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Shione’s arrows came raining down.

An attack that controlled the powerful draw of the dwarven bow without hesitation. With a sliding release, three arrows ambushed the enemy from behind in an instant, leaving the foe seemingly at a loss.

As the creature, which had turned into a hedgehog from the onslaught, crumbled, I could fully see Sion’s desperate expression.

‘Unlucky as ever.’

Just a few days ago, I was packing my things peacefully, thinking about escaping the dangerous academy and heading home when this chaos erupted.

Sion must have led a life as a priest, reading the scriptures and praying for mercy from God. What must it feel like to end up in this situation despite living so devoutly?

With trials coming incessantly, shaking his faith in the divine seemed like a natural outcome. Yet, Sion’s faith appeared adamant, gathering divine light as before.

“Sion, your clothes—”

Only then did Sion check his appearance at Shione’s words.

His left sleeve was already soaked in blood and drooped pathetically. After enduring two skirmishes, he was now panting due to physical exhaustion.

Sion clicked his tongue softly, shaking his head.

“This is fine. I still have a bit of divine power left.”

Despite his attempts at bravado, his grip on the sword slackened, and he wiped the cold sweat from his brow while rolling his eyes.

“So… Please help that priest instead of me.”

The priest, sprawled on the ground holding a heavy iron mace that looked imposing even from a distance, was a battle priest. Just one direct hit from that weapon would certainly crush a body.

Seeing the blood on her hammer suggested that this battle priest had also engaged in combat alongside Sion. However, she merely gazed up at him, unable to speak, as if she had suffered even more severe injuries.

At Sion’s words, Shione quickly lifted the priest, preparing to dash out of the building. Only then did Sion let out a sigh of relief.

“We need to get out of here as fast as possible. I have to warn everyone outside about what I overheard while hiding…”

Supported by me, Shione paused momentarily, grimacing in pain, and continued speaking.

“The attack on the Divine Faculty was merely a distraction. They’re not targeting here—”

Before his words could finish, an unexpected change occurred.

From below, a foul magical energy rose, palpable enough for both Shione and me to feel. In that instant, cracks began to splinter through the floor and the walls of the building simultaneously.

“Ray, something’s happening on the second floor!”

“I felt it too. But first, getting out of the building is our priority—”

The tremors began to rise through the floor, and visible fissures appeared.

The building was collapsing at alarming speed. As we confirmed that there were no enemies in sight, taking the same route back would lead us directly into danger as the structure might soon tumble down.

I quickly scanned the surroundings.

‘Elvis seems to have finished the fight, and Orna is around too. It’s feasible.’

…That was the direction of the main entrance, though.

But breaking through that window at the hallway’s end and leaping out was my only option. The unnecessarily high ceilings on each floor meant I’d be falling from a greater height than anticipated. However, with the spirits’ assistance, it shouldn’t be impossible.

“Orna, break that window now; Elvis, get ready to catch us.”

Breaking through the fourth-floor window using the strength of the spirits was a risky move.

The wind spirit wouldn’t provide a floating technique but would instead forcefully create a strong updraft to lift us. It was clear that Shione, lacking experience, would struggle to maintain her balance. Plus, that gust would undoubtedly expose our position to any enemies inside.

While I could deal with foes presenting mere handheld weapons, if we encountered mages, we’d be nothing but flying targets.

Daring to jump down felt like asking for trouble.

‘After all, our allies are surrounding the building. If we don’t leave now, we’ll surely get crushed.’

As the sound of shattering glass echoed, I shouted.

“Jump out of the window now!”

At my words, Shione, without a moment’s hesitation, hoisted the battle priest and sprinted towards the broken window.

I followed suit, lifting the injured Sion and quickening my pace.

“Ray, what on earth are you trying to do…!”

“We have to leave before the building collapses. It would take too long to run down the stairs.”

“Are you seriously planning to jump out of that window?”

“Don’t worry. Princess Shione will jump with us.”

In this world, knights with physical abilities that exceed normal limits are expected to be seen as monsters.

If two knights of decent renown, like Sion and myself, are determined to save us, why be afraid of jumping out the window?

Though Sion looked at me with a puzzled expression filled with a mix of confusion and fear, he couldn’t stop my legs.

“Ray, please land safely!”

Shione was the first to step onto the window sill and leap.

Following her, I leaped after her, and Shione began descending faster than us. I caught a glimpse of the battle priest she was carrying.

‘She looks in better condition than I thought, thank goodness.’

Just moments ago, she was too weak to speak, lying there drained of energy. But now, she looked revitalized, her mouth opening and closing as if battling between saying something and swallowing her words.

Like Sion, it seemed she wasn’t fated to die here.

“Sir, that priest seems to be pale for some reason—”

“The fall isn’t low enough to worry. I’m jumping now.”

“……!”

The moment I threw my body out of the window, a refreshing breeze greeted my face.

It felt as though the unpleasant magic that was creeping along my skin was washed away by the wind.

Experiencing a strange sense of exhilaration, I summoned the spirits.

“Elvis! Make sure the priests don’t get hurt!”

A strong wind swirled around us.

Alongside that gust came a sense of buoyancy.

The winds enveloped us as we fell, preventing us from accelerating too quickly. Thanks to this, Sion, who had previously squeezed his eyes shut, was now glancing around in surprise.

Only after safely landing on solid ground did he relax his expression.

“Wasn’t that easier than expected?”

“…So that’s why you leapt without hesitation. By the way, have you been fighting like this alongside your sister all this time?”

“If there weren’t at least this level of trust, it would have been hard to survive in many situations.”

Compared to the three significant wars, simply escaping through a window was nothing.

Afterward, Shione and I entrusted Sion and the battle priests to the waiting priests and felt the building beginning to collapse.

Starting from the heavily damaged center, it began to buckle. The arriving wizards summoned mana to ensure that debris didn’t fly around and cause further harm.

As the swirling dust settled from their struggle, we could finally see the wizard who had been leading the battle inside the main building walking atop the fallen structure.

‘She doesn’t seem to have significant injuries.’

Some knights following behind Epheana appeared to be severely wounded, but rather than displaying weakness, she merely fussed with the hilt of her sword as if dissatisfied.

As Shione and I approached Epheana, she also turned her steps toward us.

“Epheana, are you okay?”

“Ah, Young Lady. Don’t worry. I’m not seriously injured. What could a less talented wizard be wounded by? The real issue lies elsewhere.”

Epheana flashed a wry smile.

“It’s troublesome. We knocked down one building but ended up letting a wizard slip away.”

Shione seemed to pick up on something in Epheana’s words and immediately chimed in.

“Indeed… I sensed a powerful magical aura suddenly erupting from the second floor. What could have happened?”

“Hmm. Something unexpected certainly took place. I saw conflicting powers merge without clashing.”

Epheana appeared to ponder for a moment as she reflected on the past in her gaze.

“…Yelin, the professor of modern magical theory in the Faculty of Magic, seems to have created something strange.”

Her monotone voice was laced with a hint of irritation.

Yet, despite that, her expression remained steady, and any emotion that had lingered in her voice dissipated.

“It’s an utterly unpleasant artifact—”

But atop that void, a glimmer of a mad wizard’s curiosity and thirst for knowledge began to take root.

Before she realized it, she had developed a slight certainty, progressively growing stronger.

“It may, in fact, help to advance the Young Lady’s magic.”

Her voice remained unshaken.

That magic that had erupted from the second floor could very well serve as materials to refine Shione’s own magic.

 

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