Chapter 21: The Invasion of Arcane (2)

Aelin created a giant thorny root to block the path while throwing the man away. She quickly ordered Philip to carry the injured Haruki.

Without saying much, Philip immediately carried Haruki and followed Aelin.

"Who are you?"

Aelin glanced at Philip before giving him a rather hard knock on the head.

"I’m one of the teachers at Arcane Academy, you idiot!"

"Stop asking so many questions and take Haruki to Vila!"

This time, Philip did not act foolishly and followed her instructions. They ran as fast as they could, gasping for breath along the way. As they ran, Philip noticed that several shops were on fire.

Some of the invading kingdom’s soldiers also attempted to attack Philip, but Aelin protected him.

"Hey! Over here!"

Not far from them, he spotted Magnus and Vila standing in an alley ahead.

Aelin then used her magic to lift Philip and Haruki into the air, allowing them to move faster. Once they arrived at the alley, Aelin quickly sealed it off with her magic.

Magnus and Vila immediately turned their attention to Haruki, who was on the verge of death. Aelin quickly instructed Vila to use her healing magic on him.

Vila intensified her magic because Haruki’s wound was far from ordinary. Without realizing it, sweat began to trickle down her forehead, and her eyes were slowly closing due to the enormous amount of magic she was using.

"Are you okay, Vila?!" Philip asked in a panic.

Meanwhile, the chaos throughout the kingdom continued to worsen. The sounds of running footsteps and desperate screams could be heard from outside.

The sound of arrows striking Aelin’s thorny barrier echoed through the alley, leaving Philip increasingly frustrated and speechless at everything that was happening.

[PLAYER IS EXPERIENCING SEVERE BLEEDING]

[PLAYER WILL DIE]

...

[700 COINS HAVE BEEN DEDUCTED]

Slowly, the wound left by the man’s stab began to close on its own. Combined with Vila’s healing magic, the wound healed even faster.

"Y-You did it, Vila!" Magnus exclaimed.

Vila nearly collapsed from the effects of her healing magic, but Aelin quickly caught her before she could fall.

Slowly, Haruki opened his eyes and began to rise from his lying position. Everyone felt relieved to see him awake again.

"Y-Yo..."

The pain from the stab wound was still lingering. Philip then carried Haruki on his back.

Aelin reached into her pocket and took out a round, blue object that resembled a marble. She threw it against the wall of the alley, and a portal immediately appeared, revealing the academy’s cafeteria on the other side.

"What is that?"

"A magic portal."

Philip and Magnus felt somewhat annoyed with Aelin for only revealing the object now. Without wasting any more time, they stepped through the portal and found themselves inside the school cafeteria.

Everything remained the same. Magnus assumed that the invaders had not yet discovered the academy. He then carried Haruki and Vila to the infirmary in the dormitory.

"Thank you, Teacher Aelin."

"Without you, we don’t know what would have happened to us," Magnus said respectfully.

Philip immediately spoke up, clearly still unfamiliar with Aelin.

"Wait, she’s actually a teacher at this academy?"

"I’ve never seen her before."

Philip received another knock on the head, this time from Lukas, who was standing behind him.

"You should socialize with the teachers once in a while."

Everyone was slightly startled by Lukas’s unexpected arrival. He asked what had happened to Haruki and Vila before expressing his surprise upon learning about the sudden invasion.

"Everyone at this academy still doesn’t know about it..." Lukas muttered.

He then looked at Haruki before turning his gaze toward Vila, who was lying exhausted on the bed.

Haruki was stabbed, so why was Vila able to heal him so easily?

Lukas eventually decided not to dwell on the matter. He announced that Philip and Haruki’s special classes had been cancelled due to the invasion.

"For now, we’re safe—"

Before Lukas could finish his sentence, an explosion sounded from outside the academy.

"Damn it, have they discovered us already?"

Lukas immediately left the infirmary and headed outside to investigate the situation.

However, the explosion had actually occurred some distance away. Lukas’s face turned slightly pale when he realized that the distant blast had been loud enough to be heard clearly throughout the academy.

"Are they really that powerful? Why aren’t you taking action, Your Majesty?"

Lukas then summoned all the students staying in the dormitories and ordered them to gather in the academy hall.

With determination, Lukas announced that their kingdom was under invasion and that the situation was becoming increasingly dire. He then instructed everyone to use their protective magic to create a barrier around the academy.

The male and female students formed a large circle around the academy, surrounding the entire institution.

They raised both hands, releasing streams of magical energy that gradually merged into a massive blue barrier encircling the academy.

Several students and teachers collapsed from exhaustion after expending enormous amounts of magical energy to protect the academy.

I hope this will be enough...

Lukas whispered those words to himself. No one heard him, but the uneasiness on his face was apparent.

"Don’t worry. Everything will be fine."

"You have talented students, after all."

Lukas was startled when Aelin seemed to read his thoughts simply by looking at his expression. He then smiled faintly.

"What a cunning woman."

The sunlight gradually faded as evening approached. Eventually, all the students returned inside the academy, praying for their safety. Some were also worried about their families who were still trapped in the city.

Others began wondering the same thing Lukas had been thinking.

Where is King Arcane right now? Why hasn’t he taken any action?

Night eventually fell, and the surroundings grew silent, as though the entire world had been emptied of its meaning.

A figure stood outside the academy, clad in a completely black cloak with its hood pulled over their head.

It was Lukas, who had decided to head to King Arcane’s palace.

What are you doing right now, King Arcane...?

Lukas began walking away. For a brief moment, he glanced back at the academy, as though he might never return to it or see his students again.

"You’re still behaving like a child."

The voice reached Lukas’s ears, prompting him to turn around.

Behind him stood Aelin, also wearing a black cloak.

"Don’t tell me you’re planning to come with me..."

Aelin remained silent for a moment before smiling and replying.

"Isn’t that obvious?"

"Suit yourself."

Another voice came from behind Lukas, but this time, it sounded like more than one person.

"Teacher Lukas is such a pain in the neck," Philip remarked.

"That’s exactly what you’re saying, Philip," Magnus replied.

"Well, even so, you should let the three of us come along!"

Lukas quickly turned around and saw his three troublesome students standing behind him.

"You three... You’re really idiots."

Lukas smiled faintly before turning back toward the road leading to the palace.

"Don’t become a burden, Haruki, Magnus, and Philip!"

"Of course!"

The three students shouted in unison before setting off on their journey.