Chapter 87: Aftermath
SHATTER!!!
The barrier erupted in a blinding explosion of radiant light, sending shockwaves rippling through the air.
Melissia’s head snapped up, her eyes immediately locking onto the beams of light streaking toward her.
Here she comes.
Just as Melissia thought, Elva appeared in front of her, hovering gracefully. Her voice was calm but confusion flickered across her face as she asked, "How are you here?"
Hearing that question, something inside Melissia snapped.
The simmering frustration she had buried earlier surged back with renewed fury as she shouted, "How could you leave me alone at the top of the barrier like that?! Do you even know what I had to go through just to get down?!"
Elva, upon hearing that, visibly froze for a moment. Her eyes scanned the area as if trying to change the topic, but by now, the other instructors had already started tending to the injured students and carrying them off toward the infirmary.
"Cough"
A small cough escaped from Elva’s lips.
She definitely forgot about me, didn’t she?
Melissia thought with frustration.
Before Elva could speak, a member of the medical department arrived at her side, unintentionally saving her from the awkward moment.
"Vice Principal," the healer reported calmly, "most of the children are unconscious, but there’s no immediate threat to their lives. Some are injured—it seems they put up a fight before being taken down—but..."
"But what?" Elva interjected, her voice cool but heavy with seriousness.
"There is one student whose injuries are severe but healing is not working on her. Her condition is worsening with every passing moment, and despite our best efforts, nothing seems to be working. At this point, all we can do is delay the inevitable."
Elva remained silent for a moment, her expression unreadable, and then she asked quietly, "Name?"
"Huh?"
"The name of the student," Elva repeated, this time slower, her voice weighed down by expectation.
"Um... It’s Elysia Moonglow."
The name struck something within Elva.
She took a long breath, then slowly exhaled, visibly calming herself.
Relief flickered in her eyes—not because the girl was safe, but because she wasn’t one of the Saint’s children. Had it been one of them, the entire academy could’ve been staring down the barrel of annihilation.
"Do everything in your power to keep her alive. If saving her isn’t an option, then delay her death as long as possible. We’ve already dispatched a message to the Saints. Saint Myra should be returning soon—there’s still a chance she might be able to save the girl."
"Yes, ma’am," the healer replied quickly before departing to carry out her orders.
Melissia, who had quietly listened to the entire exchange, remained rooted in place. Her expression gave away nothing, but her mind was racing.
I don’t like Elysia... but I don’t want her to....die.
Her thoughts were broken when Elva turned back toward her and asked, "So, what happened to the attacker? Did you see who it was? Any clue where they might be now?"
Melissia opened her eyes, her voice composed as she replied, "I don’t know. By the time I arrived, everyone was already unconscious. There were no signs of an attacker."
"I see," Elva said after a short pause. "In that case, your part here is done. If you want to check in on your friends, you can do so after they’ve received proper treatment in the infirmary."
Just as Elva turned away, her eyes caught a glimpse of Ash, who was lying behind Melissia on the ground.
His bare chest was exposed, showing his lean muscles, it was hard to believe he was a student of magic department.
What stood out to her was a small glass bottle lying beside him—empty and unmistakably that of a high-grade healing potion.
"You gave him a high-rank healing potion?" Elva asked, her brow slightly raised.
Melissia turned her head, following her gaze, and her eyes widened in shock.
How... how did he heal this quickly?!
What she didn’t know was that the healing potion she gave him had managed to flush out a portion of the demonic energy buried deep within his body.
That, in turn, had allowed the Rune of Life inside him to activate its power.
Though he now appeared perfectly fine on the surface, inside, his condition was still dire—both his mana cores were cracked, and his internal organs were badly damaged.
But slowly, the Rune of Life was working to restore him from within.
"T-that... I-I... I did... he was... really injured," Melissia stammered, her words tumbling out of her mouth, her brain still trying to process everything.
Listening to her stumble through her explanation, Elva smiled softly and asked in a teasing tone, "Oh? So you gave such a precious potion to a badly injured boy?"
