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The original was posted on /r/hfy by /u/ralo_ramone on 2025-10-14 18:25:52+00:00.

Leonie felt an overwhelming need to turn around. Her seventh sense told her to look at the dangerous presence behind her. Her jaw stiffened. No matter how hard she tried to speak, not a word came out of her mouth. Slowly, she turned around just to meet Instructor Clarke’s eyes. Mana surged through his body. The ground shattered under his boots.

“I’ll handle this.”

Leonie had never heard such a serious tone coming out of his mouth, not even when Nessa Morag-Vedras tried to harm Yvain during training.

Someone snatched Leonie’s shoulders, and the next moment, she was in the air. Firana had lifted her before flying backwards, with Zaon backpedaling to join them while keeping his guard raised. Before her, Instructor Clarke moved like an arrow. He caught the Ice Mage’s head with his right hand and somehow drained his energy. Raw mana coursed through his body and was discharged through his left hand. Mana arcs scorched the ground. It almost looked like he had torn the Ice Mage’s soul out of his body by force.

That wasn’t a Sage skill. Mana Drain was a rare skill only available to some Hexmages, Witches, Tricksters, and certain flavors of Sorcerers. A Sage’s skillset, on the other hand, was aligned with the spells of an elemental mage.

“He’s mad,” Firana nervously said.

“Y-yeah,” Zaon replied.

Leonie had never seen Instructor Clarke like that. On a rational level, she knew that the destructive level of high-level Prestige Classes was almost off the charts. However, it was hard to think of Instructor Clarke as a destructive force. He was good-natured and easy to talk to. During lessons, he allowed Fenwick to make fun of him and even teased Yvain and Malkah to encourage them to get out of their shell. He treated them a bit like kids, but not in a bad sense.

Leonie couldn’t take her eyes off the scene.

The Ice Mage fell to the ground, his mana completely drained. Instructor Clarke shook his head and summoned a sword completely out of mana. Leonie had to blink twice before accepting what her eyes showed her. [Mana Blade] was a high-level skill that only martial classes with good magical specs learned. The only Class in the Scribe evolution line that learned it was the Prestige Class Tactician, and Instructor Clarke wasn’t one.

Instructor Clarke slashed the long-limbed cadet from shoulder to navel like his body was made of loose sand. The insect cadet flew into his blind spot, but Instructor Clarke turned around and cut its body in two at the waist. The infected cadets fell like paper dolls.

The battle was over.

Instructor Clarke looked at the sky and shouted something in a language Leonie hadn’t heard before. Considering the tone, she knew it had to be a curse. They approached the battlefield, and Leonie got a close view of the cadets. Even in death, red crystals kept growing from their bodies, although any trace of mana was gone.

“There are corrupted cadets everywhere. The whole exam area is compromised. We have to evacuate the exam area,” Instructor Clarke announced back, speaking flawless Ebrosian again. “Zaon, take Leonie to Station Six. Firana, inform the main camp about the events. I want every third-year cadet and Instructor on the field. Avoid combat unless it’s necessary. If the area is too dangerous, send them to the nearest Station.”

Firana and Zaon nodded, but Leonie stood in place.

“I can still fight!” she said.

Instructor Clarke smiled, and his mana fluttered. A mirror appeared in the air, or rather, the illusion of a mirror. Leonie looked at her own face. It was cut, bruised, and swollen, way worse than she had expected. The rest of her body wasn’t in better shape. The padded jacket had been almost reduced to rags, and her right sleeve was torn apart, revealing her shoulder but hiding her Corrupted hand. As her seventh sense went back to sleep, the pain returned. Leonie felt like she had been trampled by Skeeths, and her body was put back together with a piece of rope.

“I will send Wolf to Station Six. He’ll take care of your wounds,” Instructor Clarke said, his affable voice back. “You already did everything you could. You fought well.”

“A-alright,” Leonie stuttered.

Panic suddenly got hold of her as she realized what she had done. Her throat closed like a Stone Golem had closed its hand around her neck. Corruption couldn’t be healed by regular means, and she had gotten a whole lot of it. Even if she survived, her place in the Imperial Knights program was as good as gone.

“Is something wrong, Leonie?” Instructor Clarke asked.

“N-No. It’s just a lot to take in.”

Instructor Clarke lowered his head until their eyes were at the same level and smiled.

