Chapter 24

Jake felt his blood start to boil. His hours of effort in waiting for Amy were slighted like this.

“How dare a bitch like you…! Keuk!”

He closed his mouth shut and cowered in fear. Amy had already entered the Spirit Zone. Most likely in the Target Form of the Four Way Formation.

“‘How dare a bitch like you?’ To a guy who’s all bark and no bite, do I look that easy to you? If you’re that angry, why not just come at me? I’m willing to set you on fire right this instant.”

Jake ground his teeth. He was mistaken to think she was a model student who only devoted herself to studying. She used to also be a vicious girl who jumped from back alley to back alley.

“It’s against the rules to use magic at this time.”

“Wouldn’t you have used magic first? While warming up that civet cat or something.”

“You crazy! How is that the same as the Four Way Formation!”

"Haha!"

Amy couldn’t help but burst out laughing. At least he was only small fry. A small fry who gets scared once he finds out his opponent isn’t easy. Most of the men she met were like that.

"Do you know why I accepted Shirone's coffee? Because he seems to take responsibility for everything. Unlike you, who immediately resorts to using his family, he does everything he can before resorting to those methods. If you don't disappear from my sight, right now, I will set you on fire. I’ll burn you enough so that not even a trace of you will be left behind.”

Jake was certain. Those were not empty promises. The red eyes of the Karmis family, which he had only heard through rumors… Her large eyes were glowing red.

"If you kill me....”

"I don't care. I can take responsibility for what I do or do not do.”

Jake clenched his teeth hard. He had never felt so humiliated before.

However, in front of the pressure of the red-eyed girl, the world’s #1 good-for-nothing boy named Jake, had no choice but to step back.

He was already overpowered by Amy’s Four Way Formation. In the hands of the first-placed student in Class 4, he knew she wasn’t bluffing when she said she could burn him to nothingness.

"You will definitely pay for this, you haughty bitch!”

Jake gritted his teeth and strode out of the library. It was only after he disappeared from view that her red eye lost its glow. Amy, who staggered for a moment, rubbed her eyes and muttered.

"So annoying. What a snob.”

Instead of being able to go back to her room to rest, she had to instead waste her time arguing with a bastard. That fact was unbearably irritating to her because she knew that once enough time had passed, they would resort to the same underhanded tricks again.

She could not understand why all the guys clinging to her were all so equally despicable like that trash. She wondered if there was something wrong with her personality.

A short laugh escaped from Amy.

"Well, it’s true that there’s something wrong with it."

Amy suddenly felt sorry for Sirone.

* * *

Shirone, who had finally managed to escape Amy's clutches, was happy. Studying became more enjoyable when he realized how precious that 1 hour Amy took away was.

He had to suffer from people’s attention thanks to the scandal with a girl from the academy who was known to have the highest standards, but no one cared as much in the library. Their eagerness to study was the driving force behind why the Alpheus Magic Academy was in the top 5.

Finished with today’s classes, Shirone was on his way to the library while humming a tune. Then he saw a familiar face near the instructor’s lodging.

It was Amy's friend, Sharelle Portrisse. Shirone turned to the sight of her wandering around restlessly as if she was in a hurry to the bathroom.

Although they were only at a stage where they would greet each other during the integrated class, he personally found her amiable. Unlike Amy, who growled whenever he was in sight, she would always give words of support. Though, he still hasn't figured out what she was rooting for.

When Sharelle found Shirone walking towards her, her eyes widened. Then her face turned pale and she started running to him.

“Hel—”

"Hey! What are you doing here right now?”

Sharelle grabbed Shirone by the collar and shook him.

"Why are you here? If I knew about this, I wouldn't have sent Amy away!"

Shirone tilted his head. She should know that he goes straight to the library after class.

"What's going on? You have to tell me so I know."

"Read this! Did nothing really happen to you?”

Sharelle held out a crumpled paper. Shirone took it silently and unfolded it. It was a short warning message sent by a sender named Black Magician.

***

30 minutes ago.

A guy blocked Amy and Sharelle’s path as they were on their way to the library.

He was a Class 5 student who was held back for a long time and was currently over the age of 23. A year ago, they knew his name because he was in the same class, but they never had a conversation with him because he had a sly personality.

"Hello, I see that you're still on the roll."

Amy snorted along at the way he cunningly came up to her in a polite manner.

"Get out of my way. I'm busy. I have nothing to say to you."

"Ah, you can't be like that. I was once your classmate, but can’t you give me some of your time?”

"Am I the only classmate you have? There should be at least a few hundred other students who have gone through Class 5, so search for another.”

Although they were respectful to him because of his age, they could not hold back their tongues. They did not like the guy. Being a Class 5 meant he was not completely talentless, but he was distracted by things. Why would she hold a conversation with a human dog who was complacent and touched female lowerclassmen?

"Haha! I see you still have that kind of attitude, Amy."

Amy's face darkened.

"What? What did you just say?"

She only treated him neutrally because of his age, but now he was trying to climb to the top of her head. However, just as Amy was about to burst, the guy calmly handed over a note.

"Boss wants to see you. You'd better do as you're told if you don't want us to torment your prince."

“Prince? What are you talking about?”

Amy frowned and read the note.

‘We have Shirone. Come to the 14th training ground by 6 o'clock before we do something to him you won’t like. If you let the teachers know, we’ll make you regret it for the rest of your life, you decide.

Black Magician’

She crumpled the note immediately.

