Ch.191The Wrath of NPC Women. (1)

…What exactly am I looking at?

“Was what Ira said earlier true?”

“Well, regarding formations and tactics, I did teach her. But saying she actually did it is probably a lie. How should I put it… she’s probably talking about practicing with two people who follow her orders well? You know from the start that Ira can’t lie, yet she’s speaking so confidently now.”

“People who follow her orders well? Who are they?”

“One is Gor, and the other was… a crazy beast-person.”

“…A crazy beast-person? Don’t tell me you mean that overly dramatic white tiger beast-person who was with her then?”

“Well, yes. That’s the one.”

I don’t mention the part about him acting like a dog, as there’s no need to bring that up.

While flying through the sky with the Dean’s magical support, the Dean canceled the spell she was about to use to bomb the monsters from above, and we ended up watching what was happening below.

I had planned to deploy tactical weapon Gor and the Dean if things got more dangerous, for Ira’s safety if nothing else. But the one who brilliantly blocked that situation was none other than Ira herself.

“At this rate, the children and teaching assistants will be enough to handle it. They should be able to hold out until the supporting professors arrive.”

“Looks like it. Then, let’s hurry on.”

[Please let me off here. I’ll keep watch just in case.]

“…I’ll throw you toward those trees over there. Handle the landing yourself.”

[Yes.]

Gor rapidly descends and disappears beneath a large tree.

Ira is darting nimbly between monsters, holding the blue staff her brother bought her, with the golden-hued female Ray by her side.

Wait, when did she learn to beat things with a staff instead of using it for magic? Neither Ray nor I taught her that.

“Do you really think the demon who created this situation is still at the research facility?”

“Yes. Absolutely.”

“Why?”

“They triggered this situation without fleeing even after two of their colleagues died. Probably a demon with high self-esteem and pride. The type who would rather make a scene and die than turn their back and flee from humans.”

Flying with the Dean to the mountaintop, we see, sure enough, a building riddled with holes. So this is the research facility where they capture monsters for research and training purposes?

As we fly into the research facility with the Dean…

“…So you’ve come?”

-FLAP!!

A female demon with purple skin, pink hair, and horns was waiting for us, hovering in the air with massive bat-like wings flapping.

As expected. She never intended to flee in the first place. Those humans gathered and collapsed below… she hasn’t killed them yet? Hostages, perhaps?

-Click.

“Your colleague, the demon of pride, was quite stupid despite all his bluster. I wonder how you’ll compare?”

“…Aha~? So you fought Pride?”

“Ha! Did I just fight him? I also crushed the core in that head of his.”

“You’ve made quite a mess in my territory, so don’t think you’ll die peacefully.”

-GROOOWL!!!

“Hahah! So you must be the Dean?”

As I aim my gun and the Dean begins to emit magical power in apparent anger, the pink-haired demon descends to the ground with a small snort. What’s this? Facing me, who killed her colleague, and the Dean with her tremendous magical power.

She’s sneering? Or is it a hollow laugh? Is she that confident in her abilities?

I tense slightly, placing my finger on the trigger, while the Dean creates wardrobe-sized chunks of ice floating in the air, ready to hurl them at the demon at any moment.

And then.

-Slide.

“I’ll explain everything and answer all your questions if you’ll call it a draw and spare me…?”

The movement was so natural and smooth that I was slow to recognize what I was seeing.

Huh? This posture is exactly what Jack showed when he first saw me…

“…What was that about self-esteem and pride and personality?”

“No, that… uh, what?”

The demon immediately surrendered, lowering her head deeply, pressing her forehead to the ground while kneeling, with her wings touching the floor and her palms facing upward.

*

[Goblin (Injured): Level 8]

[Orc (Injured): Level 14]

[Troll (Sealed): Level 20]

[The average level of the students is about 13, excluding Lady Ira.]

From atop the tree, I watch as the children establish their formation, holding back monsters with spirit arts and magic.

Honestly, in a 1:1 or many-to-one situation, the children shouldn’t lose to monsters, but the problem is that there are too many monsters, creating a crisis. However…

“Heeyah!!”

“Hurah!!”

“Hiyaah!!!”

“Bind them!!!”

“””Ice Link!!”””

“””Wind Lock!!”””

“””Stun!!!”””

The children huddle together with shields as big as their bodies, focusing on defense, while those using magic behind them bind the stopped enemies in place. After that…

“Wind spirit! Attack them!!!”

“Rock spirit!! Crush those monsters!!”

“Fire spirit! Don’t set anything else on fire, just burn the monsters’ heads!!!”

“Spirits!……”

The children command various spirits to attack. Honestly, it’s quite rare to see such young children showing this level of coordination.

At this rate, they should be able to hold out until reinforcements arrive. While the academy students are exceptional, what made this possible is undoubtedly…

“Yap!!”

“I-Ira. Where did you learn to hit like that with your staff?”

“Ray sis… I mean, I learned by watching my sister use a sword!”

“I-I never swung that violently though…”

“Ehehe.”

It’s possible because of Lady Ira, who engages in guerrilla warfare with the monsters, attacking and retreating repeatedly.

While other teaching assistants are also attacking monsters and retreating to reduce their numbers and injure them, Lady Ira’s guerrilla tactics are particularly effective given her level is higher than theirs.

Moreover, with Ray beside her, guarding Lady Ira as she runs about on her short legs, the monsters are unable to spread out and are funneled toward the children with shields.

Ray, who had been holding back earlier out of consideration for the students, is now freely coordinating with Lady Ira to kill every monster in sight, so there should be no more danger.

