Before he realized it, a blade was pressed against Wilhelm's throat.
"Don't move."
The voice was low and taut.
Even without checking to see who it belonged to, Wilhelm immediately knew.
"Well, well, Professor Blanchard. It has been a long time."
Even with the tip of a dagger pointed at his vitals, Wilhelm remained utterly nonchalant. He knew full well that she was not yet in a position to harm him.
At any rate, everything began with an interrogation.
Having to follow proper protocol and attempt dialogue first was the bitter burden of being on the side of authority.
"You're the one who took down Yuriha, aren't you?"
"A misunderstanding. That little girl simply chose to shield a child of her own accord."
"Surrender right now, and I won't get rough."
"Good grief, what an impatient person you are. More importantly, are you sure you have time for this? Come now, look over there."
Even without looking, Blanchard understood what Wilhelm was getting at. Indeed, there was a matter of far higher priority than this man right now.
"Is the tower... leaning?"
Someone muttered in a daze.
The Central Tower that had just been bombed was visibly tilting enough to be seen from the spectator stands. He had likely targeted the vital support pillars. It was a feat impossible unless one thoroughly understood the structural design of the Magias campus.
"Hey, what did you do?"
"To what are you referring? How I managed to bomb the tower without being noticed? Why Magias's proud protective barrier isn't functioning properly? Or perhaps—"
In an instant, Wilhelm's entire form blurred.
A sharp blow slammed into Blanchard's abdomen. An elbow? A punch? A strike too fast for the eye to follow forced her backward.
At the same time, she felt an unmistakable sense of dissonance.
It wasn't that Wilhelm's movements were abnormally fast.
"—why your own magic coefficient has drastically plummeted?"
"—...kh!"
"Not just you; I took the liberty of neutralizing almost every troublesome mage present in this venue.
The answer is simple.
Because I hijacked the functions of the Magias protective barrier.
All authority over the campus grounds has already been seized.
I'm so glad I tampered with the core spell formula all that time ago♪"
It sounded hard to believe at first, but it made complete sense.
It was obvious that Magias's protective barrier wasn't operating normally.
For Wilhelm, who had remained enrolled as a repeating student until last year, pulling off such tampering was certainly possible.
Of course, it was a task that required an immense amount of ingenuity, time, and obsession.
Whatever his goal was, this was not the work of someone in their right mind.
"I'd say we have about thirty minutes before the tower collapses. And what's more—"
"M-Monsters—!!"
"—ah, it seems they have arrived as well."
This time, even Blanchard couldn't help but look and confirm it with her own eyes. Multiple silhouettes of monsters had appeared within the campus grounds. From rifts torn in midair, visibly sturdy monsters were raining down.
"...Spatial teleportation? On such a scale... how...?"
"I shall remain silent regarding the teleportation, but these military monsters were prepared courtesy of the research funds provided by Magias. My, I'm simply overflowing with gratitude toward my generous alma mater♪"
Listening to Wilhelm bluster in a sing-song tone, even Blanchard couldn't hide her utter disappointment.
This self-proclaimed patriot had embezzled tax-funded research grants to illegally amass military armaments, and was now squandering them without hesitation on an act of terrorism against Magias—one of Gleefia's most vital institutions.
She had been naive.
She shouldn't have called for his surrender; she should have severed his head instantly.
That was the only parting gift Blanchard could have offered to a senior she had once respected.
"A massive tower on the verge of collapse. Spectators fleeing in panic. Military monsters pursuing them. A hijacked barrier.
Oh dear, what a terrible situation♪ Now, which will you handle first?"
"Shut up and die."
She unleashed a slash at Wilhelm, who was wearing a smug smile.
Three flashes of her blade were fired instantly at his vitals, yet just before tearing into his flesh, they were blocked by a translucent wall.
A magic barrier.
This hardness and deployment speed...
He had refined it even further than during his time as a student.
"Correct. Defeating me would solve everything. Though with how you are now, you cannot possibly win."
Before she could follow up with another attack, Blanchard's entire body was enveloped by a spherical barrier. Trapped—no, that wasn't it.
"Baron."
With a sickening crunch...
The membrane enveloping her collapsed inward.
This time, it was an offensive magic barrier.
The specialty of Wilhelm, who had once been an authoritative figure in barrier magic.
A pressure capable of crushing a block of iron to dust enveloped Blanchard.
Though she hastily deployed a defensive guard, her output was undeniably lacking.
It was damage she couldn't simply shrug off.
"Farewell, then. Let us meet again, should you survive."
"Wait—"
Her footing unsteady, Blanchard reached out a hand.
Wilhelm gave her a pitiful glance and fired a magic bullet from his staff as if shooing away a pest.
"Gah—"
Her entire body was dragged along by the point of impact.
