I got up early in the morning and finished getting ready to go to school.
Even though I had prepared, I couldn't shake off the uneasy feeling.
Because of this, my hands were trembling slightly.
I opened the window and took in the scenery of the street waking up, then took out the magic grass I had bought from Leonor last Friday, put it in my mouth, and lit it.
Let's not worry.
I'm sure I'll be able to see this view again tomorrow morning.
As I slowly inhaled the smoke, my trembling heart calmed down a bit.
By the time it was all burned, the trembling in my hands had subsided.
After burning the remaining stub, I took a deep breath and set off for school.
*
When I entered the classroom, the class representative was already there as usual.
"Did you have a good weekend?"
The class representative greeted me with a slightly more friendly voice than usual.
I nodded.
I thought she would start cleaning as usual, but perhaps because we had done club activities together on Friday, she seemed to have something more to say.
The class representative blushed and opened her mouth.
"Um, for the next club activity... "
The class representative, who usually speaks clearly, hesitated.
She seemed to be hesitating about whether to say it or not, but then she mustered her courage and spoke to me in a slightly louder voice.
"Would you like to try the cooking I made?"
Why is the person who made it asking in such a pleading tone?
I found it a bit odd.
I asked her casually, "What are you going to make?"
"Uh... chocolate?"
The class representative, flustered by my question, stuttered as she answered.
It was clear from her reaction that she hadn't thought about it.
To think that the answer that came out of her mouth was chocolate—how much does the class representative love chocolate?
More importantly, is the class representative going to cook for this week's Friday club activity?
According to the original story, this was something that would never happen.
If it could happen, it would be a situation I had been hoping for.
With hope and anticipation, I replied to the class representative.
"I'll look forward to it."
"Okay!"
The class representative smiled happily.
As the empty seats in the classroom decreased, the hour hand on the clock at the front of the room approached 8.
The ticking of the second hand sounded as loud as thunder.
I thought I had calmed down, but my hands started to tremble slightly.
There was less than a minute left until 8 o'clock, when the morning assembly would begin and the classroom would be full.
I looked at the clock as if it were a countdown timer showing the time left before an explosion.
The second hand moved.
7:59:58
59 seconds
And then
At exactly 8 o'clock, the second hand pointed to 12, and a loud alarm echoed throughout the city.
"What... what's that alarm?"
"I was startled! What's going on?"
"Is something happening outside?"
The classroom became chaotic with the sudden alarm.
The students, trying to figure out what was happening, stood up and crowded around the windows to check the outside situation.
It was natural for the students to be confused.
According to the original story, it had been decades since an alarm had sounded inside the barrier.
I clasped my trembling hands and took a deep breath.
After a while, the alarm stopped, and a broadcast came through.
[Citizens, at this time, a Level 2 actual demon response alert has been issued citywide. All citizens are requested to evacuate to the nearest shelter promptly and orderly. I repeat, at this time, a Level 2 actual -]
Beyond the broadcast, the sound of hurried footsteps could be heard from outside the classroom door.
Eve, who opened the door in a hurry, had a serious expression.
She explained to the murmuring students.
"There's an emergency. A large group of demons has been observed beyond the western border area. The western area is crucial because it contains large-scale farmland, so an emergency mobilization order has been issued to the academy students as well. Normally, first-year students would be exempt, but this is an exceptional situation, so the teacher will select students who can contribute to the effort and take them along. I'll tell you who will stay at the school."
The 17 students who had received 0 points on the first day were both frustrated and relieved.
Except for the class representative, all the members of the third group from the previous training were included.
If we didn't know what was going to happen, this reaction would be normal.
"Daniel, Andre, and Mei, you are strong enough to be part of the effort, but please stay at the school. If any demons manage to get in, the three of you can handle them without any casualties."
In order, she called the spearman, the shieldman, and the class representative.
I had tried not to call them by name.
Because I knew they would stay at the school.
I didn't want to call them by name in case I developed feelings for them.
Because everyone who stayed at the school today would die.
"Evan De."
