“Ugh… I’m tired.”
Noah yawns while shrugging her shoulders.
She hasn’t had a proper sleep in the past few weeks.
Every moment awake is spent organizing information and materials that need to be processed, and during the brief moments of downtime, she buys cheap food from convenience stores to make it through her hellish days.
In one corner of the room, cans of coffee and energy drinks are stacked neatly.
Occasionally, to cope, she receives vitality or healing magic, but even those are insufficient after such a long period of strain.
“Haah.”
With a sigh, she throws a coffee can towards the trash.
It’s funny that in a world overflowing with magic and technology, there is still no cheap drink like caffeine that effectively wakes you up.
Although you can’t revive the dead, it’s absurd that there is no good stimulant better than coffee in a world where you can heal seriously injured patients in an instant.
Sure, there might be something if you look hard enough, but those are probably all illegal substances.
She had no intention of using anything like that just to wake herself up.
“But I can’t rest.”
Moreover, she believed that if she finished this task well, she would definitely gain recognition from that person.
She cannot rest until she completes her duties.
Yet, she has managed to hold on so far because of a girl who has been lingering around Noah recently.
When she sees that girl, for some reason, a familiar face comes to mind.
She has a slightly lazy personality but gets things done when it matters. So Noah doesn’t want to blame or dislike her.
Additionally, she probably felt a stronger affinity because the girl resembled one of her younger siblings.
Most things about that girl were reminiscent of her sibling.
Kind to a fault, trying to hide something, yet it’s impossible for the other party not to notice, although the girl seems oblivious to it.
At first, it was difficult to approach her based on the existing reputation, but once you get close, you realize she’s not a bad kid after all.
“Ugh.”
Noah already knew that the girl drank, but it didn’t seem like she caused any trouble.
Moreover, it seems that others know about this fact aside from Noah, so she doesn’t poke into her drinking habits.
She only wishes that she doesn’t cause trouble in the future.
Although she couldn’t fully enjoy the meal Aesha prepared, the lingering smell of curry in her mouth felt comforting.
Could it be that her cooking skills have improved over time?
No, curry is a very simple dish.
You just need to add potatoes and carrots, and if you have the money, meat too, following the proper cooking order.
“Well… it should be fine, right?”
Noah couldn’t tell Aesha that the previous congee was truly terrible because she was afraid of hurting her feelings.
She even secretly disposed of a significant amount of it, wishing it wouldn’t go to waste, but by the next day, it had magically multiplied back to its original amount… as if a curse had been placed on her.
When she heard that Aesha’s congee had gone bad, she felt relieved.
Thus, mixing her delusions and dreadfully tired eyes, she arrived at the outer archive.
Noah’s task at the archive today was simple.
It was to transfer a portion of the materials that were not available in the central archive.
The majority of the materials were stored in computers and servers, so there was no need for direct movement, but a few materials were not in that style.
Documents that had protective and preservation magic cast on them for unforeseen circumstances.
Among them were historical contracts made between the past community and the Academy.
These documents were essential for determining rent and seating charges in this negotiation.
Plus… she remembered Aesha’s request.
“Was it about alcohol?”
Normally, items like cigarettes or alcohol that completely undermine the Academy’s decorum are not allowed, but during the Academy festival, it might be a different case.
In fact, there were several students who could legally do such things if they were outside the Academy.
If it’s possible, it wouldn’t be too bad to try it.
Clatter.
As she opened the brightly lit outer archive door, the white marble floor and numerous metal document storage devices came into view.
Though she had visited this place multiple times since her first year, the sheer size of this outer building amazed Noah, even as a member of a prestigious family.
Moreover, in addition to the ever-present security personnel, she could see several other students visiting the archive for their respective purposes.
“What materials are you looking for?”
“I need materials related to the Academy’s community contract from the 2000s.”
“You can find that in C-24 on the right, sixth one down.”
“Thank you.”
Following the guide’s instructions, Noah sought out the specified area where documents were piled up.
“Quite… heavy.”
Indeed, the weight felt like it was over a thousand A4 sheets, pressing down on Noah’s shoulders; fortunately, there was a cart available for use.
“Then, I just need to take this, and I’m done.”
This wouldn’t mark the end of her tasks for the day, but perhaps she would get a moment to nap today.
However, in that moment.
Thud.
“What…?”
A chill ran down Noah’s spine, and tension surged through her.
“…..???”
The drowsiness that had loomed over her, which caffeine hadn’t fully chased away, vanished in an instant.
And her next thought was, ‘I need to escape from here.’
“Why…?”
Just when she was unable to confirm what was happening, her mobile phone began sending numerous alerts.
[Emergency Disaster Notice]
The messages came in at one-second intervals, matching the tension and unease that had just surged through her body.
“Could it be that something’s happening at the Academy…?”
Boom!
Before she could finish her self-reassuring thoughts, something large crashed against the archive door.
