Chapter 229

“Hmph, pathetic bats.”

Slice!

Screech!

The male student, his face half-concealed by a white mask, sliced a bat in half with his sword as it swooped through a broken window.

Alfred, the masked young lord and leader of the second-year Kingdom faction.

Even in this crisis, he remained calm and composed.

And he had every reason to be.

They had established a perfect defensive formation.

They were holed up in a classroom on the top floor of the main building.

With enough people to guard both doors and the windows, their defense was impenetrable.

Even against a horde of vampires.

A smug smile spread across Alfred’s face.

This was all thanks to him.

A crisis was the true test of a person’s abilities.

And he had proven himself to be more than capable.

He had quickly gathered those around him who could fight,

And secured a location with a strategic advantage for defense.

In this chaotic situation, with undead running rampant, few could have accomplished those two things.

No, only he could have done it.

It was only possible because he had taken charge, barking orders and leading the way.

The sight of the other fools, scattered and panicking, only confirmed his belief in his own superiority.

“Shouldn’t we help them?”

Leon, watching the scene unfold through the broken window, suddenly spoke up.

“Ha, help?”

Alfred scoffed, his voice laced with disbelief.

“Abandon our perfect defensive position? You must be delusional because we haven’t suffered any casualties yet. We’re not dealing with mere skeletons, you know. We’re facing vampires. They’re dangerous, even for us.”

“Alfred’s right. We can’t break this formation.”

“Yeah, we’re not exactly in a comfortable position ourselves. We have to protect ourselves.”

The other students agreed with Alfred.

Their own lives were their top priority.

It was only natural.

And having witnessed the gruesome fate of those who had fallen to the vampires, their fear was even more palpable.

They had seen the corpses, drained of blood, their skin shriveled and pale.

The injured would soon meet the same fate.

They couldn’t let that happen to them.

Never.

But.

Leon seemed to have a different opinion.

“They’re all students of Lepheria Academy. That means they can fight. If we save them, we’ll have more people to fight with.”

“You think it’s that easy? What if we rescue them, but then get surrounded? That would be even worse.”

Alfred countered again, dismissing Leon’s suggestion as unworthy of consideration.

This was the perfect safe haven he had created.

There was no reason to abandon it.

He had already done enough to deserve praise, just by ensuring the safety of those present.

“We can avoid getting surrounded. I think you’re capable of that.”

“Ha, seriously, what’s wrong with you, Leon? Why are you trying to shift the responsibility onto me? Is that your way?”

Alfred shook his head, his expression disapproving.

The other students also reacted negatively.

“Yeah, if you want to do that, do it yourself.”

“I guess those people over there are the only ones who matter to you. We’re not important, huh?”

Leon fell silent.

Alfred, sensing his opportunity, continued his attack.

“You’ve gotten a big head after playing hero on the island, haven’t you? Do you really think the world is that easy? If you do, go play hero with them again. Was it really your skill that saved the day back then, or was it just dumb luck? I think it was the latter.”

Alfred didn’t like it.

He couldn’t stand it when someone he considered to be on his side betrayed him.

And with the Camian couple and Slain’s group, no less?

It was ridiculous.

And later, he had even gotten involved with that womanizer Max and his idiotic brother?

How pathetic.

He could overlook it once, even though it was absurd.

But to do it again?

He wouldn’t tolerate it.

“Dumb luck. I’m sure there was some of that. But heaven only helps those who help themselves.”

“And if you fail, it’s also because you helped yourself. By making the wrong decision.”

Alfred sneered.

In other words, he was telling Leon to stop being reckless and stay put.

It was the only logical choice.

Back then, he had at least had the Camian couple and Slain’s group. But now, he was alone.

Unless someone else joined him, there was nothing Leon could do.

But then.

“I’m going.”

As if to defy Alfred’s expectations, Leon suddenly spoke, his voice filled with conviction.

“What?”

Alfred stared at him in disbelief.

He thought it was a bluff.

A desperate attempt to save face.

But.

“Even if I have to go alone.”

Leon repeated himself, his voice firm.

And then he actually moved.

Towards the door.

“Hey! Hey, where are you going?! Where are you going?!”

Alfred called out in panic, but Leon didn’t stop.

The other students looked on in horror.

“He’s… He’s really going?!”

“Wh-What do we do? Who’s going to cover that side if Leon leaves?”

Their perfect defensive formation.

It only worked if they could cover all angles.

If one person, especially a strong fighter like Leon, left, it would create a gap in their defenses.

“Damn it. I’ll take over Leon’s position! Everyone else, stay calm and focus on defending!”

Alfred shouted, trying to restore order.

But the atmosphere remained tense.

The unease of having a gap in their defenses lingered.

Even though the other directions were no different, they could immediately feel the increased pressure on their defense.

Alfred’s hands were full.

He had to use the strength he had been conserving.

The perfect situation he had created had been disrupted in an instant.

‘Damn it, what the hell! How could he make that decision?’

Alfred was baffled.

Leon wasn’t the type to make a decision like that on his own.

“Fuck, stop coming!”

Alfred gritted his teeth, pushing back the increasingly aggressive vampires, while trying to figure out what had prompted Leon’s sudden change of heart.

He remembered that Leon had been looking down before he had declared his intention to leave.

