Vol 4. Chapter 126: Anmutuโs Thoughts
"Awooooo??" (Big Sis??)
The sharp claws froze in midair.
The lizard-shaped Abyss Demon, which had originally intended to go on a killing spree, suddenly stood there in a daze, completely at a loss after sensing Lady Yumo's presence.
"......"
Silently gazing at the adorable little creature baring its fangs and brandishing its claws before her, Lady Yumo couldn't help but twitch her eyebrows slightly.
Uh...
What's going on here??
Lady Yumo had undoubtedly never expected an Abyss Demon to suddenly charge out in the middle of her lesson. In fact, because she had been concentrating so intently on figuring out how to introduce the next type of Abyss Demon to her students, Yumo hadn't paid much attention to her surroundings.
As a result, she only snapped back to her senses after the Abyss Demon had already rushed toward her.
However,
By the time she came to her senses, it was clearly too late.
Although she was quite curious about why an Abyss Demon that should have been locked up in the basement had suddenly broken free of its restraints and charged out, she certainly hadn't given this child any orders to enter a 'berserk state,' had she?
But regardless of the reason, Lady Yumo no longer had time to ponder that question.
The most pressing issue now was how she should 'deal with' this escaped Abyss Demon.
Hmmmm...
How about handling it like this...
After thinking at lightning speed for a moment, Lady Yumo met the enormous lizard-shaped Abyss Demon's blood-red eyes with a somewhat guilty expression.
A thought was immediately transmitted from the girl's mind into the Abyss Demon's consciousness through an almost imperceptible fluctuation of Shadow of Silence Power...
"Hey, play along for a bit."
"ROAAAR??!"
...
...
๐๐๐๐๐จ๐ฒ๐๐๐จ๐ฏ๐๐.๐๐ผ๐บ
The next instant, under the anxious gazes of the students, who were holding their breath, the black-haired girl suddenly leaped into the air!
Facing the Abyss Demon's 'brutal and bloodthirsty' roar, she launched a furious barrage of attacks against the creature...
After a thrilling, breathtaking, spectacularly epic battle, the enormous lizard-shaped Abyss Demon, standing approximately six meters tall, finally found itself unable to withstand Lady Yumo's fierce offensive any longer.
Letting out a 'mournful cry,' it performed a full three-hundred-and-sixty-degree spin, clutched the left side of its chest, and collapsed to the ground with a tremendous crash, 'falling unconscious.'
It even began foaming at the mouth...
After dusting off her hands and striking a pose to indicate that the job was done,
Lady Yumo turned her head somewhat awkwardly toward the crowd of stunned students behind her.
Then,
The black-haired girl smiled and waved her hand, pretending that she had just given the students a practical combat demonstration.
"Anyway... that's basically how you deal with them. Just like I said earlier... aim for the gills, and you'll be fine?... "
Looking at the dumbfounded students, Yumo gradually began to feel a little uneasy.
"Uh..."
After all, even Lady Yumo wasn't sure whether such a performance would be enough to fool these intelligent students.
Although there was undoubtedly nothing wrong with her fighting technique,
The fact that the Abyss Demon had briefly stopped right in front of her at the beginning was still rather difficult to explain.
After all, such behavior was completely inconsistent with the Abyss Demons' usual attacking instincts...
What if they kept asking why the Abyss Demon hadn't attacked her immediately?
How...
How am I supposed to explain that??
Yumo felt rather troubled.
She couldn't exactly tell them that the Abyss Demon had stopped upon seeing her so that the two of them could secretly rehearse their script, could she?
However, the words that came from the crowd next left Lady Yumo completely stunned.
"Huh?"
...
"HOLY SHIT!!! Teacher Rain is amazing!! She actually took down a high-level Sixth-Tier Abyss Demon in just a couple of moves?! That's fucking incredible!!"
"So hitting the gills really works?! That Abyss Demon looked like it was in so much pain just now!"
"Yeah! And just like Teacher Rain said, that Abyss Demon didn't pay any attention to protecting its lower abdomen at all!"
"Exactly, exactly! And Teacher Rain is so powerful! She actually suppressed that Abyss Demon with nothing but her aura right at the beginning! I've only ever seen someone at the level of a Magic God do something like that before! I never imagined Teacher Rain could do it too?!"
"Fuck, that's insane! Suppressing an Abyss Demon with sheer presence?! Just how terrifying must her aura be?!"
...
...
For a moment, as they looked at the lizard-shaped Abyss Demon lying on the ground and twitching all over, the students, having finally shaken off their fear and anxiety, immediately erupted into heated discussions.
As they talked, cheers and words of praise rose one after another.
There wasn't the slightest trace of suspicion in the students' eyes as they looked at the black-haired girl. Instead, their gazes were filled with deep trust and admiration.
Even the issue that had been worrying Lady Yumo
Was casually explained away by the students' own imaginations.
At that moment,
Looking over the crowd of students whose eyes were practically sparkling with admiration, Yumo raised her slender fingers and scratched her cheek, feeling rather conflicted.
Uh...
That actually worked...?
