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Chapter 47
“So those two are in that kind of relationship?”
“Hmm.”
A quiet sound slipped out of me.
Professor Wid looked like he didn’t care about anything in the world, but behind the scenes he had been doing everything.
I had often seen Professor Lily scolding him with a look full of disgust.
“So they were more than just close colleagues.”
“Very interesting.”
“You mean the monster is interesting?”
At the voice that broke my thoughts, I turned my head and met Rena’s red eyes.
Under her long eyelashes, her deep red eyes were so intense that I almost felt dizzy.
“Archel.”
She said my name softly, and I cleared my throat for no reason.
“Of course the monster is interesting too.”
I answered calmly and looked around.
A high semicircular platform stood at the front. Around it, wide steps rose in layers, forming a circle.
The building was designed like an amphitheater. Today’s class, Basic Understanding of Monsters, would be held here.
Just then, Professor Lily clapped her hands to get everyone’s attention.
“Everyone, today we will learn something very important.”
She pointed to the board on the stage and a large cube covered with cloth beside it.
“Today we will learn what to do when you face a monster directly. This is called a monster encounter practice.”
“Ooooh.”
“Wow.”
Excited murmurs rose everywhere.
“Monster encounter practice…”
I touched my lips and thought for a moment.
Monsters were like fires.
Few people experienced them directly, but everyone knew how dangerous they were and had to be prepared at all times.
“You never know when or where they will appear.”
In the capital, monsters appeared less often, but there had still been people injured or killed by them.
So there were clear evacuation rules and action guidelines.
Town centers handed out booklets with instructions, and the academy held evacuation drills for all students.
In short, monsters were both familiar and unfamiliar to everyone.
“But lately, they’ve been appearing more often.”
I narrowed my eyes, remembering the Tersen Daily I had read that morning.
And of all places, monsters had been appearing one after another near District 12, where the talent classroom was located.
“…This feels like the start of a bad ending. It’s not, right?”
I gently took Rena’s straight hand and whispered,
“It’ll be fine.”
I expected her to push me away and ask what I was talking about. But she didn’t let go of my hand.
Meanwhile, Professor Lily began asking the students questions.
“What can ordinary people without magic do when a monster appears?”
“They run away.”
“That’s right. Don’t look back. Just run.”
Professor Lily crossed her arms with a serious expression.
“If you cannot hide perfectly without even making a sound, running is your only option. Leave immediately. Use the knight-order summoning device nearby or sound the alarm to warn others. The same applies to theology students.”
Ordinary people without magic were helpless in front of monsters.
No weapon worked against them.
“Only magic can harm a monster.”
Divine power was no exception. Surprisingly, it only made monsters more violent, so it had to be used carefully.
“The same goes for magic users. If you are not professionally trained for combat, run immediately and call the knights. And lastly…”
Professor Lily looked at each student one by one. Her gaze stopped on me.
“Elemental studies students should also run.”
All the strength left my body.
Of course.
Unless we carried powerful attack tools, running was the best option for our department too.
“So in the end, running is best.”
“Couldn’t we stun it with attack magic? Our department practices anti-monster spells.”
“If you’re not confident, don’t even try. Well, unless you’re a mage like Izael.”
Whispers spread around the room—some saying they could defeat it, others saying they should run.
Watching them, Professor Lily smiled and put her hands on her waist.
“Of course, depending on the situation, each of you may have a role. One might distract it with magic. One might call the knights. One might sound the alarm to warn others. You’ve heard this many times before, haven’t you?”
She shrugged as if bored, then suddenly made an important announcement.
“So now, we will begin a life-risking monster encounter practice.”
As soon as she finished speaking, the cloth covering the cube fell to the ground.
“W-What is that?”
“It’s a real monster!!”
“No way…”
Inside an iron cage three times taller than an adult man stood a black beast that was clearly not an ordinary animal.
It looked like a bear. Black smoke rose around it, and its eyes glowed red.
“Grrr…”
The monster looked around slowly, then lifted its front paw and struck the cage door.
Clang—
The door opened without resistance.
Silence fell over the large hall.
Maybe it was the nobles’ effort to maintain dignity. Or maybe it was instinct, not wanting to anger the monster.
Not a single breath could be heard.
But the silence did not last long.
“The professor is gone.”
“What?”
Professor Lily, who had been standing next to the cage, had disappeared without a trace.
“This has to be fake. It can’t be real. What if one of us gets hurt…?”
The students tried to convince themselves it wasn’t real.
But they failed.
The saliva that fell from its mouth corroded the floor.
Its sharp fangs were terrifying just to look at.
The monster’s appearance forced them to accept reality.
If one of us died, would Yudea Academy be shaken?
“Yudea…”
It had an enormous amount of money.
For over a hundred years, it had received thousands of gold in tuition from high-ranking noble families. Its wealth probably surpassed most noble houses.
“But even so, once honor is damaged, it’s hard to recover!”
But even that thought quickly fell apart.
Within the Tersen Empire, Yudea was like an unshakable fortress.
Even if there were casualties, there would only be strong protests at first. Very few people would actually give up entering the academy.
There was no other institution on the continent that could replace Yudea.
“….”
The students’ faces turned pale as they reached this conclusion.
Meanwhile, the monster tapped its back foot casually, then opened its jaws wide.
“ROOOAR!!”
“Ahhhh!”
“Run!!”
Only then did the students begin to flee in panic.
Like ants escaping a human hand, they scattered in all directions and rushed toward the exit.
“Rena, hurry and escape!”
Sitting near the exit, I stepped toward the right side of the hall, searching for something.
“It was definitely around here. That blue light…!”
It wasn’t easy.
There was only one open exit, so all the students were crowding toward it.
I forced my way forward against the flow of people, like a salmon swimming upstream.
Shoulders hit me. My cheek was scratched. My foot was stepped on. The crowd pressed against my chest, making it hard to breathe.
But my eyes kept searching the corner of the wall as I moved.
Then—
“Ah!”
A student on the opposite side fell.
Soon, others behind him collapsed like dominoes.
Realizing I was about to be crushed, I pressed myself against the wall and closed my eyes.
At that moment—
“Archel.”
In the chaos, a familiar scent of roses wrapped around me.
