If someone spared only a passing glance at the training grounds of the Royal Academy, they would only notice a class of the first-year students standing orderly in front of their teacher.
Only at a closer inspection would it become possible to start noticing that something was off.
More and more details that would prove that something wasn't right.
The young students weren't standing in place perfectly still by their own will.
They weren't even standing still, but rather squirming, bound in place by thin, sickly-white roots digging into their bodies, making them appear similar to string ham, unable to even let out a whimper...
The only one free was the teacher herself.
Brice Hervolst, standing right there with a list and a pen, acting as if nothing out of place was going on.
While the students were still normal humans, she didn't look normal in the slightest.
Her face was separated from the rest of her head, her head separated from her shoulders, her limbs separated from the torso, and then separated into even more segments…
…all of them connected by mushy, sickly-white roots…
As if a sentient tree had carved out what was once Brice Hervolst from the inside and was wearing what was left like a set of ill-fitting clothes.
"Everyone, calm down. Now that I've taken your attendance, we can begin the lesson."
Her lips did not move, but her voice still came out, making for quite the disturbing sight.
She lowered the list and moved it to showcase the row of disturbing, raw-flesh-colored plants that could have been mistaken for flowers…
…only that they were more akin to mushrooms, with their bulbous caps pulsating disgustingly from the countless spores held within…
"Today's subject will be… Gedwyld pollution, and its further state, Gedwyld corruption~"
The monstrosity that Brice Hervolst had turned into said in the creepiest sweet voice without a single change to her stiff expression.
"In a few seconds, when my lovelies will achieve maturity, they'll burst open, and their gedwyld-infused spores will cover the entire Royal Academy~ Of course, you all, as the ones with the best view, will experience their capabilities first hand~ At the low-low cost of your consciousness and worthless free will, you yourself will turn into spore carriers~ Isn't it amazing? You will be able to experience the happiness, bliss, and prestige of spreading Gedwyld to not just this lowly place, but the entire world~!"
While her expression clearly could not change, the former human cheered out in elation, moving around its segmented body with exasperation and theatrical exaggeration, clearly enjoying the looks of fear and despair in the captured student's eyes.
"Ohoho~ Look, look~ They're almost ready and about to bur…"
*WHOOSH* *crrrk*
The monster in the guise of former Brice Hervolst giggled nastily, but then a sudden gust of cold air caused the entire training grounds, the trapped students, and the fleshy mushroom-like growths, to frost over...!
"Get away from them."
"!!!"
When a voice colder than the wind carried over, the trapped students who could not turn around couldn't recognize it…
…but the former Brice Hervolst could…
"You! You piece of trash! You killed my beloved! You tore my love away from…!"
"YOU PEASANT-LIKE BITCH! I TOLD YOU TO GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM THEM!"
The corrupted plant-like monster screeched at the bleached-blond-haired youth who stepped out of the boys' dormitory building, but her voice got drowned by his frenzied howl.
*BOOOOOOM*
Without giving her a chance to even attempt to finish her sentence, Rotsard Vallhall quite literally exploded into a cloud of pure white light and…!
*THUMP* *WHOOSH*
"!?!?"
As the light began to fade and the youth's true form emerged, kicking off the ground and charging at the former human, the monstrosity that Brice Hervolst had become jolted away, stumbling back!
Unable to change expression on her mask-like face, but appearing as horrified as it was possible.
A perfectly reasonable reaction, honestly.
Because what was rushing her wasn't a short and scrawny bleached-blond-haired youth, but rather…
An eleven-feet-tall white-haired giant with densely packed muscles, fang-like teeth, and claw-like fingernails!
Wearing only long white pants that must have been woven with magic in the first place, the long-haired giant was already right in front of the monstrosity, reaching his clawed hand with no hesitation!
"W-wait, I…!"
*SHING* *THUUUMP*
The monstrosity tried to call out, but what it wanted to say was to forever remain a mystery as Rotsard's claws shredded its mutated form, ripping it apart and continuing to leave deep marks in the ground and even the wall far behind it!
"Tsk!"
The white-haired giant clicked his tongue, glaring at the spore-carrying mushrooms beside him
"Ignite."
*WHOOO*
And with a scoff, he chanted the incantation before sending a lick of pale-blue flame towards the abhorrent affront to life, burning it into frosty dust with an icy blaze.
*whoosh*
"..."
With a wave of his massive hand, Rotsard chased off the layer of frost away from the first-year students and focused on a single one.
It was a petite, dark-blond-haired girl who looked particularly feeble, with the exception of her fierce eyes.
She was tied up like the others, but her bindings and clothes had multiple traces of various spells she attempted to use to free herself.
"Young Lady Bernadette Edemswort, I require your assistance."
"Phua…! I-it's not over! That was only a copy!"
The giant kneeled down and said, while his claws sliced through the bindings with ease, but the first words that left the girl's mouth were an urgent warning instead of gratitude.
"You left your back wide o…!"
As if the girl jinxed it, another Brice-like monster burst out from the ground, this one with long serrated blades instead of hands, and slashed at the giant while screeching triumphantly…!
*THUUUUUMP* *SPLAT*
"?!?!"
Only that the next moment, a huge shockwave almost burst the eardrums of the unfortunate witnesses, and the very monstrosity ended up splattered against the Academy's wall…
…like a bug squashed with a rolled newspaper…
"Snowball."
*WHOOSH*
If Rotsard didn't chant another spell and moved his raised hand to aim it at the monster's remains, Bernadette Edemsworth, Amelia's very own younger sister, who was right in front of him, wouldn't even realize that everything was his retaliation against the ambush.
*crrrrk* *crack*
"I know. I'm asking for your help because I can't exactly leave this place with that peasant-like scum roaming free."
"...!"
As the remains of the monstrosity crumbled into shards of ice, Rotsard scoffed with disgust, causing the girl to swallow her saliva while biting her lips in great distress.