826 Fear In The Dark
The survivors of Group 2 were less than ten percent of their initial total number.
This spoke volumes regarding just how many of them had been slaughtered by the effects of a war they hardly knew anything about. Fear clawed at their hearts as they navigated their way in the near pitch black tunnels buried underground… their sights set on the only person who could help them now.
—Instructor Kar'eena!
She was the only staff left among the survivors, and she was also the sole reason any of them were alive at the moment.
If they had chosen to flee by air, the enemies would have gunned them down. Right now, the only option available to them was to crawl through the tunnels made by Kar'eena's magic like moles—desperate moles.
It was humiliating, but none of the Dragons were very concerned about that.
They just wanted to survive.
The screams and wailings of their classmates or colleagues kept ringing in the ears of the fortunate Dragon Students, and many of them shivered as they hurriedly trailed behind their dear instructor.
What would happen next? Would they be safe? Just what fate awaited them outside the tunnels?
The students had every right to be anxious about it all.
There were barely fifty of them left, after all.
"Haa… haa…" Lucielle found herself breathing a little heavier than she expected as she had the wounded Mi'ja behind her.
Her face displayed a mix of emotions—all of which were obscured by the darkness that surrounded most of the students.
'What the hell am I doing?'
She should have left Mi'ja to die, but ended up saving her. As if that wasn't enough, she was still catering for her as they made their way forward.
'There's no use, is there? Why am I doing all of this for her?' She asked herself, not liking the answers that seemed to be the most obvious.
'In any case, this is really something…'
One good look around, and Lucielle could barely see any of her classmates around. Other than Ad'oni and Mi'ja, there really weren't any others left.
'... They're all dead.'
The same could be said for the other classes, which made it clear why everyone's mood was so heavy in the darkness around them.
No one said a thing, and they just obediently followed Kar'eena's lead.
Hence, absolute silence reigned.
At least, until the Instructor spoke with a stern tone.
"We'll be reaching the surface now. I'm nearly out of Mana, and I believe you all need some rest too…"
No one could fault the Instructor for saying this. Not only was she creating a tunnel wide enough for everyone to pass through using Advanced Earth Magic, but she was also using Wind Magic to supply everyone with fresh air while regulating the temperature around.
Finally, she was utilizing her Sensory Skills to look out for any incoming threats in order to protect the students.
Everything was being done by her and her alone.
All of this was not even counting the fact that she must have been worn out herself by the deaths of her colleagues and the students in her care. Despite experiencing all of this tragedy, she remained strong and performed her duties.
'An admirable trait…' Lucielle caught herself thinking along these lines before quickly rebuking herself for having such thoughts.
She noticed Ad'oni looking at her strangely for a moment, which made her even more upset.
'I can't wait for all of this to be over.'
***************
~CRAAACK!~
The earth shattered apart, causing debris to fly in multiple directions as a large circular hole formed on its surface.
Emerging from this hole were the fifty or so students, all of them being led by their able Instructor and Supervisor. Their faces depicted relief at the sight of the bright afternoon sun, though the disheveled state they were in made it difficult to see.
They had been walking in darkness for hours, hungry and exhausted, but it was finally time to rest.
Kar'eena observed all of this from the corner of her eyes and made a sad smile.
'Poor kids… no, I shouldn't think that way.'
In the eyes of this woman, they weren't merely weaklings that garnered her pity, but strong ones that deserved respect. Since she couldn't sense any of the enemies, and they were a long way from the place that they were attacked, she could only conclude that they had lost their attackers.
'Hopefully, we can make it to the Giant War Base before the day runs out. We'll have to fly for the rest of the journey, but I'm not sure if they're up for it.'
All the students were exhausted, so she wasn't sure if they could handle flying. Even if they did manage to make it to the sky, how long would they be able to maintain flight?
She didn't—no, couldn't—know.
'Still… we're way behind schedule as it is. We have to move forward, or else…' As she was having these thoughts, she witnessed many of the students collapse to the ground in sheer exhaustion.
'O-on the second thought… perhaps finding something for them to eat comes first.'
Before she could make up her mind, though…
"So this is where you all were."
… A voice came down to them from the sky above.
"W-wha—?!"
~BOOOOOOMMM!!!~
The sudden descent of the source of those words caused the air itself to tremble, and the ground shattered apart as a result.
In an instant, even the drowsy Dragons were wide awake, and they all fled away from the area of impact. They all regrouped, looking as frightened as they could as the smoke began to clear and two silhouettes appeared from the crater.
"We would have had some trouble if it wasn't for your Magic, Belle…" The male voice echoed out loud, sending even more shivers down the spine of everyone.
As the duo appeared from the smoke, two young humans made themselves known to the cowering Dragons.
"Well, what can I say?" The female referred to as Belle said with a wide smile. "I'm just that good."
As the two made their stance against the group of Dragons, they showed no worry, fear, or regard in the slightest.
The only thing present on their faces was amusement.
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[A/N]
We start a new month tomorrow, and I'll do my best to Mass Release. I also plan to me a lot more consistent now that my exams are over. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and I will do my best to improve the quality as much as I can.