NOVEL WEB Chapter 219
Episode 215: The Traumatized Teacher Nei
The Student Council and advisor Kogare were scrambling to deal with the sudden appearance of a colossal tower in the central area of Kroma.
The student council room had turned into a chaotic battleground filled with shouts and a flurry of information.
“When did President Dia of the Student Council get over there!?”
No one could answer Kogare’s cry.
Dia, who was supposed to be at the main building of Kroma alongside Kogare, had somehow been captured.
Who could have possibly foreseen such an event?
“Ugh… that tower’s location is where the Sanctuary Control Tower used to be… worst-case scenario.”
Kogare had already lost her abilities as an Explorer.
Thus, during emergencies, she could only provide support from the rear.
Despite her weak voice and complaints, her hands moved without hesitation.
(According to reports from each area, Solciera’s replicas are concentrating on locations where S Rank individuals are present. Is their purpose to delay us? We need to start evacuating civilians while we can.)
Fortunately, the special task force led by the moral committee created for the Cultural Grand Festival showed no significant confusion.
Each member was making the best choices available and beginning their actions accordingly.
Those capable of fighting were taking on multiple Solcieras, while freshmen and lower-ranked Explorers were protecting civilians.
Even though this was an academy inclined towards art, its foundation lay with explorers.
This initial response to the sudden incident that struck all of Kroma was more than sufficient.
“If there are students from other schools who can fight, please ask them for assistance. We’re clearly stretched too thin.”
In response to Kogare’s words, the members of the student council replied.
And just then,
“Teacher Kogare! The gates are sealed! We can’t evacuate!”
“Ah, I see. They’re using the captured Sanctuary as a cage… huh, what do we do now!?”
Shock hit Kogare late due to the unprecedented emergency.
In essence, people were now effectively locked inside Kroma.
“We can’t call for help from outside…! If we hadn’t entrusted security to the S Ranks, Kroma would’ve fallen long ago. Hmm… please set up temporary shelters in areas with minimal damage! We need to reclaim the stolen Sanctuary somehow.”
Unless they rescue the captured Dia or destroy the tower, this nightmare would continue indefinitely.
What troubled Kogare most was how the stolen Sanctuary was being utilized.
A Sanctuary changes its form depending on the person using it.
This rule naturally applied to conductors as well.
The resulting effect of the Sanctuary was…
“The weakening effect on the explorers is absolutely the worst possible outcome!”
It was unimaginable—a situation where the Sanctuary itself turns against the students.
Herein lay the reason why low-ranked Explorers and freshmen couldn’t fight.
“Hurry, we must destroy this Sanctuary while it’s still incomplete… No, wait a moment.”
Kogare’s face rapidly paled.
(The incompleteness stems from Kroma having several Sanctuary control towers… Thinking calmly, won’t they target here next…!?!)
The main building of Kroma, which should have been guarded by Dia, held control authority equal to that of the tower.
And not far from the main building stood the hijacked tower.
Then, what the conductor would aim for next…
“‘S Rank, anyone, come here immediately—”
Just as she spoke, a thunderous sound and impact echoed through the air.
How many realized that it was the wall destroyed by a focused artillery attack?
“Ughhh…”
Protected by a student, Kogare crawled out from beneath the rubble.
Lifting her head, she saw Solciera ahead.
Not one or two, but a regimented swarm of over a thousand interference wielders.
At the sight, Kogare could only gasp in despair.
“Everyone, run quickly!”
She desperately cried out and turned back.
However, more than half the students had lost consciousness from the earlier bombardment.
Even those still conscious bore significant injuries.
The student who had shielded Kogare also lay unconscious.
“Everyone…!”
Seeing the injured students, Kogare hurriedly tried to approach them.
An angel wouldn’t overlook someone who turned their back like that.
“Hand over the Sanctuary User.”
Spitting out the same phrase mechanically, one of the Solcieras charged forward wielding a large scythe.
They must have judged that using artillery wasn’t necessary.
Indeed, if that hit a mere human like Kogare, it would surely kill her.
But that’s assuming it hit.
“—Huh?”
Hearing something collapse behind her, Kogare turned around.
Only then did she realize she had been attacked by Solciera.
Yet she remained unharmed, while the Solciera that had supposedly attacked her had turned to sand.
There was no sound, no impact, no premonition—just an absolute extraction of results.
There was only one person in this Academy City capable of creating such a situation.
“Teacher Nei!”
“…Sorry, I’m late.”
With a spear in hand, Nei apologized in a trembling voice.
Looking back at the injured students, she forced a desperate smile onto her despairing face.
