Chapter 184: Full Moon Night – Part 2 (2)

Martin kept his explanation as concise and to the point as possible.

The hero was currently engaged in a one-on-one battle with the enemy’s commander of arrogance.

She had requested mana’s help for victory.

And exactly six hours from now, the barrier imprisoning her must be lifted.

After hearing the full story, Sally’s eyes widened.

“What? Is that really true?”

“Why would we lie? These are all things we just heard directly from Lady Exia.
That’s why we left the auditorium immediately to inform the principal.”

“Hmm…”

Sally bit her lip with a groan.

If what Martin said was true, then they had to make time, no matter what.

If they failed, the only hero—and her teacher’s one and only almost-lover—would lose their life.

But mana couldn’t move right now, as she had to repel the red magic.

If she moved, the entire current system would collapse in an instant.

So there was only one answer left.

“I… I’m the only one who can do it?”

“Exactly. That’s why we called it an ‘important favor,’” Martin nodded.

There were many people in Anatolia who could use magic, regardless of whether they were students or faculty.

But none could surpass Sally.

The title of “Mana’s direct disciple” wasn’t something you earned for nothing.

If anything, the fact that she was here just teaching students was a gross underutilization of her talents.

However, there was one problem…

‘Y-you mean I have to walk into that hellhole myself?! A place where it’s obvious I’ll die a dog’s death?!
No way!!! I absolutely won’t do it!!!’

The one who received the baton—Sally herself—was the very definition of faint-hearted.

For swordsmen, combat strength generally correlates with sword skills, but for magicians, that wasn’t always the case.

The intelligence to cast high-level spells and the courage to face death were entirely different things.

In Sally’s case, she was so fearful she had to sing while showering in case a ghost popped out.

The only reason she was even on the battlefield now was her personal belief that she had to do as much as she was paid for.

It certainly wasn’t because she wanted to fight.

And no matter how she looked at it, voluntarily entering that red forest was way beyond what her salary could justify. She absolutely didn’t want to do it.

Why did it have to be her, of all people?

“U-um… guys?”

Sally glanced around at the three with a nervous tone.

“Sorry, but I’m not as well-versed in protective magic as Master is…Disabling a barrier like that really isn’t my area of expertise.

Honestly, I think even if I went right now and started working, six hours wouldn’t be enough…”

“Then screw it—let’s just go right now!”

Isabella cut in, her expression desperate.

“If it comes to it, I’ll help! I’m actually pretty good at magic structure analysis, you know?”

“W-wait, that’s even worse…!”

Sally flailed her hands in panic.

Going now, before dawn? It was dangerous enough after sunrise! What kind of madness was this?

Were they trying to send her to an early grave?

“I get that you’re desperate, but impossible is impossible.

That area might not be as bad as here, but I’m sure there are still monsters everywhere.
How could we possibly last six hours in that environment? It’s just not realistic.”

“Then why don’t we go with some other teachers as escorts?”

“But that’s also a no-go! Even now, we’re barely holding the frontlines together.
If I leave, it’ll already cause a big hit. Asking for more to be pulled would risk everyone’s lives!”

“Then we’ll go with you!”

This time, it was Lancia who shouted, picking up where Sally had left off.

“We’re the ones who are supposed to be protected, so even if we join, it’s not like we’d weaken the fighting force.

We’d just be changing from doing nothing to doing something.

And while we might not be as strong as the teachers, we’re confident we can pull our own weight.

At the very least, we can protect you, Miss Sally! So please, just this once—we’re begging you!”

She knelt on the ground.

“No, you’re students! Think about this logically—”

“Miss Sally.”

Martin stepped forward, ahead of the others, wearing a deadly serious expression.

“I know we’re asking for something unreasonable.

You probably think it’s presumptuous for minors like us to make such a request.

But this is a direct plea passed through Lady Exia from the Hero herself.

That same Hero who never complains, and usually handles everything alone.

If we just sit on our hands and something happens to her…

I’ll never be able to forgive myself.

I’ll keep blaming myself for not stepping up, even if it meant going against orders.”

With that, Martin bowed at a full 90 degrees.

“So please. Just this once—lend us your strength.”

“Ugh…!”

Sally averted her gaze with a guilty expression.

She wasn’t completely heartless. Being confronted with three pairs of pleading eyes made her conscience sting.

Even these kids were summoning the courage to act—could she, an adult, really refuse just because she was scared? The thought gnawed at her self-worth.

But no matter how she looked at it… this really was a suicide mission…

“Just go already, Sally.”

At that moment, while Sally was still lost in her inner conflict, Brad gave her a firm push on the back.

“When the kids are being that earnest, ignoring them makes you unfit to be called an adult.

