"Hey, who do you think you are, daring to interfere with the trial?" said an overwhelming voice.
The moment they heard it, Aren and everyone present felt excruciating pain.
The presence of that being—whether human or monster—was so overwhelming that they could barely breathe.
The chimera remained expressionless.
Then it looked directly into the being's eyes.
BOOM!
The chimera's entire body slammed into the ground under the pressure directed at it.
"And you even dare look me in the eyes."
No one could tell who it was, because even lifting their heads to look was impossible for them, at least at their current level.
"K… Kayla, I have to protect her," Aren said, trying to stand up.
He felt the danger weighing down on them, but he also knew there was nothing he could do.
Should he give up?
"As if I'd do that," Aren muttered.
"G… Give up?"
"I… I'll fight."
He tried to stand.
The Headmistress noticed him.
— Oh?
Then she slightly increased her pressure.
Not on Aren.
On the entire area.
And even then, Aren kept getting back up.
A smile appeared on the Headmistress's face.
— Oohh…
— Interesting.
'I think I overdid it,' she thought.
CLACK!
She snapped her fingers, and the pressure vanished.
Aren raised his head and finally saw the person.
"Scalia Gloryspell."
It was the Headmistress of Nerathis Academy.
Aren stood there, his face covered in blood, holding a broken sword.
One step.
Two steps.
Three steps.
His bloodshot eyes remained fixed on the chimera lying on the ground.
Scalia couldn't believe what she was seeing.
Aren might not have been the strongest, but his determination and fighting spirit gave her chills.
She flew down beside him, touched his shoulder, and said:
"It's fine, kid. Get some rest."
Aren immediately collapsed.
"Aren!" Stella shouted as she ran to him.
She was lightly injured, but otherwise fine.
She checked his pulse.
"He's alive," she said.
Kayla sighed in relief upon hearing Stella's words.
Then she turned toward Scalia, who placed a seal on the chimera and began chanting.
"Condensed Fireball," said Scalia.
FWOOOSH!
A huge red fireball appeared, then compressed itself into a small blue sphere.
She launched it into the sky.
CRACK!
The barrier shattered like glass breaking on the ground.
Stella and Kayla stood speechless.
As mages, they were stunned by such magic.
But they had no time to admire it.
They couldn't understand.
Why had she taken so long to come?
They had almost died.
Frustration filled them so much that words barely came out.
"W… Why are you only arriving now?" Stella finally asked.
Scalia didn't answer immediately.
Instead, she used healing magic to give first aid to Vali, Berm, Aren, and Ray.
'I can only provide first aid… and why is that one tied up? I have a feeling I'm going to have a lot of trouble later,' Scalia thought with a sigh.
"They're all seriously injured," Scalia replied.
"First of all, I offer my sincerest apologies. I promise that the academy will investigate this matter and provide a clear explanation."
"And how did you get inside? I thought there was a barrier," Kayla asked.
Scalia examined Kayla and Stella's conditions, pouring mana into her eyes.
'Their depleted mana isn't recovering normally,' she thought.
After finishing the first treatments on the unconscious ones, she walked over to them.
"Your mana reserves are empty. They'll recover very slowly."
Then she continued:
"To answer your question…"
"I had trouble with that barrier myself."
Stella's expression darkened.
So did Kayla's.
Even knowing that Scalia herself had been blocked didn't change the fact that they had nearly died.
Scalia sighed.
— Alright, alright… don't look at me like that.
She put her hands on her hips.
— If I could've come sooner, I would've. I may be amazing, beautiful, and absolutely brilliant, but I'm not omniscient.
Stella stood speechless.
Kayla blinked several times.
— Beautiful? Stella repeated.
— Of course! said Scalia with a satisfied smile. Can't you see this perfect beauty?
Then she placed a hand on her cheek.
— Ah… being this beautiful is truly a curse.
Stella remained silent.
Kayla tilted her head slightly.
— Headmistress… I can't see.
— Ah.
Scalia froze for a second.
Then she coughed.
— Minor detail.
At that moment, several professors finally arrived.
— Headmistress!
— We've secured the surroundings!
— Are the injured still alive?
Scalia waved her hand.
— Yes, yes. Hurry up. Take these ones.
She pointed at Berm, Ray, Vali, and Aren.
— That one lost an arm.
— That one has so many fractures that just looking at him makes my back hurt.
— That one is covered in blood.
Then she looked at Aren.
— And that one…
She crouched beside him.
— That one is a real monster.
One professor asked:
— Which one?
— The one with the broken sword.
— Ah, him.
— Yes. Make sure he doesn't die. I still have things I want to ask him.
Stella hurried over.
— Wait! I'm going with Aren!
— Me too, Kayla said.
Scalia looked at the two of them.
— You two can barely walk. Stop trying to play heroines.
Then she pointed at two female professors.
— Take them as well.
— Yes, Headmistress.
As the professors carried away the injured, Scalia turned back toward the sealed chimera.
Her eccentric smile disappeared.
She observed the monster for several seconds.
Then she murmured:
— A chimera capable of manipulating such a strange power…
She closed her eyes.
— And a barrier capable of holding me back…
When she opened them again, her gaze had turned icy.
— You were just a pawn, huh?
She raised her head toward the sky.
Then an amused smile returned to her face.
— Ahhh… what a headache.
— I'm going to have to work…
— What a tragedy.
She crossed her arms.
— Well!
— I just hope they left some tea in my office.
And thus…
On the twelfth day of the fourteen-day survival trial…
It came to an end.
Much earlier than expected.