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Chapter 326

“Ran away during training… huh.”

“Yes.”

“Huh. I didn’t think Cadet Melissa was the type to do that.”

“Exactly. I even promised to make her a Sword Master, and she still ran away.”

“Hmph… a Sword Master. Melissa isn’t even twenty yet… no, never mind. That’s a meaningless assumption when you think of Young Lord Leon.”

He went quiet for a moment, lost in thought.

Then he spoke softly.

“Cadet Melissa isn’t here.”

“Understood. She’s not stupid—she wouldn’t stay here.”

Watching Leon’s retreating back as he left, Professor Rommel waited until he had completely vanished before opening the door to the storage room.

“Cadet Melissa.”

“Professor… I…”

“You? Running away from training? It must’ve been awfully hard.”

“…”

Melissa let out a short sigh, lowering her head.

“He’s insane. Who trains someone like that?!”

“Hoh… to hear words like that from you. It feels like just yesterday you were called a ‘demon of effort’ back at the Academy.”

At his remark, Melissa glanced up at him nervously.

“You didn’t tell him where I was.”

“I would’ve, ordinarily. But just in case, I said I didn’t know.”

“Phew… thank goodness. If I can just get out of the Academy now…”

“However, Cadet Melissa, I trust both you and Young Lord Leon. And especially Leon—I owe him a debt.”

“Pro… Professor?!”

Melissa’s face went pale.

“But hearing your side of things, I think I did the right thing. Don’t worry. I’ll only tell him the truth in about an hour.”

That was all he could do for her.

Melissa didn’t expect more.

Given his personality, even holding off for that long was already a big favor.

She didn’t answer.

Instead, she grabbed her sword and dashed out.

One hour!

Long if you think of it as long, short if you think of it as short.

With ordinary means, she’d be caught quickly.

She had only one thought: escape this damned Academy.

How had the Duke of Cascadia ended up like this—a fugitive?

Letting out a bitter breath, she worked her mind furiously.

Escaping Leon forever was impossible.

What she needed was a short respite.

Just a moment’s time.

She’d leave the Academy, pass through Bellest, then head for Berner.

That was the plan—until she reached the Academy’s main gate.

A chilling sensation made her stop mid-step.

Instinctively she drew up her aura and spread it out, confirming what her eyes couldn’t see—something was there.

An unseen presence.

And more than one, circling the Academy as if laying siege?

The culprit was obvious.

‘That crazy three-legged octopus bastard… he released wraiths to catch me?’

She trembled, retreating back into the Academy.

The plan was scrapped.

If she left now, the wraiths would spot her and she’d be caught in ten minutes.

Better to hide inside.

Tok… tok-tok…

“Ugh… and now it’s raining?”

Frowning, she ducked inside a building to avoid the falling drops.

Outside was already dark.

The empty hallway she entered was nearly pitch black.

She sharpened her senses as she walked.

She’d only meant to come inside briefly to avoid the rain, but this place had plenty of hiding spots.

Of course, that also meant few people passed through.

KWA-RRRRRNG!

A sudden crash of thunder made her flinch.

“Jeez…”

The wide, gloomy corridor.

The sound of rain and thunder, flashing intermittently, gave the place an eerie atmosphere.

Melissa shivered, unease creeping up her spine, but kept moving cautiously.

On any other day she wouldn’t have acted like this.

But today, something felt off.

Then it happened.

“Who’s there!!”

She spun, staring out the tall, narrow window.

But in the darkness she saw nothing.

“Just my imagination… felt like someone was there…”

She turned back.

KWA-RRRRNG!

Lightning flashed, brightening the outside for an instant.

And she didn’t see it—

At the edge of the tall window, a black, round shadow with glowing blue eyes stared at her.

* * *

Sometimes, silence drives you mad more than noise.

Melissa quickened her pace toward her intended destination.

She turned a corner—and froze.

There was nothing ahead of her.

Even for a rainy night, it was absurdly dark.

The light in her hand barely illuminated an inch.

Something was wrong.

She turned back.

What was going on in the Academy tonight?

As she scanned the area nervously—

Behind her, a dark shadow and two blue, gleaming eyes flickered.

KWA-RRRRNG!

Shing—BOOM!

Instinctively she drew and swung her sword, eyes widening at the empty air.

“Just now… felt like someone was right behind me…”

She couldn’t finish the sentence.

An oppressive stare froze her body.

She’d never been afraid of ghosts.

But this wasn’t like a ghost.

Slowly she turned her head.

In the pitch blackness, a pair of sky-blue eyes gleamed.

Melissa bit her lip, whispering under her breath.

