64. My New Treasure

※Below was translated by Sephallia. Thank you very much.

※Told from Rei Taylor’s perspective.

Turning back the clock, I remained behind at the Teleportation Facility in Bauer. Alea had left, and I now stood alone against a horde of monsters, fighting to protect the gate behind me. I was confident that Alea was strong enough to take care of whatever awaited on the other side, so long as she made it through. I was aware Lily had already made it over as well, so those two should be able to handle it even if things got a bit dicey.

And well, I doubt there’d be any problems with their teamwork now.

“But really, aren’t there just way too many!?”

The horde of monsters that surrounded me only grew in number. Snakes, moles, wolves, crows… the monsters came in all shapes and sizes. Some of them were amorphous, taking shapes that weren’t at all familiar. As I’d managed to stand my ground in front of the entrance, I don’t think any of the monsters had made it inside, but with these numbers it was only a matter of time.

“Let’s cull the herd… Judecca!”

Water elemental magic, Judecca. A spell available only to those who possess an extreme affinity for water magic. The spell practically guzzles one’s magic in order to flash freeze a large area. When combined with Earth Spike, it would become the chain spell Cocytus, but as I was trying to conserve my magic, I only cast the first part. The monsters in its range had literally frozen in place.

“That should buy me some time to… guess not.”

More monsters flooded in through the gaps between the frozen monsters. Even though each individual monster was no big deal, they had sheer quantity on their side. I’d already spent a fair amount of my magic creating a barrier to protect any stragglers still on their way into the facility, so if things continued this way it was only a matter of time before they broke through.

“But nope, not on my watch. My students are relying on me.”

As an adult and as their teacher, I had an obligation to guarantee their safety. I couldn’t be sure just how long my magic reserves would hold out, but if I held on for as long as I could… surely help would come.

All that was left was to do it.

“Pitfall!”

A gaping hole formed, swallowing countless monsters. Just as its namesake suggested, pitfall was a simple spell that formed a trap hole. Restricting myself to using simpler spells like that would likely be the key in this battle of attrition. It was all about efficiency.

I also used Uplift, a spell that raised dirt to surround and trap monsters within earth walls, while using very simple attack magic, magic bullets, to thin their ranks when necessary. Making use of all that I’d learned since coming to this world, I found creative ways to hold back the horde while conserving magic.

However, the monsters showed no mercy.

The earthen walls I made were torn to shreds by their ferocious fangs and claws. Even though I tried to pick them off with magic bullets, their numbers only seemed to increase. It was the polar opposite of our battle against the Demon Queen. She stood at the pinnacle of magic, overwhelming us with her individual prowess, but the sheer scale of this unrelenting horde brought about a different kind of fear. It almost felt as though I stood in the way of a tsunami that threatened to wash everything away.

“I won’t give up… I wont… but this is… a little tough…”

Just how long had I held out for? Covered in wounds, I felt a little woozy from the bloodloss. On top of that, my magic was just about dry as well.

My vision seemed to narrow as everything grew dark. My hearing faded and everything seemed to sound distant. This wasn’t good.

At that exact moment, the monsters’ fierce advance came to a halt.

『You’ve really stuck it out. Quite the tough one aren’t you, for a human that is. I suppose this much is to be expected from one hailed as one of the world’s Ten Saviors.』

The horde of monsters very slightly parted, allowing the owner of the voice to come through.

While fur covered her body, the general outline was curved and looked feminine. Her muscles were well defined but I could sense a flexibility like that of a carnivorous beast. Two horns protruded out from her purple hair, and a pair of bat-like wings from her back. Her languid wings softly fluttered in the wind.

“A demon…”

『Quite right. A pleasure to meet your acquaintance, Rei Taylor.』

The demon gave me a dramatic bow. Her mouth remained still even as she spoke, so she seemed to be communicating through something like telepathy. Her unchanging expression reminded me of a noh mask.

“Are you the mastermind behind this attack?”

『There’s no point in asking such a question, it’s meaningless as you’ll soon part from this world.』

“Well, I for one don’t intend to die so easily?”

『Not very convincing when you’re already covered in wounds. Aren’t you long past your limits?』

While it frustrated me, she was right

“You see, I actually have reinforcements on the way.”

『Oh, you do. In that case, I suppose I should hurry and dispose of you. After all, you and Claire François are both rather troublesome.』

My bluff had no effect either.

『We do not possess the ultimate power that our Demon Queen did, but as you’ve seen we possess overwhelming strength in numbers. Then, I’ll be watching to see just how long you can hold out.』

The demon raised one arm, gesturing for the monsters to resume their advance. I desperately persevered despite being on the verge of being overrun. When my body screamed at me, telling me that it was done, I spurred myself on barely keeping my knees from buckling.

(Huh…? Just what am I fighting so desperately for anyway?)

Come to think of it, I was always the kind of person that was fine so long as I was with Claire. Everything else came second to that. But somehow, in this situation where Claire wasn’t even with me, I was struggling on the verge of death against this horde of monsters.

I used the dregs of magic I had left to repair the crumbling earth walls and counterattack with magic bullets.

(I mean I could just run. So why?)

What was it? There was something. Something aside from Claire, aside from just myself, something that I had to protect.

My magic was completely dry. As though sensing that, the monsters gathered for a desperate charge. A corner of the walls I’d made to protect the entrance to the teleportation facilities began to crumble.

