Chapter 224

The surroundings were cleared.

“Now, explain,” Camian said, catching his breath.

“Honestly, I don’t know either,” I replied.

“…What?”

“But I have a guess.”

I raised my finger, pointing upwards.

“Look up.”

Camian and Annette followed my instruction, tilting their heads back to gaze at the sky.

And then…

“Th-That’s?!”

“The… The Red Moon?!”

Their eyes widened in shock, blinking repeatedly as if they couldn’t believe what they were seeing. But as the reality of the situation sunk in, they turned to me with urgent questions.

“What… What is that?”

“What is it, senior?”

They were more surprised by the crimson moon than the sudden appearance of hordes of undead. As expected of the juniors who had spent their time battling undead in the underground space.

“I don’t know,” I admitted.

“You don’t know again…?”

“But I remember reading about it somewhere. A long time ago, a necromancer who terrorized the world summoned a blood-red moon.”

It wasn’t a made-up story.

There had been a similar tragedy in the past.

Unfortunately, history had a way of repeating itself.

By the hands of another human.

“And it said that an unimaginable number of undead appeared, and the world was completely turned upside down.”

“So that means…”

“Yeah, it perfectly matches our current situation, right? It means we’re in a dire emergency.”

“Ugh.”

Camian bit his lip, his face grim.

Annette’s expression was equally dark.

“But this is the Holy City. Help will come soon.”

A glimmer of hope appeared in Camian’s eyes.

This was the Holy City, after all.

The center of the Church, where the First Holy Knight Order, the protectors of the Holy City, was stationed.

And the Tower of Light was also home to many skilled mages.

Anyone would think that help would arrive quickly in a situation like this.

But.

“I thought so too. But abandon all hope.”

I shook my head.

“What do you mean?”

“Wh-What do you mean, senior?”

“I tried to head towards the back gate while assessing the situation, you know? It’s common sense to secure an escape route in an emergency like this. But guess what? It was blocked.”

“Bl-Blocked…?”

“What do you mean? Are you saying the undead are blocking the gate?”

“If it was the undead, would I be saying this? I could break through them with force.”

“Then what?”

“A barrier.”

“A-A barrier?”

Annette’s eyes widened.

“Yeah, a barrier that can’t be broken through no matter what. I wasn’t the only one. Other people there tried to break through it, but they all gave up and went back inside.”

I described exactly what had happened in my first experience.

No, it was an understatement.

My first experience with the Red Moon Tragedy had been getting brutally killed by the approaching undead while desperately trying to escape.

Anyway, one thing was clear.

We couldn’t get out.

And no one could help us from the outside.

Because of the ironclad rule of role-playing games.

Powerful allies were just side characters in the story.

That’s how the story progressed.

The barrier was just a tool to enforce that rule.

“Ugh, but the Church will find a way…”

“Don’t get your hopes up. Who knows how long it will take? We need to survive right now.”

I continued firmly.

“No, it’s not enough for just us to survive. We have to save as many people as possible. That’s our job.”

“…”

“…”

Camian and Annette’s expressions turned solemn.

They seemed to have grasped the gravity of the situation more clearly from my words.

Their classmates, seniors, and juniors were in grave danger.

Even some of the faculty members.

“I understand, senior.”

“I’ll do everything I can, senior.”

My juniors spoke with determination.

I smiled faintly.

“Thank you. We can definitely do this. We’ve always pulled through.”

After giving them some encouraging words,

“Then let’s move.”

I took the lead.

* * *

The moon, stained crimson like blood.

A massive barrier encompassing the entire academy.

Professor Karen sensed the sudden, inexplicable phenomenon.

“Whoa… This is bad, this is bad.”

She was so shaken that she jumped to her feet, abandoning her meal.

“Hmm.”

Lapit, who had been forced to join her for dinner, also narrowed his eyes and stood up.

‘That’s…’

The necromancer’s Red Moon.

It was a legend recorded only in ancient texts.