“It’s over now. Zaon and the Fortifiers will keep you safe now. You’ll be fine.”

“Y-yeah.”

Leonie couldn’t get herself to mention the Corruption.

Instructor Clarke stood up. He seemed taller than Leonie remembered.

“Alright, team! Roll out!”

* * *

The faction behind the contaminated potions had snuck under my surveillance.

I landed at the top of a hill, wondering how things had turned out so badly. During the trip, I had made sure to check the caravan supplies and even asked Holst for help. We had used [Identify] on everything but found no suspicious potions.

The caravan was made up of Imperial Knights, first—and third-year cadets, and Academy aides whose loyalty was bound by Hexes. There was also Evelisse and her daughters, but none of them was particularly suspicious—or capable of pulling something like this. If I had to guess, someone had put the contaminated potions in the supply caches after the start of the exam.

Astur and Rhovan’s Imperial Knights severely lacked empathy, but they took their positions too seriously to plot against the Academy.

My head hurt.

Although the royal family tried to monopolize high-level individuals, that didn’t mean there weren’t some of them who shared an anti-nobility sentiment. Risha, Elincia, and Izabeka were all above Lv.40, and weren’t particularly happy with the Marquis. The only reason I played their game was because it was the best for the orphanage and the kids.

Evelisse was wrong.

The anti-nobility movement wasn’t just a bunch of disgruntled farmers and peasants.

To pull something like this under the noses of the most powerful individuals of the kingdom, they have to be more than that.

[Minor Aerokinesis] sent me into the air. Each station had a Fortifier protecting the aides and the supplies. If the cadets managed to reach a station, they would be safe.

I put more mana into the skill and shot forward like a rocket. I didn’t know how fast I was going, but a couple of minutes later, I was inside Station Two. The Fortifier was startled by my sudden arrival, but luckily, their offensive prowess was similar to that of a Soldier Class.

“Lord Clarke? What is happening?” one of the aides asked.

“We are under attack,” I replied, walking directly into the supply crates and dumping their contents into the ground.

“Hey! That’s property of the Academy!”

The Fortifier put a hand on my shoulder, but I pushed him away. It took a mere glance to make him freeze. The next crate was full of spare clothes and bedrolls. I grabbed the pieces of cloth and threw them to the side. Underneath was a tidy row of purple potions.

I used [Identify].

Regeneration Boost Potion. [Identify] Alchemy Potion. Effect: High. Toxicity: Dangerous. A rare high-grade potion that heals wounds and has an invigorating effect over time. Excessive mana usage could have adverse effects.

I cursed. They weren’t the same Energy Boost potions we found in the maze exam, but my instinct told me their effects were just as disastrous. I closed my eyes and forced [Foresight] to recount the events of the past few days. Those potions weren’t in the supply carts when Holst and I checked them, and they weren’t in the supply crates of Station Six where I had been standing guard.

“Who put this here?” I asked, unable to hide my anger.

“I-I don’t know, Lord Clarke. Those were there since the beginning. We assumed they were for the cadets who already used theirs… just like food and water.”

I put a potion in my potions pouch as evidence.

“Don’t let anyone use these. They are dangerous. Understood?”

“Yes, Lord Clarke.”

I grabbed the Transmitter Bracelet and contacted Ilya. As she was fluent in Morse, it was easier to relay complex messages to her. I told her to gather cadets and dropouts in Station Six. Wolf was still outside comms range.

Thinking about the next step, I froze.

Odo, Harwin, and Malkah were the most vulnerable members of the squad. Yvain wouldn’t have troubles if he only fought a single opponent at a time, but would be at risk otherwise. Cedrinor and Ginevra had experience fighting monsters, but their skill sets were on the shallow side compared to the other cadets. And there were also the students from Basilisk and Gaiarok squads.

The corrupted cadets could not turn back. I tried to drain all the mana from the Ice Mage, but the corruption didn’t disappear. The thought offered a little comfort, but once they turned, it was over. The only mercy I could offer them was to kill them fast.

I used [Mirage] to cast a hologram of the area and jumped into the sky.

My heart skipped a beat. With the corner of my eye, I saw two figures wearing white cloaks and golden masks.

“Zealots?”

I changed directions with [Minor Aerokinesis] and shot forward. A slim mana barrier protected me from the winds, and…

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