Chapter 120

Joint Combat Practice 2 (6)

“Hee hee hee...!”

The condition of the Ofilis tube was also not normal.

Ed and Clarice jumped off Merilda’s back and quickly checked the state of the rose garden. Clarice’s legs went weak.

The bodies lying around were half maids and half students.

“Ugh... Ugh...”

Clarice, pushed to her limit, could barely hold back tears. I grabbed Ed’s elbow tightly and blocked my mouth... I forced myself to take trembling steps.

The Ofilis Hall was located much closer to the dragon than the Trix Hall. The moment disaster struck, they were unable to deploy proper defensive magic.

The outer wall was almost completely hollow. There were clear signs that the scales had gone through.

The interior was also miserable. The lobby and hallways were covered in blood. Not only Clarisse, but even Ed, who was always calm, couldn’t help but gasp.

“The high-level defense magic circle... has been activated...”

Ed repeated as he looked up at the ceiling in the central lobby.

Such a wide-range attack has limited power. Although the scale attack was powerful, it probably wasn’t enough to break through high-level defense magic.

This is... a trace of the defensive magic circle being implemented even though it was belatedly after the first attack. This means that there are survivors inside.

The saint’s room is on the top floor, and the room that manages the defense magic circle is on the way up. It was worth stopping by quickly since the route wouldn’t be wasted.

Ed went up the stairs of Ophelis Hall, holding the arm of the saint who was wiping away her tears with her sleeve.

Then, in the middle floor, I quickly turned around and ran down the hallway of the management office where the maids lived. It was scary because there were corpses scattered all over the place, but I gritted my teeth and ignored it and moved on.

And when I entered the deepest part of the management office... I soon saw a maid sitting on the defense magic manifestation ceremony, out of breath. He was a survivor.

When I got closer, I saw that those fancy outfits were... those of the maid.

“Mr. Bell...!”

“Huh...”

Ed shouted, and the maid, who was covered in blood, slightly raised her head. And while I grit my teeth and try to get up, I collapse again and fall down.

It has four or five huge scales stuck on its shoulders and abdomen. It is already a fatal wound.

The dragon’s scale magic attacked without any time to respond. As soon as Belle Maia noticed the incident, she quickly rushed to the management room and tried to activate defensive magic, but the dragon’s attack was a little faster.

The dragon’s blow, which broke through the outer wall and butchered the people inside, must have been painful.

Meanwhile, Belle, staggering to the brink of death, entered the deepest part of the management office... and unleashed high-level defense magic for any survivors.

“This... I can’t believe this...”

The sight of Belmaia raising her head with difficulty, dripping blood. Clarisse covered her mouth with both hands and held her breath.

Bel Maia, seeing the two, forced herself to move her body... and took out a bundle of keys from her belt. It seemed like he didn’t have enough strength left to pick out the key and take it out, so he dropped it on the floor and collapsed into Ed’s arms.

There was no strength in my body anymore. Ed gritted his teeth and closed Belle Maia’s eyes and carefully laid her body on the floor. Then he picked up the bundle of keys and guided Clarisse’s arm.

“Ugh... Ugh....”

Clarice was already at the limit of her mental state. However, thanks to Ed somehow maintaining his composure, he was able to move his body at least.

They crossed the hallway side by side and ran up the stairs again until they reached the saint’s room on the top floor.

With hasty movements, Ed inserted the door keys one by one and turned them all. Only after a long fight with a crackling sound did the door open.

With a squeak, the most luxurious private room in the Ofilis building comes into view at a glance. This is the saint’s private room.

Ed entered the room with Clarisse, slammed the door shut, and then lowered the lock. After that, he made the saint sit on the bed.

Ed placed his hands on the saint’s shoulders and spoke with direct eye contact.

“Brace yourself, saint.”

“Ugh... Ugh... Ugh... Yes... Yes...”

“Once the high-level defense magic has been activated, you won’t be caught in the aftermath of any magic as long as you stay in the room. “I’ll be swept away by the magic... but I hope that doesn’t happen. There’s probably no safer place on campus than here.”

Ed said and stood up.

“I still have a lot of things left to find out. There are a lot of places I have to go. So please wait here. You are not allowed to leave the Ofilis Pavilion.”

The moment I said that and was about to take my hand off Clarice’s shoulder, Clarice held my hand tightly and pulled me towards it.

“Ah... inside... bar... outside... it’s dangerous...”

The tears flowed non-stop. Still, Clarice held her breath and continued speaking with difficulty. They told us to stay here together because it was dangerous outside.

Clarice was just so afraid. It was an extremely harsh ordeal for Clarice, who had lived her entire life in the solemn world of the Holy City. If I were left here alone, I felt like the fear would become uncontrollable.

“Saint. First of all, in order to resolve the matter, I must understand the situation...”

―Quaaaaaaaaaa!

