"Don't forget your promise, Professor."
The Chancellor waved as she walked away.
"Whatever. I need to find Meysa immediately."
Once he was outside the Academy grounds, the Professor attempted to contact Meysa again.
"Where are you?"
"The forest at the border of the Motyl and Vajce Kingdoms."
"Are you insane? Why did you go that far?"
"Stop yelling, idiot. You're hurting my ears."
"Who? Who hurt you?"
Meysa froze at the Professor's question, then smiled.
"How did you know I was hurt?"
"Your breathing. I can tell from your breathing."
Meysa smiled again. "I don't even know who it was myself."
"What do you need? Meysa—Meysa!"
The Professor's heart filled with unease at her silence, and her weakening breath only worsened his worry.
"I told you, stop yelling, idiot. What I need is... you."
Hearing that, the Professor quickened his movements, creating a series of portals. He leapt through them one by one, heading to where he thought Meysa might be.
When he finally got within a few kilometers of her location, he could sense her presence.
"You finally made it, bastard," Meysa said with a grin.
The Professor didn't respond as he normally would. Instead, he focused on ensuring her safety.
"Don't move. I'll heal you."
He retrieved a potion from his mystical storage and channeled Energie into his left hand to treat Meysa's internal injuries.
Meysa didn't resist and allowed her friend to care for her.
"Thank you, but I don't think it'll help much. That attack nearly destroyed my heart."
"Let's head back first. Use your Energie to protect your heart. I'll support you."
The Professor carried Meysa in his arms and opened a portal.
---
After some time, they arrived back at the Academy. The Professor immediately took Meysa to the Health Council.
"Please treat the Instructor immediately. She has serious internal injuries."
As the Professor was about to leave to return to where he had found her wounded, Meysa grabbed his hand.
"Instructor Meysa, what is it?"
With her weak voice, she said, "Remember this, Professor. This is a fantasy-comedy world. You're supposed to give them a place full of imagination and fun, not reality and pain. You can't show them a face like that."
Illustration on my Wattpad Page.
"Alright. You need to rest here first."
The Professor then left without another word.
"There are traces of Energie here. It seems that after cornering Meysa, they didn't leave immediately. I need to cloak myself to investigate further and avoid drawing attention."
The Professor entered the Thinking Room and traveled to the forest in the Vajce Kingdom.
"This seems to be the spot where the conflict occurred. These sword marks… it's a Heavy Sword. Could it be a Heavy Sword Master who fought Meysa? Lord Helcore?"
"But why would he attack Meysa? Wait… it's true there are only 3 Heavy Sword Masters on this continent, but it's not impossible for one from another continent to sneak in. Besides, Meysa said she didn't know who attacked her. She's a sword fanatic—it's impossible for her not to recognize Lord Helcore."
Suddenly, someone leaped from a cliff, aiming directly at the Professor's Thinking Room.
"How did he know?" the Professor muttered, dodging the sudden attack.
"You people from Motyl are always so eager to trespass into others' lands."
"It really is Lord Helcore."
Without waiting for a response, Helcore swung his massive sword at the Professor. The Energie-infused slash surged toward the Professor, who was still airborne.
The Professor quickly erected a barrier, deflecting the attack with ease.
Fortunately, he had masked both his voice and his presence.
"Who are you?"
"I don't want to engage him in conversation. I can't let him find out I'm connected to Meysa," the Professor thought.
"No answer? Fine."
In an instant, Helcore appeared before the Professor, swinging his massive sword.
"He's huge, but his speed is incredible."
The Professor raised another barrier, resulting in a thunderous clash that unleashed a shockwave, shaking the forest.
Unlike most Mages, Heavy Sword Masters can't fly. After a few seconds of deadlock, Helcore landed on the ground.
But his assault didn't stop there. He enveloped his sword in Energie, increasing its size tenfold.
With a powerful swing, Helcore targeted the Professor mid-air.
The Professor, a close-combat Wizard, specialized in melee magic combat. Although he wielded a staff and could use long-range Energie attacks, his core strength lay in close-quarters battle. To complement his style, he had mastered healing magic to sustain himself during fights.
This time, instead of forming another barrier, the Professor condensed Energie into his hands and caught Helcore's massive blade.
For some reason, the Professor sensed an unfamiliar Energie radiating from Helcore. His hands, holding the sword, felt as if they were burning. Attempting to counteract the effect with healing magic proved futile.
As the burning sensation intensified, the Professor released the sword and raised his right arm to create a barrier.
"Still refusing to reveal yourself?"
"Damn it. How has Lord Helcore suddenly become this strong?"
Helcore pressed the Professor down, forcing him closer to the ground. As they neared the forest floor, Helcore infused more Energie into his sword, making it grow even larger. The intense heat and pressure ignited the nearby trees and scorched the earth.
Finally, Helcore forced the Professor to touch down.
"Die!"
With all his might, Helcore brought his blade down on the Professor. Using both arms, the Professor held back the massive weapon.
The Professor created a portal beneath his feet, allowing a clone to emerge behind Helcore. Realizing the ambush, Helcore reluctantly abandoned his assault to counter the clone's attack.
With a mighty swing of his oversized sword, Helcore obliterated everything in the blade's path, leaving destruction and flames in his wake.
While Heavy Sword Masters' attacks are typically slow due to the size of their weapons, their immense aura and pressure make it difficult for opponents to move or evade. Such is the law of the story. Logically, their slow strikes should be avoidable by an equally strong or faster opponent, especially one capable of opening and closing portals.
"This is enough. I should retreat."
Using the clone as a distraction, the Professor slipped away.
"Are these people trying to stop the plan?"
Once certain the intruder had left, Helcore withdrew.
---
"How is she?"
"The Instructor has passed the critical stage. Thanks to her strong physique and exceptional self-healing abilities, she should fully recover in a few days."
"Good. Thank you."
"You're welcome, Professor. If you need anything else, don't hesitate to call me."
The Professor stood by Meysa's bedside, watching as she seemed to sleep.
"What did you find?" Meysa asked without opening her eyes.
"Not much. I only know that there's something strange about the Energie of the person who attacked you. Healing magic had little effect on the damage caused by that Energie."
"Yeah, that's what I felt—like I was burning. In all my life, I've never encountered Energie like that from a Heavy Sword Master."
"You mean you've felt it from someone else?"
"More precisely, from a monster."
"Was it the Blaze Dragon King?"
"No, it was a kral-rank monster. It's been thousands of years since such a creature was seen. This was a mid-rank monster: a Licking Lizard Soldier."
"Can they use magic?"
"No, but their swords are enveloped in some kind of Energie."
"That's strange. How could a Licking Lizard Soldier wield a sword infused with Energie?"
"You know they have a habit of stealing swords. I think it got the weapon from someone who was dead or dying. At the time, it was holding a super-tier sword."
"Where did you fight this monster?"
"Near a ravine, close to a cave."
"What did you do with the sword?"
"I sent it to the Research Council for analysis, but I haven't followed up since."
"The Research Council… isn't it under Lord Arlotte's command now? Very well. Call me if you need anything. I'll visit Lord Arlotte. I owe him a visit to try healing Hana."
"Didn't you say you couldn't heal her last time?"
"I didn't conduct a proper examination then."
"Give my regards to Lord Arlotte and Hana."
"I will."
After the Professor left, Meysa opened her eyes, staring at the ceiling with her bright blue gaze.