Chapter 2 Episode 6
The attack of the frenzied spirit
That same night, the students from the academy were resting inside the tents they built by the lake side.
Apart from most of them, 5 students are surrounding a bonfire they built and managed.
They were tasked with guarding the tents and raising alarm if necessary.
As a precaution to any night attacks or accidents, the students were tasked to monitor the surroundings of the camp site in shifts.
Of course, the possibility of any night attack is almost non-existence because they are currently in one of the safest locations in the empire. So, the on guard duty was just one of the typical practices. A practice that is enforced by the academy for the students to get some field work experience.
So, that is whyーー
the morale in the students on guard were low.
Some of them were yawning with their mouth open wide, some were drowsing off while some others were just chatting.
There is no sense of urgency to be found there.
Freen did not feel any displeasure or offended after seeing the students there.
(That can’t be helped in this situation)
The only emotion Freen felt there was sympathy.
Some day, the students will understand the ‘importance’ of the task. Some day, they will understand that even a single mistake will end up causing casualties.
But, that time is not now or today Freen thought.
For the time being, they just have to learn and advance slowly towards that direction.
Freen even wishes that the day to be as far as possible, or even never come for them.
Butーーthat time would not be far from now.
Freen noticed something strange and unusual as she was staring at the reflection of the moon on the surface of the lake.
「……?」
The surface of the lake is moving and vibrating even though the blowing wind has died down. And the vibration is getting stronger gradually.
(What, is that……?)
Freen focus her vision and stare closely at the lake.
At that momentーー
she noticed something bulky, groups of shadows with a smooth and slimy surface emerged from the lake.
Freen pointed out her right hand and shouted.
「Lighting!」
Then multiple light orbs appeared around the water close to the lakeside.
「ーー!?」
Those lights illuminated a female centaur with a beautiful look. And there are countless numbers of mud golems following behind her.
The first wave of the golems had already lifted themselves above the water surface and started to walk on top of the water surface as if they are walking on solid ground.
「Se, Sensei……that……」
The students were shaken after they noticed the same strange and unusual situation.
「I don’t know! But we should think of them as hostiles!」
Freen yelled.
Then she gives instructions to the students there to let the main force of the investigation team know of the incident and waking up all the students who were asleep.
After finishing her instructions, Freen turned and faced the female centaur directly.
「Stop right there! If you get any closer we will attack!」
『That is strange. Aren’t you people are the ones who summoned me?』
The lady did not stop.
「Summoned, youーー?」
The answer for Freen’s question came from a student standing behind her.
「……that lady, isn’t that the same water spirit from earlier……?」
Freen turned her head back instinctively to the unexpected response.
「Eh, what happened?」
「Ermmmm, you see……」
The student behind realized that he could not take that back and started to explain what happened while having an expression of “Opps, I have done it, didn’t I”.
「Misneer summoned that same water spirit earlier…… it was around the time when sensei was at the other tent site. But in the end, it seems her spell failed and……」
Freen turned back to the lady who is still moving forward.
As what the student said, its body was made from water.
Freen knew this scenario was not good for them. The spiritual power around the lake was disturbed greatly. Nobody can predict what would happen if an inexperienced magician cast a summoning spell here. She should have warned them with punishment in advance instead of assuming that the students here do not have any knowledge of summoning spells.
The situation they currently in is not goodーーbut at the very least she now knows about the true identity of their opponent.
The cause of this probably came from some bad and unwanted effects that leftover from a summoning spell that have gone wrong in an unstable spirit which is disturbed greatly for a long time.
「O water spirit, go back to where you came from! Release Spirit!」
Freen cast a spell with a unbinding effect which is the reverse effect of a spirit summoning spell.
『Gyhii!?』
The spell causes the water spirit to flinch andーー
nothing happened after that.
『Futile efforts! Are you trying to prevent me to carry out my order!?』
At the same time the lady waved her hand, a water spear formed beside it and flew head on towards Freen. But Freen dodged it in a nick of time.
The first wave of the golems almost reaches the distance where they will have physical contact with the students.
The fuss and panic behind her is spreading fast. Students that woke up from their tents were trying to understand what was happening.
Then Freen yelled.
「A raid! Prepare your Magic Arrow!」
She did what she said and chanted the spell.
「Magic Arrow!」
Her magic arrow glided directly towards the water spirit and penetrated the spirit’s lower body, the place where the head of the horse would be.
Andーー
nothing happened after that.
The hole that the arrow penetrated was filled back up in no time by the water surrounding the hole, forming back what it once was.
(Regeneration ability……!)
But that was not completely pointless. Following her lead, students that are brave and have a fast reaction followed up the attack by casting their Magic Arrow as well.
Most of it did not land on a target but, some did land on some of the mud golems. The mud golems continue to advance with the holes penetrated by the arrows. At least it seems that the golems do not have any regenerative ability.
Freen gave the next instruction to the students.
「Aim for the golem! All of you start to retreat now and fire your Magic Arrow as you retreat! Do not let them get close to you, I repeat do not let them get close to you!」
After saying that, Freen turned her focus back onto the frenzied spirit.
Freen gave the instruction to retreat butーー
she, herself is not included. The water spirit is too big of a threat for them. She could not let the students deal with that by themselves.
The golems around advanced further inland, heading to the direction of the students by going around Freen.
『Human, you are going to die if you tried to stop me』
「Please do not get to your conclusion that fast. I am quite a skilled magician despite my appearance」
At that moment.
『Wuaooau!?』
Numerous red beams of light landed and exploded on the left shoulder of the spirit. Unable to withstand the momentum and force of the beams, the body of the spirit was pushed to the other side.
「Sensei, I will assist you here」
「Blaine-kun!?」
The person who shows up there wasーー
Blaine Milhis.
The freshman representative, the next genius in line.
「No I will not allow that, because you are a student too! Please fall back together with other students!」
「Please do not push yourself that much. That water spirit isーーnot normal, its spiritual power is also something that is not normal. It would be very dangerous if you face it alone」
Blaine had accurately analyzed and judged the situation, soーーFreen could not think of a response immediately.
His view on the situation is on point. That is not something you would expect from a freshman at the academy.
There is no doubt that he will help out the battle a lot.
But.
「……I would be happy if you could help me here but. You are an heir from a marquis ranked house and the academyーーno, the empire has a lot of expectations of you. If I were to risk your life and ask for your help here, I would be fired from my job when I got back」
Freen talking in a jokingly tone.
But, Blaine responded in a clam expression.
「It will be fine. Because I will not die here. I can’t die in a place like this……I am not someone who is going to die young and this easily!」
As he raised his voice, Freen could tell that the mana flows in his body increased dramatically.
(……the tragedy in House of Milhis, huh……. If he is the child who is still resisting and fighting back even after experiencing that incident then, there is no doubt he will not back down from a trial this small I guess……)
Freen sighed.
「Okay, you can stay. But if I ask you to run, promise me that you will run away from here immediately. Promise?」
「Yes. I promise」
Blaine continued. As if he knew what was going to happen next.
「But that will not happen here though」
UtawareFan Translations 