Another explosion sounded from outside the window. There are also earthquakes. Light streamed in from outside the window as if a light had been turned on.

Clarisse stayed in Ed’s arms and looked up at his face. Tears came pouring out in heaps.

Ed patted her back a few times for a moment... but then he grabbed her slender shoulder again and pulled Clarice out of his arms.

It was sad to see a face full of tear stains, but I couldn’t just sit still like this.

“Saint. Look out the window. Just waiting like this

doesn’t solve anything. ”

He was about to say that, but a strange sight outside the window caught Ed’s eyes. It was a magic circle rising high in the sky.

It was not manifested by the Holy Lance Dragon Velbrok, nor was it manifested by Lucy or Obel, who were blocking the dragon. In the first place, the direction was not towards the site of the battle, but towards a deep alley in Gyosu-dong.

―Tap!

I never wanted Ed to die. I’m still holding my breath.

However... the light of life was already running out.

Ed used his last efforts to bounce off the debris from the building that was pouring down from the rooftop. If it weren’t for the magic powers drawn from Glast’s ring, it would have been completely impossible in its current state.

And then... the strength in my body was completely lost. The body fell down on the saint’s lap.

“Ugh... Ugh... Ugh... Ugh...”

In the room where the ceiling collapsed and the entire inside was exposed... The saintess hugged Ed’s head with tears streaming down her face. Ed’s eyes gradually become droopy and the color disappears from his face.

“No... no... please... no...”

Just like that... Ed breathed his last.

The sky is filled with the roar of Seongchangryong. Lucy and Obel are outnumbered.

A strange magic circle rises from the corner of the teaching building and covers the entire heaven and earth.

Soon, I felt as if the world was bathed in light. Is this how we face death?

Clarice cried as she hugged Ed’s head tightly. I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Repeating that,

I had no choice but to face the end of my life like that.

* * *

It felt as if the blackout had been removed.

I can’t help but narrow my eyebrows at the bright light that suddenly stings my eyes.

Clarice took a deep breath.

― ‘What is Saint Seo doing here...?’

– ‘Today is joint combat practice. ‘Aren’t you here to check the match-up...?’

– ‘you idiot...! The saint was planning to welcome distinguished guests from Seongdo today...! That’s why I missed practice...!’

– ‘That’s right... But then why are you here...? Could it be that Ed came to meet that man...?’

– ‘Do you two know each other...?’

– ‘Well... I don’t think I saw the saint and that man talking.’

― ‘To begin with, the saint does not have much contact with other people.’

– ‘That’s right...’

There were whispers coming from all over the place.

The location is near the main gate of Glokt Hall. A wooden table made for students to rest.

If you sit there and look across from you, the people that catch your eye are... Ed Rothtaylor and Yenica Palover, who are sitting somewhat next to him.

“....”

Clarisse couldn’t breathe. In the first place, the current situation was not even understood.

It’s just... The image of Ed cooling off in Clarisse’s arms still remains in my mind.

However, Ed Ross Taylor in front of me... was closing the book he was reading and putting it down on the table with a puzzled expression on his face as he looked at the saintess.

“Saint. Let’s talk... what do you mean...?”

Ed Rosstaylor was looking at Clarice as he gave that answer.

“...”

At that moment,

the image of a blond man standing supporting the remains of a building flashes through my memory. The iron bar piercing his chest and the blood gushing out... The image of him supporting Clarice’s weight while dying coldly overlaps at once.

Clarisse stood up quickly, holding back the feeling that threatened to well up in tears. And then he approached Ed in an instant.

Then, out of nowhere, he unbuttons Ed’s shirt and starts unbuttoning it.

“...??”

“No, what are you... doing...” Since

he couldn’t carelessly scratch the saintess’s body, Ed raised his arms and asked in confusion.

Yenika, who was sitting next to her, was shooting out question marks with her ears turning red, and the students who were watching all of them came to a standstill.

The saintess unbuttoned a couple of Ed’s top buttons and looked inside, but there were no puncture wounds or flowing fresh blood left.

Yenika jumped up from her seat with a blush on her face.

“Saint...! No matter how much of a saint you are... in a place like this in broad daylight... this is a bit...!!”

The moment he said that and tried to stop Clarisse, she let go of Ed.

And then he took a step back... and flopped down in his seat.

Was it a dream or a hallucination? Was it simply because I was so tired these days that I saw nothing?

Clarice lowered her head as she thought about that, but soon she felt pain around her right arm.

At that feeling, Clarice lifted her right arm and checked her wrist.

I took a deep breath again.

On that slender wrist... I don’t know why, but it remained there.

The print of Ed’s hand that he held tightly while running up the Ofilis Pavilion.

The face that met a cold death while protecting Clarisse blooms again as a vivid memory.

As she stroked Ed’s face in front of her over and over again... tears were streaming down her face.

Of course, all the students watching this... could not help but remain as frozen as stone.