With your level of magic, you might not match the principal, but you can still deploy a protective zone with about a 5-meter radius, right? That’s plenty to make a quick trip outside.”

“B-But then the front line…”

“Don’t worry about it. We’ll manage even if you’re gone. Worst case, I’ll cut into my break time. Hup!”

As he spoke, Brad cleaved a charging centipede monster cleanly in two.

Instead of blood, a dark liquid in a viscous form spurted out from the severed area.

Having dispatched another beast, Brad turned back and continued,

“Someone has to do it. And if the principal can’t, you’re the only one left.
Unless you want to go down in history as the person who let the Hero die, you’d better get moving.”

“..!!!”

Sally let out a heavier groan, torn between her instinct for self-preservation and her innate conscience.

After a long silence, she finally sighed deeply in resignation.

“…Fine. I’ll go, okay? I’ll go.

But I’m definitely demanding extra pay for this mission. Triple the usual rate.”

“Money’s no problem! I can approve 10,000 gold on the spot from my discretionary budget!”

“Really?!”

Well, that changes everything. If she could make 10,000 gold in a single day, even risking her life didn’t seem so bad.

Her miserly instincts now fully awakened, Sally suddenly grew motivated.

“Alright! Then let’s go check out the barrier first.
I’ll cast a protection zone and group invisibility spell, so everyone gather close to me—”

“Wait!!!”

Another voice interrupted Sally mid-sentence.

It was Therese, who had been crouching near the wall of the auditorium until now.

“You’re heading outside the barrier, right?! Then take me too! I want to come along!”

“Therese? I’m sorry, but this isn’t just some casual outing—”

“I know that! Marianne still hasn’t come back from the forest!
Even just a little—I want to go and search for her. If you’re going out there, then take me with you!”

Therese pounded her chest as she spoke.

“You saw it last time, didn’t you? I may not be good at a lot of things, but I’m great at being a shield!
You won’t regret bringing me along—please, I’m begging you!”

“Hmm…”

Isabella and Lancia exchanged glances.

In a defensive battle, Therese was an invaluable asset.

Her iron arms had withstood even the axe strikes of the Gluttony Legion commander, making her practically impenetrable against regular monsters.

Considering the danger of where they were going, she was someone they should be begging to join them.

There was no reason to refuse.

“Alright, then. Therese, you can come too!
But no rushing off on your own, got it? We’re going there to save the Hero, nothing else.”

“! Got it! Thank you!”

Therese lit up with joy. It was clear how anxious she’d been about not being able to search for her sister.

Then again, the other three weren’t exactly in a position to judge.

“Okay, everyone’s ready. I’ll teleport us directly—gather around me.
Martin, where did you say Sion was being held?”

“If I remember correctly, somewhere near the dorms… Based on context, probably the Salem Girls’ Dormitory, where the Hero lives.”

“The girls’ dorm, huh. Got it.”

Sally formed a hand seal with her left hand, the one not holding her staff. A simplified teleportation spell.

In the next moment, all five of them appeared in an open area in front of the girls’ dormitory entrance.

And then they saw it.

No need to look far—right in front of them stood a massive, solid black dome that exuded overwhelming presence.

“Ugh, this is… definitely not going to be easy.”

Sally approached the dome and examined the structure of the barrier, frowning.

As she’d expected, this wasn’t something created by some amateur mage.

It was an extremely complex and arcane magic formula, the kind only a high-level sorcerer on par with her mentor could produce.

To fully unravel and dismantle this would take more than six hours—possibly much more.

“Um, Isabella? Could you help with the calculations?
I’m a bit embarrassed to admit it, but I don’t think I can manage this alone.”

“Of course! I’ll help with whatever you need!”

Isabella replied enthusiastically, immediately rushing to Sally’s side to assist with breaking the barrier.

Meanwhile, the other three stood guard, watching different directions and remaining wary of the flickering figures moving through the darkness.

“What do you see over there?”

“Two big wolves, a spider, and a monstrous bird.”

“Same here. I’ve got a centipede instead of a spider.”

Therese, her arms slowly turning black, spoke calmly.

Martin and Lancia also raised their swords with determined expressions.

“Six hours, right? That’s how long we need to hold out.”

“Yes. By the looks of it, until sunrise.”

“Whew… this is gonna be tough. But still doable.”

Therese cracked her knuckles and smiled with fierce determination.

“We’ll beat down as many of them as we can and carve out enough breathing room to search for my sister. That’s the mindset I’m taking.

Come on, you mangy beasts! I’ll show you the power of the Demon King passed down through the Rambouillet family!”

And so, under the moonlight, their desperate battle began.