Chapter 65: Real Deal (2)

Chapter 65: Real Deal (2)

Epherene lay on the study room floor, chewing on dried squid. After a while, feeling thirsty, she took a few sips of her drink. She rummaged through a plastic bag and found some chocolate, her eyes lighting up.

"You brought a lot of great snacks. Do you mind if I have some?" Epherene asked.

"Um, sure, go ahead. You guys did most of the work on the project, so it's the least I can do... But doesn't it hurt?" Eurozan asked, looking at Epherene in disbelief.

"Huh? Oh, well... It was my fault for talking nonsense earlier," Epherene replied.

Talking about dreams and nonsense was something a mage focused on reality shouldn’t do. Epherene chewed on the chocolate and glanced at Sylvia. This white chocolate flavor wasn’t available in her village.

With her eyes closed, Sylvia shared her vision with Swifty, who was flying outside the Mage Tower. Swifty flew around, surveying the area. The Mage Tower appeared intact, and the university people seemed unaware of anything unusual.

However, when Sylvia infused more mana into her magical sight, she could see that the lower floors were almost entirely buried in ash.

Crackle— crackle—

The connection with Swifty was growing unstable and on the verge of breaking. Sylvia commanded it to return home before she opened her eyes.

"It's serious," she said in a flat tone.

"Serious?!" they asked, wide-eyed.

"The Mage Tower is engulfed in ash," Sylvia explained.

"The Mage Tower?!" Daine exclaimed. "Are we trapped inside?"

Sylvia nodded and replied, "The lower floors are completely engulfed, and the entrance is blocked. It seems no one is aware of this."

"No one?"

"The ash appears to have an enchanting property," Sylvia said.

"Wha-what about the professors? Can't they help us?"

The ash covered the floors from the first to the twenty-fifth. The professors in the middle and upper levels seemed unaware of this. Even if they knew, most would likely be outside preparing for the final exams.

Boom—! Boom—!

“Ugh!”

Suddenly, a loud thud echoed through the study room, making the door shake.

Boom—! Boom—!

Outside, Roton pounded on the door. Consumed by ash, he seemed to have forgotten how to open it. Ash fire spread from his fists, slowly charring the wall.

"What’s wrong with Roton? He's acting like a lunatic!"

Epherene took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and prepared a spell, combining elements of wind and earth.

Boom—! Boom—! Boom—!

Despite Eurozan's warning, Epherene knew she had to act before the door burned down. She grabbed the doorknob and opened it, casting her spell simultaneously.

"E-Epherene, what are you doing? Just leave it be!"

"If we leave it like that, the door will burn," Epherene said, gripping the doorknob.

Despite Roton's unnerving, empty stare, she didn’t hesitate. She opened the door and cast her spell at the same time.

Invisible Shackles—a spell that combines wind and earth elements to restrain the target.

Raaaawr—!

As soon as the door opened, Roton charged forward, but the wind generated by Epherene's spell enveloped him. His body shrank as if trapped in a coffin.

"Is it done now—"

Blugh—!

Suddenly, ash spewed from his mouth. It halted just before reaching Epherene's face, stopped by Sylvia's barrier.

"... Wow, that was close," Epherene muttered, relieved.

"Step aside," Sylvia ordered, moving forward to examine Roton closely.

His eyes were vacant, blackened veins protruding against his skin. His bare feet, covered in ash, seemed fused to the floor as if they were one.

"He's under some kind of control," Sylvia concluded.

From these clues, Sylvia deduced that the mysterious ash, though its origin was unknown, was partially controlling the mage's mind.

"He's under control?"

"It's a type of puppetry, similar to a zombie," Sylvia explained.

Epherene nodded and quietly stepped into the hallway. Ash clung to the ceiling and walls, writhing like veins. The entire corridor seemed to radiate with smoldering heat.

"It's burning hot. The entire hallway is on fire," Epherene said, closing the door and turning to Sylvia. "We need to find a safe place until help arrives."

"A safe place."

Both Epherene and Sylvia immediately thought of the same place. The only location that could resist the heat of the ash was the head professor's lecture room on the third floor, A-Class, designed with advanced magitech and mana stones.

***

Peek—

Epherene cautiously peered out the door.

Peek—

Sylvia's head appeared above hers. They scanned the area, their eyes darting around. The hallway was eerily covered in ash, but there were no signs of zombified mages like Roton.

"It's clear," Epherene whispered. Three male team members emerged, each wearing a gas mask.

They moved stealthily. With their study room on the fifth floor, using the elevator in this situation would be madness, so they chose the emergency stairs. As they descended, Epherene glanced into the study room windows. Everyone had fled as soon as the incident began; no Debutants remained.

