[■■■■■!!]

The sound of demonic beasts crying could be heard from a short distance away.

It felt as though the creature might burst into the alley where I was waiting at any moment, but there was no need to rush.

If I waited calmly, the right moment would surely arrive.

And as if that moment was now, Mei sprinted past where I was hiding and shouted.

“Scarlet! Now!”

At that moment, I leaned out of the alley, took aim, and fired.

Flames erupted from my prosthetic arm, which was prepared to unleash fire at any moment, and the beast that Mei had lured was struck directly by the flames, bursting into flames with a pitiful scream right before my eyes.

This must have been the last one.

I mumbled internally, and the urban illusion that surrounded us dissipated, revealing the gymnasium.

Eve, who had been observing us after our training, nodded her head and said.

“Yes, passed! Remember that it’s always wise to choose a safer method, even if you could take down an opponent head-on!”

“Got it,” Mei and I answered Eve, who then looked at the children with a proud expression, muttering under her breath.

“Wow, everyone has become quite skilled at dealing with demonic beasts! Compared to when you first entered the Academy, this is remarkable growth!”

“… Well, if you keep rolling around, you can’t help but get good at it.”

Many kids smiled wryly as if they empathized with someone’s seemingly enlightened murmuring.

After all, in the last few weeks since Yoon Si-woo’s appointment ceremony, Eve had been pushing the kids so hard in training at the Academy that it felt like everything prior was just a game.

But everyone followed the training without complaint, likely due to the experience of the previous incident.

They had learned that unimaginable things could happen, like demonic beasts invading the city they believed was safe.

The kids must have felt a sense of crisis that they could not continue as they were if they wanted to protect themselves and those around them in such situations.

Fortunately, first-year students had been assigned to areas that were only relatively unsafe during the demonic beast invasion, so no fatalities had occurred.

However, there were several students in the second and third grades, who were in more dangerous areas, that had died fighting against the beasts.

So it was inevitable that they wouldn’t complain about the intensified training.

Even if Eve didn’t show it, we all knew how much responsibility weighed on her from that incident.

Of course, that didn’t diminish the difficulty, so when the kids showed signs of fatigue, Eve smiled and said.

“Hehe, is that so? Well, anyway, everyone did a great job in today’s training! There’s a special lecture scheduled for the afternoon, so you won’t have to do any physical training! So don’t worry and enjoy your lunch!”

At her words, several kids brightened up.

Recently, training had been so grueling that some might accidentally throw up what they’d eaten at lunch.

With the promise that there wouldn’t be any enforced dieting today, everyone left the gym with smiles on their faces, heading to the cafeteria.

After grabbing some food and sitting down to eat with the kids, Jessie, who was seated across from me, opened her mouth.

“Oh! By the way, did everyone see that broadcast with Yoon Si-woo yesterday?”

A broadcast featuring Yoon Si-woo, I hadn’t seen it, but apparently, he had been  on TV again.

As I thought that, it seemed quite a few children had watched the broadcast Jessie mentioned as they began to chat about it.

“I saw that! He was so cool, that guy!”

“He wiped out the demonic beasts in one go; I can’t believe he was in the same class as us!”

Honestly, I wouldn’t have noticed before, but these days, it was only natural for the kids to talk about Yoon Si-woo like this.

It was a little ridiculous, but the interview aired had become a turning point that sent his popularity skyrocketing.

It seemed Yoon Si-woo’s words had greatly encouraged those who were struggling.

Knowing that those words were directed at me was a strange feeling, but in any case, his image had been positively established among the people, so I decided to just take it well.

“Right? He was totally awesome! Haah…”

As if to prove his popularity, there were quite a few fans among the kids in our class, with Jessie being the most enthusiastic.

When she talked about him, she looked like a girl in love.

Well, I could understand Jessie acting that way.

Recently, in a survey conducted by a magazine, Yoon Si-woo had ranked first as the ‘Hero to Want as a Boyfriend.’

He was capable, handsome, and had a tragic family background that sparked maternal instincts or something.

The only problem was that Yoon Si-woo didn’t seem to have much interest in girls.

Last time, when Yoon Si-woo got some time off, I teased him by showing him the survey results, saying it was nice to be popular, but he turned bright red and insisted that he didn’t need any interest from other girls.

Personally, I hoped he would at least date someone; it could be beneficial for him emotionally.

It was frustrating knowing that someone so capable had trouble with such things.

In any case, given Yoon Si-woo’s demeanor, I was aware that Jessie was having an unlikely crush on him.