Before she knew it, she saw the sky, then the school building, the spectator stands—her spinning field of vision telling her she had been blown away.
She finally came to a halt when she crashed into the center of the arena.
Her legs wouldn't move.
It was going to take a little time before she could stand up.
"Professor!"
Running up to her was Brendan, followed silently by Mercedes.
With heavy eyelids, she took both of them into her sight.
There, she felt a sudden sense of dissonance.
The waves of magical power enveloping the two of them were no different from usual.
"Professor! Pull yourself together!"
It was Amae's voice.
Garry, Luluck, and Filiestra were there too.
They must have rushed over from the spectator stands.
None of the six present showed any signs of being affected by the barrier.
'Not just you; I took the liberty of neutralizing almost every troublesome mage present in this venue.'
Almost?
Was it a resource issue, meaning not everyone was under the weakening effect?
Then this was a stroke of good fortune. There was no time to hesitate.
Issuing an order to the Imperial Archmage Faculty at this time of year was unprecedented, but there was no other choice.
"...Everyone, this is an emergency. Listen carefully."
Blanchard spoke while crawling on the ground.
Spitting out the blood that had clogged her throat, she continued with utmost composure.
"Currently, our academy is under armed assault by a mage claiming to be Wilhelm. The campus protective barrier's defensive functions have been halted and repurposed to interfere with the magical control of casters on the grounds."
With every word she spoke, a blood-tinged breath escaped her lips.
"As a result, the chain of command for the faculty and security forces has been partially severed. At this point, we cannot expect unified evacuation guidance or interception commands."
"Professor, for now..."
"I'm fine. Let me speak."
Filiestra, who had rushed over, enveloped Blanchard in a faint light. The pain subsided, but there was still no sign she would be able to move.
"There is reason to suspect that the interference is prioritizing high-output mages such as the faculty, security forces, and upperclassmen. Under this interference, exterminating the monsters is the absolute limit of what they can do."
Exhaling a shallow breath, she checked her surroundings.
Just as Blanchard said, several staff members were already occupied with dealing with the monsters. Thanks to that, there were no visible casualties among the spectators for the time being.
Though she couldn't say how long they would be able to maintain this situation.
"Consequently, the interference on you Imperial Archmage Faculty first-years is faint at present. Right now, the combat forces that can act properly are limited."
She felt like the hands of Philie, who continued administering healing, trembled just a little.
"Therefore, as of this moment, I issue an emergency field mission to everyone here. With the objectives of protecting the spectators, treating the injured, and eliminating hostile forces, take appropriate action."
The six students simply listened in silence to Blanchard's words.
With unfocused eyes, she gazed at the representative, Brendan.
Not a bad look on his face.
It seemed he had resolved himself.
"Brendan Walker. I appoint you as the field commander. Everyone else, fall in under his command."
Her consciousness began to sink into a haze.
"...First, prioritize the safety of the civilians above all else. However, if your lives are in danger, do not hesitate... to run away... I will take... the responsibility..."
◇
Having finished conveying that much, Professor Blanchard lost consciousness.
Silence.
The clamor in the venue felt strangely distant.
To be completely honest, it didn't feel real.
Everyone seemed focused on digesting what had just been said. No one could have ever imagined things would turn out like this.
"Lady Filie... How is the professor's condition...?"
"She's fine, Luluck-chan. She's just unconscious. I can heal her right away."
Philie asserted decisively, as if to dispel Luluck's anxiety. What incredible confidence. Leaving the professor to her for now shouldn't be an issue.
"...Right after enrollment, and this school turns out to be absurd."
Even Mercedes looked taken aback.
We really had ended up at an absurd school.
If my aunt were here, she would probably resolve this in five seconds, but unfortunately she was away on a business trip right now. She wasn't in the royal capital.
Even so, whining wasn't going to get us anywhere.
"For now, we have no choice but to do what we can."
"Indeed. So, what will we do?"
Mercedes stared straight at me.
It seemed she wasn't so selfish as to cause division here.
Since I had been entrusted with this, making the calls was my duty.
The situation was different from that field trip.
Back then, I just had to lead everyone to the destination.
But now was different.
There were people to protect.
We didn't know the enemy's location, their numbers, or their objective.
If we moved as a single group, the range of people we could save would be limited.
Let's organize the situation.
Thousands of ordinary citizens.
The collapsing Central Tower.
The overflowing monsters and the professors dealing with them.
The stolen barrier.
Wilhelm's unknown whereabouts.
The materials we have on hand.
The broken parts.
The order of repairs.
The correlation between each event.
"First, let's divide roles between evacuation and pursuit. Luluck."
"Yes!"
"Grasp the overall situation from the sky and direct the evacuation to as many people as possible using telepathy. Just keep constantly sharing and broadcasting crucial information."
