Chapter 467
Chapter 13: The Gentle Weight
The movements of the blonde girl were like a mold, but for the Heart-Eating Demon, they were terrifying, making each of its tentacles feel seared by an overwhelming pressure.
This guy is even stronger than the girl from earlier!
What kind of monster is this?!
The Heart-Eating Demon turned to flee.
But the dragon flames from the Crimson Blood Dragon had already transformed with the boy’s fury into a scorching strike, unleashed upon it.
The distorted shape of the Heart-Eating Demon was instantly engulfed by the draconic blaze, pierced through, consumed, and burned to nothing.
In the end, it vanished completely into ashes.
After defeating the Heart-Eating Demon, Roy returned to Alice, his face as serious as a stone.
Seeing her master like this for the first time, Alice instinctively felt a bit cowed.
So, even the master can get angry.
As the effects of the illusion completely faded, Alice’s mind also calmed down.
Upon reflection, even if she had bravely defeated the Heart-Eating Demon, what of it?
She was battered and bruised, looking a mess—it wasn’t something to boast about. If anything, it highlighted her weaknesses even more.
If it were that witch, she would’ve effortlessly defeated her opponent.
It was only natural for the master to feel disappointed and annoyed with such a useless self.
Thinking this, Alice couldn’t help but lower her head even further.
However, this meekness, trembling yet obedient like a well-behaved pup, left Roy feeling a little out of sorts.
Alice wasn’t the type to be headstrong or reckless; there must have been her own reasons for fighting the Heart-Eating Demon to the death.
Rubbing his throbbing temples, Roy patiently started with the simplest question: “Why didn’t you run away? The Heart-Eating Demon isn’t very fast; with your strength, you should have had a chance to escape.”
“…Alice wanted to kill it,” the girl weakly uttered, saying something a bit horrifying.
“Kill it? Is there a necessity? You should know you’re not its match…”
Alice suddenly shook her head vigorously: “No! Alice can win!”
“Even if the master doesn’t help, Alice can win—”
Roy interrupted her sternly: “That’s true, but the cost is that you’ll be severely injured, your life in danger. What’s the point of such a victory?”
The girl’s pupils shrank; she had lost the strength to argue.
Indeed, this appearance was just too pitiful.
A victory gained at the cost of exhausting all her strength was hardly worth mentioning…
Watching the girl distraught, Roy let out a sigh.
He leaned down slightly, gently pressing his hand on her soft shoulder, careful not to touch her injuries.
Those shocking wounds had mostly healed under the Holy Light, but the tattered dress still served as a reminder of the fierce battle she’d endured, causing him vague pain.
Roy asked the question that worried him the most.
“Alice, why did you risk injury to defeat that thing?”
The Heart-Eating Demon appeared unexpectedly; even defeating it would seem to yield no benefit.
Alice looked up, meeting the boy’s confused gaze, and opened her mouth slightly.
But the words “I wanted to be looked at like they are by the master” just wouldn’t come out.
The master’s wishes should not be twisted for her own sake.
As a maid, she should be waiting in the background for his happiness; this very thought felt like an offense.
Moreover, the master never looked at her that way, didn’t that already indicate the answer?
A mere maid shouldn’t have such thoughts about her master.
If she spoke them aloud, she would certainly be disliked by him.
Alice dropped her gaze, avoiding the boy’s eyes, ultimately saying nothing.
Seeing this, Roy couldn’t help but chuckle bitterly: “Who would’ve thought, Alice has her own little secret now.”
“It’s not that; Alice is just…”
“Forget it, if you don’t want to say it, then don’t.”
The boy’s sudden smile caught Alice off guard.
“Huh?”
“You have your reasons; I believe in you.” Roy shifted his tone back to serious: “But remember, no matter what your reason is, don’t gamble with your life.”
“Don’t ever do something so foolish again, take better care of yourself, understood?”
Roy ruffled Alice’s hair firmly, pretending to be fierce.
Alice sensed the underlying warmth in his words.
Yet, it made her heart feel even heavier.
The master was so gentle, yet she didn’t even have the courage to be honest.
Alice was indeed an irredeemably bad child.
——————————
Enwei was panicking.
He deliberately didn’t send a familiar to notify Roy, wanting to wait until they encountered danger before swooping in to save the day and show off a bit.
Upon seeing the signal flare, he immediately set out.
However, when he entered the marsh forest, he was dumbfounded.
The Sequence 6 Thunder Hunter Bird had its head blown apart by some unknown thing, lying dead in the wilderness.
You have to understand, this creature was the tyrant of the marsh; even he would have to expend a good bit of effort to deal with it.
What on earth could brutally slay this creature?! Could it be another beast that learned to flee?!
No, no, no! Two Sequence 7 creatures should’ve been able to hold out until he arrived!
Since this practical exercise was a hunt, the students shouldn’t have advanced too far either!
But when Enwei reached the spot where the flare was fired, he was completely stunned.
The scene looked like it had been ravaged by a fire dragon; nothing alive remained, only scorched earth.
Heaven knows which beast did this!
He feared that the master and servant must have…
Enwei nearly vomited blood right then.
This practical training was meant to hone combat ability; casualties weren’t unusual.
But this time, the situation was special. The training session was temporarily halted, and the teachers had an obligation to protect the students.
So Enwei originally planned to wait until the master and servant found themselves in peril before offering his help.
But where were the people? Where did they go? Have they really turned to ash?!
Showboating was one thing, but if someone really died, he wouldn’t be able to handle it!
If it were nobody’s child, death would be just death; he could use connections to bury it—
The magic academy is genuinely that dark. Ordinary students aren’t oppressed most of the time, but once something happens, they will be the ones who suffer!
The problem is, Roy is not just some nobody.
Even though Enwei didn’t pay much attention to the news about the little brat, he knew the boy was backed by the Mage Association, with connections to the Lionheart Kingdom, the Verdant Assembly, and the Golden Sands Nation.
Two of those were deeply tied to him!
If this guy died right under his nose, he could say goodbye to his job at the very least.
Out of breath, Enwei rushed back to the outskirts of the marsh forest, ready to summon help for a search and rescue, only to find the students chattering away, laughing joyously.
The master and servant were right there, perfectly fine, surrounded by them.
Enwei nearly dropped to his knees.
Holy Light above, thank the gods! They’re okay!
But the anger that surged up afterward was immense.
“Hey! You two! You fired the signal flare—why didn’t you wait for me at the spot?!”
