22: Rylinth Academia's Infirmary

The fight had greatly escalated as three intermediate mages faced off against an expert mage. This should tell you the power disparity between the two ranks.

As Steve's shadow emerged before the hurtling rock bullets and vanished after engulfing all of them. Another wall of shadows rose behind Wilson, ejecting all of the rock bullets it had swallowed at his back.

This unprecedented incident left the other students dumbfounded. Initially, they thought Steve had switched to Wilson's side since his shadow had blocked the attack.

Even Wilson himself was confused after conjuring a lightning shield in front of himself, only to see a darting shadow swallow the attack for him.

He turned his head and looked at Steve's face, which bore a hideous grin. It was only then that he realized that something was amiss. Because right now, he could hear the "zmmm" sound of something behind him.

'Bang!'

And before he could turn around. He was hit by all of the rock bullets. As he felt the impact, he nearly fell face down onto the ground. He could feel that his back was sore. Wilson would have forcefully hit the ground if it weren't for the lightning shield that was still in front of him. The shield was meant to protect him from the attack.

[Frost Encasement]

Just as he was about to stand up, he felt a liquid sensation crawling up his body once again. After a while, his entire body was completely encased in three inches of thick ice.

This time, Zoya was cautious enough not to connect the ice to her body to avoid what had happened earlier.

Wilson was successfully caged by the ice and the three intermediate mages smiled in triumph.

Just then, a noticeable mana fluctuation occurred in the area where they were standing, surging towards the encased Wilson.

In a few seconds, the ice cage surrounding his entire body was broken into pieces, instantly turning into water vapor.

'Boom!'

And a massive energy undulation emanated from Wilson's body, rippling out with tremendous force and striking Troy, Steve, Zoya, and other nearby students with intense pressure.

Most of them were instantly forced to their knees due to the sheer pressure emanating from the rippling raw energy, while Zoya, Steve, and Troy stood their ground, fighting against the domineering energy pressure.

One thing was certain: everyone in the lightning elemental section felt a tingling sensation in their blood and innards.

"You think you bunch of lowlifes can stop me! I haven't used my weapon yet, nor have I activated my spirit spell," said Wilson with a smug expression.

"But aren't you already struggling to stand under the influence of my pressure? Even if there are six of you here, I will still teach you all a lesson."

'Flare!'

Troy's body burst into flames, yet he stood unfazed by the domineering pressure.

"Then, let's have round two," he said, grinning and leaving the others wondering where his confidence was coming from. "Let's see how great of a genius you are."

Such audacity! He is once again openly challenging Wilson, despite Wilson's domineering display of raw energy.

'Seems like I joined the wrong bunch to fight this time. Why am I always getting into more trouble because of these guys?' Steve lamented inwardly. His face clearly showed signs of displeasure. 'I'm actually done with this pointless fight. If I get the chance, I'm leaving these guys'

'Boom!'

Another outburst of mana undulation rippled out from a certain brown-haired guy, whose body was still blazing like an inferno. Although the pressure of his energy outburst wasn't as strong as Wilson's, it was still able to eliminate Wilson's domineering pressure from three meters away. Zoya and Steve were relieved from the pressure as well.

'Hmmm! This guy is certainly strong. I can stay and watch the next clash... but I won't join this time' These were Steve's thoughts as he looked at Troy.

"It's showtime!" Troy said.

'You don't know, but I could easily overpower you with my bloodline powers if I were to use them here. Just consider yourself lucky,' Troy thought to himself as he prepared his stance for the second clash. 'I will be at the peak phase of expert level if I use my bloodline powers.'

Unexpectedly and surprisingly, a greater pressure fell upon the students once again. They could feel the potent aura of this pressure permeating the entire lightning elemental section. This one was even more domineering than Wilson's, causing most of the students to kneel as if a heavy weight had been placed upon them. While those who managed to stand had beads of sweat already forming on their foreheads.

Only two teachers in this section were not affected by this pressure: the lightning elemental teacher and Werney. The students looked up towards the entrance of this section and saw Mrs. Xora, the department head of Elemental and Variant Magic, walking towards them. She was a Grandmaster Mage, but she had reduced her pressure to that of a peak expert mage to not deal harm to the students.