They advanced until Epherene, leading the group, came to an abrupt stop.

"What's wrong?" Sylvia asked.

"The hallway is swarming with monsters. There must be more than ten," Epherene replied, biting her lip.

The entrance to the emergency stairs and the nearby corridor were overrun with monsters.

"We can't just kill them all."

If they were real monsters, she would have felt justified in destroying them, but they were all fellow Debutants.

"Sylvia, can you create a passageway below?"

"The Tower's floor structure is designed with advanced magitech. I can't interfere with the ceiling or the floor," Sylvia said, kneeling to sketch a plan on the ground. "However..."

│ Emergency Stairs │ │★│

│ Central Corridor │ Study Room 1 │ Study Room 2 │

The layout of the fifth floor was simple. The central corridor leading to the emergency stairs was swarming with monsters.

"If we can reach Study Room 1, I can create a passage at the spot marked with a star to access the emergency stairs."

"What if there are monsters on the stairs?" Eurozan asked.

"We'll have to subdue them. I'll distract them while you all get into the study room," Epherene said resolutely, infusing her bracelet with mana.

With a determined shout, she leapt into the corridor and cast a powerful gust of wind, sending the monsters tumbling. Taking advantage of the distraction, Sylvia and the others slipped into the study room, with Epherene following safely behind.

"Are you okay, Epherene? You weren't bitten or anything, right? You're not going to turn into a monster, are you?" Eurozan asked anxiously.

She shook her head in response. Meanwhile, Sylvia was already drawing a passage on the study room wall.

"Let's go."

They walked through the passage and reached the emergency stairs, but...

Uuuuuh— uuuuuh—

The stairs were teeming with monsters, far more than they had anticipated. Each step held a creature, making it impossible to subdue them all.

"Th-there are too many," Eurozan said, his voice trembling.

"I'm sorry. I didn't expect this," Epherene said, frowning.

However, Sylvia remained calm. She placed a finger to her lips and said, "Shh."

Sylvia quietly focused her mana into her retinas. Soon, her eyes filled with vibrant Primary Colors. She fixed her gaze on the stairs. Suddenly, the solid steps wavered, blurred like an illusion, and then vanished completely, as if erased by an invisible hand. With just a look, she had made the stairs disappear.

Crash—!

The monsters roaming the stairs fell all at once. Sylvia restored the steps, then closed her eyes, sweat dotting her forehead.

"Sylvia, you're amazing... like a real archmage," Eurozan said in awe.

"No time for talking," Sylvia replied.

They hurried down the stairs and arrived at the entrance to the third-floor emergency exit.

"Stop," Sylvia said.

They wisely avoided the main entrance. Instead, Sylvia created another door a short distance away. They stepped onto the third floor through this new door rather than the official entrance.

Grrrraah— grrrraah— grrrraah—

As expected, a crowd of monsters had gathered in front of the third-floor emergency exit.

“Let’s go.”

They headed to the A-Class lecture room first. Though it was a route they traveled every week, today it was unusually filled with obstacles. Nearly a hundred Debutant monsters roamed the hallways.

"What should we do? We can't sneak past all of them. They'll see us," one of the men whispered.

"I'll distract them. You get the door open," Epherene said, cracking her knuckles and stepping away from the group. "Hey! Over here!"

Her shouts drew the monsters' attention, and she sprinted down the hallway. Sylvia and the others slipped into the A-Class lecture room's doorway. However, the door was locked. Panic set in as Eurozan and the others turned pale. Sylvia bit her lip.

The Empress's face hardened, her once playful eyes now blazing. She demanded, “... What do you mean by that?”

"The only means Your Majesty should request from me is magic."

“I asked you to explain what you mean by that.”

"Once Your Majesty has fully mastered magic and I can offer no further meaning, only then may you seek another meaning from me."

If she masters magic, then I might reveal what I truly mean.

Bang—!

Sophien struck the table and replied, “... Are you mocking me? I asked what you mean by that.”

Her gaze was fierce, as though she meant to rend me asunder.

"Your Majesty," I said, holding her fierce gaze without flinching and enduring the intense pressure emanating from her. "I am Deculein."

Her brow knit into a frown.

“Once I am resolute in my meaning, no one can alter it,” I said with a slight smile.

A vein pulsed on Sophien's temple in response to my words.

***

Tick, tock—

Epherene glanced at the clock. It was 10 p.m. Twelve hours had passed since the incident began, or maybe twenty-four. The windows were coated in ash, and with nothing but darkness outside, it was impossible to tell how much time had passed.

Bang—! Bang—! Bang—!

