Josiah Frances, who was overwhelmed by shame, gritted her teeth and continued to unbutton her school uniform. She went on until she felt blood suddenly splattering across her face. Her eyes widened in surprise.
Who in the world would arrive in this remote office that no one could find? Josiah could only think of one man, but… Unfortunately, it was not her reliable instructor.
“Keheok?” Rashkan, whose shoulder had been pierced by something, collapsed on his knees. Looking at the man who had attacked him, his eyes grew wide. “Kghk?!”
“I told you to get a hold of the offering. Why are you doing something so useless?” The mysterious man murmured.
His features were completely hidden from view due to his hood, which covered everything.
After struggling for a while, Rashkan stopped moving. It was as if he had lost all of his strength.
Ignoring Rashkan, the man called out to the trembling girl, “Josiah Frances.”
“W-Who… Who are you?” Josiah asked in a quavering voice.
No matter how hellish the training that she had undergone, nothing could prepare her for the raw and unbearable disgust that wracked her entire being.
“It seems like you’re not a coward, huh?”
Once the man tried to move closer toward her, Josiah hurriedly backed away on the sofa that she was sitting on. She quickly rolled her body on the ground and casted a magic attack. “Fireball!”
Thanks to the hellish training that her demonic instructor had forced upon her and her friends in Class F, Josiah could react at lightning speed. She could instantly and reflexively react to her surroundings.
Baaaaaaam!!!
A fireball that was three to four times larger than an ordinary fireball shot out from Josiah’s hand. Even though she was still using the same amount of mana, the size and efficiency at which she casted the magic was incomparable to before.
“…”
As she began to chant another spell, Josiah’s expression stiffened up even more. This was because the man in front of her was giving off a very eerie and vicious aura, an aura that she could not escape from with a single attack.
Slash!!!
Before she could even finish chanting and casting her next magic attack, a cloud of smoke suddenly appeared in front of her. Then, a red blade flew in and cut her arm.
“Ugh?! Kyaaaaaaaaaaaack!!!”
In just an instant, blood spurted out of her now severed arm. Josiah was quickly overwhelmed by the terrible pain.
Thud!!!
Then, a punch landed on her and made her collapse onto the ground. The mysterious man approached Josiah, who was traumatized from losing a limb. She stared at him silently with a fearful gaze.
“Think of it as an honor. After all, he, someone who you could never reach and see in your life, wants you,” the man said calmly as he held Josiah by the waist and turned around.
At the same time, a woman silently walked out of a spatial crack that had suddenly appeared behind the man. She said, “We don’t have time. All of our plans will go up in smoke once that bastard finds out. Let’s go.”
“Yes, Miss Shari.”
***
“The atmosphere is good,” Davey mumbled as he leisurely strolled around the lively academy grounds.
He watched the many students walk in groups of twos and threes as he headed toward where the Class F students had gathered.
Problems suddenly arose in Reina’s body, so Davey had ended up taking a bit more time than expected. He had taken the time to do some adjustments. Still, he was arriving at the academy just on time.
—You better not do something useless. It would be better if you could just move there in earnest.
Just like what Perserque had said, Davey was already on the verge of being late.
He quietly entered the wing where Class F was and opened the classroom door.
Swooooosh!
At that moment, dozens of eyes immediately moved toward Davey. He then asked, “What are you doing? The Magic Festival is about to start.”
The students’ expressions turned slightly ugly. They yelled in unison, “Where the hell have you been?!”
“You rascals, my contract period as your instructor is already over. Don’t expect me to be unnecessarily responsible for you. I’m just here to observe,” Davey said calmly as he flicked the charging Timmy on the forehead.
Then, he paused and asked the class, “Hmm? What’s wrong with you?”
“Josiah… Josiah disappeared,” Alyssa Yosefov carefully said amidst the buzzing students.
“Josiah disappeared?”
“Yes… Just like in the previous Magic Festival.”
Davey was immediately reminded of one person. He did not know the exact reason of why Josiah had failed to participate in the previous Magic Festival, but he knew of one thing. Perserque’s power had helped him to become aware of that fact.
