Chapter 19: Night Pursuit

At night, Mia lay in bed. Her thoughts drifted from the Demon Corridor to the southern part of the Empire, and finally settled on Aelian.

So that guy’s magical foundation really was poor… She had wondered before how someone with double overlimit aptitude could have been knocked out by that explosion.

Even if he had just enrolled, double overlimit aptitude should at least put him at the level of an elite mage, right?

But Aelian clearly couldn’t be judged by common sense.

Mia had taught Aelian how to withstand wind and snow, along with a few other spells useful in daily life.

She remembered the conversation between the Headmaster and Aelian that she had overheard in the infirmary.

‘Ah… As expected, a Saintess eavesdropping… Goddess, please forgive me!’

It was then that she learned that geniuses with overlimit aptitude generally had very short lifespans.

Mia tossed and turned in bed, but her thoughts would not settle. She dressed again and knocked on the door of Aelian’s room next door.

“Knock, knock.”

No response.

‘As expected… It’s so late. Aelian must be resting. I’ll talk to him tomorrow…’

She took a few steps, then changed her mind and felt something was wrong. She walked back to Aelian’s door and knocked again.

“Knock, knock.”

Still no response.

Mia’s expression turned serious. She stopped hesitating and pushed the door open.

The room was clean, the bed neatly made.

There was no sign of Aelian.

***

In the night, a figure silently moved across the rooftops.

Silver hair fluttered in the air. The elegant dress was completely at odds with the figure sneaking across the rooftops.

The ice storm plot from the original work appeared around the second volume, but now it had happened just after enrollment.

In the original work, this event mainly served to enrich the background. In fact, even the protagonist group and Aelian were only bystanders, not participants.

‘Little Nether, how long can the transformation be maintained now?’

Aelian, currently wearing a Lolita dress, asked Little Nether.

‘Well… If it’s just maintaining it, about three hours. If full-power combat output is needed, less than half an hour.’

Aelian did not respond.

‘So tell me what you’re going to do, already!’

Still no response.

A moment later, the door to Stella’s hospital room was gently pushed open.

The dark hospital room was utterly silent. Aelian could even hear his own breathing.

Only his own breathing.

He cast Light. A faint white glow illuminated the bed directly ahead.

The bed was empty.

“…As expected.”

He looked around the room again. The bed was messy, and the window was wide open.

‘Oh? Looks like that elf girl left on her own?’

Aelian walked over and reached out to feel the bed’s temperature.

‘She was probably taken away. The bed is still a little warm.’

He looked out the window. The dark campus showed no sign of anyone.

‘How despicable. What kind of reckless fool would take away such a cute girl!’

‘You make it sound like it would be fine if she wasn’t a cute girl…’

‘Of course! If it were any other classmate, then fine, whatever… But Miss Stella, she must be saved! I won’t let such a cute girl get hurt…’

‘If you want to track her, try a third-circle spell, Sense Perception.’

Aelian followed Little Nether’s guidance and cast Eagle Eye.

The moment the spell took effect, everything before him became clear and different. The tiny traces that were usually easy to overlook were now fully revealed.

‘Wait, why is there still breathing?’

After casting Sense Perception, Aelian actually heard faint breathing from behind him.

‘No! Watch your back!!’

Little Nether suddenly cried out. Hearing him, Aelian reacted quickly and dodged nimbly from his original position.

“Crack!”

A dagger stabbed into the floor where he had been standing, sinking deep. Before he could catch his breath, several kunai flew at him in succession. Now somewhat prepared, Aelian summoned Netherforge in his right hand and swept it gracefully, knocking every kunai to the ground.

He looked back toward that direction, but there was no one there.

He paused for a moment. This was clearly a warning. He had been inside so long, and even Little Nether had not noticed the person. If the attacker had gone all out, Aelian probably would not have escaped so calmly.

‘You think this is enough to quench my resolve to save a cute girl? You underestimate me!’

He flipped out the window and chased after the almost indistinguishable traces in the snowy night.

Not long after Aelian left, a figure entered through the main door. Looking at the empty bed and open window, no one knew what they were thinking.

***

Inside the campus, at the center of the barrier.

A silver-haired man in a suit and several other casters were focused on maintaining the mana-nullification barrier.

Moso, as a legendary mage, was naturally the core of the barrier spell.

“Keep the rhythm steady. End your focus at the same time in one minute, to avoid anyone’s mana running dry from withdrawing too late.”

The immense mana consumption of the huge barrier was astonishing.

Apart from the Headmaster, the other casters were all Holy Seat-level mages. In a smaller academy, they would be qualified to serve as vice-headmaster or even headmaster.

Most of them were already struggling to hold on, faces pale, lips pressed into a thin line.

If they did not end at the same time, the last one to release the channeling would quickly be drained of mana.

Everyone’s mana was nearly bottomed out. The barrier could be maintained no longer.

“How pathetic… Casting an ice-seal field on this scale would probably require no fewer than ten Holy Seat mages. But we still managed to neutralize it! Hahahaha!”

Moso laughed heartily, but no matter how one looked at him, his condition could not be called good.

Yet he considered his condition acceptable. After all, a legendary mage was judged by the ability to cast sixth-circle spells. He had been a legendary mage for nearly twenty years, and his mana was deep enough to cast several sixth-circle spells in one go.

“I’ll leave the academy’s defense to you. I must head to the Demon Corridor immediately.”

After neutralizing the ice-seal field, there was not a trace of relief on the Headmaster’s face.

For him, the real battle was about to begin.

Several teachers looked at him with worried expressions.

“Headmaster, in your current condition, you absolutely cannot take part in the corridor’s defense!”

A voice of dissuasion came from the crowd, but Moso did not care.

“I haven’t achieved much in my life, but I am still the Headmaster of Tyrande. I have my pride. The Demon Corridor must be defended.”

His deep eyes looked at the teacher who had spoken up, firm and confident.

Dawn was about to break. Everyone looked at Moso, not knowing what to say.

Moso slowly drew a circle with both hands. Golden sparks burst from his fingertips, tracing a bright ring. Within the ring, space tore open, and another world suddenly appeared.

He stepped through the portal, glanced back, and gently pressed his palms together. The sparks died, and the golden ring vanished without lingering for even a moment.

“It seems the Headmaster doesn’t even have enough mana to sustain the gate…”

Someone in the crowd said in a mournful tone. But no one responded.

No one wanted to admit that the Headmaster was going to his death, but objectively speaking, his chances were slim.

“Everyone, go back and rest for now. Stay on standby in case the blasphemers attack again. But after casting that ice-seal field, their mana should be spent too. In any case, remain vigilant at all times.”

Among them, the leader gave brief instructions and dismissed everyone.

Right now they had almost all lost their ability to cast combat spells. They undoubtedly needed immediate rest.

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