“Teacher…”
“Damn it…”
In order to use the method of sealing, Eve’s sacrifice was absolutely necessary.
Those who learned this could not conceal their gloomy expressions.
While they might have been surprised when the fact that she was a witch was revealed, everyone had accepted her without hesitation because Eve was their esteemed teacher and their benefactor.
The thought of sending such a person to her death was too sorrowful for them.
Feeling the somber atmosphere all around, Eve spoke up.
“Guys, don’t stress too much. If we didn’t have this method, we would have all died anyway, so if I can save you like this, then I’m satisfied. I’ve lived enough already. Besides, I don’t want to see anyone die before me anymore.”
With a faint smile and a declaration of her resolution, everyone had no choice but to bite their lips and nod.
It was a necessary sacrifice to protect not just themselves but everyone else as well, so they had to show their respect to Eve for having made such a decision.
Thus, Eve turned her gaze away from the people and looked at the witch.
The witch was regaining the strength she had been consuming while emitting the magical energy as the starlight created by Sylvia disappeared.
If the heroes were to stop their fierce attacks for a moment, she would begin her advance towards them at any time.
Before the heroes ran out of strength, and before the witch regained too much power, Eve had to quickly get closer to where the witch was and attempt the sealing.
However, as she gazed upon the target to be sealed, Eve momentarily wore a perplexed expression.
This was because she noticed other beings between the witch of gluttony and herself.
These were the lesser demonic beasts that had been born from the magical energy emitted by the witch and had begun to repeat the cycle of being created and destroyed.
As the starlight faded, the horde of demonic beasts that reappeared became a barrier preventing Eve from getting closer to where the witch of gluttony was.
This was truly disappointing news for Eve.
Time was of the essence for this sealing plan above all else.
Approaching the witch while resisting the magical energy she emitted would undoubtedly require expending much effort.
Moreover, if she also had to push through the wall of demons in addition to that, it would certainly deplete far more strength than she had anticipated.
Although she had recovered some strength from consuming magical energy after ending her fast, she was still at a much lower level compared to the witch of gluttony.
Even in perfect condition, she couldn’t guarantee a 100% sealing success. If she ended up exhausting herself too much…
The probability of her ability failing to take effect would be remarkably high.
But that was something that simply could not happen.
If she failed to seal, it would mean the entire death of those remaining.
So, what Eve had to do now was clear.
To conserve her strength until she could seal the witch, and to increase the likelihood of success.
She needed to ask for help from others.
“…”
However, Eve found herself unable to easily speak up.
She saw the attacks flying toward the witch.
At first, attacks that were blowing away everything including the wall of demons and reaching the witch now had to be fired in an arc to avoid interference from the demons just to barely reach her.
In this prolonged battle, everyone had depleted their strength, and their firepower had dropped.
In this situation, to preserve her strength while clearing away the wall of demons, there was no choice but to launch attacks from an even closer distance.
However, getting closer meant entering the range of the magical energy emitted by the witch.
That meant asking for someone to sacrifice themselves alongside her for the plan.
Thus, Eve couldn’t bring herself to say that someone had to die.
Everyone here were her precious students, people she wanted to survive.
Eve simply could not utter the words asking someone to die for the others.
“It seems there’s some sort of problem, judging by the teacher’s expression.”
At that moment, someone said this beside Eve.
When she turned to see who was speaking, her former student was standing there.
It was Leon Lionel, the captain of the 1st squad of Astrape, the fastest hero of them all, who was looking at Eve with a blank expression.
He asked her in a serious voice.
“Are you perhaps worried about lacking the necessary strength to seal?”
“…How did you know?”
Eve muttered in surprise as she was caught off guard, and Leon let out a slight sigh.
“I had a hunch when you mentioned an uncertain method earlier, but it seems I was right. You need to tell me explicitly. If you fail, it’s all over.”
“…I’m sorry.”
“So, what do you need to increase the chances of success?”
Eve squeezed her eyes shut and spat out her response.
“The longer I can conserve my strength until I get close to the witch, the higher the chances of success. But on my own, it feels impossible to break through the demonic wall with the time and energy it will take… I need someone to help me.”
“So what you’re saying is you need someone to go with you.”
Eve nodded with a heavy heart at those words.
“Then I shall go with you.”
Without a hint of hesitation, Leon’s response came.
Volunteering for this mission meant facing death.
Eve stared blankly at Leon, who so readily agreed to go with her.
In response to her gaze, Leon shrugged as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“What kind of look is that? I won’t be able to hold out against that demonic energy for long, so we need to get to the witch as quickly as possible. Therefore, there’s no one better suited for this than me. As the fastest hero, I will take you there faster than anyone else.”
Eve, struggling to find her voice, finally managed to ask him.
“…Are you sure it’s alright?”
“Of course. If I don’t step up now, it would be disgraceful as the captain of Astrape. Furthermore—”
If Aegis Academy is where the next generation of humanity’s protectors are raised,
then Astrape is the spear piercing the enemy at the front lines to protect this moment.
In that sense, Leon felt it was only natural that he had to step up.
And then, in a lower voice, he continued.
“If we fail, everyone dies, right? And I promised my late wife that I would protect my daughter, Leonor, come what may. If you fail, I won’t be able to keep that promise, so I will give it my all to ensure success.”
“…I understand.”
Unable to refuse Leon’s resolute offer, Eve had no choice but to nod.
Thus, Leon devoted to the mission began closely observing the direction of the witch.
He furrowed his brow for a moment before looking back at the people nearby and spoke in a heavy voice.
“Whew, I’m sorry, but I think we’ll need at least one more person. No matter how fast my legs are, I can’t push through this many obstacles alone. Is there anyone who can clear a path for me?”
His gaze shifted to the other commanders, Martina and Natalia.
After all, having too many people here would be pointless.
The magical energy emitted by the witch was difficult to endure even for elite heroes.
Therefore, he was asking those two, who had sufficient firepower while also being capable of withstanding it, to join him.
But before they could even respond, someone else spoke up first.
“I-I’ll do it…!”
“…You’re going to do it?”
Leon turned toward the voice with a look of surprise.
The one volunteering was none other than Scarlet.
“Even though I’ve already used a lot of power… I think I can still endure the witch’s magical energy to some extent and definitely clear a path. If someone has to sacrifice themselves, it’s only right that I, being a witch, do it rather than anyone else. I’ll take this on. I also have someone I need to protect.”
Her argument certainly held merit.
Her firepower would undoubtedly surpass that of the commanders, Martina or Natalia, making her more than capable of fulfilling the mission.
Thus, Scarlet might end up being the one to sacrifice herself.
“Hey, witch girl over there. Who gave you permission to step in? I won’t allow it.”
If the captain of the 4th squad, Martina Ivanova, had not intervened to stop her…
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