“Ugh, today was tough… Every time I attend Teacher Eve’s classes lately, it feels like I’m completely drained…”
As soon as Daniel plopped down at the table with his meal, he slumped forward, complaining about how exhausting it was. The kids around him all nodded in agreement.
It’s true that Teacher Eve’s classes had been relentless training, pushing us beyond our limits, so everyone seemed to empathize with what he said.
In the midst of that, Marin, who was approaching to sit near me, passed by Daniel lying on the table and teasingly said to him,
“Well, Daniel, don’t you think you’ve improved a lot compared to when you first started? You used to get taken down easily by lesser demonic beasts during the first training, but now you can fight back pretty well.”
“Uh? Y-yeah, you’re right! Haha, even I feel like I’ve been able to handle things more easily lately. Our overall level’s gone up, and it has to do with that as well. Wow, hearing that from one of the aces suddenly boosts my spirits!”
As Daniel’s tired body suddenly sprang up with a shout of “Urah!”, the laughter among the kids echoed throughout the dining hall.
Seeing them, I couldn’t help but smile a bit.
Sure, the recent training was undeniably tough, but it had its upsides as well.
Not only had our skills improved due to the intense training that felt close to real combat, but after repeatedly fighting while watching each other’s backs, the A-class and B-class kids—who used to be a bit distant—had grown quite close thanks to this training.
Thinking back to how I got along with my fellow trainees during my month of military enlistment, it seems that going through the same hardships really does bring people together.
It’s a bit sad that such young kids have to naturally accept hardships that are even greater than military training in this world, though.
While I was lost in thoughts along those lines, reminiscing about my previous world which no one else could relate to, I noticed someone approaching with a face looking even more tired than Daniel’s who had just complained.
I casually asked, “Hey, Dwight, you look more tired than usual. Did you not sleep last night?”
Dwight glanced my way and settled down at the table where I was sitting, answering my question.
“Well, when I went out yesterday for support, the construction was nearly complete. I thought I could finish it today, so I worked a bit later than usual and ended up not getting enough sleep.”
“…Honestly, you could’ve made time to sleep, right? It looks like you stayed up all night working on magical research again. I know magic comes first for you, but don’t overdo it.”
“Thanks for your concern, but you don’t need to worry. A single night without sleep doesn’t affect my condition at all. Plus, if my body breaks down, it’ll hinder my magical research. I’m someone who takes care of my body better than anyone else.”
With that, it seemed quite convincing.
As I nodded to Dwight, Silvia, who was sitting next to me, seemed intrigued and asked him, “So, does that mean the construction for the teleportation disruption magic circle will be finished today?”
“Yeah, I think it will be done by lunchtime.”
Upon hearing Dwight’s response, Silvia looked at me and smiled, “Then that means that witch who kidnapped Scarlet can’t pull off that trick again.”
“Uh… Silvia, that was a bit of a curse word…”
“Oh, come on! Not like Scarlet would really curse or anything.”
She replied with a mischievous giggle, but I had noticed—there was a terrifying glint hidden in her smile.
The vibe she gave off was as if she intended to kill anyone who dared to provoke her again.
As I subtly shivered, Marin smiled and said,
“Well, thanks to that construction, I can enjoy some freedom at home for a while. My parents both said they can’t come home this week.”
Listening to Marin, I recalled the phone call I had received from Yoon Si-woo not long ago.
Come to think of it, he had mentioned he wouldn’t be able to come back this week.
Because of what happened last time, Yoon Si-woo seemed worried I might act out again in his absence, but I told him not to worry.
Since then, I had managed to find some emotional stability, so I no longer felt extremely anxious even without Yoon Si-woo by my side.
It was just… a feeling that everything would be alright.
With my chin resting on my hand, I admired the scenery outside the dining hall window, letting the kids’ laughter serve as background music.
The sky was blue, and the weather was sunny.
How peaceful.
Just as I was mumbling those whimsical thoughts to myself,
“…Huh?”
I unintentionally blurted out those words.
At my utterance, I felt the kids’ gazes shift toward me.
And as I pointed toward the window with trembling hands,
A heavy silence instantly swallowed the dining hall.
The sky beyond the window I pointed to…
Was tearing apart as if it had been split in two.
