As the trio made their way inside the academy campus, Lisa filled in Adam on all the details since he was missing when the Headmistress was addressing the students.
"Our team has been dispatched to Stardale, located in the east," the emerald-eyed young lady began. "It's a stronghold city bordering the Murky Mountains and is currently under attack from the beast tide."
"What about the orcs?" Adam asked solemnly.
"Not many of them," Edward chimed in. "The beasts are the first wave of attack. Although there are some trolls and ogres mixed in."
"So the orcs are using them as meat shields, huh?" Adam muttered as he stroked his chin.
The couple nodded with grim expressions.
If the magical beasts which already numbered in the tens of thousands were the first wave, then what would happen when the orcs' main army joined the war? Just based on this, they could tell that the war would go on for a long time and it would be brutal.
The number of deaths that would be caused by the magical beasts was unimaginable. When Adam thought of this, he was filled with complicated emotions.
He clenched his fists and cursed inwardly, Damn it!
However, his state of mind was unlike before. He was not going to dwell on the past. Instead, he would work harder than anyone else to kill the enemies when he joined the frontline.
"What's the status of Stardale?" The youth asked suddenly.
"It hasn't fallen if that's what you're asking," Lisa replied.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})Edward added, "Also, it's going to be very difficult for the enemy to take over Stardale. The city is heavily fortified on all five sides."
"Wait, five sides?" Adam was surprised. "What the hell?"
"Yes, the city is shaped like a pentagon." Edward shrugged.
The trio soon made their way to the part of the academy campus where magical beasts were reared. Here, there were many flying mounts that were usually utilized by the school faculty for various purposes, mostly transportation.
Thanks to these magical beasts, the amount of time needed for the students and the faculty members to travel to their destinations would be reduced significantly.
When Adam glanced at all the magical beasts in this vast clearing, he suddenly came to a realization. "I see... so the artifact's reach is not that great. Otherwise, these beasts should have also been affected by it."
He didn't realize this when he saw Valerian in a normal condition before. After all, the latter was a mighty dragon. So Adam naturally assumed that the artifact wouldn't affect him.
"But still," Lisa spoke with unease. "The artifact's range is long enough to affect a vast number of magical beasts on the eastern side of the Murky Mountains."
Adam remained silent, his hands involuntarily clenching into fists.
"Which one is ours, by the way?" Edward asked.
"It's that one over there." Lisa pointed in the distance. "We'll be heading to Stardale with a few other teams as well as a fifth-year professor."
Adam looked in the direction Lisa was pointing at and couldn't help but frown. The magical beast they were going to use as transport was a flying serpent.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})It was humongous, to say the least. Its body was covered in dark green scales and it had a pair of wings on its back made of white feathers.
"Ugh, I really hate snakes," the youth couldn't help but mutter in distaste.
"Myu! Myu!" Valerian who was sticking his head out from Adam's robes also frowned.
He could still vaguely recall that when he was still inside his egg, he was taken captive by a white serpent from the Spirit World for as long as he could remember.
The young dragon didn't know how he got there, but he remembered living in constant fear of being devoured. That was until Adam came and saved him. So naturally the little guy had a strong aversion to serpentine creatures.
Adam was also the same. After all, he had almost died at the hands of the same white serpent when he rescued Valerian all those years back.
"You guys don't like snakes?" Lisa's lips twitched.
"No!"
"Myu!"
The raven-haired youth and the black cat vigorously shook their heads in unison.
"It doesn't matter. We don't have any other choice." Edward sighed.
As the trio made their way toward the flying serpent, a middle-aged woman wearing white Magus robes and donning round glasses with black frames on her face looked their way and beckoned at them.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})"Come quick, you three. You're the last ones to arrive."
"Sorry, Professor Kimberly!" Lisa hurried toward the middle- aged lady and apologized.
This professor had auburn hair and sky-blue eyes. She taught the fifth-year students advanced theories on spell-casting. She knew the trio well since she had been teaching them in the past half year.
Moreover, she also had a fairly good impression of the three, even Adam who barely participated in class. This was because she knew that the youth had a deep understanding of spell-
casting theories from all the conversations she had with him in the past.
"What took you all so long?" She asked sternly. They were supposed to have departed five minutes ago but were held back by the three.
Before Lisa could even answer, a fifth-year student sitting atop the serpent spoke with blatant mockery, "I'm sure Lisa and Edward must've been scouring the city for that coward. I mean, we all saw how Adam ran out of the auditorium while shitting his pants."
Everyone glanced at the person who had just spoken. It was a blond youth wearing lavish robes. Clearly, he came from an affluent background.
His name was Frank McCoy, an aristocrat of Moon City hailing from a Magus Family.
"Come now, let's all get along." Professor Kimberly tried to diffuse the situation. She didn't want there to be any discord in the group, especially when they were in the middle of a war.
However, things didn't go as she wanted them to.
"Ah?" Adam stepped forward while digging his ear with his pinky finger. "I did leave the auditorium but that was to meet your mother. Didn't she tell you?"
"Bastard, what did you just say?!" Frank was livid. He stood up on the saddle and glared at Adam.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, how unfilial." Adam's lips curled up into a taunting smile.
"'Bastard'? Is that how you address your father? Where are your manners, boy?"