Hurrying toward the sound, she saw a guard locking the door and lowering a shutter.
He then explained to the panicking students around.
“First of all, you must have seen the alarm just now, so we will seal off the area until the professors arrive.”
“Eh? It might just be a glitch…”
“Even if it’s a glitch, we cannot dismiss the possibility that it isn’t. Moreover, this place is quite far from others, so it will take time for the professors to arrive. There are only me as the security personnel in this outer area.”
Indeed, by immediately assessing the situation upon seeing the alerts, it was clear this guard was no ordinary one for the Academy.
However, there are always students who cannot or do not want to comply with that suggestion.
“Isn’t it better to escape now? To where the professors are.”
“Most professors reside in the Central Building, which takes about 20 minutes to walk from here. Even if you hurry, it takes around 10 minutes, and that’s considering members of the combat or physical types.”
“And so?”
“If you walk leisurely, you’re likely to be decapitated by the monsters that come out from the gate.”
“That’s…?”
One student frowned in confusion.
“They’re just monsters, right? This is the Academy?”
“That’s true, but the strong ones are on their side, not yours.”
“Hah… What do you see me as…?”
Clearly hurt pride was evident in the student’s demeanor.
However, he was clearly misjudging the situation.
Even if that student were of the combat type, it wouldn’t matter.
Gates do not release just one monster; they can release many.
“…..”
Unless the boy had the strength to take down every monster that came out of the gate, trying to force his way to the Central Building from here would be an incredibly dangerous act.
For himself and for the others in this archive.
“I’ve faced monsters before; they’re just chunks of magic stones.”
“Are you really thinking of collecting magic stones in a situation like this?”
“Well, I suppose you could say that.”
In the boy’s eyes, there was a quietly burning desire as he affirmed his motive.
“Perhaps what you faced was in a weakened state. Even if it wasn’t, I cannot allow you to go out without knowing how many potentially hostile monsters there are.”
“Who do you think you are?”
Indeed, magic stones fetch quite a price.
Even the lowest grade could easily exceed hundreds, so anything beyond that is priceless.
But are monsters really that easy to handle?
“No…”
Noah remembers the shock and fear she felt the first time she encountered a monster.
As a child, monsters are definitely not just mere money stones as commonly portrayed.
They’re armed biological weapons built for overwhelming slaughter and brutality.
Magic stones are merely byproducts of the arduous effort taken to defeat them.
They’re not something you can easily obtain or grab hold of through greed.
“Enough, I’m going out.”
“You cannot.”
“Dammit… who do you think you are!”
“I am a guard of the Academy, and I have an obligation to protect you. That’s why I get paid. So no.”
“Hah!”
A student, whose muscles were visibly tensed, swung the weapon in hand as if trying to shove the guard away, but the guard easily caught it with his hand.
“Can you catch a sword barehanded? That’s just plain stupid…”
“I said it’s not allowed.”
The trembling student’s sword against the guard’s relaxed arm.
Though the student was pouring in all his strength to strike, the sword wouldn’t budge.
The two looked ready to explode at any moment, but surprisingly, the student cursed and quickly dropped the weapon, leading to a swift resolution of the situation.
“Hah… what a pain.”
“I understand this might be frustrating for all of you, but this situation will end soon, so please bear with me a little longer.”
Noah let out a sigh of relief as she looked at the guard declaring that while leaning against the door.
Boom!
Crack!
“….. This seems to have been too noisy.”
“The door…!”
The thick iron door was dented by something from the outside.
“…. Student, what time is it?”
“Ha… It’s 1:30…”
“I see.”
The guard calmly noted the time and picked up a glass vial that was stored nearby.
“If they break in here and I can’t hold them off, do your best to last until 2:00. The professors will surely arrive by then.”
Bang!
Bang!!
Bang!!!
The iron door looked ready to burst open at any moment.
Fear made Noah’s breathing halt intermittently, coming in gasps.
Still, the guard calmly adjusted the glass and prepared to counter whatever was about to burst through.
KABOOM!!!
Finally, the iron door exploded open.
What showed beyond were several meters tall monsters resembling bears.
“I hoped it wouldn’t be the case, but it seems the gate was closer than expected.”
However, before the monsters could enter the archive, a student who had fought with the guard charged at the monsters excitedly.
“Hahaha!! Those guys are all mine!”
“Student!! Wait a minute…!!!”
The guard was taken aback.
Before he could stop the student, the student darted out quickly, grinning foolishly as if they were a golden goblin in a game, and lunged with his sword.
And.
Before the first sword touched one of the monsters,
Slash.
In an instant, the upper body was severed.
Blood gushed from the lower half as it fell to the ground.
“Ah… ah…”
“You foolish….”
The guard cursed upon witnessing the sight.
“Why did that idiot recommend this job.”
Those words carried a weight of sincerity.