And that legend had now manifested in reality.

Well, not all legends were false.

The secret archive on Diotes Island would have been a ridiculous legend to some.

‘The necromancers made the first move? They must be terrified.’

The dark mages on the island had been wiped out.

Even their hideout had been stained with the blood of their final stand by Natasha.

From the necromancers’ perspective, who didn’t know the truth, it could only be seen as the Church’s doing.

It must have pressured them.

And a cornered rat would bite the cat.

This explosion was the result.

Lapit had anticipated this to some extent.

He was a smart man, after all.

But…

‘I didn’t expect there to be a monster among the necromancers capable of recreating a legend.’

This was unexpected.

He had thought they were at most on the level of fallen dark mages.

It was an interesting development that exceeded his expectations.

This was why the world was so fascinating.

Lapit chuckled inwardly, carefully maintaining his composure.

But.

“You know what that is, right?”

Professor Karen’s sudden question almost made him lose his composure.

“Huh? What is it? Is something wrong?”

Fortunately, he managed to respond with a practiced performance honed by years of experience.

“Why are you suddenly making a fuss? You were calm just a moment ago.”

Damn it, she had been watching my expression while I was panicking?

This sly fox.

“Huh? Well, I didn’t know what it was…”

“Hmm.”

Her crimson eyes stared at him intently, making him uncomfortable.

He had to act even more nonchalant in situations like this.

“More importantly, what is it? You’re acting like something terrible has happened…?”

“Hmm, it is a big deal.”

Perhaps convinced by his acting, Professor Karen averted her gaze and nodded.

That was right.

Why would she suddenly question him about something related to necromancers when he had nothing to do with them?

Feeling a sense of injustice, Lapit quickly said,

“Then shouldn’t we go there right now?”

“That’s why we’re stuck here.”

“Huh?”

“A barrier. We can’t break through that, just by looking at it.”

As expected.

Even Lapit, the only shaman in the world, wasn’t confident in breaking through that barrier.

It seemed like Karen Mayfield, the Crimson-Eyed Seeker, felt the same way.

It wasn’t a magical barrier.

It was more like a supernatural phenomenon.

A mystery created by the Red Moon.

There were only two ways to deal with it.

Either the creator of the Red Moon dispelled it themselves, or they were killed.

It was certainly an interesting development.

“Oh my, the students are trapped inside…”

Lapit clutched his forehead.

Most of the faculty members who commuted had already left, but most of the students who lived in the dormitories were still on campus.

Because most after-school activities, such as training, studying, club activities, dinner, relaxation, and socializing, took place within the academy.

Especially since it was a very large school.

‘Max Celtrine…’

It wasn’t a coincidence that his name suddenly came to mind.

He had been an insignificant insect, but now he had become his most concerning target.

He would be on campus right now.

‘I hope he dies.’

It would be the best outcome if he got caught up in this and died… Wait!

Lapit suddenly realized something, his composure almost shattering.

He remembered that Max had donated 2,000 scrolls today.

And they were Holy Light scrolls!

If it had been any other type of scroll, he would have dismissed it as a passing fad.

But why a special attack magic against undead?

And why today of all days?

Wh-What the…

“Phew, I’m worried too.”

“…Yes.”

Lapit’s voice trembled.

Because he had goosebumps.

It was unbelievable…

…Are you a prophet or something, you bastard?

“But,”

Professor Karen said confidently.

“I believe in our students. And we have some special students among them.”

Coincidentally, she also thought of Max.

The magic exam, the Tower of Infinity, the mock battles, the exchange matches…

He had always exceeded expectations.

And his performance wasn’t limited to evaluations.

He had played a leading role in saving the lives of many students during the actual crisis on Diotes Island.

Professor Karen was certain that he would do the same this time.

It was a conviction born from her faith in Max and the Holy Light scrolls.

‘I don’t know if it’s a coincidence or not.’

She hoped it wasn’t.

Because that would be more interesting.

“Then let’s move.”

