— CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! —
That day, the entire Hunting Grounds were restless.
Birds didn't dare make a peep, Magical Beasts ran to hide in their dwellings, and even students shivered as they stayed as far away as possible.
Even now, a bunch of them crowded outside of it:
"W-What do you think's happening in there?!"
"We should alert the Teachers for sure!"
"It's no use, Teacher Chase knows…"
Not too long ago, they had seen the Hunting Grounds' master pass through looking soulless. What could have happened to make him like that?! Was it related to this ruckus?!
But then, it all stopped….
The quiet replaced the hecticness.
And as for what followed, it was a HEAVY dragging sound.
— DRAGGING! DRAGGING! DRAGGING! —
The poor students couldn't help but gulp. W-What the hell was this?! It seemed as if the entire forest was making way for a Titan, a creature appearing. A ginormous bear?!
"Is that… a Rampaging Bear!"
"T-The one Teacher Chase failed to Tame?"
"Oh god! T-This, look at its back and behind…"
A bandaged man happily rode the creature, the latter dragging humongous logs behind it. This scene was as mighty as goddamn strange. Why did both seem to exude pure joy?
"Hehe, this is the smell of freedom!"
"ROOAAAARRRR!"
As the creature opened its wide maw, countless shat their pants. But then something odd happened. They had just exited the forest when…
— GLOW! GLOW! GLOW! —
Out of nowhere, a collar of light particles appeared?! It wrapped itself around Teddy's nape, the latter instantly feeling its power leave him, or at least a portion of it.
"Wait, what? Don't tell me?!" Was this a restriction?
Gray couldn't help but sigh. It seemed like the Academy had measures in place to ensure the stronger beasts didn't just rampage loose. Smart. Also annoying.
As for their dozens of logs… they'd now need FAR more trips.
"Onward, Teddy! Let's get this done with!"
The scene that followed was utterly strange. It wasn't every day that a giant Magical Beast cruised through the Academy with logs in tow! Then, before long…
A cozy little house, a quiet Spirit Garden hidden behind a fence, and now a bunch of logs?! The beast simply dropped them all there as it went back for more. Seeing this:
"Wait, what? Isn't that Teacher Gale's House?"
"I'm sure! See this big X: avoid I added on this map!"
"Still, why would this guy just leave it here? Is he building something?"
"If you ask me, he should stack it all to Heaven, make a huge bonfire and—"
The one who had said that at the end just happened to be an Astral Mage! If Gray disappeared entirely, house and all, then perhaps so would the extra coursework!
Just like that, it kept going…
— DRAG! DRAG! DRAG! DRAG! —
There was so much log dragging involved, that a road imprint had appeared! In fact, there were so many trips that even Gray felt like it would be endless.
It didn't help that the gawking crowd was getting bigger and bigger.
"They're impressively free…"
"Roooaarrr!" (Free and aggravating!)
The Rampaging Bear didn't like this one bit. Actually, it wasn't the gawking but the gossiping that enraged it. Right now, those were the freaking topics:
1. Burn Teacher Gale's House
2. Burn Teacher Gale AND his House
3. Dump countless logs at his place as a protest
4. Build a statue of him apologizing for his very existence
T-Those bastard! The Bear wanted nothing but to munch their faces! But just as it was getting more incensed by the second, it heard its new master…
"They really seem to hate me…"
"Roooarrr!" (They're fools, Master! This one knows how great you—)
"… this is perfect! This mindset is the best! Hehehe, let the hate flow through you and turn it into unlimited power!" He wasn't despairing, but laughing?!
Just as the bear was utterly confused, Gray suddenly stood up, the creature's back turning into the greatest stage for his revolution!
"Fellow students! I'm sure you've all heard of Teacher Gale. Shameless, scheming, and spreading strange teachings. I can't be the only one concerned, right?"
"YES!"
"So damn true!"
"Let's burn him AND his students!"
"What the hell, man?! Have you gone insane?!"
Gray stopped them with a powerful wave:
"We WON'T be burning anything or anyone. Think about it: we're mages, not savages! But that doesn't mean we'll remain quiet nonetheless! Here's what we'll do…"
He gleefully shared his "righteous" plan. Teacher Gale was a scourge upon the Academy, right? Well, they'd make sure no naive student would ever fall for his lies ever again.
It was such a simple plan, yet its scale was earth-shattering! Plus, they literally couldn't get in trouble because of something like that. It was genius!
Gray soon found himself shouting lines, the crowd going WILD!
"We'll build a wall around his dwelling!"
"We'll make his students pay for it!"
"We'll add warnings all over!"
He glanced at them all meaningfully. At this moment, the crowd seemingly forgot to breathe. This guy was a natural-born leader— even with a bandaged face!
"We'll be the change this Academy needs! No trouble. No savagery. Pure Mages making the Academy a better place! Now, who's with me?"
"I'll help! I can use Metallic Magic!"
"I'll help too. I'm as strong as 100 oxen!"
"I'll help for sure; we'll save the new generations!"
The Bear watched it all unfold, getting increasingly confused. The man on its back WAS Teacher Gale. And now he was leading them into an Anti-Gale manifestation?!
"Pfft— Don't worry about it. Just follow me, and everything will work out."
"Roooarrrrr!" (Yes, Master! This Bear will follow you till the end!)
This resolve quickly showed in its work, as it carried countless logs toward what would be their new construction site. But this time they weren't alone.
— CHOP! CHOP! CHOP! CHOP! —
Under Gray's directives, they chopped a bunch of logs, and students soon volunteered to carry them over. What had started as a strange spectacle soon turned into a school EVENT!
Some couldn't help but chuckle at the irony…
"Gotta give it to the guy. He sure knows how to rile people up!"
"Hehe, at first those damn riddles all over school, and now this."
"Pfft— Even in jail, people are mobilizing for Teacher Gale: Enemies this time!"
Seeing the exodus of students, a few worried Teachers actually came out.
"W-What are you all thinking of doing? Don't tell me you'll vandalize Teacher Gale's house?! Even if it's him, it's still a bit too extreme…"
"Don't worry, Teacher! This is a noble movement! We'll build a wall and nothing else." Even masked, Gray's peaceful serenity was contagious.
"A-Alright then… have fun!"
Just like that, they had the green light!
It didn't take long for them to bring all the raw wood they'd need for the construction project over. Now, there was just one thing missing, Gray's students!
After all, the system had made the requirements VERY Clear:
1. Classroom must be personally built by the Teacher
2. ALL students must contribute to the creation
While getting help from a bunch of zealous haters was fun, he and his students HAD to get directly involved. A confused student came close…
"L-Leader, what are we waiting for exactly?"
"Didn't I say it? I'll make the bastard's students build it too!"
"Eh?! Were you serious about that?! H-How?! Why would they help?"
That's when Gray gave one hell of a scheming laugh…
"Why? Because the more people build this wall, the fewer decide to burn the place instead. They'll do it, if nothing else to protect their Teacher… kinda. Anyway, looks like they're here."
They were, but as he saw their states, he gasped...