"So what? Shirone has nothing to do with me. But let's say he does have something to do with me, you think you can just start ordering me around?”

"Hoho, well that’s for you to decide. I'm just a messenger.”

The guy, who successfully completed his mission, put on a nasty smile and walked away.

Amy, whose anger soared to her head, threw the note to the floor. Sharelle picked up the note, her hands trembled after reading the contents.

Black Magician, an unidentified circle among students.

"Amy, what do we do? They are really evil. People say the reason Tyra dropped out last month was because of them."

"Tyra did?"

Tyra, a classmate of Class 4, was not at the level of Advanced Class, but she was a talented student who maintained at least a moderate grade to be in the Intermediate Class. So if they had actually threatened her, they must have come at her using cowardly tactics.

"I should go for now. It's because of me that Shirone was caught anyway."

"Let’s just talk to the teachers. I'm worried about Shirone too, but it might also get dangerous for you."

"Teachers? Hmm…”

Amy thought it over. Despite the bad blood between them, Shirone had a secret… Which was that he wasn’t exactly of nobility.

‘If this incident grows, rumors will spread throughout the academy, and Shirone's school life may come to an end.’

She was sure because she knew how the nobles felt towards anyone not of nobility.

"I'll go first. If I don't come back by 7 o'clock, then don’t hesitate to report to the teachers."

"What do you mean? We need to tell them right away”

"Sorry. There’s a reason why I’m doing this. I'll tell you everything when I get back, okay?"

When the always-so-confident Amy asked in this way, Sharelle did not know what to do. It was her first time ever seeing Amy like this.

"Then let’s go together. We don’t know how many there will be.”

"You should stay and get ready to call the teachers. Don't worry. Maybe the leader is Jake. He can't do anything to me with that thing he calls his talent.”

Sharelle knew Amy's brilliance better than anyone else. Although it was blocked by the barrier of the Advanced Class, the gap in the level between her and the rest of Class 4 was wide. Amy was a talented person who never lost her place as the lead.

"Okay, it's exactly one hour. If you don't come back by 7 o'clock sharp, I'm going to tell the teachers."

"Okay, I trust you. And don’t worry, I'll come back safe and sound."

* * *

Upon hearing the whole story from Sharelle, Shirone was bewildered. It was surprising enough that an unruly circle called the Black Magician existed, but to hear that Amy took the risk for him… That’s what truly surprised him.

"You're saying she went because of me, right? So why are you standing here, doing nothing?"

"I don't know either! Amy told me to wait no matter what. Why the hell are you here?!"

Shirone could somewhat understand. This one-hour delay was only placed because she was confident that she could solve it herself. Also, another reason for her action was her consideration in hopes to keep his secret. It was an excellent decision to leave her friend, Sharelle, as a messenger.

"I have to go! Please do as Amy said."

Shirone ran to the 14th training ground. There were 30 minutes left until 7 o’clock, but the distance was a problem. The 14th training ground was located deep in the mountains because it was a place for actual, real-life combat.

At that moment, the landscape suddenly shook and buildings quickly began to be pushed back in an instant. When he turned his head, he saw Sharelle hugging his side.

" You’re running? How long do you think that’s gonna take? Also, I’m going with you."

It was short-distance teleportation, a mage’s essential magic. It was prohibited to use it on campus because collisions between the teleporters could occur, but it was not the time to be thinking about that.

The students looked up as they heard the popping noises coming from the sound waves. Sharelle, who was holding Shirone, started teleporting away to the mountain, flashing at intervals of 10 meters each time.

Arriving at the entrance of the mountain, the two quickly climbed the mountain. Teleportation was extremely dangerous as one needed to be extremely precise because one could teleport into an object and die.

They arrived at the 14th training ground before 7 o’clock. But Amy was not in sight. In fact, they couldn't even feel any existences nearby.

"Amy! Amy! What happened?! Are you here?!”

"Maybe they took her somewhere else. I’m sure they took into account the possibility of someone reporting to the teachers since the location was exposed on the note. Or maybe we were fooled?"

"What now, what about Amy?”

Realizing the meticulousness of Black Magician, Shirone was convinced. They were really going to cause a huge problem this time around.

"Go down the mountain now and tell the teachers. You can go much faster without me."

"Amy told me to wait until 7 o'clock. She said there was a reason. What if Amy gets disappointed later?”

"And that reason is because of me, so just go! Quick! It doesn’t matter because I said I’m fine!"

Sharelle had a blank expression. She remembered the desperate face Amy had when she read the letter.

"Really? What’s going on with the two of you? Are you guys really not dating behind my back?"

"Is this really the time? Things will get dangerous if we waste any more time!"

"Ah, right! Okay! Stay here and don't go anywhere!"

Sharelle turned and went back the way they came. Anyway, there was no reason not to report to the teachers since telling them wouldn’t harm Amy in any way.

Shirone went into the mountains to search for Amy. Unlike those of nobility, he spent half his life in the mountains, so the dense forest was rather familiar.

His Spirit Zone was expanded as much as possible to check for any traces of Amy. After about 10 minutes of climbing the mountain, the first footstep was finally discovered through synesthesia.

‘They’re here!’

But there were no further traces. Based on how the bushes were trampled, he guessed that they flew into the sky.

Since Shirone didn’t know any magic, there was no way for him to find Amy. Worried and troubled, Shirone wandered around for a long time. Then at one point, a sound wave exploded in the sky. Shirone turned his head fast to the source of the sound.