The class was noisy after it ended.
Ariel looked at me with curious eyes.
“Iris, have you heard the news?”
“What news?”
As I tilted my head, Ariel leaned in close to my ear and whispered in a soft voice.
“They say a commander appeared near the Imperial Palace.”
“Huh?!!?!!”
As I screamed out loud, Ariel was startled along with me.
“Whoa! Iris, your reaction is something else!”
“Oh… I’m sorry…”
“Hehe, it’s okay. You’re cute.”
Unlike Ariel’s light-hearted laugh, my heart was still racing wildly.
Of course! This isn’t just gossip.
The invincible being known as the Demon King, the enemy of all.
And the four overwhelming forces he commands.
Demon Realm commanders.
Their strength is definitely not something to be taken lightly.
Each one could easily wipe out an entire kingdom without breaking a sweat.
And one of them showed up at the Imperial Palace.
I couldn’t shake the worry that someone might get hurt, and my body continued to tremble.
“Ariel… is everything going to be okay…?”
But contrary to my worried words, Ariel seemed rather relaxed.
“It’ll be fine! The academy professors went to help, and I heard the Swordsman and Hero also went.”
“Oh…”
A deep sense of relief washed over me at Ariel’s words.
If Athena is there, I know well how strong she is, having crossed paths with her several times in the past.
No matter how terrifying the Demon Commander might be, Athena should be able to handle it.
‘…Speaking of which, I haven’t seen her since then.’
Was it around two years ago?
She brought in a knight who had a huge hole in his chest.
I couldn’t understand how a sparring match could leave someone so badly injured.
As I let out a sigh of relief, Ariel looked at me with a playful expression.
“Aren’t you too relaxed, Iris? The academy is empty right now. What if someone attacks?”
I couldn’t help but chuckle at her joke.
“Oh, come on, Ariel. You really think that would happen?”
“Hehe, well, the Chairman is still here, so there shouldn’t be a problem. Besides, we have a super strong Hero too.”
“Lily… you mean?”
A slight gloom washed over me.
Not because of anything else, but because of Lily.
Having received the fate of a Hero, she would have to constantly fight against the Demon Race.
But I didn’t want to see her get hurt, which made me feel sad.
To make sure nothing like that happens, I would need to grow as a Saintess.
But for now, it’s alright.
Even without the professors, the academy is safe.
Since it’s the gathering place of the empire’s promising students, it has top-notch security.
The greatest among them is the Barrier set by the Great Sage.
If any dark magic or magical presence were to invade, it would be turned to ash in an instant.
According to the stories, even commanders couldn’t breach it.
Then there’s the Chairman.
A powerhouse ranked among the top five in the empire.
As long as he’s protecting the academy,
no half-hearted demon would ever stand a chance.
Well, they wouldn’t even get in in the first place.
Unless someone inside opened the door for them.
But, well, that’s highly unlikely.
Thinking that, I went out to prepare for the next class.
I wish I hadn’t.
If only I had thought a little more carefully.
Maybe I could have prevented the impending tragedy.
…
“What’s… going on…”
– Kieeeeeek!!!
– Grroooarrr…
The academy, which used to exude the grand air of a sturdy fortress, had changed drastically.
“Mon… Monsters?!”
“Th-this must be a joke…?”
“AAAAHHH!!! My arm!!!!”
“Kyaaaah!!!”
Buildings collapsed, and the once lush garden was engulfed in fierce flames.
The countless screams and roars echoed disturbingly all around.
“Everyone, hurry and get outside!!”
In the midst of the chaos, one of the few remaining instructors was trying to lead the students out calmly.
“Kuhrk!”
Before he could finish, he was struck down by the demons.
“NO!!!”
I rushed over and placed my hand on his bleeding body.
‘Gracious Goddess, please grant the strength to heal this poor soul.’
As if in response to my prayer, white light enveloped the instructor’s body, healing his wounds completely.
As soon as he regained his senses, he looked at me in a daze and mumbled.
“Saintess… hurry… escape…”
Even in this situation, he was worried about me?
“I’m not leaving you behind!!”
I hoisted him over my shoulder and struggled to move him toward a safer place away from the monsters.
After walking for a while, I found a somewhat safe area, where I set down the instructor to catch my breath and look around.
Mana glimmered like shooting stars, striking down the monsters everywhere.
That must be the Chairman’s magic.
Yet, many monsters and demons continued to assault the academy.
It was a scene of utter mayhem.
How could it have come to this?
Looking up at the sky,
I could confirm that the Barrier was still in place.
Then, where on earth did these monsters and demons come from?
Amidst the confusion in my mind, a certain figure suddenly came to mind.
“Lily..!!”
I began to worry deeply. Was she safe?
What if she got hurt?
Just as I resolved to go find her, someone rushed toward me.
“Huahh..! Saintess..!!”
A black-haired girl in the academy uniform,
though I hadn’t seen her before, I recognized from the badge on her chest that she was in my grade.
Her pale face and ragged breaths were concerning.
I hurried over to heal her, and her breathing gradually calmed.
Then the girl grabbed my sleeve, looking at me with teary eyes.
“One of my friends… is trapped under the rubble… I can’t… move…”
“Oh…”
It was such heartbreaking news.
I hesitated for a moment but immediately embraced the girl to comfort her.
“Please guide me to them. Let’s go rescue them!”
Her eyes widened in surprise at my words, and she bowed deeply, thanking me repeatedly.
“Th-thank you, Saintess!! Thank you!!”
Just wait a bit longer, Lily.
I think I have someone priority to rescue first.
…
“This way, Saintess!!”
“Yes..!”
After frantically following the girl for a while, I started to feel the thickness of the dark magic surrounding us.
As we entered the academy building and moved further inside, an unknown sense of unease began to creep into my mind.
“Huff… huff…. are we there yet?”
“Yes! Just a bit further!”
Feeling something was off, I paused for a moment.
The girl looked at me quizzically, tilting her head.
“Saintess..?”
“…Student, may I ask which class you’re in?”
“I’m… I’m in the alchemy class…?”
“…..”
This girl, who I sensed was strange to me.
Even after running non-stop from outside to here, she showed no signs of exhaustion.
While I was gasping for breath, she hadn’t even broken a sweat coming this far.
Of course, if she were in the swordsmanship or martial arts class, that would be understandable.
But the girl said she belonged to the alchemy class.
As I gazed quietly at her, she spoke hastily.
“We need to hurry, Saintess! My friend is in here…!”
“I’m sorry, student. Just let me check one thing.”
Before she could even answer,
I prayed and poured divine power around her.
If she were wrapped in dark magic or black magic, she would feel unbearable pain.
The holy light pierced through her,
and I intently observed her response.
But…
“Saintess..?”
“Uh…?”
Unlike what I expected, nothing happened.
Could it be that I was mistaken?
While I stood there in a daze, the girl dashed toward me.
“Saintess..!!”
“..Oh, I’m sorry.. I must have been mistaken… let’s move.”
“This seems like a good place!”
“Uh?”
Suddenly, something warm pressed against my stomach.
When I slowly looked down,
a small dagger, drenched in bright red blood, was deeply embedded in my abdomen.
“..Huh?”
With trembling eyes, I looked up.
The innocent face of the girl before me twisted grotesquely.
As if it was melting away.
“I told you, Iris. You never know what people are capable of.”
Her body began to grotesquely writhe and transform into that of an adult.
The figure that emerged was a mature woman with the same short black hair.
“Ca… Katrina-sensei…”
“You should have listened to me, shouldn’t you?”
Swoosh—
She smiled sweetly and drove the dagger deep into my other side.
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