“Didn’t you get scolded by Professor Gracie yesterday?”
Rie, while carelessly stuffing documents into her bag, spoke to me.
I let out a sigh, thinking about it.
“I now understand what they mean when they say it’s terrifying when someone who’s usually silent gets angry.”
Indeed, yesterday I was reprimanded by Professor Gracie.
It was somewhat expected.
The research I’m currently working on nearly exhausted all of the lab funding.
Of course, when we first signed the contract, she did say I could pursue a project of my choosing.
But even by my standards, it felt like I might’ve spent a tad too much.
But what could I do now?
The money had already been spent...
“Alright, I better get going.”
“So soon?”
Rie had only just arrived, not even ten minutes ago.
I was surprised she was leaving already.
Seeing my reaction, Rie chuckled,
“Yuni invited me for some tea today.”
I remembered Yuni asking me about it yesterday.
Judging by Yuni's attitude, it didn’t seem like there was any malicious intent behind the invitation.
So, it should be fine.
I shrugged,
“Alright, take care.”
As I waved goodbye with a smile, Rie advised in a playful tone,
“Try not to work too hard.”
With those words, she left.
That cheeky concern of hers made me smile.
I began to sift through the documents Rie left behind.
All the paperwork related to Homecoming Day seemed to be in order, but I was double-checking just to be certain.
As I was going through the documents, there was a knock on the student council office door.
I looked up, perplexed.
Who would visit at this time?
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})Everyone mentioned being busy, so I assumed it might be just another student.
“Who is it?”
A voice replied,
“It’s Haruna.”
Haru...na?
My eyes widened in surprise.
“Yes?”
My surprised reaction led to the door opening and a woman stepping in.
She wore nun’s robes and had a rosary around her neck.
However, something about her was different from the last time I saw her.
“The blindfold...”
The last time I saw her, she was wearing a blindfold, as if she were blind.
But now, she entered the student council office confidently, without it.
I had already heard from Rie that she wasn’t actually blind, but seeing her so boldly walk in caught me off guard.
“Hello, Rudy Astria.”
She greeted with a smile.
I stood up from my seat, still in shock, looking at her,
“What brings you here?”
I could understand her being in the academy, but her sudden visit to the student council office left me bewildered.
As I posed the question, she responded with a kind face,
“Rudy Astria, I came to meet you.”
“...Me?”
I hadn't completely ruled out the possibility of the Saint coming here.
After all, if you visit the student council office, you'd naturally meet the student council president.
However, the real question was why she had come to see me.
It would have made sense if she was here to meet the principal or some other professors.
They are the representatives of the academy, so it would be natural to exchange greetings.
But, the fact that she chose to meet me before them was puzzling.
Then, the Saint stated calmly,
“The rebels are coming.”
I widened my eyes in shock.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})Only a few people, including Cromwell and myself, knew the rebels were on their way to meet me.
Yet hearing such words from her lips was utterly baffling.
I fixed a stern look on her and asked,
"How do you know this? Why would the Rebels suddenly come to the academy……?"
“There's no time for idle chatter.”
“Excuse me?”
She pointed to the clock.
“Within an hour, the rebels will be here.”
I frowned at her unexpected statement.
"How do you know this?"
She replied, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world,
“Because I can see the future.”
Gently caressing the rosary around her neck, she quietly added,
“I need your help, Possessor.”
Cromwell was in the principal's office, handling paperwork.
Juggling the duties of both the vice principal and the principal left him with no room for relaxation.
Of course, it wasn't all paperwork.
It was important to keep things running smoothly at the Academy.
Currently, Principal McDowell was absent.
It wasn't a brief absence; he had suffered a severe injury and was under treatment.
To keep this situation under wraps, it was essential that academy operations appeared seamless.
If word got out about McDowell's precarious condition, there would surely be complications.
After all, the previous incident orchestrated by Vice Principal Oliver happened because Principal McDowell had been away for an extended period.
Cromwell sighed.
Moreover, there were other matters mentioned by Rudy that needed addressing.
While he had requested assistance from central authorities regarding this issue, it was hard to expect much without an exact date.
Having top talents linger for too long in the academy could, in some respects, be seen as a waste of resources.
So, Cromwell believed that it was important to prepare as much as possible using the academy’s current resources.
He had reached out in advance to trustworthy professors like Mcguire and Robert to ensure heightened security at the academy and requested an early return from Professor Gracie.
He had prepared as best he could.
While Cromwell was reviewing documents, an assistant came from behind with a cup of coffee.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})"Vice Principal, perhaps you should take a break and have some coffee.”
This assistant originally worked for McDowell, but since McDowell was absent, he was assisting Cromwell.
"Ah, thank you."
Smiling, Cromwell extended his hand to receive the coffee from the assistant.
Just as he was about to grip the cup:
"Ah!"
Clang...!
Cromwell fumbled, dropping the coffee cup, his mouth agape in surprise.
"Oh, Vice Principal, are you alright?"
The assistant was visibly startled.
While the coffee cup shattered on the floor, thankfully, no one was scalded.
As the assistant was about to clean the broken shards,
“I’ll take care of it...”
Cromwell stopped him.
The assistant looked at Cromwell with a confused expression.
