Both Lia and Selene knew the moment they stepped out of the grand entrance of the Academy that they were being followed.
They didn’t want to startle Aether, who was blissfully unaware of this. More than anything, they wanted to enjoy the day they had planned together.
Without worrying about just one person, they could easily deal with that individual if push came to shove….. However, what they didn’t realize was that as time passed, the one person tailing them multiplied. First, there were two, then three, and now, approximately fifteen shadowy figures were lurking in the background, as they tailed the trio.
Aether remained completely oblivious, his mind occupied with the joys of the moment. When he finally caught wind of the situation, his reaction was one of utter disbelief.
“Really?” he exclaimed, his voice tinged with incredulity.
Selene nodded and gestured towards the fifteen hooded figures that now surrounded them.
“What about the people?” Aether frowned, his brow furrowing in confusion. He was certain that he had seen many people bustling about the streets just moments ago.
“They used some kind of diversion magic to keep the other people away from here,” Selene explained with a steady voice.
“Sigh…” Aether sighed deeply, a sense of resignation settling over him. He turned to face the hooded figures, his eyes narrowing,
“Hello, Dear sir… What do you want?” he asked, his voice firm and direct. The simplicity and straightforwardness of his question caught Lia and Selene by surprise, as well as the group of hooded individuals.
“What are you asking?” Selene asked, her face reflecting her surprise, because to her battling was the only way to solve this situation.
However, Aether gently pushed her behind him, positioning himself protectively in front of the girls. He repeated his question with unwavering determination, “What do you want?”
The hooded group exchanged glances, communicating silently among themselves before one of them stepped forward and pointed directly at Selene.
“Her?” Aether’s voice rose in surprise as he looked back at Selene.
The group nodded in unison, their faces obscured by their hoods.
‘What polite kidnappers…’ Aether thought sarcastically. He asked, “Why?” But they remained silent, their intentions unreadable. Instead, they motioned for Aether and Lia to move aside.
“The nerve—” Lia began to lash out, her temper flaring, but Aether motioned for her to stop. Annoyed, she was about to glare at him when she noticed the cold, emotionless look in his eyes as he stared down the group… She stumbled back, momentarily taken aback by the intensity.
“Thud”
Aether caught her just in time before she could fall, awkwardly saying, “Did I scare you?”
“N-No,” Lia managed to stammer, though she still remembered the fierce, emotionless eyes that had stared down the enemies….. Strangely, she found herself drawn to that intensity.
Seeing her trembling face, Aether thought, ‘Sigh, it’s always like this…’ He recalled how his ex had always asked him to avoid fights…. Since she got scared of Aether sometimes.
Selene’s lips twitched when she noticed Aether’s hand lingering on Lia’s hip. With a swift motion, she pulled Lia away, her expression a mix of dark and irritation.
Aether, maintaining his calm demeanour, said, “I am sure she is a student of the Academy, and… you do realize the consequences of your actions, right?”
The hooded figures offered no response. Instead, they stepped forward again, motioning for Aether and Lia to move out of their way.
“Sigh,” Aether sighed deeply, his patience wearing thin, ‘I suppose I need to teach them a lesson in a different way.’
He looked at the girls and said, “Why don’t you wait for me—” but before he could finish his sentence, Lia interrupted, “Are you looking down on us, Aether?” There was a hint of displeasure in her voice.
Aether paused and stared at the two girls, realizing that they were not like the girls in his world who would cry or tremble in fear at the sight of danger.
Finally, he facepalmed himself, thinking, ‘I forgot this world is different.’ He had instinctively tried to protect them, as he had done with Stella, who was a healer and not a fighter.
“Forgive me, ladies… You can take them on,” Aether said with the air of a professional butler, stepping back to give them space.
“Hehe…”
“Haha…”
Both of them giggled, patting Aether’s shoulder in reassurance before turning to face the group. They cracked their knuckles, ready for battle.
“Since talking isn’t working… Let’s finish this the usual way,” Lia mumbled, her crimson eyes glowing brightly. The fifteen hooded figures flinched at the sight.
‘Did anyone know about her?’ one of the figures whispered.
‘No, sir!’ came the hushed reply.
‘We don’t know!’ another added, their voices trembling slightly.
“What? Are you scared now?” Lia asked with a haughty tone, her confidence unwavering. discover-stories-MVLeMpYr
The leader of the hooded figures snorted derisively, “Scared? Hardly.” With a swift gesture, he signalled the attack.
In an instant, the air was alive with the crackle of magic. ƒгeewёbnovel.com
Hands extended, the hooded figures unleashed a barrage of elemental assaults…. Fireballs roared through the air, water spears sliced with deadly precision, and jagged stones hurtled towards Lia. Others summoned their Arcane cards, materializing weapons of gleaming steel and shimmering energy.
‘BOOM!’
An explosion rocked the ground where Lia had stood, but she was already in motion. With fluid grace, she dodged the attacks, her movements a blur. Her hands glowed with a fiery red aura as she conjured a crimson sword, deflecting a stream of water spears.
Selene dashed to the side, narrowly avoiding a fireball that exploded where she had been moments before. She conjured a water ball bristling with spikes and hurled it towards the group.
“SPLASH!!”
The hooded figures sliced through the water ball, but Selene clicked her tongue in frustration and started throwing even more water balls, each one deadlier than the last. The group sneered, thinking they could easily cut through them again, but this time,
“BOOMM!!”
The water ball exploded violently, and the fierce spikes tore through their bodies.
“Arrrhhh!”
“Cough, Cough!!”
“FUCK!!”
They groaned in agony.
‘Slice!’
Lia, With her crimson red sword, Lia cut through their limbs without mercy.
Chaos erupted. The figures scattered, desperately trying to avoid the devastating counterattack. Lia moved like a shadow, her movements fluid and deadly.
She was a blur of motion, striking down one opponent after another with ruthless efficiency…. Their limbless bodies fell to the ground like discarded toys.
‘Blubbb’
‘STUCCK!’
Selene, agile and precise, engaged a group wielding stone projectiles. Her water balls swallowed the stones and shot them back with heavy pressure, making it hard for the group to react to their own attacks.
‘Thud’
Each strike found its mark, and the hooded figures fell before her.
The leader of the hooded figures watched the girls with mounting horror. ‘T-This is…’ He had never imagined that a silver’s aptitude with a level 15 group would not be enough to take down a single girl.
‘I-If I had known this, I would have stayed quiet until Master Jack ordered us… Shit!’ He thought, growling in frustration, “I should use the servant as my scapegoat,” he decided, and searched for Aether, only to widen his eyes in shock.
No, not because Aether had caused the massacre or anything. Rather, Aether had simply knocked out his opponents without much effort and was now staring at the leader from an uncomfortably close distance… too close!
That’s why the leader was shocked.
“What’s your name, bud?” Aether asked with a smile, but it was definitely not a friendly smile.
“Hehe…”