Lorraine had already lost track of how many times she had tried.
She pressed her palm against the cold, unyielding stone. Her mana seeped into it in vain, trying to find a crevice inside to anchor itself, but the moment her mana entered, it was repelled, leaving behind no trace at all.
She had even tried teleportation spells, but just like the barrier that had trapped Nora before, any teleportation with a destination on the other side of the stone was completely repelled.
Standing beside Lorraine, Nora was equally pale. She had tried to use the Royal Pronouncement to boost the power of her magic, but she still couldn't budge the stone, only succeeding in draining her own mana.
Alicia had tried as well. Her usually invincible water blades couldn't even leave a scratch on the stone, though they did fill the cave with the aroma of wine—which was entirely useless.
Valen Raven was equally helpless. The second son of Duke Raven specialized in lightning magic, and the power of his spells even slightly surpassed Alicia's, but earth and stone naturally resisted electricity, to say nothing of this extraordinarily sturdy rock.
The students had even tried a joint chant, which was actually a second-year curriculum. Under the leadership of the young princess, the students barely managed to pool their mana into a single force. The blast against the stone made a massive racket, but it was still useless.
Lorraine swept a helpless gaze over her surroundings. Almost all the students from the second floor had gathered here, crowding around the cave entrance so tightly that not even water could trickle through. Yet, despite their numbers, not a single person could budge the stone in the slightest.
The students who had gone out to seek help had yet to return with any word. As for Erich—Lorraine's gaze drifted past the crowd and into the pitch-black forest in the distance. No one knew where he was, nor did anyone know if he was even still alive.
She didn't really want to admit it, but at a time like this, his was the first name that popped into her head.
In the game, this was a major plot point. If the player didn't choose to party up with Celine, the Holy Maiden would inevitably walk into a trap set by cultists. What followed would be a stat check; if the player's damage output was high enough, they could shatter the blockade, break in to save the damsel in distress, and rake in a massive amount of affection points.
Unfortunately, Lorraine had been slacking off lately, so her stats were mediocre, and everyone else's damage output was clearly below the threshold as well.
Thus, it seemed everyone could only watch as the Holy Maiden and Irene were sacrificed inside the cave, before going down with them.
It was terrifyingly quiet outside the cave. The students didn't know that once the ritual was complete, they would all perish with them; they were simply worried about Celine from the bottom of their hearts.
If Erich was a universal pariah in the academy, Lady Celine was at the complete opposite extreme; she had made friends with almost everyone.
Nobles or commoners, rich or poor, anyone could find genuine care and friendship from her. She remembered everyone's name, would send hot soup when someone was sick, and would listen to you with absolute sincerity, even if you were talking complete nonsense.
With a Holy Maiden like her, who could bear to watch her die inside?
At the edge of the crowd, a girl with red eyes had remained silent. She wasn't in the same class as Celine, but not long ago, Celine had stood up for her and recovered her docked meal fees from the cafeteria manager. It was such a small thing, yet she remembered it to this day.
Just then, the girl suddenly spoke up.
“Do you guys feel the ground shaking?”
Her voice was hesitant, but it slightly broke the stifling atmosphere.
Prompted by her words, the students began to focus on the ground. Almost everyone felt an unidentified object rushing upward from deep beneath the earth.
Reacting quickly, everyone retreated toward the exit of the cave. Lorraine was the last in line, and the moment she turned around, the ground bulged before her eyes as dirt exploded outward.
Something burst from the soil. Shrouded in mud and gravel, carrying the momentum of having pierced straight through the geological strata, it crashed directly into the stone wall that had blocked everyone for so long.
The deafening roar that erupted in that instant made everyone's ears ring. The barrier that had seemed virtually indestructible to the students held out for a mere few seconds before giving a crisp crack. Fractures spread from the point of impact across the entire stone wall, which then shattered with a thunderous boom, turning into a heap of rubble.
The object that had broken through the earth finally exhausted its last trace of energy and fell among the shattered stones.
It was a dark-red, droplet-shaped projectile. Scorching heat still radiated from its surface, which was caked with dirt and crushed rock.
Lorraine was temporarily speechless. She couldn't recognize what it was, but she couldn't shake the feeling that there was something bizarre about it.
Inside the cavern, the Holy Maiden and Irene were on the verge of unconsciousness, leaning weakly against the rock wall. The ritual was still running, faint light patterns flickering on the ground. The cultists stood frozen in place, their faces painted with sheer disbelief in the dim light.
The obstacle had been destroyed.
The students would soon teach these cultists the true meaning of safety in numbers.
Rate on N.U.
