“Well then, take a break already.”
“Four…?”
At Belle’s questioning, the atmosphere shifts dramatically.
– Boom!
Simultaneously, a deafening sound reverberates, and dark energy converges around Cheon Ha-rang.
‘Black mana…?! If that’s the case…!’
Anna springs into action at that moment.
“Professor Belle!”
Diving towards Belle, who was at the center of the swirling darkness, Anna envelops herself in mana and slashes down with her sword.
‘Got it!’
With a powerful gust of wind slicing through the air, the distance between Belle and Cheon Ha-rang widens.
“Stay away from her!”
“…Huh?”
“Hurry!”
Belle, who hadn’t even grasped what was happening until now, finally realizes the urgency upon seeing Anna’s frantic expression.
“Yes, Four…!”
Terrified, Belle shuts her eyes tight and throws herself away from the center.
And so, they are left with just the two of them.
“Hmm…?”
Because of the tension, Anna struggles to move her stiffened muscles and aims her sword at Cheon Ha-rang.
“What exactly are you doing?!”
“…What about you?”
Cheon Ha-rang looks at her as if she can’t comprehend the situation.
Anna, feeling an inexplicable sense of humiliation, grits her teeth and tightens her grip on the sword.
‘…Right now.’
Cheon Ha-rang is completely ignoring her.
Feeling no worth in confronting her, she’s failing to recognize Anna’s struggle against her.
The source of humiliation is precisely that.
“…Really, it’s not shocking at all, huh?”
As she glances at Cheon Ha-rang, who continues to regard her calmly, Anna retreats a bit.
‘Damn….’
But even that wouldn’t matter.
In reality, the gap between herself and Cheon Ha-rang is as vast as heaven and earth.
‘…No, am I being too arrogant?’
It would be embarrassing to even compare it to heaven and earth; she feels she doesn’t even reach Cheon Ha-rang’s toes.
If Cheon Ha-rang had her mind set on it, Anna’s head would probably be rolling on the ground by now.
“Ha…”
As she recalls that, the intense heat she felt escapes with a sigh.
Anna steadies herself and rolls her eyes.
‘Right now, I must remain calm.’
What she’s facing is the dark energy trapping her, and Belle’s fate is unknown.
And Cheon Ha-rang merely watches her without any effective response.
‘…Is this an opportunity?’
No matter how abnormal the being, as long as it’s human, there’s life—thus, it can’t be invincible.
If so, her chances are not zero.
With narrowed eyes, Anna observes the situation and soon tightens her grip on her sword, lowering her stance.
‘No… that’s not carelessness.’
Rather, it’s conceding to her. A confidence stemming from the difference in their realms. A belief that even if the sword touches her, it wouldn’t hurt.
And perhaps, that fact is somewhat true.
So, what should she do?
She doesn’t dwell on it for long.
In extreme situations, the choice is always the process of elimination.
To fight back would be no different from suicide; that worst option is discarded.
For now, she’ll choose to escape, as it has even a slight chance of success. Planning for the future.
With no best choices available, she must choose the lesser of two evils.
“Huh!”
Having selected her choice, it’s time to act immediately.
“…What?”
She mustn’t give that monstrous presence even a moment to think.
The longer it takes, the lower the chances of success.
– Crash!
Anna slams her sword into the ground and uses the rebound to leap high.
“…What in the world are you doing?”
As her viewpoint rises, the scenery shifts.
Cheon Ha-rang looks at Anna with a somewhat bewildered expression, seemingly assessing the situation.
It appears she had excluded the possibility that Anna, who valued honor, would choose to flee.
That misunderstanding inadvertently works in Anna’s favor, but it somehow brings a wry smile to her face.
It reminded her of when she had once said, “I value honor more than my life.”
“Well… this is unexpected; should I chase after you?”
As Cheon Ha-rang’s voice echoes distantly, Anna hurriedly took action, praying she wouldn’t chase after her.
*
Behind a boulder big enough to easily conceal two adults.
“Cough! Damn…!”
Anna frowned at the sticky, crimson liquid on her hands.
‘…I pushed too hard.’
To escape from Cheon Ha-rang, she had no choice but to forcibly suppress the mana within her body.
Additionally, she had to move around clumsily to erase traces of her movements.
