Chapter 44: We are all living hard

Fifteen minutes ago, Saint Diya’s Magic Academy, Dean’s Office.

“Slap!”

A crisp, sharp slap shattered the office’s silence.

Akane Kurokami’s slender white palm struck the smooth rosewood desk heavily, her body leaning forward slightly.

Her crimson eyes burned with suppressed fury as she demanded coldly,

“Dean, what exactly does ‘no pursuit of primary responsibility’ mean?”

A rare display of clear emotion flickered across her face, clearly showing her extreme dissatisfaction with the outcome.

“Oh, Akane, please don’t be so agitated. You see, Rufus has already been kicked out by the internal meeting of the ‘Seven Stars.’ That’s already a severe punishment. Besides… no substantial casualties resulted from this incident, right? So…”

Sitting behind the large desk in the dean’s seat was a man appearing to be in his fifties, his hair already streaked with gray.

He wore gold-rimmed glasses and always had a kindly, grandfatherly smile on his face.

Faced with Akane’s stern questioning, he hastily waved his hand, trying to soothe the visibly angry Discipline Committee Chair.

“So, just because no one died, he can openly use large-scale destructive magic within the academy, commit attempted premeditated murder, and still be ‘released without charge’?”

Akane crossed her arms and sneered coldly, cutting off the dean’s conciliatory words.

“It’s not ‘released without charge,’ it’s ‘probation,’ Akane-san. You must be precise with terminology. Well… this involves some… um… some matters I’m not at liberty to disclose in detail. Given your intelligence, you should understand the complexities behind this, right?”

The dean was momentarily stumped, pushing up his glasses as he continued soothing Akane in his mediator tone.

Akane fell silent, her face revealing no emotion, but it was obvious she understood the unsaid subtext behind the dean’s words — the intricate web of noble relations and exchanges of interests.

“I understand. I fully understand your concerns and intentions, Akane-san. Maintaining the academy’s safety and order owes much to the Discipline Committee, especially to you — your contributions are outstanding!”

Seeing Akane no longer pressing aggressively, the dean quickly plastered a smile back on his face and adopted a formal tone.

“I’m sure… the Former Dean’s spirit would be deeply comforted to see the efforts you’ve made to protect the academy…”

Then, he started uttering flattering, meaningless pleasantries to ease the tension.

Watching the dean’s typical peacemaker demeanor, ever careful not to offend anyone, Akane could only let out a silent sigh in her heart.

“Apologies, Dean. I was out of line just now.”

She reined in her sharpness slightly, her tone returning to its usual cool calm as she bowed slightly to the dean.

The dean sighed in relief when it seemed Akane would no longer challenge Rufus’s disciplinary result, his face relaxing into a light smile.

But before he could reach for the handkerchief in his pocket to wipe the cold sweat on his brow, Akane’s tone shifted sharply, resolute and non-negotiable.

“As for Rufus, I will arrange for the Discipline Committee to monitor him closely. If he commits any violations or endangers the academy’s safety during his probation, I will personally pass judgment.”

“Absolutely, absolutely! That’s only right! We will strictly enforce Rufus’s compliance with the academy rules!”

The dean’s heart tightened, and he nodded hastily in agreement.

“Then, I take my leave.”

Akane no longer spoke, giving the dean a formal farewell gesture with a detached tone.

Afterward, she turned sharply and pushed the door open, walking out briskly.

The moment the office door closed softly behind her, cutting off all sight lines, the tension on Akane’s lips twitched barely perceptibly downward as she muttered softly, audible only to herself.

“So… this is exactly why I loathe these sanctimonious, utterly irresponsible worthless men the most.”

Her gaze then fell upon a portrait hanging on the corridor wall.

The woman in the painting looked heroic, her features bearing some resemblance to Akane’s, with firm, wise eyes.

Looking at it, Akane’s expression grew complicated for a moment, a mixture of remembrance and loneliness.

But soon, that faint vulnerability was replaced by a fiercer, more determined fighting spirit.

Mother, please rest assured.

No matter the cost, no matter the obstacles, I will inherit your will and protect this academy you once poured your heart and soul into.

Inside the office, only after confirming Akane had truly left did the dean fully relax.

He quickly pulled out a handkerchief and wiped the fine sweat beading on his forehead and neck, mumbling with lingering dread.

“This young lady… so young, yet her pressure is really something… even surpasses her mother’s…”

Akane had left the academic building.

It was past dismissal time, and the sunset bathed the sky in a dim golden hue.

She glanced upward at the darkening sky, exhaled softly, suppressing the unpleasantness from the Dean’s Office for now, then turned and headed toward her dormitory, nestled deep within the academy grounds.

As Akane passed through the relatively secluded Grove behind the academy, her pace involuntarily slowed and eventually halted.

She furrowed her delicate brow, sharply sensing a faint yet restless magical aura in the air.

Though cleverly concealed by some means, the aura had not escaped her magic perception entirely.

Akane’s eyes sharpened instantly, and without hesitation, she changed direction and briskly approached the source of the abnormal magical fluctuation.