No… Behind there are my precious―

Just then a barrage of magic bullets seemingly shot from inside the facilities took down a few of the monsters leading the pack

“Rei-sensei, we’ll fight too!”

“Yuria…”

Looking in the direction of the voice, I saw Yuria, an exchange student from the Naa Empire as well Alea and Mei’s childhood friend, brandish her wand.

“Remember what we’ve learned in class! We’re taking formation!”

“Is there anyone that can use healing magic!? Rei-sensei’s hurt!”

“There’s a lot of them! Make sure to fight conserving your magic!”

The students that I had to protect rushed out from the facility one after another to join the fight. Their inexperience showed, but even then, I could see what we’d taught them shine through.

Ah, of course. My students weren’t the kind to just sit there and be protected. These girls were strong. They could fight and protect themselves.

Seeing their vigor as my students fought to protect me, to protect themselves, I felt myself tearing up.

And then,

“Good job holding out, now leave the rest to me.”

With that the monsters right in front of me were swallowed in flames. Then, monster after monster burned to ash. Even the demon who had appeared to be leading the horde seemed to be caught by surprise, turning to face the source of the magic.

Ah, the tears had blurred my vision, but even then I could tell exactly who that was.

“Cl… aire…”

The last of my remaining strength gave out, and before I realized it, Claire was supporting me.

“Take this. It’s a superior recovery potion.”

Perhaps noticing I didn’t even have the strength to respond, Claire drank the potion. She linked her lips with mine, transferring the potion to me mouth-to-mouth. I felt a new strength surging within me. While the potion was potent I felt much better than what the potion’s effects would naturally allow.

“Thanks Claire. Honestly I was in trouble.”

“I wanted to get here faster but… No, we'll talk about that after we take care of this.”

When I nodded, Claire firmly stood before glaring at the demon.

“You’re the one responsible for Rei’s condition, aren’t you? Then I’m sure you’re ready to face the consequences.”

『You must be Claire François. I’m aware of your strength, but do you really think you can turn the tide against our numbers?』

The demon seemed to scoff as she spoke. The sheer quantity of her horde was formidable. Even now after our students had joined the fight and Claire had rushed to my side, it was likely only a matter of time before we were overrun.

“I just happen to be acquainted with someone very well suited to situations like this.”

『What…?』

The answer soon revealed itself.

“Come!”

A deep baritone echoed out. At that very moment, countless, no even that wasn’t enough to express the ridiculous numbers of flaming soldiers that spawned.

―Minions.

The flaming soldiers spawned from “his” magic outnumbered even the horde of monsters. They soon overwhelmed the monsters, burning them to dust. I thought his ability to be amazing even when I saw it during our time as students, but there was no possible comparison to the raw numbers I saw before me now.

“Sup, Rei. You’ve seen better days, huh.”

“Rodd-sama.”

There he was, wearing his usual confident grin. The Bauer Kingdom’s former first prince, Rodd Bauer. While he was unable to access high-tier magic, his raw magic capacity was what allowed him to overwhelm his opponents. The right arm he’d lost had been replaced with an artificial arm and he had a boorishly large broadsword slung behind his shoulder. Taking a closer look, I noticed a magic gem implanted onto the sword as well, so it likely also served as his wand.

“Well then, demon. Do you intend to keep this up? Hey, I haven’t really had the chance to let loose, so I’m down to clown.”

『Even Rodd Bauer… I suppose the odds are no longer favorable.』

With that, the demon retreated into the air.

“Do you really think we’d let you leave?”

『Of course not, at least not easily. However, have you checked in on your students?』

“!? Quick Rei, a barrier!”

I hastily formed a barrier to protect our students. The barrier formed just in time to block the black bullets she’d shot. The intention behind such an attack was obvious.

“You coward!”

『Call me whatever you’d like.』

With our attention momentarily diverted to our students, the demon had managed to retreat high into the sky.

“Hey, you, at least drop your name before you go.”

Rodd-sama screamed at the shrinking silhouette in the sky.

『My name is Yunu. It won’t be long before this world meets its end, but again, a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Well then, until next time.』

Leaving those words with us, Yunu flew away, disappearing from our sight entirely.

“… A shame she’s gone, but our situation here takes top priority.”

“Hey, did anyone get hurt?”

Fortunately, it seemed that none of the students had been hurt.

“Claire, Rodd-sama, thank you for coming to save me.”

“Please Rei, what are you saying, of course I’d come to your rescue.”

“She’s right, and honestly my bad not making it out sooner. Our army’s just been one step behind.”

According to Rodd-sama, the demons’ offensive was a multi-pronged attack across Bauer, no, across major countries all over the continent.

“Every country is scrambling to mount their defence. It really hurt that they took out the gates.”

“Right, even countries that weren’t directly attacked couldn’t send reinforcements…”

For the past few years now, the demons hadn’t caused any large incidents, but this had clearly been meticulously planned out. That seemed to be Rodd-sama’s read on the situation.

“First, we should get moving. ‘Course I’m worried about the kids that made it over, but they’re your students, right? Bet they’ll figure things out fine.”

Rodd-sama’s words could come off as irresponsible, but his words also revealed a trust in our instruction and their agency. I was, admittedly, a worrywart, but I knew that Lily was with the students on the other side, so I was sure she’d be able to handle things somehow.

Just as we decided that we’d continue our discussion back at the academy,

“! Why are you―”

Claire gasped in response to a sudden appearance. That silhouette belonged to―