“Huff…”
If she had hidden her mana inadequately, she would have been caught by someone at a level several stages higher than herself and finished off in an instant.
“…Tch.”
Because of that, she had been crushed under the pressure of the mana Cheon Ha-rang emitted without resistance, sustaining internal injuries, but…
‘This is better than losing my life.’
No doubt about it, though she might have turned her back in shame. She had once again seized a chance.
“Cough…!”
So, she hadn’t fled. Instead, she’d label it a strategic retreat for victory.
“Ha…”
Leaning back against the hard rock, Anna coughed up blood again, but with a smile, she reminded herself that there was still hope.
“…Headmaster?”
To Belle, who had been watching from the side, Anna’s bizarre smile made her look as if she were on the brink of death.
“Are you okay…?”
“…”
Realizing that fact, Anna avoided Belle’s strangely uncomfortable gaze and replied.
“…Yeah, I’m fine.”
“Really… you are fine, right…?”
Nonetheless, Belle’s gaze did not waver.
“Cough! Is Professor Belle okay?”
Feeling uneasy about the situation, Anna shifted the topic to Belle’s condition.
“Yes, yes… I’m fine, really….”
However, that may not have been a good choice as Belle looked notably downtrodden, cracking a shy smile and scratching her head.
“I… I’m not at a high enough realm to even feel Harang’s mana… I’m no help at all…”
She seemed to think she wasn’t of much assistance.
“Pfft.”
Even knowing it wasn’t a situation to laugh, a small smile crept onto Anna’s face at Belle’s demeanor.
“Eh…? Why… why are you laughing…?”
With Belle looking hurt, Anna patted her shoulder and added.
“Professor Belle didn’t not help at all, did she?”
Considering Belle’s usual personality, that makes sense, but self-deprecation has its limits.
Though she subtly states her level is low, that’s a comparison to herself, who was a former hero. Moreover, by comparing to others, Anna’s level is excellent.
Besides, she’s not a mage who uses circles; she’s an alchemist. The things that Belle creates through alchemy are unmatched by any other alchemist.
Surely, it was also Belle’s strength that allowed them to mask their scent with special substances created through alchemy and escape.
And by that strength, they’d managed to flee from there.
“Isn’t that right?”
“Um… when did you find out…?”
“Pfft. If Professor Belle hadn’t strengthened my physical capacity, I definitely would have been caught.”
Well, it did get a little stretched out.
It was clear what she wanted to say.
“Professor Belle is excellent. There’s no way I’d have brought… no, dragged you along for no reason!”
“Ah, you didn’t have to bring me even if—”
“Anyway, you don’t need to feel so dejected, Professor Belle.”
Ahem. Clearing her throat quietly, Anna moved past Belle, who bore a somewhat ambiguous expression, to retrieve a communication crystal.
“I… I’m sending a signal…?”
“Shouldn’t we?”
From the beginning, the primary goal of the special team was to report as soon as they find Cheon Ha-rang.
There wouldn’t be any reason to keep Anna, who is a precious combat force, away just because she’s fast.
The fact that she hadn’t reported yet is Anna’s unilateral act.
Now that it’s confirmed that Cheon Ha-rang is fully an enemy, Anna has no reason to hesitate.
She is someone who trusts what she has witnessed over relationships or ties.
“That’s true… I guess.”
Although Belle seemed reluctant about reporting this to the Empire, Anna chose to ignore Belle’s feelings and poured mana into the crystal.
At that moment.
“Professor Belle. Shh…”
While watching the crystal, Anna covered her mouth and swallowed nervously.
“Huh…”
For someone who values honor, this was an ugly act she was experiencing for the first time. However, Anna was consumed by fear before she could contemplate the shame.
What could have made her like this? The answer was simple.
“Hmm, are we going to play hide and seek?”
Thud, thud. The sound of footsteps grows nearer.
The sound that had once been faint swelled as it approached, and Anna’s heart continued to pound violently.
‘…Please, please.’
If only she had just a bit more time to report…
Isn’t this just bad luck? To be right next to them right before she arrives!
Cold sweat trickled down her forehead as Anna tightly shut her eyes.
Finally, the impending sense of helplessness she felt drops down and, simultaneously…
Tap.
The footsteps that had been approaching abruptly stop.