No help had arrived, and the relentless pounding on the door was driving everyone to the brink of madness.

Bang—! Bang—! Bang—!

"Ah, this is driving me insane, those damn..."

Bang—! Bang—! Bang—!

The door held firm, but the incessant pounding was a relentless source of stress. Even covering their ears couldn’t block out the maddening noise.

“C-can’t we activate the barrier for it? For fuck’s sake! Fuuuuuuuuuck!” Beck screamed, finally practically having a meltdown.

Epherene sighed and replied, “We don’t know the code. Only the professor has it.”

“Shut the fuck up!”

“You asked the question, why are you the one swearing?”

Bang—! Bang—! Bang—!

The noise was driving everyone insane.

Bang—! Bang—! Bang—!

The mental stress was overwhelming, compounded by the ash consuming the Mage Tower and draining their spirits. It was enough to drive anyone insane. Epherene sighed and pulled a plastic bag from her coat, revealing snacks she had saved for emergencies. The crinkling sound immediately caught everyone's attention in the lecture room.

“Wha-what’s that?”

“Epherene, where did you get that?”

Their eyes, weary from prolonged suffering, now gleamed with hunger.

“Yeah, it’s for all of us to share—”

“... Wait! Th-that’s mine!” Eurozan exclaimed, lunging forward to grab the bag.

“Eurozan? What are you—”

“I bought it with my own money!” Eurozan shouted, his bloodshot eyes and crazed expression startling Epherene.

"O-okay, I g-get it."

“It’s mine!”

Epherene’s frustration flared. She couldn't understand why he was directing his anger toward her.

“I said I get, let go of me!” Epherene shouted.

“You let go!”

“Why are you being so childish? Are you really going to eat it all by yourself in this situation?”

"I'm the one who bought it! Give it back, you fucking beggar! You penniless piece of shit!"

Riiiiip—!

The bag tore open, sending snacks, chocolates, and drinks spilling onto the floor. Hungry eyes followed the scattered treats.

Gulp—

Just as a fight was about to break out, Sylvia stepped in, saying, “Enough. This behavior over food is pathetic.”

Lucia's mocking voice cut through the tension, “... Hmm~”

She smirked and asked, "So, what should we do, Miss Sylvia? I’m genuinely curious to hear what a noble like you would suggest in this predicament."

Sylvia stared at her, recalling what he would have done. He would likely do this, she thought.

"The nobles should be the ones to make concessions," Sylvia said.

"... Excuse me, but shouldn't the nobles eat to maintain their strength and guide the commoners—"

“Show the nobility you always pride yourselves on, especially now.”

Lucia and her followers glared at Sylvia, their faces twisted with anger. Meanwhile, Epherene gathered the snacks and walked to the podium.

“I’ll share them fairly.”

“Why are you sharing? I told you I bought those!” Eurozan protested.

“Ah, shut up!”

Eurozan flinched. Epherene continued, “Stay still. I won’t eat any either. I’ve already had my share—”

Boooooom—!

At that moment, a tremendous crash shook the entire room, startling everyone.

“What was that?!”

Everyone turned toward the door.

Bang—!

The entrance was trembling violently. A-Class was known to be the sturdiest lecture room, yet it was shaking now.

Bang—!

Debris fell ominously from the walls.

"W-we need to activate the barrier!"

“We don’t know the code!”

Bang—!

A thunderous noise echoed through the room, shaking everything. The classroom blackboards crashed to the floor.

Bang—!

“Ahhhh!”

Screams filled the classroom, mixing with the grating sound of sobbing and the deafening roar of terrified shouts. Amid the chaos, Epherene clutched her head in despair.

Bang—!

However, at that moment, Epherene noticed the blackboard behind the podium. While the other blackboards had been ripped off, this one stood firm and intact.

Four Key Reminders

1. Identify the core of the barrier.

2. Avoid direct confrontation.

3. Survive.

4. Remember, this blackboard is our only point of connection.

Deculein is a fool

“... This blackboard is our only point of connection?”

Epherene stared at the board, the words echoing in her mind. Remember, this blackboard is our only point of connection. The only point of connection. The only connection...?

“Oh!”

Just as the thought struck Epherene...

Scribble-scribble—

Scribble-scribble—

Words started to form on the blackboard.

Bang—!

The intense vibrations rattled the entire room, threatening to break down not just the door but the entire wall. Amid the desperate screams, cries, and shouts in the chaotic pandemonium, a sentence finally appeared on the blackboard.

It’s Deculein. Speak.

Epherene felt a wave of emotion upon seeing the familiar, precise handwriting.

But Epherene will receive a penalty.