He knew that it had something to do with Class A’s Teaching Assistant, Rashkan. In fact, he had wanted to get rid of the man, who was a hindrance. However, in consideration for his delicate relationship with Josiah, he had chosen to give the man a simple threat.
“What the hell are you on about? Didn’t I tell you that you will get disqualified as long as a single student is absent? Don’t you guys know where your classmate went?”
The students gritted their teeth. “That…”
“She went out looking for you. Then, she disappeared!”
“That’s right! She went out to find you because she was worried that you wouldn’t come on time!”
“Josiah… Josiah said that she would attend this Magic Festival no matter what. She was definitely not lying!”
“In the first place, Josiah is not a liar!”
Davey clicked his tongue at the students' sharp rebuke. Then, he said, “Alright. Everyone, just go to the Central Wing where the Magic Festival is being held.”
The students remained silent, looking at each other with anxious expressions.
“Don’t forget about the things that I have taught you. Have confidence. As long as you use the things that you’ve learned from me, then you will not fall behind the other classes.”
“Instructor…”
“I’ll go and get Josiah. Don’t worry, I will take responsibility for this matter. Even though my contract period is over, I still have to see that you finish things well,” Davey said, patting the head of the young girl who had called out to him anxiously.
Then, he turned around and promptly disappeared.
Not long after that, Davey completely shut off all of the signals and began to move.
—Do you know where she is?
‘I don’t know, so… I’ll have to look for someone who might have an idea.’
If Teaching Assistant Rashkan dared to take Josiah again this time, then he would be facing a very ugly end.
Davey swiftly moved through space until he reached a fairly old building. However, he was already frowning before stepping into the building. He mumbled, “The smell of blood?”
The overwhelming odor of blood lingered in the air, indicating that someone was here. Davey silently retreated, taking two steps back, and glanced through one of the windows.
Davey crouched down the moment he found a very weak flow of mana inside the remote research building.
[Moonlight Steps]
This was Davey’s main movement technique. It was also his stealthiest and quickest step.
In just an instant, black smoke appeared and covered Davey to scatter his presence into the wind. When he materialized once again, he was already in front of the tightly closed window on the third floor.
Clang, clang, clang!!!
After smashing the window without any hesitation, Davey entered the room that had the strongest odor of blood. The odor told him that something had happened just a few moments ago. He was also feeling a very familiar aura.
—Vampire…
“I thought that they would lay low, but it seems like there are still some of them left in the area, huh?” Davey said, slowly walking across the bloodstained floor.
That was when he saw a man struggling on the bloodied floor. He could also see a girl’s severed arm.
“…” Davey silently approached the struggling man before flipping him around with a kick.
“Ugh!” The man looked up at Davey with wide eyes.
“Teaching Assistant Rashkan, I’ve warned you to not touch my students. Otherwise, I wouldn’t leave you alone. Did my words not register in that thick head of yours?”
As Rashkan trembled, Davey yanked the red blade that was pierced through Rashkan’s shoulder. Then, he activated and circulated the holy power in his body.
[Purification]
[Highness Heal]
Rashkan slowly began to recover after Davey had casted the high-ranking recovery magic, Purification, and removed the poison in his body. He coughed as he twisted his injured body. “Urk! Kghkk!”
However, he could not move much. Davey’s foot was right on top of his chest.
“Are your ears not working?” Davey asked calmly.
Rashkan snapped, “In… Instructor Devy…”
“Yeah, yeah. We’ve met before, no? Don’t you remember?” Davey asked calmly as he slowly removed his foot from above Rashkan’s chest.
However, before Rashkan could even get up, Davey moved to crush the man’s arm.
“Keuaaaaaaaaaaaack!!! Ugh!” Rashkan screamed from the terrible pain, his lips twisting and his teeth chattering.
Moments later, his lips were forced shut by an unspeakable force.
“You thought that I was joking, no?”
The gruesome smile on Davey’s face made Rashkan shake his head like crazy.
“Scream once more and I’ll crush your other arm. Do you understand? Nod if you do.”
Rashkan’s breathing was shallow as he nodded desperately. It was only after Davey dispersed his sharp and oppressing aura that Rashkan gasped for breath.