Melissia nodded her head rapidly like a duck, her entire face flushing red in embarrassment.
Elva giggled, her usual playful laugh returning, "Hihihihi... I see. Well then, off you go. We’ll begin the investigation soon."
Her light tone and laughter returned as soon as she knew the children were safe—for the most part.
***
The aftermath of the demon attack was something the Academy could never fully control, no matter how desperately they tried.
The news of the attack spread across the public like wildfire, sending shockwaves through society.
It was a stunning revelation—after all, this was the first time since the founding of Starlight Academy that such an assault had occurred.
At first, no one knew the identity of the attacker. The mystery lingered until the brave students who had fought back began to speak, describing the creature’s appearance and its unknown origins.
With that, the world was introduced to demons—an entirely new species.
Panic took hold of the public. The very idea of these otherworldly beings emerging out of nowhere to attack the academy was terrifying.
If the demons were targeting the Academy, they were undoubtedly a threat to everyone.
In an attempt to calm the growing unrest, the Association was forced to release limited details about the demons. But even that wasn’t enough to quell the fear.
The tension only grew, spreading like a storm that couldn’t be contained.
Then, just when the fear reached its peak, the Saints returned.
"Don’t worry about the demons. We will handle it."
Their tone wasn’t kind or comforting—it was sharp and cold, like a absolute order.
And yet, that one statement had more impact than any explanation the Association could have given. The public, who had been screaming for answers just moments before, went silent.
In the presence of these towering figures—humanity’s peak powerhouses—what could anyone say? The public, once rife with fear and uncertainty, had no choice but to swallow their anxiety, bow their heads, and retreat to the safety of their homes.
***
"Demons..."
Saint Alice, the Head of all the Adventurer Guilds across the continent, muttered the word as she crouched down, her eyes narrowing while she examined the dried blood stains on the marble floor.
"It’s definitely those demons. There’s no doubt in my mind."
Her calm but sharp tone barely finished when an explosion of rage echoed through the hall.
"HOW DARE THOSE FUCKING DEMONS TOUCH MY CHILD!!!"
Saint Maelis erupted, his voice booming with fury. He stood trembling as he thought about Irvin’s wounded body lying on the medical stretcher nearby.
The thought alone made his blood boil—his instincts screamed for vengeance.
"If I ever get my hands on them—I’ll crush their skulls with my bare hands until their brains splatter across the goddamn floor!"
His aura flared dangerously, filling the entire space with burning pressure.
Nichole sighed and looked toward another figure.
"Lydia, you’ve been quiet. Your daughter Lyra was hurt too."
Saint Lydia was trembling. Not from weakness, but from the sheer restraint it took to keep her emotions in check. Her body was rigid, her lips pressed into a tight line.
"If I had arrived a moment too late and something had happened to her... I would have lost control. I swear, I would have stormed the Demon Realm myself and slaughtered them all without a second thought."
Her voice was low and trembling, every syllable shaking with suppressed fury. Even the air around her was beginning to distort slightly from the magic flaring beneath her skin.
Saint Myra, the mother of Grace, gave a small sigh beside her and placed a hand on her chest.
"My child was injured too... But I’m just thankful she’s still alive. If anything had happened to her... I don’t even want to imagine what I would’ve done."
Then she smiled faintly, a cold edge in her tone. "The demons wouldn’t have survived the night."
"It would have been hell for the demons then," Saint Lucan Ravencroft commented in a low tone, barely above a murmur.
"What did you just say?" Myra turned sharply toward him, her eyes narrowing.
"I didn’t say anything," Lucan replied quickly, his expression neutral, though the twitch at the corner of his mouth betrayed the smirk he was trying to hide.
"Hmph! You’re only acting this calm because your child wasn’t hurt," Myra shot back with a sharp tone. "Otherwise, knowing your temper, you probably would’ve reduced the entire academy to ashes."
Lucan lifted his chin slightly, his pride showing as he answered, "I would never go that far. And you should remember—if not for my daughter Melissia, the rescue operation might have been delayed even longer. You should be grateful to her."