…If Lady Ira planned all this to allow Ray to move freely, then as Ragni said, her intelligence might truly be beyond what we imagine.

Furthermore…

“Eek?!”

“Ugh?! There’s a breach on the si…!!”

“Yap!!”

-THWACK!!

“Oh, th-thank you…”

“Mm-hmm! Are you hurt? Hey! Can someone switch places with this friend here!! This side is at the edge so we need someone sturdy here!!”

“Alright, I’ll do it!!”

“Okay, then I’ll move inside…”

Even while engaging in guerrilla tactics, Lady Ira returns to the formation to adjust and fix any problems one by one, and the children, though tiring, become increasingly skilled and solid in their defense.

Lady Ira commanding the children—if the master had seen this, he would surely have been incredibly proud.

As the monsters steadily decrease thanks to Lady Ira and the children’s efforts, I begin to relax a bit…

[WOOOOOW!!!!!!]

[Werewolf: Level 101]

[…Why is something like that at the academy?]

The children freeze at the sound of the predator’s howl from the mountain. No, not just the children, but the teaching assistants too. They’re all frozen.

Judging by their surprised reactions, did even the teaching assistants not know there was a werewolf at the academy? The only person who could have captured something like that would be the Dean, which means the list of people to complain to is growing…

“Th-this is the final bonus! This is the boss!! Come on, everyone, let’s hold it off together!!!”

“O-oh!!”

“Let’s go!!”

“F-fighting!”

Among the children who were freezing in fear, Grace, the brown-haired sass… I mean, Lady Ira’s friend, shouts, and the children begin to force themselves to cheer up.

But while their courage is admirable, that thing’s level is too high.

[…Should I step in and kill it?]

Ray herself seems to have noticed the monster’s strength, as she takes on a slightly serious demeanor. She’s probably planning to take Lady Ira back to the formation and handle it herself…?!

-Tap tap tap tap tap!!

[It’s fast!]

“Ah, aah!!”

Ray and I shouted simultaneously, and the beast—the werewolf—shot down from the mountain at a speed that could only be described as being fired like a bullet.

Its target isn’t the children but the guerrilla unit composed of teaching assistants. Their average level is in the mid-20s. If they’re caught by its surprise attack, there will certainly be casualties. However…

-Tap tap tap tap!!

Ray wouldn’t miss this, and she began running at full speed, leaving Lady Ira behind. She should be able to intercept it just in time.

[…But even in an emergency, how can she leave Lady Ira alone like that? She doesn’t even know I’m watching.]

I watched over Lady Ira, who was left alone, as if to take Ray’s place.

“What?!!”

[Huh?]

[KAWOOOO!!]

What’s this? As if the beast knew Ray was approaching from the side, instead of pouncing on the teaching assistants, it leaped over them, kicked off a tree, and sharply changed direction.

Ah, that direction is…!!

“Ugh?!! D-damn it!!!”

Ray, unable to change direction due to her momentum, fails to pursue and uncharacteristically curses, but I couldn’t blame her. The beast had been aiming for something from the start, running at tremendous speed toward its target.

“Eh?”

The werewolf began heading toward the children, specifically toward those fighting with spirit arts without shields in the rear. And at the forefront…

“Miss Grace!! Get out of the way!!!”

“Huh? Ah?!!”

Lady Ira’s friend. Even I am startled, wondering if I should jump and fly there now, but I calculate that it would be meaningless. The distance is too far to jump and transform to block it!

[But I can’t just sit here doing nothing!!!]

-CRASH!!!

I jump, shattering the tree I was perched on. Timing is everything—if I’m off by even a second, it’s over! If I’m too fast, I’ll fall due to my weight mid-flight. If I’m too late, the sassy girl will be torn apart and killed!!

I can’t be off by even a millisecond with the timing of acceleration and transformation distance!! Calculating frantically, I…

[I can rea…!!!]

-BOOM!!!

[KYAAANG?!!]

[?!]

Just before transforming, a sudden explosion in empty air completely threw off my timing, and I crashed into the ground on the opposite side. The werewolf, directly hit by the explosion, was sent flying and staggered backward, seemingly unable to regain its senses.

What just happened? An invisible fireball? No, judging by the power, it’s an even higher grade…

“—Peep~ yak!”

“…What were you trying to do to my friend just now?”

-Flinch!!

“…Uh, huh? I-Ira?”

[…Lady Ira?]

“…I-Ira?”

“…Big brother and daddy said so. Wild beasts that pounce on people need to be taught fear.”

-Step, step, step.

Though she’s quite far away, her voice carries clearly, sounding somewhat strange. Despite hearing it every day, it feels like a completely different person. Moreover, from her body now…

“Hey. Mr. Monster Wolf, how do you learn fear?”

A purple aura—no, magical power—flows from her like a school uniform, and her eyes, which usually sparkle like the Milky Way, have lost their heterochromatic shine and stare at the enemy without blinking.

“Since neither big brother nor daddy, nor my sisters taught me, will you show me?”

“Pee—yak.”

-BOOM!!

[KYAAANG?!!]

As if responding to Lady Ira’s words, the chick sitting on her head cries once. Empty air explodes, and the startled monster howls and backs away as Lady Ira raises just the corners of her mouth in a smile.

Ah, this. Lady Ira is completely…

“Answer me.”

“Peeyak—!”

In response to Lady Ira’s voice filled with anger, the monster’s screams and the sound of explosions echoed throughout the mountain.