The reason for his decision must be down there.

“That… That bastard?!”

Alfred’s eyes widened in shock.

Because he saw him.

Max Celtrine.

One of the people he hated the most.

And that hated person was…

Saving people.

* * *

“Huff, huff, huff…”

“W-We made it.”

A glimmer of hope appeared on the faces of the young couple as they stumbled to a stop.

They had managed to reach their destination.

The place where the Holy Light scrolls were stored.

With those scrolls, they could surely fight back against the terrifying vampires.

As if on cue, three vampires appeared before them.

Their blood-red eyes and sharp fangs were chilling.

Three of them.

An overwhelming number.

But.

“W-We can do this!”

“Yeah!”

They ran towards the barrel with all their might.

Fortunately, they reached it before the vampires could attack.

They reached for the scrolls, but…

“There’s… There’s nothing here?!”

“Nothing?!”

They frantically searched the barrel.

There wasn’t a single scrap of paper left.

“Wh-What the…?”

“Oh… Oh, no…”

Despair filled their faces.

The barrel was empty.

The selfish people who had only cared about their own survival had taken all the scrolls, but they didn’t know that.

And even if they did, it wouldn’t have mattered.

They were about to die.

The vampires had closed in on them, surrounding them from both sides.

“D-Don’t come any closer!”

“N-No! Please!”

Their screams were filled with despair.

Smirk.

The vampires grinned, their sharp fangs glinting in the dim light.

The feast of blood.

Their prey was right before them, ready to be devoured.

One of the vampires, its face contorted in a mocking smile, took a step forward.

At that moment.

Slice!

The vampire’s head flew off its shoulders.

Blood splattered from the clean cut, staining Max’s black blade.

“You’re bleeding just fine. Why the hell are you trying to suck blood?”

Max, who had delivered the fatal blow, said nonchalantly.

“Ah… Aaaah?!”

“W-We’re… We’re alive?!”

The couple, who had narrowly escaped death, looked at each other in disbelief.

The remaining vampires, caught off guard by the unexpected interruption, looked stunned.

And then their anger erupted.

Screech!

A high-pitched, piercing shriek.

A vampire’s greatest weapon was its incredible vitality.

The severed head of the vampire twitched on the ground, its body writhing as it tried to reattach itself.

Any other monster would have been dead by now.

But a vampire could survive as long as its head was reattached.

That was the terrifying power of a vampire, its near immortality.

But.

“Burn it.”

Max sneered, and Annette, who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere, incinerated the severed head with a blast of fire magic.

Screeeeeee!

A earsplitting scream.

It was the scream of a creature facing imminent death.

The vampire’s body, which had been trying to reattach its head, collapsed to the ground like a rotten tree.

“Immortality my ass. Those cockroaches are just tough. Burn them, and they’re done. Right?”

Max grinned, his eyes cold.

The remaining vampires’ eyes gleamed with rage.

Screech!

Screech!

Another terrifying aspect of vampires.

They were cunning.

Cunning enough to take human hostages and use them as shields.

The two vampires, sensing that Max was a formidable opponent, ignored him and charged towards the couple.

“Aaaaaargh!”

“Aaaaaargh!”

The couple screamed, their legs frozen in fear.

“Don’t you dare!”

But.

Camian suddenly appeared, intercepting one of the vampires with a surprise attack.

It was a perfectly timed move.

He wouldn’t have been able to pull it off if he hadn’t known the vampires’ habits.

Everything was going according to Max’s plan.

Slice!

Screech!

The vampire, its body sliced diagonally from its shoulder, writhed on the ground in agony.

And then there was one left.

‘My turn!’

Allen was about to lunge forward and pierce the remaining vampire’s abdomen with his sword when…

Someone else moved first.

With lightning speed.

Thud!

A single, precise strike that shattered the vampire’s heart.

It died instantly, without even a scream.

“Whoa, nice skills.”

Max chuckled, clapping his hands once.

Leon Benesse, the Lightning Spear.

It seemed like he had become even stronger after facing the monstrous Natasha on the island.

Or maybe the vampire was simply too weak to withstand Leon’s spear.

“Huh?”

“L-Leon?”

“What are you doing here?!”

Annette, Camian, and Allen looked surprised by Leon’s sudden appearance.

But despite their surprise, their faces lit up with joy.

The arrival of a powerful ally in this situation was always welcome.

“Where have you been? I’ve been waiting for you.”

Leon’s eyes flickered slightly at Max’s words, which implied that he had been expecting him.

Of course, that wasn’t true.

How could he have known where everyone was and waited for them to regroup?

It was just a way of saying that he was glad to see him.

He would have said the same thing if he had met Riviera or Lucia.

But Leon, who didn’t know that, interpreted it differently.

Max, the senior who was always willing to help others.

That Max had been waiting for him.

Waiting for him to join him.

A strange feeling stirred within his chest.

‘This person…’

Perhaps the princess or the young lord were more talented or stronger than Max.

No, they probably were.

But there was something different about Max.

Something that moved people’s hearts.

Was that why Senior Riera, Senior Elaine, Camian, Annette, and even his own brother followed him so readily?

“…I’ll join you.”

One of the barriers in Leon’s heart crumbled.