“W-What’s going on......”
The students stared in confusion at the scene before them.
“Are you all alright?”
A voice echoed from the mist, and several figures stepped forward.
Seeing who they were, the students froze for a moment, then broke into expressions of joy.
“Head Student!!!”
“Thank goodness—we’re saved!”
“I thought we were done for......”
The students chattered excitedly, relief flooding their voices.
Alicia had intended to ask what had happened, but the chaos made it impossible to speak.
“Ah! Damn you, you brats!”
On the other side,
the only surviving black-robed figure cursed furiously, clutching his arm in pain.
Before he could act further,
Whoosh——!
A beam of light pierced his body.
“Ugh...... y-you......”
He managed only one word before collapsing, joining the others.
The signal he had been about to send never left his hand.
“He was trying to send a signal?”
Alicia noticed the object in his grasp.
Hulim Heyerar nodded:
“Yes. That’s why I ended him quickly.”
She then turned to the rescued students.
“Now—can someone tell me what’s happening?”
...
After some time,
Hulim and the others learned the truth from the students.
Nearly an hour earlier,
a thick fog had suddenly spread from the forest’s edge inward.
The Manacos students were no fools—they immediately realized something was wrong.
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Some had tried to return to the Manacos camp to investigate,
but none of them had come back.
Instead, hordes of mysterious black-robed figures had appeared, attacking any students they found.
These attackers were powerful—including several High-Rank Adepts—
and the students stood no chance against them.
The only mercy was that their attacks were non-lethal, designed only to incapacitate.
Whenever a student fell, they were dragged away by the black-robed figures, their fate unknown......
“......Hulim, this is bad.”
Alicia said gravely.
Hulim nodded, reaching the same conclusion:
“Professor Grisa is at the camp, yet this still happened. Which means——”
“The enemy has A-rank Adepts. And likely...... more than one.”
“......”
“......What should we do now?”
Hulim thought for a moment, then replied:
“We can’t wait to be hunted down. If we stay in the forest, they’ll narrow the search eventually. We have to take the initiative. First——”
“We need to scout the area.”
With a temporary plan in place, Hulim prepared to move out.
She addressed the students:
“You’ll come with us. Gather any other fleeing students along the way. This is a war—we need all hands on deck.”
“Yes, Head Student!”
“We’ll follow your lead......”
The students responded in unison.
“Good. Let’s move out.”
Hulim stepped toward the forest’s edge.
“Um, Head Student......”
A hesitant voice called from behind.
Hulim turned:
“What is it? Do you have questions?”
“It’s not exactly a question......”
The students stared at something behind Hulim, their eyes a mix of confusion and hesitation.
“Uh...... why is there a bear following you?”
The bear in question tilted its head, looking at them in bewilderment.
“Peep?”
...
“Ah——!”
In the outer forest,
a Gulos agent screamed, clutching his injured arm.
“You can try sending another signal if you’d like.”
Opposite him, a girl holding a silver wand stared coldly.
“I wonder how many hands you have left for such tricks.”
Her words sent a chill down the agent’s spine.
“I’ll talk! I’ll tell you everything! Please don’t kill me!”
He spilled every detail Hulim wanted to know......
“......So there really is an A-rank. And one of the strongest at that.”
Alicia frowned deeply.
“Without the Headmaster, we stand no chance......”
“The Headmaster might not arrive in time. We have to find a way ourselves.”
Hulim replied,
then raised a finger.
Whoosh——!
“Ah!”
The agent stared at Hulim in disbelief,
then fell silent forever.
As he died, a signal device slipped from his remaining hand.
“Typical Gulos arrogance—thinking they’d get the chance to call for backup......”
With the interruption dealt with,
Hulim, Miko, and Alicia began to plan their next move in earnest.
“......First, the enemy is far too powerful for a direct confrontation. If we attack head-on, they’ll likely use the hostages to threaten us—and that would be a disaster.”
“So here’s the plan: I’ll draw their attention, luring away their strongest fighters.”
“Even then, the students alone won’t be enough to overcome the remaining forces. But if we free the imprisoned teachers—most of whom are High-Rank Adepts—the odds will shift in our favor.”
Hulim turned to Miko and Alicia:
“Once I’ve led the elites away, find an opportunity to rescue Professor Grisa and the other teachers.”
“Got it!!!”
Miko and Alicia nodded firmly.
But Miko hesitated, worried:
“Hulim—are you sure you’ll be safe luring away their top fighters......”
“Don’t worry——”
Hulim replied calmly,
“I’ll be fine.”
...
The Manacos camp,
now fallen and occupied by Gulos,
bustled with activity. Agents carried captured students into the camp, locking them away.
No one noticed the figures sneaking closer,
hidden by the fog’s poor visibility.
“Who would have thought the fog they used to trap us would now help us sneak in.”
Alicia muttered in amazement.
“We should destroy it if we can. This fog, and the altered magic circles, are probably blocking all messages from reaching the outside.”
Hulim nodded:
“You’re right.”
After observing the camp for a while, Hulim had a clear picture of the situation.
“I’m going in first. Stick to the plan once I’m gone.”
With that, Hulim flew toward the camp.
“Be careful, Hulim......”
...
