Boom——!

  Almost the moment he fell, a black beam of light shot into the sky, then unfurled into a dark curtain that shrouded the entire camp’s upper air.

  The dark curtain then twisted and transformed, taking the shape of an upside-down bowl that enclosed the entire camp within it.

  Splash~!

  Inside the sealed camp,

  countless liquefied pitch-black shadows surged up from the ground.

  They rose toward the sky like a flood,

  then receded just as swiftly a moment later.

  As the shadow flood ebbed, the lingering mist dissipated as well.

  “Thank goodness! It’s Teacher Grisa making a move!”

  The remaining conscious teachers cheered in relief.

  Yet there was no trace of ease on Grisa’s face.

  His gaze swept across the entire camp,

  his brows furrowing deeply.

  Far too few were left standing!

  Even though the incident had been brief, many had already fallen victim.

  “Who on earth...... There’s a barrier around the camp—such a tactic could never infiltrate unnoticed.”

  “So that means...... it can only be......”

  As Grisa pondered,

  an intense sense of danger suddenly washed over him.

  He jerked his head up to stare in a certain direction outside the camp.

  Boom——!

  An attack suddenly hurtled from the distance, slamming into the barrier he had raised.

  The barrier held for two seconds—

  then shattered with a crash.

  Yet Grisa made no move to defend himself.

  He only stared fixedly at a spot in the forest.

  An abnormal aura was slowly approaching from there......

  “Why......”

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  “Why are you here!”

  “Cassim——!!!”

  “Haha, Grisa, my dear disciple—is this how you greet your teacher?”

  Cassim, who seemed to be an incarnation of darkness, stepped out of the forest with a laugh, facing Grisa directly.

  “......Teacher?”

  Grisa’s face darkened like storm clouds. His usual cold expression turned even icier, as if carved from frozen ice.

  “You have no right to say those two words!!!”

  Grisa pulled out his wand from his robe and aimed it at Cassim.

  “You deceived us! Deceived everyone who trusted you!”

  “Alas, after all this time, you’re still hung up on such trivialities~.”

  Cassim said nonchalantly.

  “You never did learn to adapt, just like before~.”

  “Grisa, you are a valuable being. When will you realize you’re different from those weaklings?”

  “Forget those insignificant ones. Cast them aside, and see the height you’ve reached now.”

  “......Forget?”

  Grisa ground his teeth so hard they nearly cracked,

  his gaze burning with a hatred as deep as a blood feud as he stared at Cassim.

  He spoke each word through gritted teeth:

  “You want me to forget......?”

  “I will never forget the sight of them dying before my eyes! Cassim——!!!”

  ...

  ...

  “Teacher Cassim~!”

  A young girl stood before the black-cloaked youth, her hands behind her back, twisting awkwardly.

  The youth set down his book and smiled gently:

  “What is it, Lina~?”

  “That——”

  Summoning her courage, the girl named Lina pulled her hands from behind her back.

  “I want to give this to Teacher Cassim!”

  It was an intricately woven flower crown.

  “......”

  Looking at the crown and the nervous little girl, Cassim smiled,

  took the crown, and placed it on his head.

  “Thank you, Lina. It’s beautiful.”

  “T-Teacher......”

  Blushing fiercely at Cassim’s smile, Lina ducked her head.

  “Ah, Lina! You snuck ahead alone again!”

  A group of young boys and girls filed into the room from outside.

  “We agreed to give our gifts to Teacher Cassim together!”

  “That’s cheating, Lina!”

  “I-I didn’t!”

  Caught red-handed, the little girl stammered in embarrassment.

  “Now now~, no fighting, everyone.”

  Cassim said softly,

  “We’re ‘family’, remember? How should family treat each other?”

  “We remember!”

  The children chorused in unison.

  “We should get along and help each other!”

  “That’s right~! Good children. So no more quarrels, okay?”

  “Okay!”

  The children replied again in unison.

  “Um, Teacher Cassim?”

  One of the children spoke up,

  “To thank you for taking care of us, each of us made you a gift.”

  “This is mine.”

  “This is mine, Teacher Cassim.”

  “Please accept my gift, Teacher Cassim......”

  The young children offered their heartfelt gifts to the man who had given them a warm haven.

  They had no money to speak of, so they had used their own hands to create something with care.

  Cassim smiled and accepted each gift one by one.

  “Thank you all. I feel your sincerity, and it makes me truly happy.”

  At Cassim’s words, light sparkled in every child’s eyes.

  They had all come from different places, each with a nearly identical tragic past—

  no parents, no family, forced to endure hardships no child should face.

  Until they met this gentle man, their dark lives had finally seen a glimmer of light......

  In the corner, a thin boy with long hair whose black bangs covered almost his entire face stood awkwardly, clutching a crudely carved wooden figurine.

  He tried several times to speak, but his shyness kept the words trapped in his throat.

  Cassim noticed him,

  and walked slowly toward him.

  He knelt down to meet the boy’s eyes, smiling warmly:

  “Little Grisa, what’s the matter~?”

  “T-Teacher, I-I......”

  Grisa stammered, unable to get the words out.

  “Don’t be afraid~.”

  Cassim’s voice was gentle,

  “Everyone here is your family. Family doesn’t hurt you—they protect you~.”

  “Family......”

  Grisa’s gaze drifted slowly to the others in the room.

  “That’s right. We’re all family, and family must protect one another. Little Grisa, will you protect everyone~?”

  “......We are family.”

  Grisa murmured Cassim’s words repeatedly,

  “......Must protect family.”

  “What a good boy~!”

  “And this~,”

  Cassim took the rough wooden figurine from Grisa’s hands,

  “Little Grisa’s gift—I accept it~.”

  ...