So, feeling a little pity, I looked at her with sympathetic eyes, and suddenly Jessie looked at me and gasped in shock, exclaiming.

“Ah! S-S-Scarlet, it’s not that kind of coolness! Please don’t misunderstand! I only said that because I admire Yoon Si-woo as a hero, not in a romantic way!”

I nodded in response to her as she shouted, trying to explain herself.

So Jessie is also a girl after all.

Seeing her flustered like that, it seemed she was embarrassed to be caught liking Yoon Si-woo.

Still, I thought there might be a chance for someone like Jessie, who is cute enough.

While I was having such thoughts, Mei murmured.

“By the way, didn’t they say there’s a special lecture this afternoon? Does anyone know who is coming?”

At Mei’s question, Florene, who was munching away from a distance, perked up and shouted.

“I know! My grandpa is coming today!”

“Really? Is Telos coming?!”

Florene’s words made the kids nearby excitedly exclaim.

Telos Dolos, who had been the captain of the 2nd squad that Yoon Si-woo currently led for over half a century, was indeed a living legend among heroes.

Hearing the news that we could meet such a person, the kids buzzed with excitement as Florene smiled with her usual bright face.

“My grandpa said he has something very important to do, but he’ll be here soon!”

“Hehe, it seems I’m going to get nervous and my heart will shrink.”

Joseph, the person in charge of the Magic Purification Facility, muttered to himself, relieved.

He had just experienced the difficulty of breathing that comes with being overly tense.

His legs had been trembling so much; after all, he wasn’t just meeting the chairman of the organization but the chairman’s father right in front of him.

However, once he calmed down, what came next was excitement.

Not only had he seen the legendary figure he had only heard stories about, but he also had the chance to speak with him, which made Joseph unable to contain his excitement.

The sensation of the large hand that had patted him on the shoulder while saying, “You’ve worked hard,” was still vivid in his mind.

“Seeing him in person is even more amazing…! How can someone over eighty look like this… Aah, the kids will love this if I give it to them!”

Joseph muttered as he looked at the paper in his hand.

The paper had the autograph he had asked for, trembling as he did so.

His eldest son, who loves heroes, would surely jump for joy, and his second child, born a little while ago, wouldn’t understand now, but there would definitely come a day when they would brag to their friends about what he had received today.

As he beamed at the thought of the delighted children, Joseph suddenly felt an ominous vibration beneath his feet and his expression stiffened.

“What the… Is this an earthquake?”

Joseph tried to stay calm despite feeling a bit tense.

Since the place where he worked was important, it had the best seismic equipment in the city.

Just as he was about to order the staff to hold their ground according to the manual, he discovered a crack appearing in the floor with a loud crack.

“What the hell… If the seismic equipment is perfect… then…?”

Muttering about possibly inferior construction, Joseph cursed, but then he quickly donned the protective suit nearby.

Being an expert in this field, he could instantly recognize what was leaking from the crack in the floor.

It was magical energy.

“Oh no… I have to quickly contain this…!”

Had the magic he had been processing leaked out?

Regardless, it was a major incident, but the amount of magic that had yet to be processed today wasn’t that large.

So Joseph thought he could manage the situation with the equipment inside the facility.

“Ah…?”

He saw the magical energy that was leaking from the crack go from slithering out to suddenly gushing out in a violent spray.

In an instant, the space where he stood became filled with magical energy, making it nearly impossible to see ahead.

Looking at that scene, Joseph thought to himself.

This makes no sense.

Even if he combined all the magic in the facility, or even all that had been brought in today, it would not be enough for this level.

Where the heck was all this magic coming from……?

As he pondered this, Joseph suddenly remembered the words of a boy who had come to tour the facility previously.

“If so, the calculations do not add up.”

“I calculated roughly based on that magic circle, and it seems that around 10% of the magic remains…”

Joseph thought.

Could it be that this is the very 10%?

When did this 10% start accumulating?

He recalled the studies he had engaged in to become the facility’s manager.

The history of this facility, which had continued for nearly 300 years.

The unfathomable amount of magic that the facility had processed during that time.

Even if it was merely 10%, with that amount…

Unfortunately, Joseph’s thoughts couldn’t linger long.

There’s a law everyone knows in this world.

In places where magical energy is dense, demonic beasts are born.

Joseph saw it.

He witnessed the emergence of a beast as colossal as the giant facility he had worked in.

Joseph saw it.

When the beast lifted its head, he saw the city where his children were, just beyond the rubble of the collapsed buildings.

Joseph saw it.

The place where the head of that beast was pointing.

“…Kids…”