The proud glint in his eyes made that last line all the more evident.
"If my daughter was harmed, I would’ve turned this entire region into a wild forest," Lydia muttered.
"I would’ve called down meteors and wiped the whole area off the map," Myra added without hesitation.
"I would’ve sunk the earth and buried it all," Maelis declared, still fuming.
As the Saints casually discussed large-scale destruction, Saint Nichole—the Principal of the Academy—stood on the side, staring blankly at them.
Was it really a good decision to admit the children of these lunatics?
But now, it was far too late for regrets.
"Enough."
A calm voice sliced through the chaos like a blade. Instantly, everyone fell silent.
It was Saint Mark Ashwood—the Head of the Human Association. The strongest Saint among them. His words carried the authority of a king and the weight of absolute respect.
Even the most hot-headed of them dared not argue.
"Demons have now begun targeting the next generation—the future of humanity. And what are the so-called guardians of this world doing? Bickering like children."
His sharp gaze swept across each one of them.
"I understand your pain. Your children were hurt, and that pain cuts deeper than any sword. But they are alive. They were protected. They returned. And that, in itself, is a miracle. Especially considering how dangerous demons truly are."
His voice grew colder with every word, laced with undeniable truth.
Alice finally broke the silence again, her tone calm but serious.
"He’s right," Saint Alice chimed in, standing up and brushing her knees off. "I checked the traces in the hall—there was clear evidence that a portal had been used. The demons managed to escape through it."
"But the real question is," she added, her expression tightening, "why didn’t they kill anyone? Even after breaching the academy, not a single child was killed. That’s very unlike demons."
"Exactly. Seeing the extent of injuries on the students... it’s hard to believe that none of them were fatally harmed," Nichole added, his voice quieter now, laced with suspicion and unease.
Mark’s brow furrowed slightly. "Did you find anything else?"
Alice nodded.
"Yes. While examining the blood samples in the hall, I discovered one that didn’t belong to any of the students or instructors. And it definitely doesn’t match the demonic blood either."
"So... what are you implying?" Lucan asked, his gaze sharpening.
"I believe someone else was there—someone unknown. When everyone was unconscious, this person must have arrived and fought off the demons, protecting the children until the barrier weakened. That’s likely when the demons fled through the portal."
Lucan’s eyes widened, but he didn’t argue.
"That’s... hard to believe, but I admit, it’s the only explanation that makes sense."
Mark folded his arms, his expression unreadable.
"It’s not impossible," he said after a pause.
"But don’t you think that’s a bit too strange?" Maelis asked. "From what I heard, even Elva got ejected by the barrier when she tried to help. Are you really suggesting that someone even stronger than her was inside during the attack?"
Lydia rolled her eyes. "No, you idiot. What it means is that someone weaker than Elva was already inside the barrier when it activated. They held out against demons long enough for the children to survive. Honestly, even I’m finding that hard to accept."
The room fell into a heavy silence. None of them had answers.
They didn’t know that the unknown blood belonged to Ash. And because of the Rune of Concealment he possessed, Alice couldn’t match it to any existing sample.
Just then, Nichole finally spoke up, his tone careful.
"Do you all remember the boy I told you about? Ray."
Mark raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, what about him?"
"I told you he encountered a demon inside the dungeon. He nearly died... but he said someone saved him. Someone called ’Unknown.’"
Myra gasped.
"Wait... You don’t mean—"
"Yes," Nichole confirmed with a nod. "Ray said he felt a brief presence of his figure before losing consciousness."
"You’re not saying..." Lydia whispered, her voice trembling with shock.
Everyone turned silent again.
Lucan finally spoke.
"You’re telling me that the one who protected the children... was UNKNOWN?"
Nichole didn’t answer immediately. He looked at them all and said,
"There’s a chance."
No one spoke after that.
Because if it was true...
Then the thief they branded a criminal, the one they hunted... might be the one who saved their children’s lives.
And that kind of truth—
Was dangerous.
***