"Hold on tight, I'm getting you out of here!"
"Got it!"
Hearing Shizue's plan, the children showed no hesitation or doubt.
They saw her as a motherly figure.
They'd unconditionally support any decision she made.
Even if it meant crossing a battlefield or being chased by Ingrassia's soldiers, the children were fearless.
"Hey!"
"What are you doing?!"
The dozens of soldiers guarding the gate quickly noticed Shizue's actions.
"Stop her!"
"Get out of my way!!"
Shizue wasn't about to be polite.
To save her cherished students, she unleashed the mana within her.
In an instant, terrifying, scorching flames swept outward, carrying an unstoppable explosion that scattered the soldiers blocking the carriage's path.
Thankfully, Shizue held back.
Otherwise, with that single move, not one soldier would have survived.
As it was, the soldiers only sustained non-lethal injuries.
"Hold on tight!"
"Hyah!"
Shizue called out to the children behind her, then drove the carriage straight through the city gate.
"Now's our chance!"
"Quick, quick, quick!"
"Let's follow!"
"..."
With the commotion Shizue caused, more and more merchants seized the opportunity to rush out.
In an instant, the city gate descended into chaos, filled with shouts and cries.
Meanwhile, high above the fortress city, two figures quietly observed the scene unfolding at the gate.
"This is your plan?"
"Yep."
Yuuki Kagurazaka said, "Pretty simple, right?"
As he spoke, he used recording magic to send the scene at the gate to a certain female classmate thousands of miles away.
"This makes the evidence ironclad."
"Knowing Hinata, she won't sit idly by while Shizu-sensei is 'bewitched' by monsters."
Yes, this was all part of Yuuki's scheme.
The barrier blocking teleportation magic, the guards at the gate, and exploiting Shizue's urgency to force her to break through... all carefully orchestrated.
Such behavior was completely unlike the Shizue of old.
"Hmph."
"Scheming even against your own teacher? You're a dangerous man indeed."
Granbell Rozzo, the Head of the Rosso once an Awakened Hero who guarded the Western world for a millennium, spoke.
In terms of strength, the Sun Luminary, Granbell, surpassed Yuuki.
Though neither had acquired their Ultimate Skills yet, Granbell's thousand years of combat experience far outstripped Yuuki's.
Of course, they weren't enemies... at least not yet.
---
"Shizu-sensei!"
On the other side, Hinata Sakaguchi, leading thousands of Holy Knights, received Yuuki's latest intel.
"That bastard!!"
Though stubborn, Hinata was no fool.
With such a commotion, Yuuki hadn't stopped Shizue but instead let her charge out.
His intentions were crystal clear!
"He doesn't deserve to be Shizu-sensei's student!"
Knowing Shizue might be under some influence, he should've intervened and restrained her.
Instead, he passed the buck to Hinata, making her the vanguard to probe the changes in the Jura Forest!
Hinata had absolute confidence in her strength and feared no monster.
But being manipulated and led by the nose like this was infuriating.
"Once this is over, I'll settle the score with him!"
Hinata's only hope now was that Shizue and the children were unharmed. "If anything happens to Shizu-sensei, I won't let that jerk off!"
Shizue was Hinata's untouchable sore spot.
Yuuki's act of using her as bait was enough to make Hinata turn against him.
"Damn it!"
Yet, Yuuki's plan had succeeded.
Seeing Shizue rush out of the gate in a panic, Hinata couldn't stay calm. "All forces, move faster!"
She had to hurry!
She needed to reach her teacher's side as soon as possible!
---
"Hm?"
"Where are we...?"
On a plain west of the Jura Forest, not far from the Sealed Cave, a magic circle slowly materialized.
A carriage burst out of the teleportation array... it was Shizue and the others, fresh from escaping Ingrassia.
"Phew, we made it out?"
Shizue halted the carriage and quickly checked on the children.
Even now, her heart was still racing.
Just moments ago, as she was about to leave the fortress's border, she had used her Unique Skill [Mutator] to meticulously scan for powerful presences nearby.
To her shock, there was indeed an overwhelmingly terrifying aura of magic essence in the city.
Its strength far surpassed her own.
It was not an opponent she could match.
"Who could it be?"
"Could I have misunderstood?"
Shizue wondered, "Was the barrier meant to trap someone else, not me?"
If that person had chosen to attack her, with the need to protect five children, Shizue would never have escaped so easily.
I can't figure it out...
Shizue wasn't the sharpest when it came to intricate schemes.
Under Yuuki's layers of misdirection, she couldn't discern his true intentions.
The only connection she could make was the war between Falmuth and the Jura Forest.
As for Yuuki's real target being her student, Hinata Sakaguchi?
That was something Shizue could never guess.
"Shizu-sensei!"
"Are you okay?"
Before she could dwell on it, the children's concerned voices interrupted her thoughts.
"I'm fine!"
Seeing their worried gazes warmed Shizue's heart. That's right, I've already escaped. Who they are and what their goals are don't concern me.
With that realization, Shizue finally relaxed.
"Everyone, we're safe now. Come on out."
Shizue helped the children out of the carriage one by one.
This was deep within the Jura Forest.
Though called a forest, there were hardly any trees around.
Instead, a vast, lush prairie stretched endlessly before them... the favorite hunting and running grounds of the former Direwovles.
"This place feels so relaxing."
"The atmosphere of the Western nations is just too oppressive."
To outsiders, the Jura Forest was incredibly dangerous, but to someone like Shizue, one of their own, it felt like coming home.
Even the pervasive magic essence in the air gave her a refreshing sense of ease.
***
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