Soon, she stopped before an apparently ordinary clearing.

She reached out, fingertips probing forward — indeed, she touched not air but an invisible barrier, causing subtle ripples to spread through space.

“A Magic Barrier…”

Akane whispered to herself.

Judging by the barrier’s structure and concealment level, its caster’s skill was exceptionally high—definitely beyond that of an ordinary student.

Without hesitation, she grasped the hilt of the Black Katana fastened at her waist with lightning speed.

The next instant, the katana’s blade flashed like black lightning tearing through the night, accompanied by a sharp, clear blade cry as she swiftly struck at the invisible barrier.

Meanwhile, inside the barrier.

Ethan’s calls fell on deaf ears for Ceres, who had already been completely consumed by darkness.

He had exhausted nearly all his strength and means crossing this deadly blizzard, his body badly injured and all magic cards still cooling down.

Now, Ethan could only watch helplessly as a giant ice spike radiating a deathly aura mercilessly drove toward his heart, lacking even the strength to raise an arm to block.

Is this the end…?

A wave of despair swept through Ethan’s heart.

At this critical moment—

“Clang—!”

A fierce, unparalleled black blade flashed past with barely perceptible speed, striking precisely the ice spike that was about to pierce Ethan’s chest.

The hard ice shattered like tofu, splitting cleanly in two, the break smooth as glass before dissolving into countless ice crystals.

Ethan was stunned, blinking in disbelief as if seeing an illusion.

Only when the ice crystals dissipated did he see a black-haired girl in Saint Diya’s Student Uniform standing before him.

Her posture was upright, her right hand gripping a Black Katana emitting a faint dark sheen, the tip pointed to the ground.

An aura of icy coldness surrounded her, warning others to stay away.

Ethan swallowed hard, a mixture of uncertainty and shocked relief in his voice.

“Akane… senpai?”

“This place is dangerous. Step back. Ceres has confirmed her corruption; she has become a ‘witch’ that must be eliminated. This is my duty.”

Akane did not look back at Ethan.

Her crimson eyes fixed on Ceres’s hollow gaze across from her.

Her voice was cold and emotionless, without the slightest inflection.

As she spoke, she twisted her wrist, the Black Katana carving a shadowy arc as she assumed an offensive stance.

“Wait! Akane-senpai, Ceres hasn’t fully succumbed! She can still be saved—give me one more chance!”

Ethan naturally refused to let her act.

Straining his weak body, he shouted urgently.

Before Akane could react, taking advantage of Ceres’s brief rigidity from the interrupted attack, he mustered his last strength and lunged forward, pulling her cold, stiff body tightly into his embrace.

“Ceres… it’s alright… see, I’m still alive and well… it’s alright… we’re both fighting to live~”

Ethan pressed his cheek close to Ceres’s frozen ear, repeating in as gentle and firm a voice as possible.

“Ugh…”

Wrapped suddenly in this unexpected hug and the warmth of a familiar presence, Ceres’s body trembled violently.

In her dilated pupils, something flickered and struggled.

Ethan’s strong heartbeat and warm words reached her like sunlight piercing through layers of ice.

The raging blizzard around them visibly began to weaken and calm.

“Ethan… senpai?”

The girl’s eyes gradually cleared and focused.

She blinked in bewilderment, gazing at Ethan’s face close before her, whispering faintly.

Then, as if all her strength drained away, she went limp and collapsed into Ethan’s arms.

Ethan was overjoyed to see her recover.

“Akane-senpai! Look, Ceres is fine! She’s come back!”

Feeling the change in the person in his arms, Ethan couldn’t help but rejoice wildly, finally achieving his goal.

He turned to Akane and urged anxiously.

But he was met only with Akane’s expressionless, composed face.

“She barely recovered this time… but what about next time? Who can guarantee she won’t lose control again?”

The black-haired girl showed no trace of emotion over Ceres’s temporary recovery.

Instead, she took a few slow steps forward, her voice cutting coldly.

“As Discipline Committee Chair, I will never allow any ‘uncertainties’ that threaten the safety and order of Saint Diya’s Academy to exist.”

“All of this was caused by Rufus! Ceres is the innocent victim!”

Ethan’s heart tightened, clutching Ceres closer as he fought back vehemently.

Why must the innocent bear the consequences for the wicked’s sins?!

“No need to remind me. I will personally execute Rufus this time…”

Akane’s words halted mid-sentence as she turned her head slightly, casting a sidelong glance at the pile of frozen, snow-covered “things” nearby that were almost unrecognizable as human.

So that lump over there is Rufus… no wonder the aura was familiar.

Turning back, Akane’s eyes remained unwavering and firm, her voice carrying a faint but heavy weight.

“But that does not affect my judgment.”

She had once sworn before her Mother that, as long as she lived, she would never allow even the slightest danger to befall this academy.

A near-obsessive protective determination radiated from Akane.

Slowly, she raised the Black Katana in her hand, its cold blade pointing at Ethan, who was tightly guarding Ceres, delivering the final ultimatum.

“Step aside. Or… I will cut you down as well.”