of my sword, my hand quickly thrust the blade into the monster’s forehead.
Kyaa, kyaaaooooooong!
The hoarse cry of the cat echoed like a death knell. My body ignited with the warmth of fresh blood.
I could feel the panicked gazes on me. But I had already half lost my mind.
Gasping for breath, my mouth uttered a single phrase.
“…How dare you lay a hand on Emma?”
By now, my vision had turned a furious shade of red.
