The three of them felt a blinding flash before their eyes, and when they opened them again, they found themselves in the middle of a barren wilderness.
“What-what’s going on?!” Nia asked, her voice trembling.
Roslinny straightened her back, pretending to be calm as she said, “It-it’s probably just teleportation magic, haha…”
But even as she spoke, her legs were shaking, because when she looked out into the distance, she realized that this wilderness seemed endless, and she hadn’t heard of any wilderness near the Academy recently.
Frightened, the two of them instinctively looked to Shia, hoping to hear something from her that would soothe their fears.
“Hmm…”
Shia lowered her beautiful brows, one hand crossed over her chest and the other covering her mouth and nose, quietly thinking for a moment. After a while, she gave her answer—Space Magic.
“Sp-space Magic?!”
The moment Nia heard “Space Magic,” her back bent in fear, and she moved closer to Shia.
“Hah, it’s just advanced magic. What’s there to be afraid of?”
Even as she said this, Roslinny had already silently moved behind Shia.
“Don’t you think so, Shia?”
“I don’t know, but can you two please stop grabbing my clothes? I can’t move.”
She looked speechlessly at the two behind her, a hint of annoyance on her otherwise calm face.
“You three actually came in here?”
Just as the two released their grip, a strange woman’s voice suddenly sounded above their heads.
“Eh?! Shia, save me!!”
Roslinny seemed startled by the sudden voice. Having just let go, she immediately clung to Shia like a sloth.
Shia looked up at the sky, trying to pry Roslinny off her at the same time.
A red-haired woman was hovering in midair, flapping enormous wings…
Her gaze was sharp, her long red hair billowing in the wind like burning flames. She wore a tight black outfit on her upper body that perfectly showed off her graceful figure, and her lower half was clad in silver-armored pants. Even though it was night, each piece of silver armor shone as brightly as the silver moon.
The red-haired woman seemed very unwelcoming of their arrival. Her fiery red pupils glinted with anger, and the expression on her breathtakingly beautiful face sent chills down one’s spine.
Fortunately, she wasn’t holding any weapons, nor did she have a dagger or anything at her waist.
“Sh-Shia, is that an angel? Did the Goddess see us doing something bad?” Roslinny’s voice trembled, her words stuttering.
“If angels came down for every little mistake, there wouldn’t be so much suffering in the world.”
She murmured softly, then raised her voice to shout at the woman in the sky, “We just entered here by accident. If possible, please let us out.”
“By accident?”
The red-haired woman slowly descended, her wings flapping.
Her enormous white wings folded up the moment she landed, disappearing from her back.
If she remembered correctly, before she left, the Holy Sword should have already set a restriction—without her permission, no one should be able to enter or leave this place.
So how did they get in?
She began to scrutinize the three with her gaze.
When her eyes passed over Roslinny and Nia, they suddenly stopped on Shia in the middle.
“This is…”
Her expression froze for a moment, as if she couldn’t believe it, and she squinted to look more closely.
Noticing the strange look, Shia felt a little uncomfortable.
“Is there something you need?”
“You… you’re not human, are you?”
She was startled, and her eyes immediately became wary.
“Why do you say that?”
She took a step back, her hand slowly reaching for the dagger at her waist.
Such a small movement could not escape Lola Bell’s eyes.
The red pupils began to glow, and in the next instant, the blade of the dagger started to heat up, eventually melting into silvery liquid that dripped onto the ground.
Shia took a deep breath, her pupils suddenly glowing with a purple light.
“Miasma.”
She uttered the word softly, and at once, purple mist began to spread from her, wrapping around the two behind her.
“Th-this… what…”
Before the two could finish their words, they collapsed to the ground, falling into a deep sleep.
Black markings began to appear on Shia’s cheeks, two black horns grew from her forehead, and a slender black tail suddenly emerged from behind her.
The tip of the tail was shaped like a heart—an unmistakable sign of a Succubus among the demon race.
Her purple eyes flashed, and a purple Magic Circle appeared at her feet. From it, a massive black greatsword slowly emerged.
She drew the greatsword with one hand, pointing its tip at Lola Bell, and said coldly, “Since you’ve seen through me, I’m afraid I’ll have to kill you.”
“Hmph, a demon, and not even of pure blood,” Lola Bell replied coldly.
White wings unfurled from her back once more, and she slowly rose into the sky.
“You’re the offspring of a Divine Messenger and a demon, aren’t you?”
Though faint, Lola Bell could sense a trace of the same Blessing of the Goddess on her as on herself, but mixed with an obvious, unique miasma belonging to demons.
This Holy Sword was a gift from the Goddess. When it sensed the Goddess’s aura, it would automatically lift the restriction, which was how the three of them were able to enter.
“Demon, what are you doing at the Academy? Who sent you? How did you sneak in?”
The Saint Knight’s pressure radiated from Lola Bell, her eyes filled with killing intent, and several golden spears appeared around her.
“This strong aura of the Goddess… could it be you are—!”
‘Boom!’
Before Shia could finish her sentence, a spear suddenly shot toward her.
With power enough to pierce mountains and rivers, it flew straight at her. Shia swung her black greatsword, trying to block the spear.
But before such terrifying force, her defense was utterly futile.
The spear struck her black greatsword, shattering it instantly, and pierced straight through Shia’s body as well.
“Ugh… damn it!”
She spat out a mouthful of purple blood, clutching the wound on her chest where blood continued to gush out.
Lola Bell showed no mercy toward demons—this strike had nearly shattered all of Shia’s bones and tendons.
She collapsed weakly to the ground, thick purple liquid gushing from her mouth.
She spat blood, trying to stand.
But before she could steady her feet, she fell to the ground again.
“D-damn it.”
“If you tell me, I’ll give you a quick death.”
“I told you, I have no purpose, no one sent me. Would you believe that?”
“Hmph, stubborn.”
A spear was already charged, its tip pointed at Shia on the ground, ready to pierce her head at any moment.
“Die, abomination.”
The spear shot toward her, but just as it was about to strike Shia, a sudden shout made the spear freeze in midair.
“Wait!”
“Sis… Sister!?”