“Professor Ralph! Did you contact Chancellor Mondri?”

“Yes. He said he’ll return on the fastest train.”

“Do you know when he’ll arrive at the station?”

“At the earliest, tomorrow morning.”

“Dammit… If only the Chancellor would hurry…! Is the barrier to cover that barrier complete?”

“The faculty just finished it.”

“Good. That’s a relief. Now then…”

The area in front of the barrier was chaotic with professors cleaning up the mess.

As I appeared among them, the atmosphere froze.

“Chairman…”

“How are the injured students?”

“Ah, they all seem to have minor bruises, so we sent them to the health room.”

“Scars might remain. If any students want treatment, send them to the university hospital. I’ll cover the costs.”

“Yes, yes. If you do that, the students will be truly grateful…”

Ignoring the bowing professors, I approached those sitting in a corner near the barrier.

“Count…”

Helga, who had been slumped, suddenly stood up.

I gave her an order.

“Helga. Go to the Ruelberta Foundation’s university hospital and bring back healers.”

“Huh? Healers?”

“Yes. If you mention my name, they’ll give you as many healers as possible. Bring them all here.”

“Uh… Okay. Understood, Count.”

Seeing my serious face, Helga seemed to realize something was off and quickly left the arena.

I sighed in relief. If she had stayed, she would have surely tried to stop what I was about to do.

I looked at the spot where Helga had been sitting. Next to it was a woman slumped with an ice pack on her head.

I slowly spoke.

“Professor Ariel.”

“Chairman…”

The ice pack was removed, and Ariel raised her head.

She had just exhausted herself trying to dismantle the barrier. Her face was pale, likely from the massive amount of magic power she had expended.

Ariel must have felt more responsible than anyone else. An accident had occurred during the practical test she was overseeing, and she was desperate to resolve the situation.

“I’m sorry… Just wait a bit, and I’ll try to fix this.”

“No need.”

“Huh?”

Ariel frowned.

I calmly explained to her.

“Create a gap in the barrier, even if just for a moment.”

“A gap…?”

“Yes. Once you create a gap, I’ll enter the barrier.”

“…!”

The ice pack Ariel was holding fell to the ground.

“Did you just say you’re going into the barrier?”

“Yes.”

The plan was this:

Once Ariel created a gap in the barrier, Myohail, who was hiding, would delay the barrier’s restoration. During that time, I would enter the barrier.

As a Sage, Myohail couldn’t reveal himself. Reluctantly, I had to push Ariel from behind.

As expected, Ariel, who had been pushed, was skeptical of my instructions.

“Do you realize how absurd what you’re saying is, Chairman? We don’t even know the true nature of that magic formula, and you want to go in there?”

“Yes. Exactly.”

“Ha… I’m sorry, but I’m not in the mood for jokes.”

“This isn’t a joke. Only a freak like me can pass through the barrier.”

“A freak? Ah… Ah…”

Finally, Ariel seemed to catch on to my intent.

“Indeed, there is such a method. But I still oppose it.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s too reckless. You could get stuck in the barrier and die. So please wait until Chancellor Mondri arrives. That’s the only thing you can do right now.”

The barrier had already closed, and much time had passed.

We couldn’t afford to waste any more time.

I took a deep breath and spoke.

“Your words just now were wrong, Professor Ariel.”

“…Huh?”

“Waiting is the same as doing nothing. I’m just doing the only thing I can do.”

I picked up the fallen ice pack and handed it to Ariel.

“Do you want to save the students?”

“Of course…”

“Then follow my instructions.”

I looked down at Ariel, who was sitting.

She is one of the characters who holds a deep grudge against the Ruelberta family. I can’t resolve her grudge right now.

So, I decided to take a forceful approach.

“The more you delay, the less chance there is to save the trapped students.”

“Delay? How much-”

“You’re a responsible and excellent professor. No one here can dismantle the magic formula as well as you. If you don’t help me, they will die because of you.”

“What… What did you say?!”

Ariel flared up and stood abruptly.

“Are you threatening me now?”

“I didn’t threaten you. I’m just giving you a chance. To save the students or not.”

“If that’s not a threat, then what is!”

“Do you really want me to threaten you?”

“…?!”

I showed a hint of ‘Wrath.’

My ‘Wrath’ towards Ariel tightened her heart. Not excessively. But clearly.

It was important to show her that I could crush her anytime.

“Don’t make me do nothing. If you prevent me from saving my students, I have no choice but to threaten you. So cooperate with me, Professor Ariel. You’re the only one who can help me now.”

Despite my threat, Ariel bravely didn’t avert her gaze.

Her grudge must be that deep.

But that was all.

“…Whatever happens to you, Chairman, it’s not my responsibility.”

“I’ll take responsibility. Just open the door.”

“Understood…”

Ariel complied.

Though I used extreme measures, the students’ safety was important to her too. So, she had no choice but to follow my instructions.

“I don’t have much magic power left. This might be the only chance…”

Ariel stretched and picked up her staff.

“But are you really going into the barrier? You might not be able to come back… And if I make a mistake, there’s no turning back.”

“I don’t regret my choice. And your skills are more than enough to entrust my life to.”

“…Is that so.”