"Understood, sir!!"
Straddling her trademark broom, Luluck immediately soared into the air. Just as I thought she was circling the Central Tower, her voice echoed directly inside our heads.
'Everyone on campus~! Please remain calm and listen to me~!'
A clear, carrying voice reached us without passing through the air.
'Currently, our academy is under attack by an unknown armed force! Please evacuate immediately! The confirmed safe evacuation routes are the east and south exits!
Faculty members and those with combat credentials, prioritize eliminating monsters or obstacles along the evacuation routes! Prioritize clearing the path first!'
"Lulu-yan is crazy good at telepathy."
"She's pretty handy, that one..."
It seemed surprising to Amae-san and Garry.
They probably hadn't had a chance to pair up in class.
Honestly, it exceeded my expectations too, but Luluck's telepathy was on a whole other level in both precision and the number of simultaneous connections.
Her combat ability was high too, so she could act as a roamer.
It was best to leave broadcasting information to Luluck.
"Garry, run around indoors where she can't see from the sky and search for Wilhelm. He has to be on the grounds. Just finding him is enough for now. There's no telling what he'll do if left alone."
"Alright! Leave it to me!"
I figured Garry would readily agree, but him cloaking himself in lightning the very next moment was unexpected. Just as his magical power suddenly surged, Garry sprinted away from the area at an absurd speed.
Fast.
Was this the "serious" Garry had talked about?
I wouldn't say a hundred times faster, but calling it absurd mobility wouldn't be an exaggeration.
"B-But Bren-kun, what about the tower? At this rate, it's going to..."
Amae-san, who usually looked sleepy, questioned me with a somewhat tense expression. Indeed, Professor Blanchard hadn't mentioned that part either.
Because even the professor didn't know what to do about it.
This was the one thing we had to find an answer for ourselves.
"I'll repair the structure."
There was a high chance I was the only one who could do this.
To minimize the damage, I had to go right this second.
"C-Can you really do that? Something so massive... if you fail..."
"I can."
As if convincing myself, I spoke clearly to the slightly trembling Amae-san.
"I will definitely stop it."
As if in response, a voice came from behind.
"In that case, Walker, come with me."
When I turned around, Gerald was there.
I thought he wasn't around, but he had come to the venue after all.
Despite the situation, he stood there with his arms crossed and his usual arrogant attitude.
"I also have business at the Central Tower. The barrier's control core should be there. I shall attempt to reclaim control authority."
"Can you do it?"
"Leave it to me."
I didn't know what or how he could do something like that to Magias's core system, but if he could state it so definitively, it was worth leaving to him. If it went well, the benefits would be immeasurable.
As for the remaining assignments—
It was right then that a transmission from Garry came in.
'Hey, everyone! I found Wilhelm! He's scurrying around running through the tower's basement!'
"That was fast."
Amae-san muttered, a little taken aback.
It really was too fast.
Leaving it to Garry had definitely been the right call.
'Don't pursue too deeply yet; just keep sharing his location. I'll have Mercedes and Amae-san head over too.'
'Roooger that!'
"Once the three of you are together, coordinate and corner him. As for the combat command against Wilhelm—"
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of Mercedes.
Having guessed what I was about to say, she closed her eyes as if resigning herself to it.
"Mercedes, can I leave it to you?"
"...Very well. I seem to be the most suited for it, after all. I shall accept."
With this, almost all of our plans were set.
All that was left was Philie-san.
"I will remain here and continue treating the professor. I believe she will be able to move to a minimum degree in about five minutes. I don't need backup while treating her. I can protect myself."
"...Understood. Once you're done, rendezvous with the nearest professor or the Imperial Archmage Faculty."
"Roger. Walker-kun, everyone, please be careful."
Philie-san's interceptive magic was peerlessly powerful against living organisms.
I felt a little anxious, but for a short period, she would surely manage.
We had no choice but to leave dealing with the monsters to the others.
For those of us whose output seemed unchanged, striking at the root of the problem to turn the tide was the most cost-effective approach right now.
And then—
"Luluck. Did you hear Garry?"
'Attention faculty members~! The culprit is currently moving through the basement! The culprit is in the basement! Anyone who can afford to, please move to apprehend him!'
That was about all we could publicize for now.
All we could do was repeat the broadcast until the situation was resolved.
"Alright, everyone start moving. Share necessary details through Luluck."
Everyone nodded in unison.
Every single one of them had a look of determination.
A lot had happened this past month, but I strongly felt that I still wanted to continue my student life with everyone here.
Then we just had to put an end to it.
To this ridiculous attack.
"We're flying."
Gerald activated a spell formula, and at the same time, my body floated into the air.
Defying gravity, we accelerated toward the Central Tower and into the sky.