Even in the case of this woman, Aloe Vida, if too much time elapsed after her death, then—even though her Soul still remained on the premises—her body would no longer be able to receive it.
It was better their bodies were in good condition… at least at my current level.
There was a reason I could neglect the Lower Class Dorm despite my connection with Anabelle.
Even if Ana were to die, I would stop at nothing to resurrect her.
An Automaton I sent there was equipped with Preservation Magic in case that was necessary. I also took the liberty of sending others who could cast the dense barrier spell on the buildings so no Souls would be lost.
At this rate… even if lives were lost, I could still save as many as possible.
Though it was certain that not everyone would survive.
"I… see…" Aloe's voice trailed in disappointment and sorrow.
Fortunately, it didn't last long.
"Alright! Then it's fine. Thank you for your help. I'll evacuate the girls. You too, come with me! Thank you for saving me!" Flashing me a smile, though forced, she urged the two girls beside her to follow as she climbed the stairs.
"T-thank you!" I heard the two Middle Class say, as an afterthought of some sort, and quickly followed their Dorm Master.
It was at this moment that I realized one was wearing a negligee. My eyes trailed her body as she climbed the stairs and frantically chased the woman in the lead.
'How improper…'
My eyes fell on the boys who stood at a distance from me.
They must have observed the whole resurrection process and even considered my actions to be unreal. They gave me gazes of amazement and awe. Most of them had lost the spark of fear; considering the lengths I had to go protect them, this was a given.
"We'll wait for the girls to mobilize. Afterward, we'll head to the boys' dormitory of the Middle Class."
Thoughts of the Upper Class flashed in my mind, but I perished the idea.
'They can handle themselves…'
Rationally speaking, I was supposed to place more emphasis on them since they were the most promising students—plus, they could be of most use in the aspect of pushing back the Demon forces.
But, just as was the case in the Lower-Class girls' Dorm, I decided to put my trust in them.
The Girls' Dorm would be more vulnerable due to their fewer numbers, but… I knew it would work out fine since Ciara was present there.
'Monsters already exist in both Classes. I guess it's fine.'
With that in mind, I began structuring my mobilization strategy.
So far, things weren't going so bad, but I couldn't get rid of the bad feeling that crawled within me. It was as if I was missing something, something major… and that irked me.
'The safest choice is to find the staff and inform them. It's better than risking our lives.'
Unfortunately, I had no idea where those people were. I used an Automaton scout to search the Staff Office and even some Staff lodges, but found them empty. There were many things going on simultaneously, various affairs that required my attention.
I couldn't rely on the school anymore.
"Huu, for now, let's just stick to the plan… we should head to the boy's dorm."
********
Once the females were done mobilizing, I kept them under the wing of Aloe Vida, splitting out teams into two.
I took the front charge, serving as the vanguard with my group, while she watched the rear. Our progress was quick, and I didn't plan on wasting any more time in our advance.
As soon as I saw a Shadow Demon surface, I used Spellcraft to generate dense light bullets and spikes to riddle the enemies with holes before they returned the favor.
And so, we crept through the night and finally arrived at the Middle-Class Dorms.
I had already sent a clone ahead of me, but I couldn't sense it anymore.
It had most likely perished already… figures.
I utilized Spellcraft to generate a dense barrier around the building, preventing any leak from within. The closer I got to the structure, the more I enhanced it until it got airtight enough to prevent the escape of even the tiniest of particles.
"Miss Vida, shall we?" I turned to the woman who had already merged her female students with mine at some point, and was already approaching my flank—just as planned.
She nodded, showing a bit of nervousness.
I had told her ahead of time that she would be assisting in the extermination of the Shadow Demons and further went to state their weaknesses. I knew it was irresponsible for me to do so—especially since there was a pact on the matter, and this woman would harbor suspicions as to how I came across such information.
Still, the circumstances called for action without hesitation. I needed to do whatever was necessary.
>WHOOOSSSHHH!!!<
We both sped to the Middle-Class building and made our entrance.
As expected, even more Shadow Demons lurked in the area, and I saw several people dead—Two staff, and nineteen children.
'Looks like the clone wasn't strong enough to stop them…'
Blood was strewn all over the area as the corpses painted an image of carnage. I spotted a Shadow Demon about to make short work of another kid and leaped into action, brandishing a light sword to mow through it.
>SWISH!<
In one powerful swing, I generated enough light to blast away its body, securing victory. There were still any others around, though, and they started closing in on me and Aloe Vida.
"I'm climbing up, take care of the ones here!" I shouted in a hurry.
She nodded and prepared her Light Magic.
Seeing as I could entrust her with the affairs downstairs, I made my way to the upper floors—where even more Demons and corpses existed.
With my body coated in light, my speed increased to a phenomenal degree, and all my strengthened muscles charged upward.
From the corner of my eyes, I spotted Vida putting up a good fight and smiled to myself,
'Not bad…'
With that, I killed every thought of distraction and braced myself for the darkness up ahead.
