Although Abel easily claimed victory, the academy was not yet completely safe.
Tang! Tang!
“Where on earth did they get so many weapons…?”
“Magic unit! Quickly set up the magic barrier! Are you all trying to get us killed!?”
“Healers, hide in the back! Combat units, protect the healers first!”
The security forces that had been scattered to the north and west according to Abel’s orders were struggling greatly.
This was understandable, considering that the former headmaster, Delon Glast, had been filling his pockets at the academy’s expense, meaning the remaining budget had leaked somewhere.
Among these, the security forces, who had been relatively unnoticed within the academy, had suffered the most.
As a result, their numbers had been continuously reduced, and their equipment had become increasingly poor.
Furthermore, with no real threat of an attack on the academy, most of the guards had become increasingly inexperienced and had neglected their training.
The result of this neglect was now evident.
Most of the combat forces could barely approach the enemies who were shooting muskets and casting magic from a distance.
The best they could do was hide behind the mages for protection in this helpless situation.
If the enemies were using primitive weapons, it might have been different, but unfortunately, they were part of the “Red Fang” faction, which had been facing the Krantz royal family of the Hildek Kingdom for a long time and had grown stronger.
Naturally, their combat experience was significant, and their resources were abundant.
They were even using rare magic scrolls to fiercely pressure the security forces.
“The special forces will attack the auditorium immediately! We’ll handle this!”
“Yes, Captain!”
The enemies had so much leeway that they even sent a separate special forces team to attack the auditorium, causing the guards who had been on the defensive to become anxious.
Their mission was to protect the academy, the students, and even the distinguished guests who were visiting today.
‘If the enemy attacked the heart of the academy, even delaying would become meaningless.’
“Those crazy bastards…! Did they all have acceleration scrolls?”
At least the captain of the northern security unit, Drek, quickly assessed the situation and tried to organize his own special forces to chase the enemy.
However, the enemy was simply too fast.
The reason for this was that the enemy had given the acceleration magic scrolls only to the few members of their special forces.
No matter how hard they tried, they couldn’t catch up.
Of course, there were mages within the security forces, and if they had the time to use acceleration magic, they could potentially send their own special forces to pursue the enemy.
However, that was only if they had the time.
Tang—! Tang—!
“Ugh…! Captain! We can’t hold out any longer!”
“I know! Damn it…!”
The mages, who were struggling desperately to block the relentless barrage of musket fire, had no time to focus on anything else.
Moreover, the magic barrier they had set up was beginning to crack.
‘Do we have no choice but to fight to the death, even if it means sacrifices?’
In the end, Drek, realizing they were cornered, decided to invest all their remaining strength into a counterattack.
He ordered the mages to stop maintaining the magic barrier and instead focus on wiping out the enemies in front of them.
Although it was already quite late, no one could blame him since he was trying to minimize their losses.
“Magic unit, in three seconds, abandon the magic barrier and focus on the attack! Combat unit, get ready to charge!”
“Yes!”
Once the orders were given, Drek mentally began counting down, ‘1, 2, 3…’.
“Charge!”
At that moment, just as everyone was waiting with bated breath, the countdown reached zero, and the order was given.
Flame of Fate
Whoooosh!
“Arrghhh!”
“Fire!”
“Great magic! Everyone, evacuate!”
Suddenly, as if the sun itself had fallen from the sky, a massive column of fire engulfed the Red Fang forces.
The guards, who had been charging toward the enemy, stopped dead in their tracks, dumbfounded.
Especially the mages, who were witnessing the scene from behind, were frozen in place, watching in shock as people burned to death.
The sight, brutal as it was, seemed almost sacred to them.
Perhaps this reaction was not so surprising.
It was common knowledge that for most mages, reaching the 4th rank was a lifetime’s achievement, and for those exceptional, the 5th rank might be the limit.
What they were witnessing now, however, was the work of a 6th-rank mage.
“I’m sorry I’m late. What’s the situation?”
“Huh? Ah…! The enemy has sent a special forces team to attack the auditorium! We must chase them down quickly!”
Drek, momentarily stunned by the sudden appearance of Principal Abel descending from the sky, quickly regained his composure and reported the situation.
Upon hearing this, Abel slightly furrowed his brows.
“I see. Then I’ll head to the auditorium. You handle the cleanup. Oh, and…”
“Yes, is there something else you need to command?”
Perhaps because of the overwhelming display of magic Abel had just shown, the captain’s voice and posture naturally became more tense.
“Please make sure to collect any intact muskets they are using.”
However, despite the tense atmosphere, Abel could only look at the charred muskets with tears of frustration.
