Aisha and Siena's special performance was underway, marking the final act of the Academy Festival's official events.
Their stage presence, combining stunning visuals and seamless chemistry, elicited enthusiastic responses from the audience.
"Kyaaa─ Aisha is so amazing! The fireworks that went off during her dance part were absolutely magical."
"Wow, Siena truly looks like a real elf princess... She's incredibly beautiful."
"Both of their expressions are so good, aren't they? They kept smiling and looking at the audience."
"Yeah, it made me feel good just watching. I'm glad I lined up five hours early to get a front-row seat."
However, unlike the thrilled audience, Theo felt an ominous chill.
Although the two performers on stage were smiling, they appeared somewhat sinister each time their gaze met his.
'Am I just being overly sensitive?'
His nerves might have been on edge, anticipating an unexpected incident at any moment.
'Still, no major incidents have happened so far.'
Had there been any trouble, Rok, the head of security, would have surely acted, but he too had shown no signs of concern.
Lost in these thoughts, Theo barely noticed as Aisha and Siena's performance came to an end.
On stage, Aisha announced,
“Uh-hum~ That's all for the performance prepared by Siena and me! Did everyone enjoy it~?!”
The audience responded with a resounding "Yes~".
Aisha, visibly pleased, nodded her head emphatically.
"We really enjoyed it too~ We're grateful to the organizers for giving us this chance to perform, and now, we'll be heading off─"
Her speech was abruptly cut off.
A group of about thirty, dressed in black and armed with various weapons, suddenly stormed the stage.
A murmur rippled through the audience.
"What's that? Some kind of surprise event?"
"Wow, that looks intense. Look at that scar on his cheek. Must have been tough doing that makeup."
The host quickly approached the scarred man at the forefront of the group.
-Hahaha······ As adorable as Aisha and Siena are, you can't just invade the stage─ Ugh!
His words were cut short as the scarred man brutally punched him in the abdomen.
The audience's murmur turned to fear in an instant.
There were screams, and some spectators widened their eyes in shock.
The armed intruders swiftly surrounded Aisha, Siena, and the stage officials, herding them to the center of the stage.
One of the stage officials attempted to resist.
"Who in the world are you─ Aargh!"
The armed group swiftly twisted the arms of the resisting stage official into grotesque angles.
"......"
Their sharp and clean skills deterred any further resistance.
Siena, initially attempting to summon a spirit, was also captured without resistance, wary of hidden weapons the group might possess.
Rok, having risen from his seat, realized the gravity of the situation and refrained from acting rashly.
The scarred man took his place at the center of the stage.
"Ah, ahhh─ This is delightful."
He seemed to revel in the chaos, closing his eyes and widely spreading his arms towards the audience.
Soon after, he snatched the microphone from the hands of the fallen host and spoke.
-Hello everyone! I am from the northern magical city─ Ah, why is this sound so low? Hey, host!
He stopped mid-sentence to look at the collapsed host on the floor.
But the unconscious host offered no response.
-Hehehe, look at this. The host falls asleep during the show? You should respond quickly when a guest asks. Such unprofessionalism!
Crack, crack!
The scarred man repeatedly struck the host's head with the microphone.
Each blow induced convulsions in the host.
Blood oozed from the host's fractured skull.
Frowning, the scarred man grasped the microphone again.
-Ugh, this is really annoying. Can't help it, I'll just continue. Where was I? Ah yes, introducing myself. Apologies for the delay! I am Oswald from the northern magical city! I've come to show you what a real performance is! The theme, hmm, what should it be? Ah!
How about this? A deathmatch with blood, flesh, and bones flying!
Oswald gestured towards the hostages on stage─Aisha, Siena, and the stage officials─and continued.
-Ah, but now that we're about to start the show, we seem short on performers. These folks look quite unimpressive. I want to show you all a real performance. So, how about Elinia Academy provides some performers? We are 32 in total. I need 32 brave souls to step forward. Let's get started right away!
His words caused an even greater stir among the audience.
The noise of thousands speaking at once grew uncontrollable.
Oswald scowled.
-Ugh, so noisy. Just come out already.
Bang!
He forcefully kicked the body of the collapsed host.
The host's body flew through the air, landing in front of Rok.
In the face of such a scene, students, journalists, guild & national representatives alike.
No one dared to speak.
Oswald, wearing a satisfied smile, looked down at Rok.
-Hello, Baldy. I know all about our dear Rok. Don't spoil the fun by inviting uninvited guests from outside, just stay put, okay? Or do you want to see what real boredom looks like?
Oswald chuckled, gazing at the hostages at the center of the stage.
Rok, with a grim expression, spoke,
"Tell me what you want."
-Ah, really? Making me repeat myself. I've already said it. I just want to show you all what a real performance is. I need 32 brave souls to step forward.
"......"
-Haah, really, Baldy. Waiting is pointless, there will be no reinforcements. Should I demonstrate that even your brilliant strategies have no solution?
Oswald snapped his fingers.
Suddenly, the surroundings turned purple.
The special performance stage and the entire audience area were surrounded by a massive purple barrier.
-I've set up a barrier to prevent anyone from entering. Inside, magic can't be used! Oh, a seventh-circle mage might be able to dismantle it, but there's no way one is here in the Academy, right? Well, maybe, considering this is the continent's top educational institution! But don't worry.
If I sense even the slightest attempt at dismantling it, I'll kill all the hostages right away!
Oswald chuckled again, looking at the hostages at the center of the stage.
Soon, about ten instructors gathered near Rok and offered their opinions.
"It seems we might have to comply with his demands. Our assessment confirms that magic is indeed unusable as he claims."
"That's correct. The communication crystals are also non-functional. We can't expect any external support."
Upon hearing this, Rok thought to himself instead of responding.
The opponent has hostages, and judging by his actions so far, he doesn't hesitate to kill.
'A sudden attack seems too risky.'
If the attack fails, the hostages will surely be killed.
Oswald, who was blustering in front, appeared to be a formidable opponent, and the armed group he led seemed equally tough.
There were too many of them, and it was unclear what weapons they might be hiding.
But complying with his demands wasn't an option either.
Even if they select 32 people to go forward, there's no guarantee he'll keep his promise.
It would be playing right into his hands.
'If only it weren't for this purple barrier, there could be a way.'
Indeed, when the armed group first invaded the stage, an attempt to use debuff magic was made, but it didn't manifest at all.
'How can we deal with this......'
As Rok was deep in thought.
"......"
Theo silently rose from his seat.
While Oswald was ranting on the stage he had taken over, a quest window appeared before me.
[Sudden Quest: Rescue the hostages on stage. The quest automatically fails if more than 5 hostages die.]
Reward: 2 shop gold coins
Number of deceased hostages: 0/5
"......"
Does the system really see me as a heartless psychopath?
Even without this quest prompt, I was already planning to rescue Aisha and Siena.
But Oswald, that madman, who would have expected him to jump out now?
Oswald, Maitri's right-hand man, is known for his strength, but what's truly terrifying is his lack of morality.
Should I call it pure evil?
Like a child who feels no guilt crushing ants, Oswald feels no remorse when taking a life.
'In any case, I need to quickly resolve this with the people inside.'
Given Oswald's temperament, if kept waiting, he'll start killing the hostages one by one.
I quickly scanned the surroundings with my enhanced [Observer's Eye].
Soon, I spotted the cards I could play.
Rok and Piel.
They were the best assets available to me right now.
