Chapter 101: An Unusual Occurrence
Having rescued a trio of students from the Magic Department, Rest regrouped with the Knight Commander, Yugroot, who had been acting separately. As Rest arrived, he found Yugroot locked in battle with a colossal serpent.
The gigantic snake, as thick as a telephone pole, had translucent, insect-like wings sprouting from its back, swooping through the air to strike at Yugroot.
“SHAAAAAAAH!”
“HAH!”
Yugroot deflected the serpent’s fangs with his spear. He attempted to deliver a counterattack, but the snake retaliated by spewing a stream of poison liquid from its mouth.
“Damn it… this is troublesome!”
While activating Wind Magic, Yugroot swung his spear to shake off the poison. Though he appeared to be on the defensive, he was protecting an injured student and Nacua from the Clerical Studies Department, who lay behind him. If it were just Yugroot alone, he would have easily evaded the attacks and launched a counterstrike, but the presence of the injured person hindered his ability to retaliate.
“Wind Blade!”
Rest quickly assessed the situation and cast his spell. A series of enhanced wind blades shot forth, slicing through the wings of the serpent. Without its wings, the massive creature plummeted to the ground with a resounding thud.
“SHAA!? ”
“Gotcha…!”
Yugroot immediately seized the opportunity, swinging his spear. The sharp tip pierced the head of the fallen serpent. The creature thrashed its thick tail against the ground a few times before finally succumbing to its injuries and lying still.
“…Rest, is that you? You saved me.”
“No, I’m just glad you’re safe.”
Yugroot withdrew his spear and turned to face Rest, raising an eyebrow at the sight of him acting alone.
“What happened to Daniya and Thomas?”
“They’re tending to the injured and have retreated to the Plain Entrance. More importantly… did you notice the distress signal earlier?”
“Yeah… I saw it while fighting this snake. There were multiple signals coming from deeper within the plain.”
Yugroot’s expression twisted in annoyance as he prodded the serpent’s corpse with the tip of his spear.
“…This monster shouldn’t be here; it belongs much deeper in the plain. I can’t understand why it’s appeared in this location.”
“So… what do we do now?”
“This is undoubtedly an unexpected situation for the academy. We should retreat to the starting point first…”
“Wait…!”
Rest shouted, suddenly turning to look deeper into the plain. There seemed to be no immediate anomalies; at least, not within his visible range.
“Seriously…?!”
However, a cold sweat trickled down Rest’s spine. His magical perception, which he had expanded as much as possible, had detected numerous presences approaching.
“What’s wrong, Rest?”
“…Monsters are heading this way. Not just one or two, but a whole swarm.”
Additionally, he sensed the presence of students participating in the Monster Hunting Festival, possibly being chased by the monsters.
“We need to leave here quickly… I’ll hold them off, Yugroot-senpai, you carry the injured!”
“Wait! If we’re going to delay the monsters, I should—!”
“You have greater strength. There’s no time for debate; hurry!”
“Damn…!”
Yugroot grunted in frustration but quickly gathered the injured and stood up.
“This is a direct order from the Commander. Don’t push yourself too hard; make sure you return alive!”
“Understood… go!”
“Let’s meet outside the plain!”
Yugroot dashed across the plain at an incredible speed, as if he were carrying nothing but air. Nacua hurriedly followed behind him.
“…I’m sorry, but I can’t back down easily either, senpai.”
Rest murmured to Yugroot’s retreating figure. The monsters charging toward them were relentless, threatening to spill out into the plain.
(The Plain Entrance. Viola and Primula are at the operations tent…!)
If the monsters broke through and chaos erupted, both of them would be in danger.
(Plus, my father-in-law is there as a guest, and the academy’s faculty, including the Knight Commander, are present. They shouldn’t be easily overwhelmed by mere monsters, but still, I want to minimize any danger to them.)
“I don’t know what’s causing this chaos, but I’ll thin their numbers.”
The monsters were now within sight. Rest focused his cold gaze on the distant shadows of the approaching foes, channeling his magical power.
“Stone Bullet!”
Then, with the precision of a sniper rifle, he unleashed his magic at supersonic speed.