episode_0049

-Pouring rain

As the rain poured heavily, the corridor was shrouded in darkness.

The wind howled so fiercely that it felt like the windows were about to shake loose.

In the slightly eerie atmosphere and the quiet stillness punctuated by footsteps, Lucy couldn’t resist her curiosity and moved forward.

-Squelch, squelch

“Um, who’s there…?”

As she turned the corner at the end of the corridor to see who was there,

A thunderous roar accompanied a lightning strike.

-Boom!

With a bright flash, the figure of someone began to appear.

There stood a man with a pair of horns on either side of his head.

-Squelch

As the light dimmed slightly, the man’s true form started to become visible.

He seemed to have suffered severe injuries, with copious amounts of blood flowing from his arms and legs.

There was even an alarming amount of blood trickling down from his forehead.

Taken aback by the sight, Lucy couldn’t help but let out a gasp.

Quickly covering her mouth with both hands, she began to step back cautiously.

‘Oh no!’

In an academy devoid of anyone but the teachers, an unidentified man leaned against the wall, injured.

Notably, he even had a pair of horns on his head, indicating an unsettling situation.

Upon regaining her composure and looking ahead, the man had vanished.

On the ground, a pool of blood where he had been standing.

Searching for the disappeared man, Lucy finally turned her head around.

-Rumble!

“Hello?”

A man stood there, chillingly smiling.

Sensing danger in the ominous atmosphere, Lucy attempted to retaliate immediately.

However, she was swiftly subdued by something the man produced from within his cloak.

“A magical tool? Handcuffs?”

But, despite trying to cast a spell, she found herself unable to control her magic.

A sensation of it being severed somewhere, similar to what she experienced during the previous practice.

Realizing she couldn’t use magic, she twisted her body to attempt a kick in retaliation.

Yet, her attempt failed miserably as the unidentified man blocked her kick and brought her down to the ground.

Despite her resistance, it was futile.

The vast difference in physical prowess between her and the unknown man made escape impossible.

In a perfect mount position, the man straddled her and began caressing her face.

Beyond panic, driven by fear and the immediate desire to survive, Lucy screamed, but her screams were muffled by the man’s hand, not echoing down the corridor.

Suddenly, the situation became incomprehensible.

It was terrifying. She had only come for her notebook.

Out of nowhere, the deranged man was atop her, muttering strange words.

Damn it, if only she could use magic… she might have been able to escape.

Should she have used defensive magic instead of offensive spells?

More importantly, who was this man?

Sigh… first, calm down and assess the situation.

“Preventing the use of magic is similar to what Requiem did last time… albeit slightly different. And having horns on the head is one of the characteristics of demons.”

So, there’s a high possibility that this man is affiliated with Requiem.

But why would a member of Requiem be at the academy?

And what could have happened for him to sustain such injuries?

So many unknowns.

But one thing is certain.

If she doesn’t break free from this man, something terrible will happen.

How can she escape?

Unable to use magic and devoid of any magical power to escape from this man… practically speaking, it’s impossible.

The man’s powerlessness loomed over her, mocking her from afar.

Furthermore, there’s no way out with this attitude.

Am I just going to die without trying anything?

Just came to get a notebook and getting killed at the academy?

Even if the academy is busy these days, security shouldn’t be this weak.

There were security guards outside too..!!

Suddenly, a terrifying and bitter feeling of injustice began to overwhelm me.

Perhaps because I’m on the brink of death, all sorts of thoughts are flooding my mind.

Starting from the incident with that guy last time.

I’ve never had a comfortable day at the academy, never had a good moment.

Back home, my struggling family is waiting for me.

That’s why I’ve been running so hard.

But no matter how much I run, how hard I push myself, the gap with those truly talented individuals remains.

While everyone shines at the prestigious academy, I couldn’t shine. My light faded away.

No friends, no skills, no money.

Thinking like that, tears seemed ready to fall.

Terrifying. Too terrifying, it gives me goosebumps.

Why is this happening to me?

Why me?

Why only me?

As something warm started trickling down my cheek after being slapped, suddenly, that guy came to mind.

The guy I met during training, who kept asking me to join the club.

The strange guy with dark hair and eyes.

He had no friends either, couldn’t live comfortably due to his life struggles, yet he became a companion to me in some way.

Although we didn’t talk much, conversing with him always brought a sense of peace.

Yes, what would he do… in this situation?

How would he handle this?

Even after racking my brain, I can’t find an answer.

Yes, I’m different from him.

He may have come from a good family, had talent, and a beautiful fiancée.

Seemed like he had good friends around him.

Yes, I can’t be like him.

Even if I want to overcome this, I can’t win.

So, anyone will do.

Please, anyone. Help me….

Please save me.

I can’t die, not even for my family…

As I tried to prevent tears from flowing, a strange sensation began creeping in as I squinted my eyes.

Something unpleasant licked my neck.

It sends shivers down my spine. It’s frightening. Terrifying.

Please, help. Anyone.

Not for my family…

No, this isn’t about my family.

Yes, I just want to live.

My family is just an excuse, in reality.

I wanted a normal academy life like everyone else.

Make friends, eat together.

Have conversations…

Without experiencing love once… to die like this…?

After giving up completely and opening my eyes, a man with horns, breathing heavily in excitement, began to draw something from his waist.

It was a very sharp and pointed black blade.

Though a bit short for a dagger, it was sizable enough to kill a person without issues.

“Ah, haa… I can’t let witnesses remain. Can’t enjoy this. Farewell, my lovely lady.”

With a firm grip, the dagger headed towards my throat.

“Ugh!!!”

I thought this was the end. But then, behind the horned man, someone else appeared.

My vision blurred, maybe I didn’t see correctly? I thought, closing my eyes.

If I don’t see it, maybe it won’t hurt as much.

However, soon, a familiar voice started reaching my ears.

I hadn’t known him for long, but his voice was unmistakable.

Upon opening my eyes once again to confirm the owner of the voice, the black-haired man was holding the blade that had approached right up to my nose with his bare hand.

Blood began to flow from the black-haired man’s hand that gripped the blade barehanded.

The crimson blood started to drip onto my face, drip, drip.

The black-haired man, Vern Flame, began speaking to me as if he were coaxing me.

“It’s okay now, Lucy. I’m here.”

And in a whisper so soft that only I could hear, Vern said,

“Ignition.”

….

Startled by the sudden intrusion, the purple-haired man, Naidus, seemed flustered.

I grasped the blade aimed at Lucy and said,

“Ignition.”

Having grown accustomed to controlling magic, I conjured flames with enough firepower not to harm Lucy.

The azure flames that emerged from my fingertips flew straight towards Naidus’s face to incinerate it.

Narrow range, strong impact.

A technique derived from my second skill, ‘Fire Fist,’ called ‘Ignition.’

For some reason, Naidus, who was already badly injured,

just the threat alone would suffice.

What matters now is separating Lucy and that scoundrel.

Whether feeling endangered by the sudden flames or not, Naidus moved away from Lucy.

Appearing again about 2 meters away, Naidus began speaking.

“Oh, it’s you again? You interfered with me yesterday, and now you’re doing it again today. Even if you’re that person’s son, I can’t let you be.” He spoke with a hint of annoyance.

Seems like Naidus was a bit angry.

Indeed, it was right to try to kill Lucy.

If I had arrived just a bit later, things could have gone south.

“Lucy! Get down first! I’ll handle this guy! Elisha should be below, hurry!”

Hmm, this feels… somewhat similar to yesterday’s situation.

Well… nothing ever goes smoothly, does it?