“Where is Josiah?”
Rashkan, after hearing Davey’s question, answered with a quavering voice, “I… I don’t…know what you’re talking ab…”
Boom!!!
“Keuaaaaaaaack!!!”
This time, Davey completely crushed the man’s legs. He glared at him fiercely.
As Rashkan shrieked and screamed at his overwhelming aura and power, Davey said, “Rashkan Frances, speak bullshit one more time and I won’t be responsible for your end.”
Rashkan immediately nodded with clenched teeth. He said, “4th… 4th Class Col… Collin… took… took her away…”
Davey silently looked down at Rashkan before asking, “Collin? What’s the bastard’s reason for doing that?”
“Th… That… Hiiiiiik!!! Please! I beg you! I’ll tell you everything I know!” Rashkan screamed as he scrambled back.
He immediately spilled all of the secrets, confessing everything. He even told Davey the things that Davey himself did not want to hear.
Collin had ordered Rashkan to bring Josiah in and tie her down. However, Rashkan had brought the girl in and molested her just like what he had done before. Then, Rashkan had sustained a fatal injury by Collin while distracted by wanting to touch and take Josiah. Moments later, an unidentified woman had appeared through a spatial crack to take Collin and Josiah with her.
Davey thought that there was a high chance of the woman being a vampire.
“Ah. Right. You wanted to do something like that with your niece, huh?”
“…”
“Well, that’s not my problem. I also shouldn’t get too involved in a person’s own affairs. However, you shouldn’t go too far,” Davey said calmly as he turned around.
From what it looked like, the slender arm that was lying on the ground belonged to Josiah. Davey approached the pale and bloody arm. Then, he quickly poured mana into it to preserve the arm before turning back to look at Rashkan. He asked, “Where did the b*tch disappear to?”
“Th… That…”
“You don’t want to talk?”
“N-No! I… I don’t know about it either! She just appeared and disappeared… I’m just a lowly underling!”
Davey began to ponder on what he should do. If they had already disappeared like that, then it would be very hard to find them. If that was the case, then Davey was left with no choice but to use a different method.
After raising up Josiah’s arm, he summoned dark mana and covered the entire arm with it. The arm flashed brightly.
[8th Circle Dark Magic]
[Soul Link]
At the same time, a magic circle bloomed underneath Davey’s feet, synchronizing with the black light that swallowed the arm.
Rashkan’s eyes grew wide as he watched what Davey was doing. As a mage himself, he was very much aware of how ridiculous and unbelievable the feat that Davey had just performed was. He mumbled, “H… How did you do…?”
Davey ignored the mumbling Rashkan as he threw the severed arm in his Pocket Plane.
The chase was already over, but he was still unaware of the exact location. He couldn’t simply warp himself over. Still, he had recovered to the 9th Circle, so he had another method available to him.
[Link]
[8th Circle Magic]
[Warp]
In just an instant, blue magic circles appeared and overlapped with the black magic circles that were floating in the air. Then, the magic circles spun fiercely as a spatial crack appeared in front of Davey.
To track Josiah’s whereabouts, Davey had created a link between Josiah’s arm and her soul. After getting the coordinates, he began to cast the Warp Magic. There was a chance that a trap was waiting for him on the other side, but that was unimportant. Davey only had one goal here, and that was to bring back his hateful disciple, Josiah Frances, back safely. And that was not all…
—Davey! I don’t know what’s happening, but the more time you take, the more danger that child will be in!
After hearing Perserque’s words, Davey moved to enter the spatial crack. Just before he could leave, he stopped and glanced back at Rashkan, who flinched and trembled in fear. He then reached his hand out and said, “God has declared…”
“Yes… What?”
“Eat shit.”
[9th Level, Final Holy Magic]
[God’s Middle Finger]
Baaaaaaaaang!!!
A bright white light smashed the ceiling apart and crushed Rashkan, who remained conscious. Then, his body began to burn.
“Aaaaaaaaaaack!!!” Rashkan struggled fiercely from the pain of being burned alive. Unfortunately for him, the white flames persistently burned him.
“You will burn in flames for two hours. No more, no less. You can only go after that.”
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