“I’m screwed. Damn it.”

And then the sky-blue eyes vanished into the dark.

At the same time—

“Move!!”

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BOOM!!

A spear, charged with immense power, slammed into the floor before her, shattering it completely.

An explosive force no ordinary Sword Master could wield.

The ground cracked and rumbled with the impact.

“Ugh…”

Behind her stood a large, broad-shouldered older man.

Recognizing him, Melissa’s eyes widened.

“Spear Saint… Lord Bellion Krevard…?”

“Sharp girl. Step back. Something’s not right.”

He reached out.

THUMP!!

The spear embedded in the floor floated up like a living thing, flying into his hand.

“I don’t know who you are, but to dare attack a student in a place of learning—time to show you how dangerous that is.”

* * *

The scene of a great battle.

Buildings around them were half-destroyed, spear marks gouged into the ground everywhere.

“You… what the hell are you…”

The strongest man on the continent, forged by countless battlefields.

The Spear Saint.

He muttered in confusion.

“What kind of monster…”

In front of him, the attacker’s hand stretched out.

It didn’t touch him—chains of aura bound it.

But the golden chains of aura were screaming, nearly tearing under the attacker’s strength.

BANG!! BANG!!

One by one the chains snapped with explosive sounds.

Out of the darkness emerged a figure in a black robe and mask.

Bellion knew aura chains wouldn’t hold him much longer.

He retreated, gripping his spear.

His whole body erupted in aura like lightning, shaking the area.

Every instinct screamed danger.

Never had he faced someone this strong.

And barehanded?

Was this the Fist Saint himself?

‘No. The Fist Saint isn’t here—that much I know.’

The Fist Saint hadn’t been active outside the Eastern Continent for a long time.

Most martial artists revered him, but he had no interest in the world.

And his build didn’t match at all.

Then who was this monster?

The robe and mask made it impossible to guess.

What gave Bellion a strange sense of déjà vu was the plain longsword at the attacker’s hip.

‘Not a martial artist? Impossible. Saving his strength against me? Ridiculous!’

Then, the masked figure suddenly turned toward Melissa, drawing the sword at his hip.

Melissa’s face went white.

“No… no way…”

“What are you doing?! Run!! He’s after you!! Even for me, it’s hard to fight him and protect you at the same time!!”

Force battles were his forte, but if he engaged fully here, Melissa would get caught up.

And the Academy might be destroyed.

Bellion felt bitter.

It was his own fault—he’d grown complacent, thinking he had no equals.

‘Should’ve been ready for this… where did this monster come from?’

His urgent shout shook Melissa.

This was no ordinary man—this was the Spear Saint himself.

One of the greatest weapons of the Krevard family, bearer of the continent’s Star Title.

Unmatched in spearmanship.

“This one… I can’t beat him by holding back.”

First, he had to get Melissa out, even if the Academy took damage.

“I don’t… I don’t want this anymore!! Stop!!”

At that moment—

With a scream, Melissa drew her sword, unleashing a surge of dark-red aura.

Driven to exhaustion by training, she finally snapped.

And with that, the strange barrier she’d been pressing against cracked.

CRACK!!!

By sheer survival instinct, Melissa broke through the human wall.

“Oh… an Aura Blade?!”

A cadet using Aura Blade!!

Bellion’s eyes widened.

Given her age, it was unthinkable.

But the dark-red, oppressive aura gathered on her blade proved it was real.

“Haa… haa…”

Melissa, oblivious to the fact she’d just crossed the Sword Master’s wall, glared at the masked figure, panting.

‘Damn. She’s overflowing with talent. That’s why the bastard’s after her!’

Bellion inhaled deeply.

Fine.

If she’d crossed the wall, she wouldn’t be as helpless.

No need to hold back anymore.

Just as he prepared to strike—

The intruder ripping through the golden chains and lightning-like aura suddenly stopped.

“Phew. Finally. Damn triceratops of a girl.”

The voice was young.

Unexpectedly young.

Bellion stared, dumbfounded.

The attacker, who had been fighting him moments ago, slipped through the net of aura like nothing, approaching.

So fast even Bellion nearly missed the movement.

Then, as Melissa staggered from her fresh awakening, he caught her gently, as if steadying her.

“Breathe deep. Keep your mind steady.”

He pulled a vial from his cloak, pouring the potent liquid into her mouth.

“You know you’ve downed twenty of these in the past few days, right? If you turned them into cash, they’d be worth hundreds of billions. If it were me, I’d bite my tongue and die if I failed after all that.”

Bellion Krevard could only stare blankly at the sight.

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