Chapter 63 Calista

Zavier had already known that the boundary set by Valerie was only a one-sided barrier. It didn't allow anyone to enter into the boundary but didn't stop those on the inside from exiting the boundary.

Therefore, he had planned on escaping the boundary to go after Valerie from the very beginning. He was not going to wait a single second when Valerie's life was at stake. In her condition, it was impossible for her to even escape from their attackers unscathed.

He was still thinking when the fighting noise in the distance dwindled down and silence once again prevailed all over the vicinity. He hoped that it was not the calm before the storm. Whatever it was, he hoped that it was just some travelling hunter who had attacked some wild animals or monsters in the vicinity, and he just happened to be close to them at this time so that Valerie wouldn't encounter anything bad.

No matter what he told himself, there was no way to calm his heart that was stuck in the middle of a typhoon and was floating over raging waves.

Zavier was about to move out of the boundary when he heard footsteps quite close to them. Instead of pushing through the boundary to meet them outside, he used the more reasonable approach and immediately moved towards the centre of the camp so as to observe the incoming enemy.

The footsteps, whoever they belonged to were firm and strong. From the looks of it, these weren't the footsteps of some thief who wanted to hide his whereabouts but of someone who wasn't afraid of a confrontation.

The enemy seemed to have sent the bigger guns. He was worried about Valerie who had gone outside the barrier alone but he had to be alive to look for her whereabouts so he couldn't be reckless. The lives of Dahila and Alissa depended on it.

The footsteps grew closer and relying on his keen senses, Zavier soon discovered that they didn't just belong to one individual, but two. The enemy had sent a pair of enemies once again. One of the two seemed to be injured because the sound of his footsteps was extremely light and incoherent. The only thing he could infer from the sound was that either the other party was injured gravely or the individual was quite drunk.

Zavier only had to wait a little more before the answer to his questions was revealed.

Standing in the clearing of the campsite, Zavier soon noticed two silhouettes in the distance hidden by the dense foliage heading towards them at a pace that was neither too fast nor too slow.

The green foliage parted on either side to reveal two women. Zavier was both shocked and relieved to see the two women who had already entered the vision of his Time Space Eye before they had exited the foliage.

One of the women was thankfully Valerie who had gone out earlier. She must have been the source of the stumbling footsteps that he had heard earlier.

The other woman was quite a surprise to him but also the source of relief that he was feeling at the moment. It was none other than Calista, the class teacher of the A class that Shiranui had belonged to. He had noticed during the competition that there was some sort of rivalry between her and Valerie which must mean that she was at least the level of Valerie if not stronger than her in terms of strength.

This would ensure a safe passage back home provided that they soon get the cure to the toxin flowing in Valerie's body. The clone with the perception system had been tasked to ensure that. So, Zavier wasn't too worried about it being transported to them.

The two beauties returning together was a sight for sore eyes. Calista wasn't as alluring as Valerie but she more than made up for it with her sunny attitude and smile which was quite the opposite of the icy and strict demeanor Valerie was known for.

"You are back."

Zavier could only utter those words when Valerie returned. After all he couldn't just say how worried he had been about Valerie since he was the student and she was the teacher in the scenario and the right to be worried seemed to have been reserved for the teachers alone. Moreover, he couldn't say something like that in front of Calista who would have definitely made fun of Valerie; being her rival and all.

"Yes, I am back and thankfully it was a friend. You three don't need an introduction, right?"

"So, it's Teacher Calista. Of course, we remember her."

It was Dahila who took the initiative to answer Valerie's question. The teacher of class A Calista had left a deep impression on her just like her student who had beaten her so easily - Shiranui. Calista had seemed immensely proud of her student's talents but Zavier had shattered that dream with the overwhelming prowess of his white flame.

The scene had been etched in her memory and she remembered that crestfallen expression and the shock on her face as well. Dahila too wanted that kind of strength to get revenge for herself by taking down Shiranui the next time. She had conducted her research not only about her enemy but also those closer to her, her family and friends. Her teacher Calista was naturally included in that research.

Calista was a descendant of a prestigious family of elves and was very proficient in wood magic and nature magic. She was someone who proved to be an asset during a team fight. She could not only heal through her wood magic and her elven inheritance; she could also provide support through crowd control and her powerful offensive techniques. She was an all-rounder who was on par with Valerie, in terms of overall utility, who was considered to be the youngest prodigy among the teachers in their school.

Calista sensed some hostility from her tone of voice but then thought that it was only natural considering what had happened at the class competition that day so she didn't mind and playfully replied:

"Oh, if it isn't the lovely Dahila. Are you doing all right? I hear Teacher Valerie is quite strict, she hasn't been giving you all a hard time, has she?"

Valerie maintained her aloof expression and replied with her icy gaze. Dahila had already been very tense, and she had clearly not had enough sleep after her shift which led to her being overtly irritated. She felt like punching Calista in the face but held herself back thinking about the consequences of her actions.

No matter what, they had to rely on Calista for the time being as Valerie had been benched due to injury. She looked at Valerie once before shifting her gaze back to Calista.

"Teacher Valerie has taken exceptional care of us throughout the trip and even got injured trying to keep us safe. I think she is an excellent teacher. Thank you for your concern."

The last sentence had been uttered in an exceptionally cold tone that was even felt by the others. Zavier understood that Dahila was on edge and placed his hand on her shoulder to calm her down.

Calista did not know how to keep the conversation going. Although she had her rivalry with Valerie and everyone knew about it, she had no ulterior motives at the moment. Even Valerie had known that much. She was embarrassed but she didn't want to bicker with the students.