* * *

The locations of the undead.

They were etched into my memory.

I had memorized them by repeatedly organizing them on the map.

There were priorities.

Even in helping others.

We had to help those in the most danger first.

The red areas.

The areas with Bone Dragons and Death Knights were the most urgent.

They were also the areas where the most casualties occurred.

The problem was…

‘I could only choose one.’

Because they were in opposite directions.

Could we help one side and then go to the other?

Of course, it was possible.

But there was a 90% chance that it would be too late for the other side.

It meant we would essentially be abandoning one side.

It couldn’t be helped.

There was no option where we could save everyone.

So which one should we choose?

‘I’ll abandon the Bone Dragon.’

Bone Dragons were incredibly powerful undead, but they weren’t numerous.

And as befitting their name as dragons, they would kill any living creature that entered their territory, but they wouldn’t bother going out of their way to hunt down those outside their domain.

It was all a matter of luck, but if you hid outside their territory, you might be safe.

On the other hand, Death Knights were as aggressive as their name suggested.

They would relentlessly search for prey, devastating their surroundings in their pursuit of death.

Their contrasting habits made my decision.

“This way.”

I changed direction.

Heading towards the Death Knight’s territory.

And I prayed silently.

For real luck.

That someone capable of saving the students had landed in the starting point near the Bone Dragon’s territory.

The Monster Princess? The Blood Witch? The Meat-Loving High Elf?

Anyone would do.

And another person came to mind.

‘…Come to think of it, she said she was on duty today.’

I quickened my pace, thinking of my fiancée’s face.

***

“Hurry!”

Brett, the third-year Royal class president, shouted urgently.

Beside him were Fabiola, the third-year Noble class president, with whom he always bickered, and Allen.

Their faces were etched with desperation.

They were running as if their lives depended on it.

And they did.

Because they were being chased.

By terrifying monsters.

“That way!”

“A-Are you sure?”

“Of course! I remember it clearly!”

Brett’s confidence was unwavering.

He had a good memory.

And in a crisis like this, his memory wouldn’t fail him.

Never.

“Left!”

Brett led the group.

They were searching for one thing.

The place where the scrolls Max had donated were piled up.

The place where there were plenty of Holy Light scrolls, the special attack magic against undead.

If they could just reach that place, they could survive.

They had to.

Clinging to that hope, they ran with all their might.

“There it is!”

Brett’s voice rose in excitement.

“Oh, there they are!”

Fabiola’s voice also rose in pitch.

“But there are already people there…?”

Allen’s eyes widened.

They seemed to be first-year students.

“They must have been chased here too,” Fabiola said.

Skeletal knights clad in black armor.

They were incredibly strong.

So strong that the three of them had fled in terror within 30 seconds of encountering them.

But the knights were relentlessly pursuing them.

Relentlessly.

So this was their last resort.

To fight using the scrolls Max had donated.

“Good. We can join forces and fight back,” Brett said hopefully.

It was the logical thing to do.

But.

Allen, who was timid and naive, had a strange expression on his face.

‘Be careful of the first-years.’

Those words, spoken by Max, his most trusted friend, echoed in his mind.

He couldn’t dismiss them as a joke, especially after he had almost been killed by a first-year girl who had seduced him.

It wasn’t for nothing that he had been avoiding first-years ever since that incident.

“Um, guys, maybe we should go somewhere…”

“Let’s go!”

Allen’s suggestion to go somewhere else was drowned out before he could even finish his sentence.

It wasn’t the right time to suggest such a thing.

How could he suggest going somewhere else when they had finally reached their destination, their only hope?

Allen closed his mouth and followed them.

But he thought to himself,

‘Stay alert. Stay alert.’

It went against his nature to be suspicious of his juniors, but he couldn’t help it.

They were in a dire situation.

If someone had ulterior motives, even his friends could lose their lives.

Max and Riviera, his two reliable friends, weren’t here.

He had to stay sharp.

Allen’s eyes hardened with determination.