It seemed the Chaos Beasts were appearing within the town as well.
Naturally, since it was the weekend, many academy students were around—including upperclassmen, who were able to protect themselves and deal with the situation.
Not everyone was that capable, of course, and there were also ordinary citizens present who couldn’t use magic at all.
Their screams and cries could be heard throughout town.
But Rix and the others, still budding mages, didn’t have a spare moment to worry about them.
Was there anywhere within this closed barrier that was safe to begin with?
With this anxiety in their minds, they still could do nothing but keep running and searching.
While the beasts continued to appear endlessly, a feeling of despair had begun to creep over them little by little.
However, that despair was suddenly, unexpectedly blown away.
Rix and company, still being chased by the beasts and barely escaping with their lives, happened upon a deserted plaza…
“Everyone! You’re all right!”
To their surprise, they came upon a woman wearing a black robe.
It was someone they recognized.
“Oh, Professor Anna?!”
“What are you doing here?!”
She was their instructor from the academy.
Upon noticing Rix and his friends, she breathed a sigh of relief. “I had some errands to run, so I was in town today!”
“Oh… So that’s why…”
All the instructors working at the academy were highly skilled mages. Randy, too, breathed a sigh of relief.
“Right now, I’m working together with the academy’s upperclassmen to rescue any new students or townspeople in need!” the professor told everyone. “So please rest assured, the situation is more under control than it looks!”
“I—I see… That’s a relief…”
“Yes… Honestly, it’s been quite the ordeal…”
Annie and Serephina started to calm down.
“You five are some of the few who are left! Come, hurry this way! I’ve prepared an escape path to the outside of the barrier!”
“Whoa, really?! Leave it to Professor Anna!”
“Thank you so much, Professor!”
“Heh-heh-heh! Well, everyone, it looks like we’re saved! Let’s go!”
Randy, Annie, and Serephina responded with cheerful expressions. The girls were still supporting Shino; Anna beckoned them over, and then…
Claaaang! The sound of a sword and a staff clashing rang out.
“Huh? Rix?”
“…”
Rix had aimed an attack at Anna, who was visibly surprised as she blocked Rix’s sword with her staff.
For a moment, everyone was shocked at what they had just seen.
Then, eventually…
“You idioooooot!! What the hell do you think you’re doing?!”
“Wh-why would you do something so rude to Professor Anna, after she went out of her way to come and save us?! You should be ashamed, you fool!”
Unable to let this slide, Randy and Serephina started scolding him noisily.
“…”
But Rix didn’t seem to care. He kept staring straight ahead at Anna between their crossed weapons, his expression unusually serious.
“Hmm…? Is there something suspicious about me?” Anna tilted her head to one side, looking confused.
“Just a feeling,” Rix replied quickly. “And I’m usually right. Thanks to that, I’ve survived this long.”
“H-hey, Rix, what do you think you’re saying…? This isn’t funny, man…,” said Randy.
Rix ignored him and continued in a matter-of-fact tone.
“If I had to give a reason, I’d say it’s because you only ever look at Shino, Professor. This whole time, ever since the beginning. That time you defended us from Darwin in the Headmaster’s office, too. And during our after-class Sphere opening exercises. And now. No matter what, your eyes are only ever on Shino… You’ve never given me so much as a glance. I always thought it was kind of strange…so I’ve had my eye on you.”
“…”
“So. Professor…right now, you’re planning on killing everyone here except Shino, aren’t you? You weren’t hiding it very well…that intent, that malice. You may be a first-class mage, but you’re only a second-class assassin. It’s written all over your face… I know, because I grew up in that world,” Rix explained with an icy glare, ignoring his friends’ confusion. “I don’t know a lot about magic, but…you’re the instigator of this entire situation, aren’t you, Professor?”
And then:
“Ah-ha-ha, oh my, Rix. Really, what are you saying?!” Anna let out a strange laugh. “…Those lines of yours…were not supposed to be in the script.”
The next moment, a huge amount of the same darkness that made up the Chaos Beasts rose up around Rix and Anna like a geyser.
“Here’s how the story goes,” Anna began. “The caring Professor Anna, always considering the welfare of her students, rushed to her pupils with all her might in order to attempt to save those who had been too late to escape…but unfortunately, she didn’t make it in time and only discovered the corpses of Rix, Randy, Annie, and Serephina.
“But mysteriously, she did not find Shino’s body—she had gone missing… We can only assume she was eaten by the beasts, with nary a bone left behind as evidence. Oh, what a terrible incident indeed… Yes, that sounds about right. Now, please stick to the script, or else we’re going to have some trouble, understood?”
A massive herd of beasts materialized from the overflowing darkness—and they started rushing Rix from all directions.
“Guh—?!”
Rix retreated, cutting them down with his sword from one end to the other as he fled from the dire situation.
“Wha—?! Those Chaos Beasts…”
“N-no way…”
Serephina and Annie gaped in shock.
The Chaos Beasts that had just appeared had clearly been summoned by Anna, and she was controlling them.
In short…it meant what they feared.
Just like Rix had said, Anna was the mastermind behind this entire situation.
“I…cannot afford to be run out of the academy just yet,” she managed. “So—while it pains me to do so, I must erase all witnesses. I will erase all of you, except Shino. I’m very sorry, but…I cannot allow any of you to escape. Please understand.”
A faint, cold smile played on her lips as she swung her staff.
A strong magic barrier emerged around the plaza, completely encircling it. She had closed off any chance of escape.
“A-are you serious…?!”
“Argh…what’s going on…?!”
“It…it can’t be true…!”
Randy, Serephina, and Annie couldn’t hide their discomposure.
“…!”
Only Shino, looking like she had sensed something, was casting her eyes down, clenching her fists and shaking.
“Stay calm, everyone,” Rix urged, cool and collected. “This is exactly the kind of time that we need to go against our assumptions. If we defeat Professor Anna here and now, there’s no problem. Is there?”
He stepped out in front of the group and readied his sword once again.