After his "post-dinner workout," Duanmu Huai finally arrived at the Raya Lucaria Magic Academy.
He had to admit—any place with "Magic Academy" in its name usually looked pretty damn good, and this one was no exception. The tall, ornate spires, the mysterious courtyards, the grand halls filled with shelves of books and scrolls—all of it radiated that scholarly, mystical atmosphere that screamed "a temple of knowledge."
Anne would love this place, Duanmu Huai thought.
He could practically imagine her eyes sparkling as she drooled over the sight of the massive library.
And of course, since this was a magic academy, there were plenty of mages inside. But their outfits made Duanmu Huai raise an eyebrow—each and every one of them wore an absurdly oversized, cartoonish headpiece!
What kind of weird custom is this supposed to be?!
Out of curiosity, Duanmu Huai had even yanked one of the hoods off a dead mage to take a look underneath. He'd half expected to see something freakish—mutations from magical backlash, maybe huge swollen heads, extra eyes, or monstrous deformities—but no. Their heads were perfectly normal. No mutations, no curses, no reason to wear those ridiculous things at all.
So he could only assume it was some strange cultural quirk.
Like how the female students at the Manaria Academy of Magic all wore those short skirts straight out of an anime.
That particular custom he could appreciate.
But this "giant headpiece" nonsense? Yeah, no thanks.
Still, his focus quickly sharpened again.
Because he realized—he wasn't the first one to arrive here.
"Looks like… someone's already been through this place."
Duanmu Huai frowned, gazing down at the corpses of mages littering the floor. He'd barely stepped past the academy gates and entered the classroom wing before noticing that nearly every mage had been slaughtered. The traces of battle were still fresh—blood splattered, scorch marks on the floor.
Whoever did this had been here not long ago.
"Thud!"
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
From above, faint sounds echoed through the ceiling. Duanmu Huai's expression hardened. He gripped his warhammer and started climbing the stairs.
Through hallways and staircases he moved until he reached what looked like a grand meeting chamber—where two figures were darting and leaping in a frantic chase.
One of them was a massive red wolf, holding a glowing sword in its jaws as it pursued its prey with savage speed.
And the prey was—
"Waaah! Why are you chasing me?! I don't taste good!"
Millefi screamed as she scrambled about. Her small body moved with all the agility of her spirit-mouse kin—darting into every corner, leaping through any opening she could find. But the red wolf wasn't giving up, snapping at her heels relentlessly.
"Well, isn't this nostalgic," Duanmu Huai muttered.
The scene was straight out of Tom and Jerry—one big cat, one tiny mouse, tearing through the house and wrecking everything in their path. The only thing missing was a maid coming in to whack Tom with a broom.
"Ah! Sir Knight!!"
Spotting Duanmu Huai at the doorway, Millefi cried out desperately.
"Please help me!!"
"Rrroooaaar!!!"
At her shout, the red wolf turned its attention to Duanmu Huai. Sensing a greater threat, it didn't hesitate—snarling, it lunged at him. A glowing magic circle flared behind it, and several light swords shot forth, streaking toward Duanmu Huai at lightning speed!
Well, I'll be damned. Even the dogs here can cast spells.
He was mildly impressed, but not particularly worried. He charged straight through the incoming swords without flinching and swung his warhammer in a brutal arc.
"Boom!!"
The hammer struck the wolf square in the waist. The beast howled in agony, collapsing instantly.
As the old saying went: "A wolf has a bronze head, an iron tail, and a tofu waist."
Even a magic-wielding wolf was no exception.
That single blow shattered its spine, paralyzing it on the spot. Before it could even turn to bite him, Duanmu Huai grabbed its head in one hand and twisted hard—snapping its neck cleanly and tearing it off in a single motion.
He stared at the severed head in his grip, frowning slightly.
Why do I keep doing this…? I'm starting to get a little too used to tearing heads off.
Hopefully that wasn't some creeping influence from the Old Gods or something.
"Huff… huff… thank you, Sir Knight…"
Panting, Millefi stumbled up to him and collapsed onto the floor. She was drenched in sweat, clearly exhausted.
"What happened? Why are you even here?"
"I-I don't know…"
Through half-tears, Millefi explained. Like the other girls, she'd been teleported away during that strange event, and when she came to, she'd found herself in this magic academy.
