Chapter 224: The Girl who was Left Behind
Joanna and her dorm mates could only comply with Evelyn"s request to check for other traps that catch humans instead of prey. Apart from the net trap Evelyn set, the two pitfall traps also caught humans.
As for the rest, there was no one other than these three people. Just Serena and her servants, so where were the other two members of the group?
"Hey, don"t ignore me. Get me out of here quickly!" Serena expressed her protest with exasperation. She wanted to use her lightning magic, but she could burn along with these dry leaves and net ropes.
Evelyn frowned at the discovery. She became even more annoyed when she heard Serena"s annoying tone. While Cora and Nico were being helped by her group members, she walked into the trap she had set up.
Without politeness and pity, Evelyn cut the rope that held her trap. The poor trapped girl could only fall back to the ground.
"Aah! Ouch..." Serena moaned in pain. Falling two or three meters to the ground was not a pleasant experience.
"Serena, where"s Ely and one other girl in your group?" Evelyn asked in an indignant tone after she untied her trap net. She was both angry and worried because she had a bad feeling just because of this remaining group of three.
"How do I know? Maybe they"re following behind us." Serena jumped straight out of the hateful trap without waiting for another second.
"Maybe, you said? You don"t know? You"re the leader of your group, correct? Don"t you dare say that you left your members behind just to... Escape!?" Evelyn expressed her anger. She didn"t want to believe it, but her hunch seemed right.
"Huh, what did you say in that tone? Forget it, I don"t want to argue with you. I have something to report to the instructors and teachers." Serena felt the urge to get angry and retaliate, but it wasn"t the right time. She needed to immediately report the tragedy in the strange forest.
"Report? Did something happen? Don"t continue with your run. You think I"ll let you go without you answering my question?" Evelyn grabbed Serena"s shoulder as the guilty wanted to run.
"Let go of me, you witch! There is a student who has died, and I must report it immediately. You have absolutely no idea how grim the atmosphere is there!" Serena pushed aside the hand that was holding her shoulder. She was completely unaware that her words sounded different in Evelyn"s ears.
Evelyn just needed to get there and guessed it was the worst. She chased after Serena and grabbed the latter"s neck in her rage.
"A student died? Where"s Ely? Answer me, or you won"t like the continuation of this." Evelyn moved in front of Serena, staring at the girl with an intimidating gaze. She had to find a definite answer right there and then.
"Ack, you hateful Evelyn. How do I know who is dead? Elysia and Zofia are catching up behind us, the two of them! We immediately run away because the monsters deep in the forest are so terrible." Serena couldn"t curse or evade. She could only spontaneously answer as Evelyn gripped her neck tightly.
"Oh? Thank G.o.ddess, Ely is fine. So, that"s why you have to report as soon as possible... All right, I"ll forgive you. Now, you can go and report." Evelyn just released her grip without feeling the least bit guilty.
She was relieved that the one who died was a n.o.body, not her best friend. It was a little harsh and heartless indeed, but it was what she felt.
"Ugh, cough, cough... You brute girl. Just watch you later." Serena spoke in a whisper while stroking his neck. After giving Evelyn another vengeful look, she continued running with the help of Reinforcement Magic.
At the same time, a girl with black hair was running over quickly. The girl looked quite tired and panted a little. She kept running without caring about anything as if a sense of urgency was chasing her from behind.
That girl wasn"t Elysia, but Zofia. Evelyn knew very well that the approaching girl with brown eyes and pigtail-black hair was another Serena group member.
Zofia approached, but Elysia was nowhere to be seen. Serena said they were both, but Zofia was only running alone. So, where was Elysia? That thing couldn"t happen, right?
With a sense of emergency and anxiety, Evelyn ran over to Zofia without waiting any further.
"Zofia, are you okay? Where is Ely? You two ran off together, right? I heard Serena"s statement a moment ago. Well, now she has run away. Cora, Nico, don"t you dare run away. Girls, please hold them." Evelyn welcomed Zofia, who stopped just because of her.