"Overwhelming an Abyss Demon with sheer presence? Making it too frightened to move?... Uh... Fine... Whatever makes you happy..."
The girl helplessly raised a hand to her forehead.
Meanwhile, the silver-haired girl standing beside Yumo couldn't help raising her hand to cover her mouth, clearly struggling to hold back her laughter.
...
Meanwhile, on the other side, atop the elevated platform,
After witnessing the incident involving the rampaging Abyss Demon below, the passing students and nearby guards couldn't help showing relieved smiles.
At the same time, they all turned their gazes toward the black-haired girl who had successfully stopped the Abyss Demon from wreaking havoc, their eyes filled with respect.
Clearly,
After this incident, the unfavorable rumors circulating within Yexinlian Royal Academy about this new teacher would practically disappear.
However, unlike the majority of students, who were cheering excitedly,
Anmutu, the Second Prince of the Crimson Leaf Empire, who had instigated Bakade into releasing the Abyss Demon, showed not the slightest trace of joy on his face.
Instead, his expression was exceptionally grave.
Leaning against the railing with one hand supporting his chin, Anmutu fell into deep thought without saying a word.
His bright, pale-red eyes thoughtfully observed the fallen Abyss Demon below, as well as the black-haired girl surrounded by students.
"Although it was just a test I decided to conduct on a whim... it seems... I've discovered something rather extraordinary..."
...
...
"Your Highness, Second Prince."
Seeing that Anmutu had been lost in thought for quite some time, the tall man beside him, who had a rugged beard and wore crimson-gold armor, couldn't help speaking up to remind him.
"You still need to return to the imperial palace later to meet your fiancรฉe. It would be unwise to remain here any longer."
However,
Faced with the tall man's reminder, Anmutu maintained his indifferent expression and instead asked a question of his own.
"General Bo'an, do you remember how that Abyss Demon reacted just now?"
"The Abyss Demon?"
"Yes. Do you really think that Abyss Demon... stopped because it was intimidated by that teacher's aura, just as those students claimed?"
Hearing how seriously Anmutu spoke, the man named Bo'an realized that unless he answered the Second Prince's question properly, the prince would never cooperate and return to the imperial palace with him.
Thus,
The man let out a long sigh before decisively shaking his head.
"That teacher's aura is indeed very strange and oppressive. However, suppressing a peak Sixth-Tier Abyss Demon without releasing even the slightest bit of magical power is simply a ridiculous fantasy, unless that young lady herself happens to be a higher-ranking Abyss Demon."
"The reason that monster briefly stopped its attack must have been something else."
"...Perhaps it really is just as Your Highness previously suspected. Miss Rain and the Black Rose Family behind her may have some connection to the Abyss Demons."
"If my observations just now were correct, that Abyss Demon's hostility was never directed at the black-haired girl from beginning to end. Instead, it was concentrated on the crowd behind Miss Rain."
As he spoke,
Bo'an looked toward Anmutu with a somewhat complicated expression.
"However, even so, this doesn't prove anything... At most, it suggests that members of the Black Rose Family possess some method of avoiding the hostility of Abyss Demons."
"It doesn't prove that they can control Abyss Demons. Nor does it prove that they participated in the attack on the Snow Night Empire back then."
"Yes, which is why we need to continue gathering evidence. I will prove to my imperial father that my suspicions are correct."
Recalling his previous experiences in Skyvault, Anmutu's gaze gradually grew determined.
"But regardless, at the very least... we can be certain that this Miss Rain definitely has some connection to the Abyss Demons. Otherwise, that Sixth-Tier Abyss Demon could never have reacted that way."
"Perhaps so... But Your Highness... right now, you really should..."
A troubled look gradually appeared in Bo'an's eyes.
"All right, all right, I know. You don't need to keep urging me, General Bo'an. I'll return to the imperial palace. However, once I leave, there are a few matters I'll have to trouble you with."
"Please speak, Your Highness."
"Ever since Miss Rain entered our country's territory through Jiawu Pass, she seems to have encountered two incidents involving Abyss Demons in total."
"You mean...?"
"Just investigate them for me. Don't overlook a single detail."
"Yes, Your Highness Anmutu."
"Mm."
After giving his instructions, Anmutu, feeling that he had gained quite a lot from today's visit, finally decided to turn around and leave.
However,
Just as the red-haired prince turned away, his brows suddenly furrowed.
Wait a minute.
Something doesn't feel right...
In the Second Prince's opinion, the Black Rose Family definitely had some connection to the Abyss Demons.
However, if that were the case, considering Xiao Black Rose's almost pathologically cautious personality, shouldn't that person be doing everything possible to minimize the chances of exposure and staying as far away from anything related to Abyss Demons as possible?
If so, why was the young lady of the Black Rose Family responsible for teaching a course specifically about Abyss Demons?
And why would she openly claim to understand the fighting methods and behavioral habits of sixty-five different types of Abyss Demons?
Wasn't that deliberately drawing attention to herself?
Wouldn't any normal person wonder how they had obtained such knowledge?
...
...
Duke Black Rose...
Just what the hell are you scheming this time?