Ariel elegantly waved her staff in the air.

“Then I hope your judgment is correct, Chairman.”

The magic formula engraved on the barrier began to tremble.

*

The first to hear the unusual sound was Hanna, a female student who had been dozing.

“…?”

At first, she thought she might have misheard the rain.

But the sound was unmistakable.

Thud. Thud.

It was a chilling sound, like something breaking—no, like hard bones being crushed.

The students under the tent were still asleep, unaware of the sound.

The moment Hanna cautiously peeked outside the tent.

“…Gasp!?”

What she saw was a massive back.

A monstrous beast, easily 3 meters tall even while sitting, was chewing on something near the tent.

Thud.

Though it was only the back, the two horns on its head were visible. Only one creature came to mind.

‘A… A Minotaur?!’

It was no small foe to face alone.

Fortunately, it hadn’t noticed them yet, engrossed in devouring the carcass of another beast.

We can take it down together.

Hanna carefully woke the students sleeping beside her.

Understanding the situation, the students quickly prepared to face the Minotaur.

One was missing, but it didn’t matter.

Four of them should be enough to handle a Minotaur.

Exiting the tent, they nodded at each other.

“Now!”

As the magic formulas in the air flashed, sharp ice shards pierced the Minotaur’s back.

The following ice shards also struck the beast’s back without fail.

Their teamwork was perfect. Their ambush had succeeded. But something felt off.

Thud. Crunch.

“…Huh?”

The Minotaur, which should have been fatally wounded, continued its meal as if nothing had happened.

It was baffling.

“…What? Why isn’t it reacting?”

Crunch.

The Minotaur’s back, devouring the carcass, felt eerily ominous.

Only then did the students realize something was wrong.

“Grrrr…”

Finally, the Minotaur finished its meal and turned to face them.

The moment they saw its face, Hanna couldn’t help but scream.

“Ahhh!!”

“A… A zombie?!”

It was the rotting face of a Minotaur.

Zombified beasts were tricky to deal with.

Their tenacious vitality and relentless pursuit of prey.

Moreover, if a Minotaur-level beast became a zombie, its strength would be on a whole different level.

“Grooo!”

The Minotaur, turned zombie from feasting on other beasts, roared.

The sight of rotting flesh falling from its mouth was the epitome of grotesqueness.

The Minotaur grinned at the students before it.

No, it seemed to grin.

Its jawbone, exposed from the torn flesh, made it look like it was smiling.

It was unmistakably the face of finding new prey.

As the students instinctively stepped back.

“?!”

A bright arrow of light pierced the Minotaur zombie’s head.

“Cough…! R-run!”

The one who shouted was Wendy, a shabby-looking girl.

Her clothes were tattered, as if she hadn’t rested properly while they were sleeping.

“Quick! Cough…!”

Wendy coughed and continued to swing her staff.

The arrows of light, created from her magic formulas, pierced the Minotaur’s body one after another.

The sudden attacks made the beast stagger.

But it only seemed to stagger.

“Grooo!”

The Minotaur swatted the arrows away with its decayed arm.

Then, its other fist flew straight towards Wendy.

“…?!”

Wendy’s small body was sent flying towards a tree and slammed into it. The impact caused blood to gush from her mouth.

Wendy clutched her stomach in agony and collapsed.

“Grooo!”

The Minotaur roared in fury.

Its attention was now fully on her.

Realizing it was their chance to escape, a male student shouted.

“Shit! Run!”

“Huh? Uh!”

“Quick! Run!”

“Run, damn it!”

The students turned their backs on the beast and started running.

“Grooo!”

The Minotaur’s roar echoed from behind, but they ignored it and kept running.

The pouring rain felt hot.

It burned as if their skin was melting from the high acidity.

But now, the priority was to get as far away from that beast as possible.

They couldn’t die here, at the hands of such a monster.

They sprinted through the muddy swamp.

“Gasp… Gasp…!”

How long had they been running?

By now, the roar was barely audible in the distance.

Finally catching their breath, Hanna and the students took a moment to rest.

“Ha… This is insane. A Minotaur zombie, of all things.”

“Is… Is she okay?”

Hanna couldn’t help but worry.

The image of Wendy, who had stepped forward to save them, wouldn’t leave her mind.

Another female student answered Hanna’s question.

“She’ll be fine… She’ll be fine. Didn’t you see? She took down those beasts alone. She’s strong, so she’ll be okay.”

“Really…?”

“Yeah. She probably escaped by now. Don’t worry.”

“If that’s the case, then it’s a relief…”

Hanna sighed in relief.

Maybe it was just unnecessary worry.

Unlike them, she was an excellent and outstanding student.

“……”

“……”

A heavy silence followed.

No matter how much of a top student she was, the guilt of leaving a younger girl behind was hard to shake.

Breaking the somber mood, a male student spoke heavily.

“Let’s wait until the rescue team arrives. Until then, we need to conserve our magic power.”

“No. The rescue team won’t come.”

“What? Who…?!”

A low voice suddenly sent chills down their spines.

Before them stood an unfamiliar shadow.

“Eek!?”

Seeing the man’s face, Hanna fell back in shock.

The rain poured down. Amidst it, the man’s gaze was piercingly cold.