"Four of you should follow me to the headmaster's office now!" Her voice sounded as she stood just inside the entrance of the lightning elemental section and spoke, looking at the four who were fighting. Troy, Zoya, Steve... and finally Wilson. But the sight of Wilson deepened her frown even further. She was a Zeccammon after all, from the branch family line, so she knew how arrogant that brat could be.

She released the pressure she had exerted and four of them silently followed her out of the department and towards the administrative quarters.

'These humans are quite interesting. Unfortunately, I have once again failed to locate the wearer of the other amulet. Nevertheless, I know what to do to find her soonest," a certain teacher mumbled as he also left the department.

—— — ——

Cedric slowly walked down the academy hallway, supporting the semi-conscious Elvis by wrapping his arm around his back. They had just successfully exited the department. One of Elvis's hands was wrapped around Cedric's neck as he wearily walked, with Cedric providing the necessary support to keep him from slumping down.

While on Cedric's left shoulder, he was carrying Evelyn. He was also using his wind control abilities to support her while she unconsciously rested on his shoulder. He held the shin of her legs with his left hand as well.

His thoughts were racing as he slowly made his way towards the academy's infirmary. He wondered what Elvis and Evelyn had done to that Wilson guy that caused him to leave them in such a state. After much contemplation, he decided to let it be. He knew that the reason for Elvis's condition would become clear once he regained full consciousness.

Cedric also wondered about the two guys who were protecting the siblings when he arrived. One of them, he knew because of what had happened in the library. But the other person was someone he had never met before, and Elvis had never mentioned them to him.

But something was seriously bothering him, more than all of these things. 'I just hope Zoya will be okay. I don't know why, but whenever I am next to her, something feels different. I feel comfortable and strangely soothed as well... I suppose my heart raced for a moment when her hand brushed against mine earlier.'

Lost in thought, he nearly collided with a girl who had crimson hair and was wearing a silver Skyrim uniform, which likely indicated that she was a second-year student.

"Crap! Can't you watch where you're going?" The girl shouted at him, making him flinch back to reality.

"I'm so sorry," Cedric apologized instantly. However, the girl simply walked away without giving him a chance to apologize.

'I think I've seen that injured guy's face in my hometown... Whatever,' the girl said as she walked away. If Zoya were here, she would recognize this girl, or if Evelyn had seen her.

After a few minutes had passed, Cedric finally arrived at the infirmary. It was located a short distance away from the training grounds and nestled in front of a grove.

He stood in awe before the arched entrance of the pristine stone walls of the infirmary. As he approached the entrance, his eyes were drawn to an inscription engraved above it: "Rylinth Academia's Infirmary - The Haven of Healing." It was truly an aesthetically pleasing sight. This is a sanctuary for the healing, revitalization, and restoration of injured or sick students of the academy.

As he entered the infirmary, he was greeted by a spacious chamber that exuded an aura of tranquility and solace. A soothing feeling washed over him and the scents of herbs and medicinal portions wafted across his nostrils. A soft and warm light filters through the windows, casting a gentle glow across the polished floors.

A neat row of meticulously crafted wooden beds lined the walls, each one draped in crisp white linens adorned with the academy crest. Each bed offers privacy with sheer curtains, allowing hospitalized students to recuperate in peace.

There were also shelves close to the walls. On these shelves, there are transparent vials, jars, and containers of different sizes and hues containing various potions, elixirs, pills, salves, tinctures, and poultices of several colors. There were also scrolls and books on the shelves containing knowledge of healing and esoteric practices.

"Who is there?" A woman's voice echoed from inside the infirmary.

"Some students require treatments here," replied Cedric, as he heard the approaching footsteps of the female healer.

"Okay, I'm coming!" The voice said. After a few seconds, she emerged and helped Cedric place the two siblings in separate beds.

She placed her hands over their heads, and a white glow emitted from them, surrounding their bodies.

"The boy will be fine soon and regain consciousness in less than an hour. But... the girl's condition is somewhat strange... Could you please assist me in carrying her to the healing pool over there?" The woman pointed at a revitalizing pool of light green liquid.

Around the pool, there were exotic flowers and healing herbs, while above it, there was a shimmering green crystal orb.

Cedric simply nodded as they carried Evelyn to the large pool basin. They dipped her into the green liquid, and as they did so, the green orb lit up.