Chapter CXLVI - A Game of Chess (part 2)

Lately I have been spending too much time thinking about what I should be doing instead of doing anything. I really am bored here, am I?

Then I decided to go to the healing magic club. Everyone else should be in the class right now, so I have the whole club room for myself.

I went to the club's building and bought some drinks from the small stall owned by some club on the first floor. 

Some clubs opened shopping stalls to get more money to support their club. Unlike my healing magic club where money was fairly easy to get since we are important to the academy, other clubs weren't exactly supported and were forced to get their own income, by selling stuff or using other fair methods.

I really do pity those clubs, but seeing what kind of clubs they are, I regretted pitying them.

I mean, really… A nature club, in an academy only for magicians? I don't think that makes sense.

After buying the drinks from the stalls I went up by flight to my dorm room. Recently the amount of people being able to fly in the academy has increased by a lot due to some special classes by the teachers, so everyone is now felt normal by students flying everywhere.

Well, those are the classes where I have to attend as the teacher's assistants.

Miss Malindey recently invited me to a junior's year class as an assistant. It was the same as teaching the class E students back in our first semester, only now I couldn't use all my methods because of academy rules.

Because sometimes, my methods are a bit cruel.

Yes… 'Sometimes'.

I inserted the key to the club room and went inside. I made sure to lock the room right after I entered.

I threw the key to the table on the living room and slapped my body on the sofa while staring at the ceilings.

There's nothing much on the ceilings, but it seems very interesting all of the sudden.

My brain still hurts after The Great Board War against the headmaster. I played with him seven times today, and yet I couldn't even beat him once. His tactics are always so great and new every time I play with him, but I can tell that I am getting better too.

Hmm, I wonder if Hod will be able to beat him…

I took out a certain item from my space ring, and it is the communication crystal that belonged to my old squad. I know that there is a clear limit to the coms crystal, and it obviously won't be able to call anyone from here.

I just missed them... Too bad we are no longer a team now.

I wonder how they are doing. They are no longer adventurers, and it has been one and a half years since I last saw them. I wonder how successful each of them has become now…

I placed it back on my ring and I closed my eyes. At the time I was so engrossed in daydreaming, that I didn't realize the presence of enmity around me.

"!?"

I didn't realize it until it was too late.

KLANK!

A sound of a can falling down and rolling on the floor can be heard from the deeper parts of the club room. I opened my eyes and turned my head towards the floor, where a single can is slowly making its way towards me from the other room.

What the-

BWOOOSSHH!!!!

The whole room immediately became engulfed in green smoke. I quickly stood up while trying not to breathe the gas in, but a little bit had already entered my lungs.

I can feel my lungs burning while my consciousness is fading very quickly, but I bit my lips to keep me awake. As blood fell to the floor, my mouth opened wide as I shouted.

 "Who is there!?"

I shouted towards the door, but no reply came from there.

The gas that entered my lungs is really burning. I tried healing it with healing magic, but it didn't work. 

I tried casting a shadow magic to destroy this entire room… 

Nothing happened.

Somehow, my magic didn't work.

Panicking, I demanded my hand to cast flames everywhere and just cause havoc.

And yet…

Nothing happened, I'm just choking from the lack of breathing.

… Anti-magic… gas?

It's a combination of it with sleeping gas, which is why my consciousness is fading at a rapid state.

A really… powerful sleeping gas…

While I was busy figuring out what was going on, a shadow moved out from the door I was shouting at and ran around the room. I quickly jumped back to dodge an attack from the opponent, but he suddenly popped in front of me really quick.

He is wearing a gas mask, and he can use his magic easily.

BAKKK!!!!

A kick landed on my face, fully augmented with lightning magic. I got thrown all the way to the other side of the room.

My hand is no longer covering my mouth and nose, and I am breathing the gas in. While my consciousness is fading, I can see multiple shadows loom over me. They are all wearing gas masks, and they don't wear the academy's uniforms.

Even though my consciousness is fading, I still have the unwavering emotions inside. My body slowly stood back up, and the guy in front of me watched as I poured all of my rage into my body.

"Phew… what a badass."

BAKK!!!!!

I can stand, and I can move. But, I'm not fast enough to fight a capable lightning mage who can enchant his whole body with lightning magic.

The kick landed nicely on my stomach, and I finally lost all strength. Not only was it very strong, but the lightning enchantment caused a heavy shock to my entire body, removing any bit of energy that was left on my muscles.

This is… so lame…

Now that I am sleeping on the ground, the guy turned behind him, to another guy who was also in the room.

"Now what, boss?"

"Cuff her. You know what she is capable of."

The guy who kicked me asked the fat guy behind him, and another guy who I didn't even sense existed in the room moved in to cuff my hands with anti-magic handcuffs. 

The sound of clicking can be heard, marking that my hands have been cuffed. 

My consciousness is fading even faster as my body is being lifted and taken away.

"No…"

I muttered, but it was so soft that no one could hear it. 

In the end, I got taken away by some random people that managed to sneak into the academy. 

 And no one saw it happening.

.

.

.

 "Rize, we are here!"

Manda knocked the door loudly, and yet no one was answering.

"Do you think she is asleep?"

Right next to her is the junior member of the healing magic club. Manda shook her shoulder, answering the question of her dear junior.

She took out a key and opened the door, only to get her nose stuck with the extreme smell inside the room.

"Ugh, what is this smell?-"

Her eyes turned wide the moment she glanced at the room. She ignored the smell completely and entered the room to see even closer.

The junior was quite annoyed by the smell, but then he decided to enter the room anyway. And just like Manda, he turned into shock immediately.

The room was in ruins. The sofas are snapped in half while the bookshelf at the end of the room looks like someone has crashed into it.

Certainly, a fight has happened here.

And that… wasn't the worst part.

"H-Hey… This can't be real, right?"

Manda mumbles as she studies the wall right above the broken sofa. The junior also read the content in pure shock. The two had no idea that something like this would happen.

A writing, painted with blood, was made right on the wall.

'If you want her alive, bring Julius Polaris to the northern mountains. We will be waiting for the next three days.'

After reading the writing that was painted with blood, Manda quickly dashed out of the club room and activated her wind wings. She flew at high speed towards the middle building to report about the situation to the headmaster. But since the headmaster isn't here, she has to make do with his assistant.

Plauren quickly panicked when he heard about it, and decided to send the DC members to investigate. He also contacted the headmaster who is in an important meeting with the higher ups of the kingdom.

The headmaster returned to the academy immediately, along with the arch-mage. The two then quickly head to the club room that is now guarded by the DC members to prevent anyone from entering.

After seeing the words on the walls, they are sure that the one causing this is the same person who sent mutants all around the city. 

After all, only one person would suggest a meeting on the northern mountain, where their base was located.

Astar Besmar.