Eve called my name after the three.
She looked at me meaningfully and asked.
"What will you do?"
Surprisingly, she gave me a choice.
Even though I had performed poorly in the previous training, it meant she thought I was sufficient.
I only had a 2nd dan in Taekwondo and the ability to emit flames from my hands and feet.
But even considering that, I was still relatively strong compared to other students.
Suddenly, a lifeline that would guarantee my survival was right in front of me.
I could have left, trusting that the sturdy door of the gym would protect everyone.
It would have been the best choice for me.
For a moment, I hesitated.
'Don't do anything you'll regret later.'
The words of my history teacher came to mind, and I gently pushed away the lifeline.
"...I'll stay."
Eve nodded at my answer.
"Got it. When the gym doors are closed, a signal will be sent to the teacher, so if anything happens, close the doors and hold out inside. I'll send someone to help."
I nodded.
I didn't want to think about it, but if I had followed Sylvia and something had gone wrong, resulting in everyone's death, I would have surely regretted not staying behind for the rest of my life.
I recalled the sturdy door that seemed capable of blocking anything.
If I didn't believe in the result of my actions to save everyone, who would?
Instead of the surest lifeline, I grabbed the new one I had discovered through my actions.
*
After Eve left with the students, I helped the surrounding citizens evacuate to the gym.
The magic barrier called the 'Veil' perfectly blocks the mana from entering, but it doesn't completely prevent demons from crossing over.
While the mana is blocked, demons that force their way through the Veil are significantly weakened, but they are still strong enough to harm citizens.
Normally, heroes stationed near the Veil would deal with such demons, but most of them were mobilized for the emergency.
Therefore, evacuation shelters were set up in various places to protect as many citizens as possible with the few remaining heroes.
With the students left in the gym and a few non-combat teachers, they could easily handle the weak demons that might cross the Veil and become even weaker.
Frankly, it was an excessive amount of force for a single shelter.
But what had happened in the original story that caused everyone to die?
Were the demons that strong? Or were there so many that the students couldn't handle them?
Whatever it was, it was something the demons had done.
The gym was described as being filled with blood.
If it had been a terrorist attack, there would have been bodies.
But the absence of bodies meant it was the work of demons.
One of the demons' habits is to eat anything they see, whether it's a person or a body.
They have no limit to their stomachs and grow stronger the more they eat.
Time passed.
It seemed that most of the citizens in the area had completed their evacuation.
The other students seemed relieved and relaxed.
But I was trembling with unease.
I didn't know when or where the demons might attack.
I wanted to close the doors immediately, but I couldn't act on my own.
I thought about what I could do and decided to check from the rooftop if the demons were coming this way.
No matter how many or how strong they were, they would surely be visible from a distance.
If the monsters were fast, we might not notice them in time to close the doors, so if we could see them early, we could run and alert everyone to close the doors.
Since I could only watch one direction alone, I convinced the class representative, the spearman, and the shieldman to help.
The telekinetic girl who hated bugs and was part of the third group also followed us, saying she was bored.
On the rooftop, I watched the direction of the school gate, while the class representative and the other students took different directions.
Honestly, we didn't need five people to watch all directions, but it didn't matter.
We began to observe the quiet city from the rooftop.
After an hour of watching from the rooftop, I wondered if nothing would happen.
Just as I was thinking this, I saw someone walking towards the academy from a distance.
Was there still someone who hadn't evacuated?
Focusing on the small figure, I recognized it as the girl with dark purple hair who had spoken to me before.
The telekinetic girl, who had been wandering around and chatting with the others, seemed to notice the girl and exclaimed in surprise.
"There's still someone who hasn't evacuated! I'll tell her to come quickly!"
The girl put her hands to her mouth and shouted.
Suddenly, the girl walking towards the school gate stopped and looked this way.
It seemed she had used telekinesis to project her voice over a distance.
For some reason, I felt our eyes met.
The girl stopped and took out a large, black, shiny orb from her pocket.
Then, she smiled, stretching her lips like melted cheese.