“The hero arrives late, you know. Everyone, leave the rest to me from here.”
Seeing Nei on the verge of breaking, Kogare understood.
It was something only Kogare, who’d known her since their school days, could recognize.
“Teacher Nei, you’re still not recovered, right? That trauma from back then…?”
“N-No, I’m fine. How many years do you think have passed? It’s been ten years already, so I’m fine, yeah… I’m fine.”
Nei answered with a pale face.
As multiple Solcieras approached her from behind,
they all turned to sand and fell upon her.
“There’s no way you’re fine! What kind of terrible lie is that coming from a great actress!”
“Well, didn’t I actually win just now? I’m pretty strong, you know.”
“That’s not what someone on the verge of fainting would say. Besides, the doctor said to avoid large-scale battles—”
“Are you telling a teacher to abandon her students and tremble in fear!? Don’t be ridiculous, Kogare! I’m a teacher. There’s no time to say I can’t fight because of some past trauma…”
With that, Nei turned to face the Solcieras.
She whispered as she readied her spear.
“I’m strong. So, I’ll be fine. I can save Miuye too.”
■
(Hmm, I wonder what my partner would have done in this situation. Would they observe quietly or intervene…)
The Star Reader’s Staff watched over the exchange between Nei and Kogare from above, contemplating.
Shortly after the abnormal situation arose, the Star Reader’s Staff had teleported near the tower.
(That ridiculous commander disrupted my fun time, so I might as well kill them.)
Knowing their location made killing the commander effortless.
Factors like ability reduction or hostages were trivial concerns for the Star Reader’s Staff.
Teleportation, assassination.
Or powerful concentrated artillery fire from this location.
Either way, this incident would end swiftly.
The only issue was the nature of the Star Reader’s Staff.
(Watching the changes in relationships around Nei has been entertaining. Moreover, I still lack data on adult women. This is a good opportunity to learn a few things.)
To the Star Reader’s Staff, human life was meaningless.
They would mourn the death of a beautiful girl.
But that was all.
As long as the one they loved was safe, they would dismiss any amount of casualties with a simple “I see.”
Therefore, the Star Reader’s Staff was very passive about intervening in this matter.
(Also, the quality of those imitators has improved. They can’t reach us, but for someone unaware, they’re quite impressive. The problem lies in how they’re used.)
While pondering this, the Star Reader’s Staff teleported and captured one of the nearby impostors.
After restraining it, they casually tossed it into their expanded domain.
“Alright~!”
It wasn’t alright.
Still, the Star Reader’s Staff nodded contentedly.
Smiling brightly, they began monitoring Kei using a modified teleportation magic array.
Kei appeared calm at first glance.
She was coordinating with Hikari and Mizuki, managing both the protection of civilians and the elimination of the impostors, seemingly unfazed by the situation.
But the Star Reader’s Staff knew better.
They knew that inside, she was panicking and crying, anxiously waiting for their return.
(She’s probably eagerly waiting for me to come back, isn’t she~? Ah, how cute. She’s so flustered. It’s scary when beautiful girls get hurt, isn’t it? I can feel her fear so clearly~ But don’t worry, I’ve placed my custom defense magic on all the beautiful girls within Kroma, so you can relax~ I don’t care about the others though.)
There’s an important fact to understanding the Star Reader’s Staff:
They are, fundamentally, a weapon with values entirely different from humans.
Beautiful girls don’t hold the same value as Kei to the Star Reader’s Staff.
Rather, they fall under the category of preferences.
Thus, what mattered here wasn’t how many beautiful girls they could protect, but how much of Kei’s cute demeanor they could witness.
They would ensure the safety of the beautiful girls solely to prevent truly upsetting Kei.
However, their approach to dealing with beautiful girls differed from how they dealt with Kei.
(I can kill the commander anytime. Dark realms or whatever nonsense doesn’t affect me. They’re just annoying fans spouting creepy stuff. People causing trouble, that’s why fanatics are always a hassle. I wish they’d learn from me~.)
While remaining ready to assist Kei at any moment, the Star Reader’s Staff observed Nei and Kogare.
For the Star Reader’s Staff, this was merely another event during the Cultural Grand Festival.
“Let me analyze the relationship between these two, then go back to my partner. Once I return, my partner will realize the extent of my importance and grow dependent on me. Hmm, perfect~”
Performing shoddy calculations inherited from their master, the Star Reader’s Staff sat down on a chair they conjured.
Crossing their legs with a smile, they watched as if enjoying a play.
“Ah, the Cultural Grand Festival is so fun~!”
For someone beyond human comprehension, this was nothing more than a minor event.
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