I Stayed Loyal When My Teacher Was Betrayed

10 – This is the Adventurer: Part of Hope 2

“What…What is this?”

Adventurer Bart.

This tall man, who was both a subordinate and junior to Gloss, could only look on in astonishment at the situation before him.

A witch dressed in a crimson robe.

With fair skin and a pretty face, her figure was also truly remarkable, but…

She had thin arms that barely showed any muscles.

Although she appeared to be a skilled witch,

Bart believed that he could quickly engage her in close combat and bring an end to it.

Magicians are vulnerable in close combat.

This was a well-known fact that had been passed down from the past.

Warriors wearing heavy armor while wielding swords.

Having trained their muscles as a hobby, they naturally possessed strong and healthy bodies.

On the other hand, witches and magicians who dealt with magic were mostly confined to study or immersed in magical practice.

The spells they mastered and the attacks they carried out through those spells were indeed powerful.

However, considering their background, magicians naturally had weak bodies compared to warriors.

Most magicians lacked physical activity and had poor stamina even to the point of chronic illness.

Such magicians, with a significant difference in strength and agility compared to warriors, couldn’t possibly engage in proper close combat.

In fact, most magicians found it difficult not only to swing a sword but even to wield a weapon.

In that sense, when engaging in battles, magicians usually relied on the protection of warriors while launching offensive spells or enhancing magic,

And if they were forced into close combat, the usual answer was to simply give up their lives.

But in this moment.

The scene before Bart’s eyes was smashing his common sense…

Literally breaking it to pieces.

-*Bam!!!!*

“Wha-aaaack!!!”

Along with a terrifying sound, the sight of a colleague being slammed into the ground.

He was someone who possessed incredible strength, able to lift up to 600 kg by combining three different training devices. However, without even swinging the hammer he was holding, he swiftly fainted.

“W-what… What is this? What on earth…”

Even though he saw it with his own eyes, he couldn’t believe what he was witnessing.

Feeling bewildered by that fact, Bart was seized by a momentary sensation as if his limbs had stiffened.

At that moment…

-Bang!!!

“Kyaaaa…”

Simultaneously with something flashing, another colleague in front of him was slammed against the wall.

He couldn’t see it.

Neither the movements nor the attack method.

Only the outcome caught his eye.

All he saw were the miserable figures of his colleagues, unable to even respond, being overwhelmed.

“W-What… in the world… What have you… what have you done?”

Trembling with fear, Bart began to falter in his voice.

Until just a moment ago, he was filled with thoughts of striking down the woman in front of him and the demon behind him.

But now, his mind no longer contained such absurd and dreamlike tales.

It was a mistake from the beginning.

No matter how numerous the odds were, he shouldn’t have believed in them.

His opponent was the monsters who had brought down Glyos without a scratch.

It was sheer madness to engage in combat against those guys while wielding a weapon.

As he repeated his regrets in his heart,

Bart, with trembling hands gripping his weapon, tried to somehow anticipate the attack of the monster-like woman before his eyes.

Honestly, he didn’t think it was possible…

But because he had to do something, anything,

He focused his gaze on the movement of that witch, who turned her eyes towards him.

And then…

“!!!Oh!”

The witch appeared right in front of him in an instant.

He couldn’t read it.

He couldn’t comprehend it at all.

The blurry feeling immediately after that scene was over.

The witch glaring at him with her fist raised.

Her face was horribly ambiguous, but at this moment, her terrifying presence felt like a demon from hell. Astonished, Bart attempted to swing the sword he held, no matter what.

And.

-Thud!!!

An enormous shock that was felt without any chance to exert force on the arm.

At the same time, the scenery in Bart’s eyes immediately changed as well.

Stone floor.

A solid marble floor that could hardly be broken.

Toward that, Bart’s head rapidly descended.

-Bam!!!!

A moment of excruciating pain.

With the shock that made his consciousness fly away, Bart’s awareness instantly faded.

That last moment.

It appeared in Bart’s eyes.

Someone looking down at him, collapsed.

The gaze of a witch who showed no trace of mercy…

No,

The gaze of a dreadful monster.

*

There are various types of magic.

Among them, there is well-known mainstream magic, while individual magicians also create their own magic.

At this moment, Rosemary used the latter kind of magic.

A magic she independently developed, enabling her to engage in overwhelming close-quarters combat even with a witch’s body.

