An explosion echoed to the left, some distance away. Enrico reacted immediately, grabbing Kaela by the hand and pulling her behind a house. At that very moment, a hooded figure was hurled through the air, its body split in half.
'It seems the guards have already started doing their job.'
Enrico had come to this part of the city for a specific reason. The enemies involved in the attack did not exceed the Fifth Circle, and according to the original story, Braig's guards would be able to protect most of the citizens. Only a few people would die during the incident, but some of those deaths would be important for the birth of a future villainess. That was precisely why he was there.
"Professor, what's happening?"
Kaela looked at the street, trying to understand the situation.
"It looks like an attac... Wait, why are you calling me professor?"
"Well, you trained the three of us, didn't you? Then you sent letters with training instructions to each of us. That's the kind of thing a teacher does for their students."
'If that's the case, then I must have an absurd number of students.'
Enrico didn't know whether to laugh or sigh at that logic. It had been some time since he had seen Kaela in person, but he still remembered being intrigued by her hidden power from their very first encounter.
'This girl is strange. How was that being able to do that with her magic?'
[Indeed, even by the time I reached the end of the story, no one similar to her ever appeared.]
After the battle between the classes, Enrico hadn't had time to follow the three girls' training. Therefore, he had limited himself to sending letters with instructions so they could continue progressing on their own.
At that moment, however, there were more urgent problems.
"We need to help the civilians first. Tell me, what level have you reached?"
Kaela straightened her posture, looking proud of her achievement.
"Thanks to you, Professor, I managed to reach the Second Circle yesterday."
Enrico was surprised, although perhaps not as much as she had expected. During the holidays, many Class S students usually reached the Second Circle, and Kaela had enough potential to do the same.
"Congratulations. That means you can already defeat most Class A students."
"Yes! When the holidays are over, I'll challenge someone. I can't fall behind Sisaka."
Enrico smiled discreetly upon hearing the name.
"So she managed it too? Good work, both of you."
Kaela seemed somewhat dissatisfied upon realizing that her rival was also receiving praise. Before she could complain, a noise coming from the street caught Enrico's attention.
On the other side, a hooded man was approaching a woman who looked as though she hadn't eaten for days. She could barely stand and hadn't noticed the danger approaching her.
'That must be the mother.'
Enrico didn't hesitate.
"Charged Impulse!"
Flames erupted beneath his feet, propelling him forward. In an instant, he reached the woman, pulled her out of the attacker's path, and carefully placed her on the ground on the other side of the street.
"Who are y—"
"Fire Fist!"
The hooded man couldn't even finish his sentence. Kaela charged forward with her fist engulfed in flames and struck his face with force. The blow sent the man flying sideways, making him spit blood.
Enrico looked at the girl in surprise.
It wasn't the magic itself that impressed him, but the choice she had made. Fire mages normally preferred to fight from a distance, taking advantage of the range of their attacks. He himself, however, used both long-range techniques and close-combat techniques.
Kaela seemed to be following a similar path.
[It seems the girl is following in your footsteps.]
Enrico turned his attention back to her, remaining alert for any new attacks.
"Kaela, I hope you haven't focused exclusively on this magic."
"Of course not! I managed to complete that spell you described in the letter."
Enrico nodded, satisfied with the answer.
"Good work."
The hooded man got up, revealing a young face. He appeared to be approximately the same age as the two of them. Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, he raised his hand and fired a wind slash toward Kaela.
She dodged the attack with a quick movement and stared at the attacker.
"Hey, aren't you too young to get involved in this kind of thing?"
"Shut up and die!"
The boy tried to charge forward, but Enrico appeared in front of him before he could take another step.
"Zero Impact."
The blow struck the hooded man's face, interrupting his movement. The boy's eyes lost focus, and he fell unconscious to the ground.
Enrico observed the body for a moment before turning toward Kaela.
"Professor. Do you know who these people are?"
"No. But judging by the brooches they're wearing, they must belong to some dangerous organization."
Enrico knew very well who those emblems belonged to. After all, this was the group's first appearance in the original story, and even the later records never revealed the location of their hideout.
It was the Shadow Circle Cult, an organization that devoted its very existence to the evil god Umbryel, known as the Whisper Among Shadows. Every massacre committed by his followers strengthened his vessel.
That attack marked the cult's first appearance in the story, but it was also one of its weakest operations. The incident served as a test for new members, an opportunity to demonstrate whether they were capable of carrying out a real mission.
Enrico crouched beside the unconscious young man and removed the brooch from his clothes. The symbol depicted a forest shrouded in darkness.
When he stood up, he showed it to Kaela. She examined it carefully.
"I've never seen this symbol before."
Before Enrico could respond, an intense wave of mana appeared behind them. The two turned around at the same time.
An enormous fireball was advancing toward them, illuminating the street. Judging by the amount of mana concentrated in the attack, it must have been launched by someone from the Third Circle.
Enrico and Kaela took a step back, preparing to dodge.
However, a female voice echoed before they needed to act.
"Great Fireball!"
A second flaming sphere, even larger than the first, appeared from the opposite side and collided directly with it. The impact swallowed the previous attack and continued toward its caster, knocking her to the ground. Part of her clothing was burned away, revealing a girl who seemed to be enjoying the destruction around her.
The newcomer was Platinum.
She approached Enrico, observing him attentively.
"Are you all right, little brother?"
Platinum's eyes revealed slight disappointment when she realized he hadn't called her big sis. She had waited for the right moment to intervene, imagining that she could appear as a heroine in front of her brother.
Enrico, however, didn't seem willing to fulfill her expectations.
Platinum sighed discreetly but soon turned her attention to the girl getting up on the other side of the street as she spoke.
"You're strong. It seems we're on the same level."
The stranger brushed the dust off her clothes and smiled, as if satisfied with the outcome of the attack. Platinum raised an eyebrow, a hint of sarcasm on her face.
"I don't think that attack was on the same level as mine."
"That only happened because those two were too weak. I'm a Fourth Circle mage!"
Platinum examined the girl for a few moments. Her expression changed slightly, and she turned toward Enrico.
"She's telling the truth."
"I see. Then you can handle her. After all, you're a Fourth Circle prodigy."
Platinum smiled upon hearing the confidence he placed in her. Without wasting any time, she quickly explained that she had encountered Valerio along the way. He had decided to head toward the center of the barrier to find out what was happening.
"I don't know why, but Taíra decided to follow you. She's inside a store about seventy meters from here, on the left, together with another girl. I want you to go there and protect her."
Enrico nodded.
"All right. Be careful during the fight."
Then he looked at Kaela.
"Kaela, help me by checking whether anyone is in the way while I take this woman somewhere safe."
"Understood, Professor!"
Enrico approached the woman he had rescued and carefully lifted her onto his back. After making sure she was secure, he quickly began moving away with Kaela, leaving Platinum behind.
Platinum watched her opponent as a serious expression replaced her earlier smile. She raised her hands. Flames spread across the ground and rose around the two of them, forming a circular barrier that isolated the battlefield. Upon observing the structure, the stranger showed brief surprise.
"That's a fairly advanced barrier."
Platinum kept her eyes fixed on her, showing no hesitation.
"Yes, it is. And I won't dispel it until you're dead."