*BANG~BANG*
*BANG~BANG*
Woken up by the loud knocking on her door, Ruby grabbed a jacket before opening the door, revealing the figure of a panicked Lily.
"Need something?"
"w-were under a-attack, f-follow me."
Considering that Lily wasn't the type of person to lie about something like this, Ruby immediately woke herself up fully before grabbing her weapon and following Lily.
Trailing behind Lily, Ruby saw countless indications of an attack, such as broken windows, torn walls, and even the smell of fire.
Seeing the trembling Lily in front of her, Ruby didn't press further for answers, instead deciding to figure everything out once they reached their destination.
Entering the common area, Ruby saw the group of almost 40 students gathered, with her being the last one to enter.
Well, her room was secluded from the rest as she had just moved in less than a month ago, so Ruby wasn't surprised.
What surprised Ruby more was the fact that no one was hurt.
Examining the groups of nervous students, Ruby could not spot a single wound or scratch on any of them.
The only person harmed was the student council president, Astrid, as she had a bloody scar on her knee.
Was there only one intruder, then? But, then, where was that intruder now?
Maintaining her composure, Ruby walked to the back of the common area, where the window was located, and peered out.
With her teleportation skill, Ruby could scout out the mansion and then immediately return to this area, but as Ruby looked out the window, her gaze suddenly froze.
There was a mana barrier for as long as the eye could see, as it seemed to envelop the whole dormitory.
They weren't just dealing with some regular villain; this person had to be at least B-rank to create a mana cage of this size while still having power left over.
Didn't anyone tell this attacker that the academy was Gemstone Order territory? Who the hell did this villain think they were?
While this wasn't a problem for Ruby personally as her teleportation would still work so she could escape... Ruby glanced around the crowded hall for a moment, noticing that everyone was oblivious to the cage.
"well... I can't just let another villain invade our territory."
Walking to the front of the common area where Astrid stood, surrounded by Lily, Liam, Kevin, and Alya, Ruby patiently waited until their conversation was over.
"I-i c-can't f-find Irene."
"Lily, I sent Irene off to find backup as I found her before all of you, so don't worry. Let's focus on the intruder."
"Astrid, are you sure it's only one person who attacked you..?"
"Yes, for the millionth time, Liam, there was only one."
"Well, if there's only one attacker and 40 of us, why don't we split up into parties and look for him?"
Sighing, Astrid hesitated for a moment before responding to Kevin's question.
"The intruder isn't just someone. I recognized him...it was Mr. Darkwood, the professor for Alchemy. I saw him on the signups for the teacher's battle royale..."
A teacher?
While Ruby knew of countless villains who posed as security guards, janitors, and even students at the academy, she had never heard of a villain pretending to be a teacher.
As Liam, Lily, Alya, and Kevin were shocked and stunned by Astrid's news, Ruby took the opportunity to break the silence.
"Lily, I think you should see this."
Snapping her out of her thoughts, Lily responded.
"W-what is it, Scarlett."
Pointing towards the window, Ruby purposely made her tone nervous as she replied.
"W-we're t-trapped inside a m-mana cage."
As the 5 students rushed to the window to confirm her words, Ruby began to formulate a plan.
With the mana cage already formed, it was already clear that this "Mr. Darkwood" would reappear as soon as he recovered, so their preparation time was running low.
Staring at the over 40 students in the crowded hall, Ruby estimated that she could transport around 10 of them out before the teacher recovered his mana, and if given thirty minutes, she could evacuate everyone.
During her fight at the museum, Ruby had already showcased her teleportation abilities to her teammates, so it wasn't the unwanted revealing of her ability that kept her from immediately starting to transfer the students.
Rather, it was the fear of becoming the villain's target, as if he found out that Ruby was the sole person who could escape from the mana barrier, she would be the first one dead.
"...Well, I already made my decision when I told them about the mana cage, didn't I?"
Ruby could have left as soon as she heard about the attack and spotted the mana barrier, yet she decided to stay here.
In other words, her decision was made as she entered the common area with the other students.
Recalling the faint image of someone she had not seen around recently, Ruby smiled inwardly as she muttered.
"You would be happy if I helped, wouldn't you?"
Even with all the bad rumors surrounding him, Ruby knew inwardly that he did not hold any malicious intentions as the flames of his heart were pure and divine white.
When she originally met him, she lied, stating that their flames were similar when, in full honesty, they could be considered opposite.
While both their flame shined for the same reason, Ruby knew that her flame was a dark black even without seeing them... although her flames must have been lightening up recently.
Walking to the 5 students, who were staring out the window, Ruby explained.
"Irene and my other teammates might not have told you, but I have access to teleportation."
"Can it get past this barrier?"
"Yes, president, I can teleport people out of the barrier and to safety."
"Alright, start now; it's only a matter of time before Mr. Darkwood makes his move."
"w-wait, Astrid, shouldn't we esc-"
"Shut it, Kevin, we're staying and helping."
"Liam, do you have any regard for your own life? Sorry to break it to you, but not all of us are suicidal. He's a powerful teacher, and we're just some students."
"Kevin, we're staying."
"...fine, Lily."
As Ruby began transferring students one by one out of the barrier, in between consuming mana potions supplied by Lily and the reluctant Kevin, Astrid began strategizing.
"Look, all we have to do is stall long enough for Ruby to get them all out."
"Oh yeah, a bunch of D-ranks and one C-rank, Astrid, have to stall one of the most powerful teachers in the academy. What a simple plan!"
"Is this the time for sarcasm?"
"... why do I even talk? You guys never listen."
Ignoring Kevin, Astrid continued.
"Alya, take the rear and slow down his speed using your ice. Kevin and Liam will take the front, attacking directly with their sword, and Lily and I will cast attack spells to supplement them."
Nodding their heads, all 5 of them split off in different directions, with Liam taking a quick detour to say goodbye to Zach, who was in charge of leading the students who Ruby teleported out.
Taking a breather in between teleportations, Ruby slumped down against the wall, drinking yet another mana potion.
Faced with the desperate stares of almost every student in the room, Ruby sighed as she got back up and continued teleporting.
How did a villain boss like her end up saving people not once but twice!?
*BOOM*
Interrupting Ruby's thoughts, she heard the sound of something crumbling, and a second later, the roof above the common area completely collapsed.
As the dust settled, Ruby could see the scene of a teacher, adorned in a full black tuxedo and a brown bowtie, standing on the debris of the roof with a cane in his right hand.
Not giving the students any time to react, the teacher raised his cane, the bottom facing towards them, before thrusting it forward twice, sending 3 wind bullets right at them.