I’f only they were intact, I could have sold them for a nice profit!’
‘I should have used suppression magic instead.’
Once again, Abel realized the life lesson that one should not be hasty, and as he turned away with regret, he left the scene.
Meanwhile, Captain Drek, who had received his orders, gave calm instructions despite the urgency and looked at Abel’s retreating figure.
‘I see. He must want to investigate the origin of these weapons and find out who’s behind this.’
A perfect match for the saying, “We’re seeing the same dream,” but from different perspectives.
At the same time, inside the auditorium, the situation almost became chaotic due to the loud noises coming from outside, but fortunately, the head of the security team, along with the guards and staff members, intervened to mediate the situation, preventing major confusion.
Moreover, there was one source of hope that brought them the greatest comfort.
***
Gyaaak!
F-fire!
“It’s a great magic! Everyone evacuate!”
This was the victory report that Abel was delivering in real-time from outside.
Originally, one of the staff members had sent a scout to check the situation outside in case of an emergency.
It was meant to be kept only among the people involved, so the staff wouldn’t cause unnecessary panic.
However, when this got out, people in the auditorium demanded to share the video, claiming they had the right to know.
Unexpectedly, this sparked hope in the midst of the tension.
“Is that person the new guardian of the academy appointed by His Majesty?”
“Truly astonishing.”
“Is that really the work of a human?”
As they watched the figure swiftly defeat enemies one after another, the people couldn’t help but be amazed.
Despite the critical situation, where it wouldn’t have been surprising for terrorists to knock on the doors at any moment, everyone was so caught up in the astonishing scene unfolding in the video that they couldn’t tear themselves away.
However, things were not peaceful for long.
“The enemies are coming toward the auditorium! We must prepare!”
“We have no choice. We cannot risk involving the guests, so we must go out and hold a protest.”
“If we do that, they might use the opportunity to attack from behind! We must lock the doors and fight back!”
News of the special forces advancing toward the auditorium began to arrive in real-time.
But the opinions on how to respond were divided, and after much argument and wasted time, they finally…
Kwahh—!
One of the walls of the auditorium was shattered, and the special forces with their red teeth emerged.
“They, they’re here!”
“Louis! Hurry, come here!”
“What are you doing, not opening the door? People will die!”
For a moment, the peace that had briefly settled over the auditorium was shattered again, and the people rushed toward the back door to escape, abandoning the front door.
Screech!
Thud.
In the chaos, Titania was knocked to the floor.
“Tia!”
Her father, Theodric, saw this and cried out her name, rushing toward her, but the distance was too far.
“Krantz Princess! Found you… heh heh.”
Meanwhile, one of the special forces who had been searching for the princess, one of their targets, smirked and moved toward her.
‘If they could capture the princess as a hostage, they might finally fulfill their long-awaited goal.’
“Sis-sister!”
Klang—!
“Ugh!?”
But at that moment, a girl with sky-blue hair appeared like a comet, swinging something.
The man who was about to grab the princess was knocked down and rolled to the floor.
Theodric’s eyes, filled with deep anger, locked onto the scene, and from his lips came a voice that was the complete opposite of his usual gentle and calm demeanor—almost like the roar of a beast.
“How dare you touch my daughter!”
In her hand, she held a huge iron frying pan, at least three times the size of her face.
Lize Krantz.
She was a girl who inherited the blood of warriors from the first Krantz King, the founder of the Hildek Kingdom.
However, her blood was so thick that even her father Theodric and her older brothers often told her, “Calm down a bit.”
Therefore, she started learning activities traditionally enjoyed by refined ladies, like cooking and knitting, in an effort to tame her temperament.
Thanks to this, she was usually able to maintain a gentle and soft personality, like a blooming flower.
But whenever someone touched her temper, the old self would resurface, and the current situation was a perfect example.
“What, what is that?”
“Is that… a woman?”
No matter how much a frying pan could be considered an appropriate cooking tool, to see a trained soldier being knocked back five meters and crashing into the ground after being struck by it was unimaginable.
As the special forces soldiers froze in shock, Lize casually draped the frying pan over her shoulder, like it was a giant weapon, and beckoned them forward.
“Come on, come here, you bastards!”
With fury in her eyes, a nearby student trembled in fear.
‘What is that, so scary.’
In the student’s mind, Lize, who was the princess of a kingdom, had somehow been reduced to ‘that.’
‘She’s really lost it.’
Meanwhile, Titania, who was watching this, couldn’t help but smile, as if this was a familiar sight, gazing proudly at her little sister’s back.