The Teacher of Budding Villains Suffers Today, Too - Chapter 100

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 100
Rachel closed her eyes as he instructed, wondering quietly why he’d asked her to do so.
Even before she’d possessed this body, during the time when she lived as Yoo Ji-hyun, she had never dated anyone. As a student, she’d been too busy working various part-time jobs to even have the time for it, and besides, she hadn’t been interested in romance back then.
Lucas was Rachel’s first lover. And naturally, even something as simple as holding hands was a first for her with him.
So when Lucas brought his lips to her forehead, she felt nothing but bewilderment.
“L-Lucas.”
Without thinking, Rachel opened her eyes and called out to him. He gazed at her as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“Rachel.”
……
“I’ll return without incident, so there’s no need to worry too much.”
Rachel felt the lingering warmth on her forehead and nodded, as if entranced.
“Everything will be fine.”
There was a certain force to Lucas’s words—something irresistible, something that brooked no argument.
Because that force was present now as well, Rachel was certain he would return safely.
“Lucas.”
Rachel called to him carefully, then drew out the Knot she had brought with her in her pocket.
“I wanted to give you this.”
Any lover in Tirnes would know the meaning of this Knot.
Lucas gazed at the Knot and smiled brilliantly. His smile was so radiant that Rachel found herself drawn to him.
“Knowing you made this yourself makes my heart flutter.”
Lucas fastened the crimson Knot to his armor. Then he slowly traced the end of it with his fingers.
“May all our wishes come to pass.”
He spoke softly.
Rachel nodded slowly. She too longed desperately for their wishes to come true.
* * *
The departure ceremony was magnificent. It was no ordinary affair—the Crown Prince of the empire himself, Lucas Maksim, was marching to war. Crowds flooded the streets because of this.
Dressed in armor unlike his usual appearance, Lucas mounted a white horse. He waved to the citizens of the empire, and those who had been watching him alone erupted in cheers.
Rachel placed a Red Flower on the horse’s bridle without a word. Like the crimson Knot, it was a ritual to wish for the safe return of one going to war.
Rachel barely held back the tears threatening to spill. She thought that if she wept, Lucas would be unable to leave with a light heart.
Led by Lucas, countless soldiers set out for the Dekision River. The vast Dekision River stretched between them, with Tirnes and Anareо facing each other across it. The Emperor of Anareо was already stationed right before the river.
After three days of hard riding, the Dekision River was blanketed in silence. It was hard to believe this was a place where battle would occur.
“Your Highness, the Crown Prince.”
The Supreme Commander, who had been holding the position, greeted Lucas. Lucas nodded appropriately and gazed at the Dekision River.
‘The Cavalry won’t be effective here.’
Tirnes’s pride—the Cavalry—could fully demonstrate their strength on open plains. But on terrain like a river, they were at an absolute disadvantage.
‘The Emperor of Anareо obviously brought his forces here for that reason.’
Everyone knew that Tirnes’s main strength was the Cavalry, while Anareо’s was the Mage Corps. The Mage Corps had far fewer numbers compared to the Cavalry, but they held the advantage on terrain like rivers. The Emperor of Anareо had calculated everything.
‘We need more Commoner Mages.’
Lucas narrowed his brows slightly. Without the aid of Commoner Mages, he saw no path to victory in this war.
‘I’ll need to gather Commoner Mages from other regions and launch a full-scale engagement.’
Gazing at the Dekision River, Lucas fell into deep thought, searching for a way to win this war.
Yet there was something he overlooked. Rather, there was a fact that not a single soldier in Tirnes’s entire army knew.
About Anareо’s ‘true’ greatest force.
* * *
“…I beg your pardon?”
Rachel’s voice trembled thinly.
“What do you mean by that…?”
“Teacher, it seems the Crown Prince has been wounded. What are we to do?”
The world before her eyes went black. Lucas wounded—it was something she had never imagined, not for a moment.
“Please, tell me more. Give me more details.”
“There was a full-scale engagement with Anareо, they say.”
The Nanny exhaled the words like a sigh, wiping away tears as she continued her explanation.
A full-scale engagement with Anareо. And what Anareо had deployed was neither cavalry nor the Mage Corps. It was an army of Magical Beasts—Ancient Magical Beasts, creatures that had already vanished from the continent.
The Ancient Magical Beasts radiated Magical Energy in all directions. There was no way the small number of Mages from Tirnes could withstand that energy.
The Cavalry was helpless as well. In the end, Tirnes was forced to retreat, ceding victory to Anareо. In that process, Lucas was injured, or so they said.
“How badly is the Crown Prince wounded?! Surely he’s not in mortal danger…?”
Words failed her. The moment she thought of Lucas, tears welled up. She barely bit her lip and composed herself.
“Teacher… Ancient Magical Beasts? No matter how strong the Crown Prince is, this is an impossible battle!”
The Nanny’s voice rose. Rachel agreed entirely. And so, she quickly began to move.
“Teacher, where are you going?!”
“I’m going to the Mage Tower to see the Mage Tower Master.”
The Mage Tower Master would surely know something about Ancient Magical Beasts. She meant to ask him for information and devise a strategy.
Throughout the journey to the Mage Tower, she couldn’t shake the heaviness that weighed on her. Rachel drew a deep breath and stepped inside. The tower, with most of its mages deployed to the battlefield, was eerily quiet.
“Miss Swan.”
The Mage Tower Master, who had remained alone in the silence, approached her.
“Master! Have you heard any news from Anareо?”
“You wish to speak of the Ancient Magical Beast.”
“Yes. Something impossible has happened.”
“I, too, never anticipated such a thing.”
The Mage Tower Master exhaled slowly.
“Not only did they find and awaken an Ancient Magical Beast, but they claim to control it—it’s simply unbelievable. And I’ve heard that the Crown Prince was wounded in an attack by that beast.”
When Rachel mentioned Lucas’s injury, tears welled up in her eyes again. She barely held them back and spoke once more to the Mage Tower Master.
“Is there nothing in our Tirnes to stand against Anareо’s Ancient Magical Beast?”
Rachel asked the Mage Tower Master desperately. He fixed his gaze upon her.
“Miss Swan.”
“…Yes.”
“Since Anareо has awakened an Ancient Magical Beast, they will pay a corresponding price.”
……
“Because they awakened an ancient creature, there is no reason for us to awaken something similar.”
“If we were to awaken something similar… you’re saying Tirnes also has something hidden away?”
“I know nothing beyond this. Everything is a secret passed down only to the Emperor of the Empire.”
“A secret known only to His Majesty….”
Rachel turned over his words in her mind.
“If I were to ask His Majesty, might I learn what it is?”
“Should His Majesty’s heart be swayed by your persuasion, perhaps. But I suspect he will not readily reveal the secrets of the imperial house.”
The Mage Tower Master spoke with some pessimism.
“I’ll try. It’s far better than standing idle. Thank you for telling me.”
Rachel bowed to the Mage Tower Master and turned to leave at once.
“Miss Swan.”
The Mage Tower Master called her back. Rachel turned her head to face him.
“Please be careful. Mind that you do not offend His Majesty’s sensibilities.”
Everyone knew the Emperor had a temperamental disposition. It was frightening to think of it.
But she had made up her mind to face him.
For the sake of the one she held dear.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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