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A large crowd gathered in front of the Divine Faculty main building.

It was an unprecedented situation where both external and internal enemies had seized the building. The people in the crowd all shared a common trait: the majority were heavily armed, prepared to storm the building at any moment.

Shione and I had also equipped ourselves, sending spirits to gather our gear.

“Professor Epheana, you’re here on time. I’m Kelvine, appointed by the Headmaster to command the operation,” he said.

“Didn’t the Headmaster come himself?”

“…It seems this place isn’t the only one under attack. The Headmaster deemed other matters more urgent.”

“Hmmm…”

Nothing could describe the chaotic state of affairs better than a simple ‘it’s a mess.’

Right now, the Royal Academy was watching its prestige sink in real-time, almost digging its own grave.

“I’ve heard the summary of the situation. Yelin is the reason we’re not storming in.”

“Correct. With Yelin’s sensory disruption and the seasoned knights around, charging in recklessly would only cause more damage.”

“Have any other wizards arrived yet?”

“A few have come, but… the only one capable of countering Yelin’s magic is you, Epheana. Others have already been caught off guard.”

“…Seems like you’ve been living in the lab, and you’ve already improved your magic again. What a hassle.”

Yelin was no easy opponent.

Just looking at the wizards lying injured on the floor under Kelvine’s watch showed that. They all had wounds serious enough that continuing the battle was difficult, and were currently receiving urgent care.

“It seems we can’t avoid the battle. It’s quiet now, but we never know when those guys will spring into action. We will advance.”

“Understood!”

“And I’ve heard that two knights from the Count’s House wish to assist us. The Shianella Young Adults should be inside the Divine Faculty. While I hold the enemies back, make sure to rescue the students as quickly as possible with them.”

Epheana showed no hesitation as she finished speaking.

In an instant, she gathered her team and brandished her artifact, throwing herself into the main building.

‘As expected, she brings more knights than wizards along.’

Wizards couldn’t help but complain about the disadvantages of fighting in tight spaces.

They not only wield swords but also often engage in physical combat. Unless they had the skill not to get their allies entangled in their spells within already limited space, it would be unreasonable for wizards to take the lead.

‘Things will get noisy again soon.’

Once the knights and wizards clash, many people will inevitably get caught up in it too.

It was about time for Shione and me to move as well.

“Are you all set?”

“Of course! My bowstring is fine, and your spirit brought enough arrows. Though the armor might be a bit lacking…”

“Our goal is to rescue Sion. Epheana will draw attention, so let’s avoid the fights as much as possible.”

“Got it. But—”

Shione placed her hand on her chest.

At a glance, it looked like a noble lady’s graceful movement, yet somehow I felt her subtle desire was showing.

“If it seems dangerous, stick to me no matter what.”

“Are you going to protect me?”

“I have the necklace from Sion, so feel free to cuddle up to me three times if needed.”

“…”

Such a boastful Shione.

It was amusing to see her, who least suited the term ‘big sister,’ call herself that so confidently. It would be fun to keep teasing her until she truly accepted her role as little sister.

I assigned new duties to the spirits that had equipped Shione and me.

‘Sion Shianella should be inside that building. Go find his location for me.’

─Sion?

‘A guy with silver hair, just like Shione. You should be able to identify him quickly.’

─Got it!

Cotton Puff set off to find him as if it were a no-brainer, while I briefed Elvis on the unique features of the Count’s House. So we’d soon pinpoint his location.

Since this was the main building of the academy and not an expansive area, it wouldn’t be difficult for the spirits to flutter around like the wind.

Before long, we would surely determine our brother-in-law’s location.

“Ray, I’m done talking with the commander here. We should prioritize rescuing Sion over a larger rescue effort.”

Well, if chances arise along the way, we might save a few more, but clearly stating that we prioritize Sion could seem different from simply coming to support the students.

As they say, the way you phrase something can change its meaning. It wouldn’t hurt to sort things out in advance.

I gave Shione a thumbs up and a light compliment.

Boom—!

Finally, a massive explosion was heard from the main building.

A few windows on the second floor shattered, scattering glass shards everywhere.

The sunlight, disrupted and swirled around, signaled the end of the calm standoff and the start of the battle.

Also—

─Found the silver-haired guy! He’s gathered with others. They’ve blocked the room with Divine Power.

‘You found Sion?’

─He has blue eyes like Shione, so it must be him. But…

‘…?’

─He seems safe now, but it looks like he has sustained quite a few injuries.

As chaos gripped the battlefield and diverted everyone’s attention toward the war zone, Elvis caught wind of our brother-in-law’s location, making it the perfect timing.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t a flawless scenario; it seemed Sion had sustained some injuries.

‘…It’s a relief that he’s okay for now.’

Still, Sion was a priest, so he should be able to overcome this with his Divine Power.

I reported back to Shione with the location Elvis gave me.

“I’ve found Sion’s location. It seems to be somewhere in one of the rooms in the central area on the fourth floor.”

“Other rescue teams are breaching as well, so let’s go.”

“Sounds good! Let’s take the side route; that’ll be faster.”

With explosions and the sounds of metal clashing echoing from the front door, we needed to find a safer method to enter without getting caught up in the fighting.

As we headed for the side entrance, the fierce combat sounds previously surrounding the front door began to drift toward the center. Whether that meant the enemy’s resistance was fiercer than expected or not, faint cries could be heard wavering in the air.

‘This has become pretty complicated.’

Sion’s location was on the fourth floor’s central area.

At this rate, if our luck turned sour, the likelihood of getting swept into the fighting would rise considerably.

Shione and I just adjusted our escalating tension as we entered the building.

“Wait a second, Ray.”

Shione reached out to stop me.

She notched an arrow to her bowstring and whispered.

“Something feels off.”

“Did you spot an enemy?”

“Not quite… it feels a bit different.”

Shione bit her lower lip gently.

“…I feel the presence of magic coming from various spots in the building, then suddenly disappearing.”

Whether it was the magic of the wizards confusing her senses or something strange happening in the main building of the Divine Faculty, I couldn’t tell.

But it wouldn’t hurt to be cautious.

‘What a hassle.’

The knowledge I had about the targeting demons was even less than that of other demons, making things more uncertain.

*

Sion let out a small sigh, recalling what had just happened.

‘The dormitory came under attack.’

While packing up some small items in the dormitory, the enemy launched their assault.

Sion quickly grabbed a sword for defense and important items to gather Divine Power before moving to the main building.

He figured staying near the professors of the Divine Faculty would be relatively safe, but it wasn’t exactly so.

‘…How unfortunate that so many professors would be away for the joint training.’

The Divine Faculty primarily taught theology and healing, so professors prioritized their understanding of spirituality over their physical prowess.

Currently, most of those following the paths of the battle priests and paladins were away supervising joint training with the Knights’ Faculty, leaving a significant gap in the Divine Faculty’s defenses.

Thanks to this, the enemies could swiftly seize control of the Divine Faculty main building.

Meanwhile…

‘…That was a close call.’

Fortunately, he had joined the battle priests and managed to survive the prior skirmish, but he had sustained quite a few injuries.

Sion and his companions were now hiding and locking the door while stifling their movements. Since their conditions were not normal, facing another engagement before he could cleanse all his wounds with Divine Power would genuinely put them in danger.

“Ugh…”

A long gash marred his arm.

As a sharp pain surged, Sion layered Divine Power over his arm again.

At the same time, he revisited the information gleaned from eavesdropping on the enemies’ conversations through the pain.

“…This is a decoy.”

What they truly wished to devour lay elsewhere.

‘Evan is in danger.’

The cultists had never once taken their eyes off the students in the joint training.

 

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