Suddenly, Cromwell's expression turned icy cold.
"Immediately tell Professor Gracie to come up to the rooftop. And notify Robert and Mcguire."
"Wha...?"
The assistant tilted his head, puzzled by Cromwell's abrupt order.
"Go. Now."
Then, Cromwell got up, opened the window of the principal's office, and said,
“Tell the professors that if I act strangely, they'll understand. For Professor Gracie..."
Cromwell pointed upwards.
"The highest point of the academy building. Tell her to go there."
Suddenly, using magic, Cromwell soared into the sky from the window.
"What is happening...?”
The assistant was baffled by Cromwell's sudden action, but he took off to carry out the instructions.
The sky was bathed in the glow of the setting sun.
Darkness began to encroach upon the surroundings.
Right under that sky stood Cromwell.
On the highest spire of the academy.
"These damned fools."
Cromwell spat out a curse.
From the distance.
Madmen were approaching.
The Rebels.
It wasn't just one or two rebels.
Several rebels emitting a massive amount of mana were coming.
The mana emanating from each one of them was formidable.
They all looked like top-ranking members within the Rebels.
However, amidst them, one mana fluctuation stood out the most.
A presence that was overwhelmingly greater than the ones next to him.
He was likely their leader.
He had supposedly been injured, but judging by the mana he exuded, he was a genuine monster.
However, they were not yet visible.
Thanks to the detection magic previously set up by Professor Mcguire, Cromwell was aware of their approach.
Still, even without that detection magic, he would have known.
They did not hide their mana.
They openly showed their approach.
Almost as if challenging anyone to stop them.
Cromwell gazed at the horizon, where the sky met the land.
Although they weren't yet visible, it was clear they were flying towards him.
Suddenly, from below, a woman awkwardly flying up was seen.
"Gracie, you've arrived."
Professor Gracie, not skilled in using telekinesis, couldn't fly as naturally as Cromwell.
But she managed to float up to where Cromwell was.
Upon reaching the adjacent spire, she landed and looked at Cromwell.
"Professor... What on earth is happening...?"
Cromwell glanced down from the sky.
The academy was becoming increasingly chaotic.
The students seemed to be evacuating, moving hastily.
Professor Mcguire must be handling the situation well.
Cromwell then turned his gaze back to Gracie.
"Gracie, can you feel that?"
At Cromwell's words, Gracie, with a puzzled face, looked in the direction Cromwell pointed.
"I... I don't understand."
Gracie responded with confusion.
There was nothing visibly there.
Cromwell then frowned and lightly smacked Gracie.
"Ouch!"
"Don't use your eyes. Sense with your mana."
"Ah, okay..."
Gracie focused and sensed in the direction Cromwell indicated.
Her eyes widened in shock.
Feeling the storm-like surge of mana overwhelmed her.
"What is this..."
"The Rebels. They're coming."
At Cromwell's words, Gracie gasped.
"So what should we do now...?"
"Given how they are approaching, asking for reinforcements would be pointless. I did send a distress signal, but for now, we need to handle this ourselves."
"Should we all run away then..."
"Do you think that makes sense? It's right for the students to flee, but why would a professor need to run?"
"...They look too strong."
At Gracie's words, Cromwell sighed...
“Still, we must try to fight.”
Cromwell descended from the sky and landed on the spire where Gracie was perched.
“There's something you need to do first.”
“What is it?”
Cromwell pointed again towards the rebels.
“Intercept those guys.”
“Intercept? They're moving extremely fast though…?”
Gracie looked at Cromwell with disbelief.
"Stop being so dramatic."
Cromwell remarked with a chuckle.
"You can do it. After all, whose student are you?"
Hearing this, the gloom on Gracie’s face began to lift.
Hitting targets moving at that speed was a difficult task.
Yet, the mentor she knew since the days she was ignorant of magic had told her so.
His casual confidence bolstered her own.
Even though she had learned something else instead of mastering her mentor's techniques, the fact that Cromwell acknowledged her brought a mix of joy and pride.
“I’ll... I’ll give it a shot.”
Gracie clenched her fists and looked up to the sky.
“Whew…”
Sparks began to sizzle around Gracie.
“Descent of the Lightning God…”
A powerful electricity started to radiate around her.
Gracie's hair started to turn white, and her eyes shifted to a bright blue hue.
The fragile girl she once appeared to be was no longer in sight.
Gracie took aim at where the rebels were.
“But, even if I hit the rebels, I don’t know where they'll fall."
“Don't worry about that. I'll handle it.”
Gracie nodded, reaching out with her hand as Cromwell soared back into the sky.
Gracie closed her eyes, focusing intently.
She aimed precisely at her target, accounting for the speed of the enemy, the location they would reach at that speed, the time it would take her to cast her spell, and where they could dodge to.
She made no room for error.
Once she finished all her calculations, she channeled her mana and released it.
"Flames of the sky, fury of the gods since the beginning."
In the distance, dark clouds converged in unison.
The clouds in the sky obeyed Gracie's command, aligning precisely.
“In this moment, strike down my enemy."
Gracie opened her eyes, taking aim at the massive emission of mana.
She whispered softly,
“Lightning bolt.”
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