Chapter 231 - The Almighty School (5)

"Everyone into the gate!" Luke commanded.

A warm sensation of relief swirled around my body once I entered the school barrier. I smiled as everyone was able to make it inside the barrier since the monster was focused on me that was a few steps away from entering the school gates. The exhausted orphans were sprawled out on the soft grass of the courtyard.

The disappointed monster who discovered it couldn't enter the school grounds soon raged into hammering its fists to break the barrier. But the barrier remained undistributed from the great fortifications from our teachers who added more layers each day. This was exactly why I didn't want to leave the school grounds that day.

"Is this really a school?" One of the orphans gasped.

Perfectly maintained gardens and sculptures surrounding a large ancient water fountain with flowers drifting on the last layer amazed the orphans who lived in futuristic buildings. I knowingly smiled with them since it was weird for me first as well of how it seamlessly blended the past and future together in kindergarten. Shelly threw me a glance that she would be bringing the orphans to the cafeteria after their stomachs rumbled once they relaxed from the tension.

"Let's go back to our dorm," I tugged on Luke's coat.

"We need to call the teachers first," he frowned.

"Did you like our pet?"

Luke and I turned to find the humanoids petting the huge monster to reward it for obeying their commands. Why weren't they at the mansion? Did they actually track us here?

"Your pet needs to be better trained," I shrugged.

"Well I think our pet has done its job. Remember this?" she pulled up a part of my torn banquet dress.

"We made Chocolate track where you were with his keen nose," she smiled.

"What an ugly sight," she spotted Luke beside me.

"Then you can leave," I pointed in the direction towards the wilderness.

"Unfortunately, our leader gave out orders to save you at all costs," the other humanoid floated closer to the surface of the barrier.

"What if I don't want to be saved?" I narrowed my eyes.

I had to figure out the reason why they wanted me so badly. It didn't seem like they were going to run away like last time as they appeared more prepared. This time, they were armed with weapons glowing with a ghastly purple fog and metal armory protecting their heart.

"You don't understand, do you? You don't have a choice whether you want to be saved or not," she laughed.

She took her sword out and slammed it against the barrier. For the first time, a crack as tiny as a needle appeared after a big ripple. Why did it seem like this barrier was weaker than the one at the mansion? It was clear the barrier wouldn't last long if they continued their attacks while we couldn't do anything on the other side if we didn't want to help them destroy the barrier. The fight had to be carried outside the barrier.

But no one wanted to leave the temporary safe space. My marble rang with Shelly's phone number displayed on the screen. I accepted the call as her face popped up inside the teacher's office. My head almost blanked out when I noticed not a single teacher was to be seen in addition to her mournful expression.

"There was a note left that all the middle school teachers were called to an emergency meeting," Shelly clenched her fists.

I swiped the screen as Ellen tried to join our call. Hopeful, Ellen appeared in the office of the office for elementary school teachers. She shook her head as she delivered the same depressing news, "the elementary school teachers are all out as well."

"The high school teachers! We still have them!" I shouted.

I immediately punched in Oili's number. It would take too much time if I sneaked into the high school section of the school grounds. Like last time, Oili picked up my call instantly as he joined our video call. He was inside his dorm room, changed into his school uniform.

"Did something happen?" he didn't waste a single second.

"Can you check if the high school teachers are in their office?" I asked.

The camera followed Oili sprinting towards the office with no questions. Nothing had changed since we looked out for each other in elementary school. I had greater trust in Oili than Luke sometimes since he had the same amount of trust in me unlike Luke.

"There's a note stuck onto the door," the camera zoomed in.

My head felt dizzy as we all read the note. All the high school teachers were out fighting the monsters since they didn't have enough soldiers to exterminate them. What was the school thinking? Did they think the barrier would be enough to keep their students safe?

"That means there's officially no teachers to help with the s-class monsters," I stomped my feet.

Both Ellen and Oili stared emptily at the screen. Ellen shuddered as the humanoids increased the width of the cracks with their swords. I guessed none of them imagined the possibility of the s-class monsters following us all the way here. Oili's partner flopped onto her bed in shock after she encountered the screen.

I was glad Oili was speechless with surprise rather than being shocked with fear like the rest. Meanwhile, the four of us who encountered monsters like they were common incidents were more annoyed than scared. The fear that consumed us was temporary compared to switching into thinking of our next plan to get to safety.

"The barrier won't last long," I spat out everyone's thoughts.