065

Cassian did not wake up.

His breathing was shallow and faint, as if he were in a state of suspended animation.

His limbs were stiff, and his entire body was covered in wounds that seemed to have burst from within.

“Damn it, at a time like this, Yuria.”

Rozalin bit her nails.

Normally, in a situation like this, Yuria should have used her holy power to heal him, but Yuria herself was also bedridden.

But she couldn't blame Yuria.

“...It’s all our fault.”

Beside her, Jessie, the homeroom teacher of Class C, bowed her head with teary eyes.

Yuria had used up all her holy power to protect Class C, and to protect the intervening Class F and the others.

Yuria had endured, coughing up blood every time the harpies charged.

Considering the extent of her injuries and the damage she took, it was a wonder that Yuria hadn't died before Cassian.

“Hey, fuck, why is it your fault, teacher? It’s because of that damn lunatic. The one who conspired with the money-grubbing bastard! That crazy bald pig, like Education Pass!”

Rozalin chewed out the Chairman and Avril.

“And why is that pink lady not here at a time like this!”

Rozalin was so desperate that she even went to Berlis, a necromancer, to ask for healing magic.

Even if it was unsettling, she had to save him first.

However, the doors to Berlis’s faculty office and research wing were firmly shut.

A thin layer of dust on the doorstep suggested she had been away since the day of the test and hadn't returned yet.

At a time like this, of all things.

“A 4th-circle mage, of all people, should be the first to go out and fight when it's dangerous!”

After venting her anger for a while, Rozalin turned to Hati, who was massaging Cassian’s limbs.

With fire in her eyes, Rozalin ground her teeth.

“Isn’t this all because you said there was no Harpy Queen, you damn plague of a man!”

“Big sister. I’ve told you several times, when I looked, there was no Harpy Queen…”

“Shut your trap! Don’t make excuses, just say ‘I was wrong, I’m a scumbag who deserves to die’!”

“That’s why I’m taking care of the patient so diligently…”

Hati, with his shoulders hunched, cautiously massaged Cassian’s hands and feet.

Since that day, after she had cut down the Harpy Queen using Sword Aura, Rozalin had become extremely sensitive.

And for good reason, as she hadn't been able to draw out mana from her sword even once since then.

‘The teacher told me to remember it well!’

However, even after swinging her sword thousands of times since that day, the aura did not bloom on her sword again.

It wasn’t as if she was completely clueless.

She felt as if she was constantly on the verge of grasping something, but couldn't quite get it, a feeling like trying to recall a word she knew, saying ‘what was it again,’ that continued for days.

“It's an elixir.”

Avril, who had opened the door and entered, suddenly threw two vials at Rozalin.

Rozalin, who caught the two vials, bared her teeth and growled at Avril.

“You bastard. You have the nerve to crawl in here?”

“You seem to be concocting another ridiculous conspiracy theory. This incident has nothing to do with me.”

“You bastard! You! You funded it! You! You made the grades! You! You set up the evaluation match!”

“It was the Chairman who suddenly made a plan to exterminate the flock of harpies and pushed the work forward.”

Avril was serious.

Although he had laid out the overall framework for the academy, the events that followed were akin to a natural disaster.

Above all, the result was the injury of Yuria and Cassian.

He had no reason to wish for a situation like this, where all his plans could be ruined.

“First, give them the elixirs. Someone from the Holy Kingdom is scheduled to arrive in a day.”

“You called the Holy Kingdom?”

“I used a scroll.”

Rozalin’s raging anger subsided a little.

The Goldline Merchant Guild had been able to build its current power thanks to the Goldline scrolls.

A magic scroll that allowed them to communicate with people over long distances.

However, these scrolls could not be used indefinitely without any conditions.

An astronomical production cost went into making a single scroll, and its number of uses was also limited.

Therefore, Goldline only permitted the use of scrolls in very limited situations.

The scroll given to Cassian when Rozalin briefly left Akarind Academy was a very exceptional case.

Moreover, the one Avril used this time was a scroll that went directly to the Holy Kingdom.

Such scrolls were often not just a means of communication, but also held political power.

“Hmph. Who’s coming.”

“The injuries are severe, so I requested a high-ranking cleric. A High Priest, or someone of equivalent rank, will come.”

“I just hope it’s not those Inquisitor kids. If they come and start spouting strange things, education and everything else might be ruined. Besides, that kid.”

Rozalin’s eyes flickered towards Yuria.

“She goes around talking about apostasy and what not. It'll be a problem if the Saintess is branded a heretic and gets kicked out.”

“Looking at the holy power she emanates and her attitude, I don’t think that will happen. I will guide them here when they arrive. And…”

Avril paused to sort out the complicated thoughts swirling in his mind.

If he let his guard down, he felt that emotionally charged words would come out haphazardly.

Those were words that didn't suit him.

“I think it’s time to get rid of the Chairman. I will start tidying up soon.”

After Avril said that and left the room, Rozalin sighed and sat down on a chair.

Her eyes scanned the teacher and Yuria.