“…What’s this, a barrier…”
Dwight murmured, looking more shocked than anyone else when I realized that what was splitting wasn’t the sky, but rather the barrier that protected the city from magic.
But after a moment, I saw the translucent barrier that had been torn returning gradually to its original state.
Was this the barrier’s ability to self-repair after sustaining damage, which Dwight had briefly mentioned last time?
Though the torn barrier returned to its original state, we couldn’t break free from the shock, remaining speechless.
After all, a barrier of that nature wasn’t something that could be easily damaged.
Unless you’ve got something like the ‘Holy Sword of Humility’ that Yoon Si-woo possesses—something that can eradicate magic—this is the kind of thing that you wouldn’t want to touch.
Thus, the phenomenon that just occurred was a sign that something unusual had happened, which couldn’t be ignored.
And as if to indicate the severity of that event, small spots began to appear in the sky just beyond the barrier that had recently split.
We couldn’t help but realize the identity of those spots.
After all, those shapes that emerged around the spots took the form of black spheres, resembling…
“…Those are barriers.”
“…Lesser demonic beasts have entered the city?”
We recognized them as the very same entities we had become endlessly tired of encountering during our training.
The kids’ expressions turned pale.
We knew well that we had been training specifically to evacuate people in case the lesser demonic beasts invaded the city.
Just one of those beasts could slaughter countless citizens.
So, in an instant, every one of us rushed outside in a panic.
To save as many people as quickly as possible!
As we bolted out of the building, the playground was filled with teachers and students rushing out, just like us, perhaps having witnessed the same scene we did.
In front of us appeared a large screen.
As Teacher Eve’s image displayed on the screen, her urgent voice cut through the air.
[Everyone! This is an emergency, so I’ll explain the situation! You’ve likely seen it, but the lesser demonic beasts have invaded the city! According to a witness who fled from the outskirts, a being that claimed to be a witch penetrated the barrier and released the beasts into the city! The heroes at the boundary region can’t come to our aid due to the aftermath of the construction that ended today, so all personnel from the Aegis Academy will be mobilized to protect the citizens! Understood?]
We needed to protect the people from the lesser demonic beasts as quickly as possible, so Teacher Eve explained the situation as she ran.
Upon hearing that strong heroes deployed at the front weren’t coming to assist, everyone’s faces turned stiff, but nobody slowed their pace.
In a situation like this, where no one else could do it but us, there would be no one among us who would think of fleeing.
[Most confirmed lesser demonic beasts are intermediate-grade from the greed category! Whether they were already in that state upon breaching the barrier or not, they have come with no signs of weakening! Students lacking strength must absolutely refrain from being reckless and should work together to confront these beasts! Remember, for every single one of you that dies in this situation, countless people will die as well! Now, let’s start allocating your zones! Currently, the outer regions of the city, where the most beasts are located, will be handled by third-year students and teachers! The inner areas will be for the second years, while the center will be for first-years! Keep in mind that the priority is to evacuate the citizens! Everyone, disperse!]
Hearing the orders, students and teachers scattered in different directions to head to their designated positions.
If anything, it was somewhat fortunate that the teleportation gate within the city was a vital facility and was still functioning normally.
The first-years teleported together to the city center, discussing among themselves which areas to defend as they split up.
The central part of the city was relatively safe for the moment since the beasts would take some time to reach it, but it was also where many hospitals and essential facilities were located, hence needing extra caution.
In particular, the hospitals with critical patients had to be utilized as evacuation centers, so we had to guide the surrounding individuals into the hospitals.
While I was escorting people to safety, I noticed Marin’s expression had turned exceptionally grave.
“That can’t be… The section of the barrier that broke through was where my dad was guarding… But how could that happen…”
“Make way!! Emergencies here!!!”
While Marin was murmuring in disbelief, someone stepped up from behind her, shouting loudly as they rushed in carrying a patient on a stretcher.
The patient on the stretcher resembled a frozen person as their entire body was inexplicably stiff.
The expression on Marin’s face twisted even further when she caught sight of the patient, whose neck was nearly severed.
“…Dad?”
Hearing her desolate murmur, I suddenly realized something.
That in this place,
In this world, peace simply didn’t exist as it had been so easily broken with so many precious people getting hurt or killed.
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