The principle itself was reinforcing muscles with mana, but to perfect it, one needed to thoroughly understand and control every muscle in their body.

Misuse of it could lead to the danger of shoulder muscles tearing apart from a single punch.

Of course, Rosemary, who had long been proficient in this field, had no worries about such side effects.

It was like someone who knows how to ride a bicycle not falling even when pedaling after a long time.

However, aside from that, there was another aspect of this moment that made her frown.

“Tsk… As expected, not as good as before…”

Rosemary muttered a complaint in a small voice.

Having regained her youth as the contract broke.

However, the void left by the power that emerged still felt regrettable.

Thanks to the return of her body from a middle-aged woman to her late twenties, moving itself was more comfortable than before.

But the amount of usable magic is at best half of what it used to be.

The strength to defeat the Demon King Odin is unfortunately no longer attainable.

“Well… there’s nothing we can do but draw from the source. Anyway, thanks to that, we were able to save Edward.”

With that resigned sentiment, she glanced at the adventurers lying on the ground and then turned her gaze towards the one remaining.

“Uh… uh… ahhh!!!”

Comrades wiped out in an instant.

The remaining one, completely devoid of composure, continued to scream and collapse on the ground.

“S-sorry… w-we were wrong! N-no! I was wrong! W-will make sure this never happens again… So please, just spare my life!”

Begging desperately for mercy, the lad wore his hands and feet thin.

As she watched, Rosemary felt slightly bewildered as she said, “I didn’t… actually kill anyone, did I.”

She had indeed exercised some restraint.

Enough not to die an eternal and certain death from now on.

If they were going to kill first, and as long as there were no issues with being armed and mad, there wasn’t really a problem but she still extended the minimum amount of mercy given the trouble of creating corpses and being sent to the hospital was entirely different.

“Well… then I guess I have to make you like the remaining comrades, for the sake of fairness…”

“Uh… uh…!”

With those words, Rosemary walked slowly towards the lad.

As she approached in her formidable and unmatched appearance, the remaining person closed their eyes in despair.

– Thud!

Her fist fell towards him.

Contained within the magic that encircled her, was the power to turn a person into a half-wit with one blow.

At that moment,

-Whack!!!

“…Huh?”

“Uh?”

The blow was abruptly blocked, leaving Rosemary in shock.

And a slight hint of surprise began to appear on her face.

“You…?”

The person who was blocking her attack right in front of his eyes.

She had blonde hair, blue eyes,

And with a deep smile on her lips, she spoke calmly but with a bright voice.

“This is… It was so chaotic that I came to see what happened, and you went all out…”

“…”

*

Honestly, seeing the expected outcome was a bit boring.

Although weakened compared to before, the master still possessed magical power.

The guys who boldly challenged him were lying on the ground as expected.

“That person… How in the world is a witch…”

Bernie, expressing astonishment while observing that sight.

Regarding this, I chuckled slightly and said,

“He’s just… a little… very powerful. He’s my master, you see.”

“…”

That was truly the only way to describe the appearance of the master.

The atmosphere changed immediately after that.

“Huh?”

“!”

After swiftly handling the guys who attacked, the master was now about to finish off the last one halfway.

However, right after that,

Just as the master adjusted his strength and launched his attack, it was blocked by a woman who suddenly appeared from somewhere…

Similarly, an unfamiliar figure appeared, resembling a witch, and blocked the attack.

“That person… Who in the world is… Could she also be one of Gloss’s lackeys?”

“No, she is surely…”

Bernia, who seemed to want to explain something to me.

At that moment,

“Now then, to all of you who recklessly caused this disturbance, here is a question.”

“…”

“At the age of 18, she became the youngest guild master leading Balhalla with exceptional intelligence, beautiful appearance, and a just heart… Who is she?”

With a smile on her lips, but emitting an unsettling aura, she told a story that couldn’t be taken lightly in its context, all the while boasting and exuding a sense of superiority.

Instinctively, I raised my guard and prepared myself to intervene if necessary.

And then…

“…Was it you?… Ovelin Serestina.”

“Yes! That’s me…?”

At that moment, her expression suddenly hardened.

Observing this,

a serene smile appeared on Rosemary’s mentor’s lips.

“It’s been a while. You look healthy, thankfully.”

“…Teacher?”