Her heart felt heavy and complicated.

She felt like she would burst with anger at any moment, but she didn’t know where to direct that anger, so it festered inside her, mixed with frustration.

“Teacher. Please wake up soon. The students are waiting.”

Rozalin barely managed to compose her emotions and said to him.

“And, me too.”

She wanted to let out her current emotions freely.

If not.

Rozalin quietly closed her eyes to hide the glint in them.

A single sword stood silently in her heart.

* * *

The evaluation match, which had been full of problems and troubles, ended, but the freshman classes of Akarind Academy did not change.

“At this rate, it looks like Class F will just move up to Class A as they are. And Class C, which had the lowest skill, benefited a bit thanks to Class F.”

“It’s a natural result since they fought with their lives on the line.”

“In comparison, the grades of Class D and E are too disastrous.”

“They weren’t bad either, but their opponents were too unfavorable. When compared relatively, they couldn't receive high scores.”

“And the last… the repercussions of the harpy and Beholder fight are too great.”

“It’s practically impossible to grade. The difference between Class F and the other classes is too big.”

“But if you look at it that way, isn’t Class F cheating? The actions of the Chief of Security who intervened before the match was over are problematic.”

“Indeed… But if we don’t take any action, the parents' complaints will be considerable. We're already receiving complaints about making freshmen fight monsters.”

“Well, this is all thanks to the Chairman’s clear educational philosophy, but people don’t understand it!”

The evaluation process was a mess, making it difficult to set a standard.

Setting one standard would conflict with another, and as this debate continued, they couldn't proceed with proper class assignments.

“Haha, well. This is quite troublesome indeed.”

The Chairman let out a hearty laugh as if he was in a difficult situation.

He was the one who had created this whole mess, but he had an expression that seemed to have no worries at all.

In a corner of the meeting room, Gwen quietly watched the teachers and recalled her meeting last night.

‘Advisor?’

Around midnight, Avril, who had come to see her, asked a question.

‘You care for the students and this academy.’

‘Yes…’

‘Are you willing to contribute more to Akarind Academy?’

Gwen could vaguely understand what he meant.

The advisor was now offering her the position of Chairman.

In other words, he was encouraging her to kick out her father and take his place.

She was so flustustered by the sudden proposal that she couldn't give an answer, and Avril, as if he had expected it, left after saying just that.

It was as if he had done everything by planting a single seed in a corner of her heart.

“Chairman!”

Just then, a commotion was heard from outside the faculty meeting room, and a student came running in.

“What is it?”

“O-outside, a griffin!”

A griffin, wasn’t that a monster found deep in the northern part of the continent?

The teachers jumped to their feet.

They were on the verge of a neurosis because of the harpies, and now that a much higher-ranking flying monster had appeared, their hands were trembling.

The teachers rushed out and headed in the direction the student was leading.

And the place they arrived at was the infirmary where Teacher Cassian and Yuria were lying.

“…The Holy Griffin Knights?”

It was a griffin, but its appearance was different from the usual.

A huge iron helmet was wrapped around the griffin's face, and a white banner was draped over its wings and body like clothes.

And in the center of that banner, a large holy symbol was drawn.

The sacred shield that protects the Holy Kingdom, the emblem of the Holy Griffin Knights.

“Why are the noblest beings of the Holy Kingdom here…?”

Their gazes turned to the infirmary beyond the griffin.

However, the griffin was firmly guarding the entrance to the infirmary, as if to prevent them from entering.

— Kiiu.

The sharp beak of the eagle-like griffin snapped shut.

A small flame sparked from its mouth.

Trained griffins could shoot flames like dragons.

It was a warning that it would shoot fire if they came any closer.

Inside the infirmary, in a small room, Hati and Rozalin were greeting a distinguished guest.

“…My. I wonder what on earth my youngest is doing, wandering around. To be in a place full of such guests.”

Ganemia placed a hand on her cheek with a troubled expression.

Her gaze turned to Yuria, and then to Cassian.

“I thought it was just a simple runaway, but her rebellion is quite impressive. I heard she was hurt, but I didn't think it would be this bad…”

Rozalin stood beside Cassian, looking at Ganemia with a dumbfounded expression.

Saint Ganemia.

A person who had been a saint for 30 years, and who had fought for a while even after the demon invasion, holding her position as a saint.

She was considered the most powerful saint in history, and if it weren't for the demon that had risen in the middle of the Holy Kingdom, she would have lived as a saint for at least another 10 years.

Yuria’s holy power was certainly outstanding, but compared to Ganemia’s, the difference was clear.

To give an idea of her skill level.

“Wake up, my child.”

As soon as Ganemia’s hand touched Yuria’s body, her complexion improved noticeably.

Her somewhat pale face turned a light pink, and the small cuts on her arms and legs healed smoothly.

“I’ll treat this one as a bonus.”

Ganemia smiled sweetly and placed her hand on Cassian’s body as well.

“…Huh? Oh my?”

She coughed up blood and collapsed.

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