At first, she'd tried talking to the people here—but all the mages had gone completely mad. The moment they saw her, they attacked. She had no choice but to fight back, and all the corpses Duanmu Huai had seen earlier… those were her handiwork.
Being a small Spirit Mouse, Millefi didn't have great strength, but her tiny size and agility let her sneak around unnoticed. Still, rats would be rats—spirit or not.
Using her small body, she'd managed to avoid the crazed mages and searched the academy for signs of the Forest Princess or anyone else. But when she reached this chamber, she'd been cornered by that red wolf.
The beast had sharp senses and could use magic—she'd been completely outmatched, chased until she nearly fainted. If Duanmu Huai hadn't shown up when he did, she probably would've dropped dead from exhaustion.
A dog chasing a mouse—mind your own damn business, Duanmu Huai thought.
Too bad Millefi didn't know that saying.
"Sir Knight, do you know where Her Highness the Princess is?"
"I'm not sure," he replied, shaking his head. "Let's hope she's fine."
He wasn't lying—he had no clue where Mistlina had been teleported to. But that princess had a troublesome amount of curiosity and initiative. If she decided to "explore," it could easily lead to a headache later.
"Anyway, I'm heading deeper inside. Come with me."
"Okay."
After resting for a bit, the two set off again. According to Millefi, she'd already searched most of the academy but hadn't found anyone else. Only one place remained unexplored—the Grand Library at the top.
The path there had been sealed off and crawling with enemies, so she couldn't get through.
But with Duanmu Huai here, that was no longer a problem.
They passed through courtyards and corridors, took the massive lift up, and arrived at the top floor. Duanmu Huai reached out and slowly pushed open the heavy doors.
Together, they stepped into the dim library.
No lights, no sound. Just stillness. They walked forward carefully—
Squish.
Something soft gave under his boot. Duanmu Huai froze and looked down—there, beneath his foot, was a headless corpse. Apparently, he'd stepped right on it without noticing.
Wait a second…
"Sir Knight… something feels off…"
Perched on his shoulder, Millefi's voice trembled.
At that moment, faint lights flickered to life all around them. Dozens of small figures came into view—child-sized mage apprentices, lying flat on the floor, each holding a candle. Their faces were pale, frozen in eerie smiles devoid of any emotion, eyes locked on the intruders.
Then, from above, a glow descended.
A tall woman holding a great amber crystal slowly floated down from the air.
"Ah… my darling children. You've all awakened? I've prepared plenty of candles and books for you…"
Her voice was soft, almost tender, yet deeply unsettling. Her eyes then turned toward Duanmu Huai and Millefi, shining with a strange light.
"Would you two… like to become my children as well? Come now… I'll make you such good little children…"
"Sir Knight! That lady's super creepy!!"
"Yeah, I noticed—watch out!!"
In a flash, Duanmu Huai leapt back—just as a massive chandelier came crashing down from the ceiling, smashing into the spot he'd stood a second ago.
Definitely not a friendly welcome.
"Guess there's no choice… gotta take her down!"
He grit his teeth, raised his warhammer, and leapt upward, slamming it toward the floating woman.
But just as the strike was about to connect—
Boom!
A golden barrier flared to life around her, completely enveloping her in shimmering light. The thunder hammer struck it squarely, but the blow didn't even scratch the shield. Instead, the impact sent shockwaves back, forcing Duanmu Huai to stumble away.
What the hell?
Before he could think of a plan, things got even worse.
The "half-paralyzed" apprentices on the floor suddenly stirred—lifting their heads, chanting eerie, sing-song verses as they waved their staves and candles.
Books flew off the shelves, pelting Duanmu Huai, and jets of flame erupted from all directions!
"This is getting annoying!"
"Die!!"
Duanmu Huai roared, slamming his hammer into the floor.
BOOM!!
A surge of lightning exploded outward, incinerating the entire wave of apprentices—blackening them into smoking husks.
But then—
"Ahh… my poor children…"
The floating woman sighed in sorrow. But as her voice fell, golden light rained down from above, enveloping the charred corpses.
And before their eyes, the dead apprentices began to move again.
"Come, my sweet ones… it's time to be reborn once more…"
"...…"
Both Duanmu Huai and Millefi stared, utterly dumbfounded.
An invincible boss who can revive her minions?!
What kind of broken fight is this?!
(End of Chapter)