Chapter 98: A Reunion With Evelina…?

We left the building in a rush, keeping to the shadows and beside buildings to hide our presence as we sprinted to our next hideout.

“Why don’t we just teleport?”

“Live a little, kev,” I replied without looking behind and continued to sprint. “What’s the fun in being so overly strategic?”

“I-I thought that was the point?”

“I changed my mind.”

I laughed, but as always, Kevin just followed his master without another complaint; he was quite the opposite of Vivianne.

Be it for better or worse…

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

All around us, the entire academy had returned to a state of war; instead of students hunting professors for points, the students were now the ones being hunted by the professors.

I guess I could call it the circle of life…

[Gaia]

BOOM!

A huge row of spikes suddenly rose up from below, cleaving the building we were sprinting behind in half.

It narrowly missed Kevin, luckily enough, only ripping some part of his uniform.

But that itself led to another problem, that spell was way too accurate to just be a coincidence.

We’ve been spotted.

[Gaia]

[Profaned Guardian]

We didn’t have enough time to run away, and as I said, teleporting away would be too boring.

Why not just take it head-on instead?

I grabbed Kevin and pulled him close beside me as violet wings sprouted from my back, and instead of the usual halo, I was given horns.

BOOM!

My spell reacted the moment the spikes reached us, cutting them off before they could travel any farther. It split the incoming spell apart, as if it weren’t allowed to touch us, turning its straight path into a V shape.

Missing us entirely.

“W-What…?”

The professor that casted the spell was now visible, standing on top of a statue, shocked that someone had somehow literally redirected the path of a high-level earth spell.

But too bad for him… being distracted was the worst thing he could do right now.

[Air Severance]

[Ding!]

Vivianne took him out for us, suddenly appearing as the observers took him out of the way before she narrowly cleaved the professor in half.

“H-Huh…? Cael?”

Looks like she saw us.

But I don’t give a damn.

I mouthed the word ’peace’ as I gave her a farewell salute, this time finally deciding to teleport away. With Vivianne present, she’ll surely bring trouble with her.

And I’d rather not be present when that happens.

[Profaned Step]

We arrived at our new spot, inside another building again, the fifth floor, and right in the middle of a hallway, but this time it was quiet… far quieter than even the previous one we camped on.

It’s like the entire place was haunted.

Even Kevin was weirded out.

“H-Huh? Where are we? Why is it so quiet?”

I’m surprised he focused more on the silence than the literal defensive spell I used to save the two of us; he definitely had strange priorities.

“We’re at the building Professor Corvus is sitting on.”

Kevin froze.

Did he seriously just hear what he thought he heard?

“E-Eh…?”

“You heard me right.”

“W-Why!?”

“Well… he’s clearly not doing anything, plus… it seems like another person’s been camping here as well.”

I look to the right, and I sure am glad I wasn’t wrong.

It was Evelina, checking to see the source of the sound, the only noise coming from the entire building since the start of the examination.

“C-Cael?”

Evelina had her arms crossed and her head tilted. Behind her was a halo of abyssal lances, still revolving around her and ready to strike.

They were freshly cast as well; it was clear she was ready to kill the ones who had dared to enter her camp.

“What a lucky coincidence.”

Kevin looked at me with an accusatory look. “You brought us here just so you could see her, didn’t you?”

I immediately flicked him in the forehead.

thwack!

“Its a coincidence…”

“Ouch…”

Evelina chuckled, clearly not expecting me to show up so suddenly, especially in such a dangerous place. But, she admitted, it was exactly the sort of thing I would do.

“A coincidence? I’m disappointed, I thought you came here just for me…”

Evelina frowned jokingly, clearly teasing.

“Nevermind then, I came here just for you.”

She laughed at my answer, closing the distance between us and giving me a small, awkward hug, not because she was uncomfortable, but moreso that she wasn’t used to giving one.

“Yeah, it doesn’t suit me at all.”

“On the contrary, I quite like the fact that you tried…”

Kevin just stared at us blankly. He couldn’t simply start talking again like he did when we were still a duo; this was Evelina, after all. He’d rather not get punished just for ruining the mood without permission

And like a respectable third wheel, he excused himself and headed to a nearby empty classroom.

“Uhh, you guys have fun… call me when I’m needed!”

The door shut quietly behind Kevin, leaving the hallway empty again.

Evelina glanced in the direction he went, then back at me. “He’s still alive, huh?”

“I trained him,” I said. “He won’t be eliminated anytime soon.”

She shook her head, amused. “I should really get you to train some of my guards then.”

“I refuse, I’d rather be the only guard you need.”

“Corny as always.”

Her abyssal lances slowly dispersed, dissolving into motes of dark light as she relaxed. The oppressive pressure in the hallway eased slightly, but the silence remained. Corvus’s presence was still there, dormant, watching, like a dragon pretending to sleep.

Evelina leaned against the wall, crossing her arms again. “You know this building’s off-limits by unspoken agreement.”

“Which is exactly why it’s safe,” I replied. “No one stupid enough to come here survives long enough to spread the word.”

She smirked. “Except you.”

“And you.”

“Touché.”

For a moment, neither of us spoke. The distant sounds of battle felt muted here, as if the building itself rejected noise. Even magic behaved strangely; everything felt heavier, more restrained.

Evelina was the first to break the silence.

“So,” she said casually, “how many points?”

“Seventy. You?”

She raised an eyebrow. “Already over a hundred.”

I clicked my tongue. “Show-off.”

“Did you really expect me to hold back?” she replied flatly. “Me of all people?”

Fair.

I glanced upward, toward the top floors. “He hasn’t moved, has he?”

Evelina shook her head. “Nope. Hasn’t even twitched. I checked twice, he’s just… there, looking at the sky like some teenage schoolgirl.”

“Teenage schoolgirl?” I muttered.

“I couldn’t think of any other comparison.”

We both knew Corvus’s reputation. A professor who didn’t react wasn’t being merciful; he was waiting for something specific. Or someone.

Or more likely, an event that would finally allow him to fight.

Evelina studied me for a second, eyes narrowing slightly. “You ran into Vivianne.”

“How’d you know?”

“I memorized her trace of magic.”

“Y-You memorized it?”

That earned a short, yet terrifying laugh from her. “Just making sure you’re not cheating on me…”

Not sure if I should feel terrified or gratified with how much she’s protective of me.

Either way, Evelina is still perfect as she is, even if she’s now starting to become a bit more… what’s the word again…?

[Photographic Memory]

Yandere-ish.

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