Neither Amelia Edemsworth nor Blanid in her Justin disguise could stay calm.
How could they?
Since Rotsard wasn't in the classroom, the most reasonable conclusion they could come to was that the reality was following the same path as the story that the Grand Fae's shared with Amelia.
…which meant that Rotsard Vallhall was deofolizing at that very moment…
Could there even be a more horrifying sentence in existence?
If it was Rotsard Vallhall from two years prior, the chubby, overconfident sloth with little to no skill whatsoever, the situation would be different.
Deofolization granted insane power to weak-willed individuals tempted by deofols into selling their souls for it…
…but it was the current Rotsard…
The same person who split apart the Royal Academy's entire great barrier with self-proclaimed basic mana manipulation.
The same person who toyed with Blanid, giving her the win during every single duel they had, besides the first two.
The same person who then went out of his way to teach Blanid swordsmanship, letting her catch a glimpse of what she could only assume to be the realm of Sword Emperor... or possibly something even beyond...
"..."
Amelia bit her lips as she glanced over at her disguised half-sister.
Blanid was barely holding it together, tense as a rock in her attempt not to tremble. She was clenching the sword that Rotsard presented her after their training was complete, to her side.
Cladbog's Shadow.
A weapon so outrageously perfect it made anyone dabbling in swordsmanship drool.
Looking at the pommel sticking out over Blanid's jittering thigh, Amelia couldn't stop thinking about the theory she originally discarded as impossible.
Rotsard Vallhall knew that he must fall to a deofol's seduction and succumb to its power, ultimately dying at the hands of the future hero, all so that their world would have a future.
Amelia originally rejected that turn of events as an option because she did not consider Rotsard Vallhall that she knew as someone capable of that kind of sacrifice.
Honestly…
She did not consider any sane human capable, either, but Rotsard especially so.
But that weapon… that sword, Cladbolg's Shadow…
It was too much for Blanid's current skill to handle.
Gifting her something like that seemed like utter foolishness.
And yet, it made sense if it was something absolutely necessary for her to stand a chance in a fight against the current Rotsard Vallhall after he loses his mind.
…and the current Rotsard Vallhall was the one who gave it to her…
|He knows he has to die, and will lay down his life in order to protect the world.|
|He knows the story, too.|
Amelia lowered her head, biting her lips as she clenched her fists.
He doesn't know that the event won't play out the same as in the story.
After all, Amelia had already warned the Academy's staff about the danger.
She did not tell them about deofolization, of course, but she did come up with a suitable excuse for the security within the Royal Academy to be raised to the highest level. Unfortunately, the person she counted on a lot wasn't within the Academy at the moment. Both the headmaster, Victor Lazalarius, and the vice headmaster, Syon Gemleware, were responding to an urgent summons by the royal family and left for the capital a week earlier, with no signs of a timely return.
That said, the Royal Academy wasn't the best teaching facility within the Nordenthele kingdom in name only. All the teachers there were the most capable ones. Even without Lord Lazalarius, who was often said to be most deserving of the title of one of the ten strongest mages of the continent, often compared to the Royal Magician himself, and referred to by neighbouring nations as the Nordenthele's hidden weapon, they should still be okay...
And it would be foolish to forget about the Academy's guardian, the Great Fae of Nature. It wouldn't carry that title if it stood by when the students were in danger.
All of them would surely be able to at least hold back the deofolized Rotsard so that Blanid could deliver the deadly blow with Caladbolg's Shadow.
Indeed…
"...haaaah…"
Indeed, Amelia breathed out in an attempt to relax, unclenching her fists and then taking a deep breath.
It would be okay.
It must be okay...!
Even though the security of the Royal Academy was supposedly a priority, someone still allowed for the rowdy practical magic lesson of the first-year student to take place in the training ground like normal... It was worrisome, but at least teacher Hervolst must have brightened up if she was able to make the learning experience for the new students so enjoyable.
She was a diamond in the rough, too, and, according to the story, she could prove to be quite the capable ally when facing deofolic forces.
That said…
"...?"
Amelia furrowed her brows, turning her head towards the window as the noises from the outside were getting a bit too rowdy.
"What is going on in there…?
She wasn't alone in her concern as even the teacher stopped her explanation and walked towards the windows… that were frosted over even though it was still far too warm for it to make sense… to look down towards the training ground…
"Wh-wha…? Grand Fae! EVERYONE GET AWAY FROM THE WINDOWS! NOW! WIND WALL!"
The next moment, the teacher's face turned ghastly pale, and she shouted, waving her hand and casting a spell separating the classroom from the outside, shielding the ones inside and…
"YOU PEASANT-LIKE BITCH! I TOLD YOU TO GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM THEM!"
*CRASH* *WHOOSH*
"!!!"
The next moment, all windows exploded as a frenzied roar shattered the glass and sent in an ice-cold tempest into the classroom!
The glass was stopped by the teacher's spell, but the cold seeped in regardless.
"Was that…?!"
"Rotsard!?"
"What are you two doing!? Get away from there!"
Amelia and Blanid looked at each other, both instantly recognizing the voice and rushing towards the destroyed windows while ignoring the teacher's warning!
What they witnessed was…!