Yet! When she saw Serena from a distance, she immediately gave an order to her group members. Now, no one was allowed to escape until she knew the details.
Evelyn"s group members obeyed the request dutifully. As for Serena"s servants, they could only stand in silence as they waited. Their master had already left to report, so everything would be fine as here was not far from the gathering place.
After that, Zofia explained some details to Evelyn because she thought Evelyn needed to know some important things... Considering that Elysia was Evelyn"s best friend.
Evelyn also asked a few questions in response to her restless heart. Not only to Zofia but to Cora and Nico as well. Alas, the conclusion of the incident that happened was a bad one.
There had never been a tragedy like this in the history of the academy"s tests. There were casualties in the test several times, but that only happened in the real battlefield held for the ninth graders" final test!
Something that claimed casualties never happened to eighth-grade students and under, but the reality said otherwise. Also, Elysia was still in that dangerous forest area to help other students escape!?
Other than a few questions about that strange forest that n.o.body could answer and the many questions that arose afterward, Evelyn felt a little dizzy about her best friend.
"Ely, you are strong, kind, heroic, but also silly. What can you do against such huge monstrous monsters... Our levels are still too low to deal with something like that." Evelyn ma.s.saged her forehead with some thoughts. Then, she turned to her group members and the others.
"You guys, please return to the gathering place and report to the authorities as soon as possible. Send requests for reinforcements to the capital. All authorities need to deal with this as soon as possible. Something has a plot behind all of this, and that"s a bad sign." Evelyn made a request for the girls.
"Miss Evelyn, why are you saying it as if you are... Won"t you go with us? You can"t possibly..." Zofia asked in confusion, but she hesitated to continue her sentence.
"I"ll be back too, but it"ll be with Ely. I have to make sure she"s okay." Evelyn nodded in confirmation.
"That"s suicide! You said Miss Elysia is silly, but you"re the same. No, we can"t let you go there just to be sure of something." Joanna was the first to submit her disapproval.
"Yes, you have to come back with us, Miss Evelyn. It"s too dangerous for you or us who are still at the Apprentice level." Lana also disagreed with Evelyn"s decision.
"If you still want to go, it is possible that Miss Elysia is already on her way back and may not see you. Will your efforts be in vain?" Betty made her suggestion with reasons. She didn"t want anyone to go away, considering that Elysia was only there to help a group of students and was leaving soon.
"Un, un, we"d better go back and wait for Miss Elysia at the gathering place. If Miss Elysia hasn"t returned, we can go with reinforcements. Please calm yourself, Miss Evelyn." Maggie used common sense to offer advice.
Heard those sensible suggestions, Evelyn had no other choice but to return to the gathering place with the girls. She knew if she still insisted on her decision, then these girls would drag her back at any cost. She could only send her prayers for her best friend and other students" safety for the time being.
As the other students rushed out of the Hastterre Forest, a girl and a cat inside the energy dome were finally able to sigh in satisfaction.
They managed to save four other groups after the 22 students who had left a while ago. Elysia and Elena were sure there were no other students in that cursed forest. Except for those who died before she came, she saved everyone entirely.
But the thing that made Elysia"s heart calm and relieved was that Evelyn"s group was not found there. It was likely that Evelyn"s group had not ventured this far, nor had they entered this cursed forest.
"Very well, it"s fine now. I can use my power more freely. Let"s test a few things against these cursed creatures." Elysia delivered her invitation as soon as she closed the hole in the transparent barrier.
"Uhm, but please be careful, Ely. I will help you, always on high alert. I feel like they are just playing with their prey. Ugh... Those monsters even eat the dead students..." Elena covered her mouth. She wanted to vomit, although she had nothing to regurgitate.
"Un, I"m going to be very careful." After saying that, Elysia flew back to the sky with Vanessa. She tried not to think about the many tragic things she saw earlier, worried that she might vomit again.