In small to medium-sized battles, healers are very important.
Usually, a mid-level healer with sufficient mana and divine energy can easily reattach severed limbs.
In a tense situation, Taylor and about ten members of [The Hilté] guild joined the fray.
This indicated a shift in the tide of battle in favor of Rok and Claire's group.
Taylor walked boldly towards the center of the stage, littered with body parts and blood from the instructors and the armed group.
[The Hilté] guild members grimaced at the gruesome scene, but Taylor did not show any signs of discomfort.
Taylor cheerfully approached Rok and Claire, asking,
"It doesn’t look good, does it? Should I start treating the injured right away?"
"Please do. Thanks,"
Rok nodded, and Taylor immediately directed the guild members to attend to the wounded.
The armed group lost their will to fight upon seeing this.
They were down to just 14 men, compared to Rok's group of 5.
After Claire's area-wide divine buff, they had lost six members just to take down two instructors.
Meanwhile, Rok and Claire, their main forces, were still unscathed.
Moreover, their leader, Oswald, had lost his left arm and was no longer able to fight.
They realized they could do nothing more.
The attack was a clear failure.
"Get Oswald! We're withdrawing immediately!"
Shouted the leader of the armed group.
They moved in unison, staggering towards Oswald, who was barely evading Piel's sword.
Rok was not going to let this happen easily.
"Capture Oswald at all costs! Let the others go, but we must secure Oswald!"
Rok slammed his palms on the ground, and five thin stone walls rose, blocking the armed group's movement.
Simultaneously, Claire attacked the armed group with her greatsword.
The instructors followed Claire, slicing through the group.
Hot blood and body parts flew through the air.
However, the armed group, seemingly immune to fear, managed to secure Oswald.
The leader of the armed group, at the forefront, said to the struggling Oswald,
"We must go now, Oswald! If we delay, we'll all die! There are fewer than 5 of us left!"
"How dare you touch me? Let go if you don't want to die!"
"Oswald!"
"Let go! Even if I die here, I'll kill those two young brats first!"
"Forgive me, Oswald," the man said, pulling out a thick syringe and injecting it into Oswald's neck.
Oswald continued to growl, but about 10 seconds later, he closed his eyes and collapsed.
"Everyone, gather around me! We're evacuating immediately!"
The remaining members of the armed group hurriedly ran towards him.
Claire, who had been cutting down the armed group with an indifferent expression, also rushed towards him.
However, members of the group, who were lying on the ground in a combat-disabled state, grabbed her ankles and hindered her.
Claire, stepping on their hands with her iron boots, threw the greatsword in her hands.
Her target was the apparent second-in-command of the group, who was at the front.
The greatsword flew powerfully and accurately, but it only sliced through the air.
Where Oswald and the target had been moments before, there was no one.
Claire muttered with a calm expression,
"Mass teleport... I guess."
Mass teleport is an 8th circle grand magic that teleports oneself and others.
However, it's unlikely that there was an 8th circle mage among the armed group, so it was probably a magic scroll.
An 8th circle mage could have easily torn apart her body with a gesture.
'This is not a matter to be taken lightly.'
Since 'The Last Great mage' Odius Hannibal achieved the 9th circle over 200 years ago, no 9th circle mage has appeared on the Kyren Zena continent.
Naturally, 8th circle mages are also rare, with only a handful across the entire continent.
They are regarded as one-man armies.
Of course, a scroll is a different story.
Though it can be made, it's an extremely rare item that is not easily found.
The use of such an item itself proves that the recent armed group was extraordinary.
'That's why they dared to do such an audacious act.'
Elinia Academy is virtually a symbol of the 'hero society'.
Since its establishment, the Academy has never been attacked from the outside.
Attacking this place is like declaring war against the current powers of the continent.
Moreover, with the First Saintess Isabella currently enrolled at Elinia Academy, depending on the interpretation, [The Order of Light] could also be a target of their declaration of war.
Claire couldn't guess where they had teleported to.
As she thought this, she picked up her greatsword.
A nearby healer asked,
"Do you need healing, Guardian Knight?"
"No, I'm fine,"
Claire answered calmly.
She had nearly depleted her divine energy using the wide-area holy buff earlier, but she hadn't been seriously injured.
'There's nothing more for me to do here.'
The healing of the injured would be taken care of by the ten or so healers, and Rok would handle the Oswald situation.
And Claire is a Guardian Knight of [The Order of Light], where every step she takes could be controversial.
This incident was unexpected, and she came to assist without knowing the full story, but further involvement could unnecessarily complicate matters.
Thus, Claire decided to stay put for a while, it also felt somewhat odd to leave so abruptly.
With nothing else to do, she looked around.
'But why are all the healers using mana?'
The ten or so healers treating the injured were all using mana-based healing magic, not divine energy.
Divine energy is overwhelmingly more efficient for healing than mana, in most cases.
Claire knew this fact very well.
'How strange.'
She pressed her temples with her thumbs, pondering.
'Am I being overly sensitive?'
Was it because she saw so much blood after a long time?
Having been with Isabella for a long time and having climbed over countless corpses, she thought she had become desensitized to such sensations.
With these thoughts, Claire looked around again.
Nearby, Theo was receiving treatment from Taylor, the man who introduced himself as the branch chief of the healers, leaning against a wall with his eyes closed.
'It's good that Theo is here.'
A slight smile appeared on Claire's usually calm face.
'Saintess will be pleased.'
When she had informed Isabella about Theo the day before, Isabella listened intently, her eyes wide with interest, even asking back questions.
─Really? If it's Claire's word, it must be true... Can someone really move that fast?
─Maybe he has a unique ability due to his noble heritage. Look into that for me, Claire!
Isabella, who usually found everything bothersome, was genuinely interested – a rare sight for Claire.
'Let's have a few words then.'
Approaching them, Claire spoke to Taylor, looking at him as Theo still had his eyes closed.
"Your healing magic is impressive, like those who hear the voice of Renimid up close."
She meant it sincerely.
Despite using mana, which is less efficient for healing magic, Taylor's 'output' was on par with high-ranking healers of [The Order of Light].
Taylor looked up at her and smiled.
"Hahaha, that's too kind. A mere healer like me can't compare to the noble figures of the Order."
"I'm not good at giving compliments. But this boy, he seems fully healed yet shows no sign of waking up. Is he asleep?"
"Yes, he's asleep. Theo has a tendency to overexert himself. While I've completely healed his physical injuries and cleansed the tainted energy from his body, his muscles are utterly exhausted. Every muscle, every tendon is as if wrung out."
Taylor smiled awkwardly.
Claire tilted her head.
"Physical exhaustion, you say? He's quite an unusual boy. I've never passed out from fatigue, even with the amount of training I've done since my childhood. And I've never heard of someone whose every tendon was wrung out."
"Perhaps it's because Theo inherited the blood of the Waldeurk family, he's quite unique. Frankly, I doubt I'll see another patient who faints from fatigue like Theo. And it's not an exaggeration – every tendon is really wrung out."
"Is that so."
Claire replied softly, looking down at the sleeping Theo.
Curiosity flickered in her eyes.
