小嫂子的味道

"Hello, dear students," said Challes as he adjusted his glasses with his right index finger.

This was a rather clichéd line but it was plausible since from here on the plot of loli_pop's novel was kicking in. This scene was in the novel it was probably going to go the same—and the dialogues too.

"Mr. Challes, are you really the one who kidnapped Anya's brother?" Leon asked in a serious tone as if the answer Challes will give him will decide what will happen here.

"Well, well, of course, I have him here with me," Challes stated with no expression on his face. Leon wasn't able to tell if he was angry, plotting something, having fun doing this, or whatever.

But upon hearing Challes's words Anya quickly tightened the grip on her sword and was about to slash it out when Leon secretly signaled her to stop by glancing toward her from the corner of his eye.

"Why should I believe you?" Leon appealed. At this point, he was somewhat sure that Challes really is the kidnapper but even so, he wanted to be 100% sure before doing anything.

He was expecting an explanation or a confession but, "You don't have to believe me!!" Challes screamed and right then a magic circle activated below his left leg.

The light pouring out of the circle branched out from it and in a straight line, it traveled on the floor in every direction before the whole chamber was covered with glowing red strips of mana circuits on every wall, ceiling, and floor.

Leon panicked but before he could've done anything, a loud sound hit his ears.

<strong>-Boom!</strong>

<strong>-Creankkk!</strong>

Something behind him had exploded. When it turned around the upper half of his body he saw that the explosion had occurred near the gate of the warehouse.

Apparently, it was not an explosion, but rather the sound of something big crashing onto the floor. It was a huge and thick wall of rock that was now blocking the entrance.

The magic circle which Challes activated by passing mana in it through his feet, turned on all the mana circuits inscribed on the walls and the floor in this room. Those mana circuits worked like wires but instead of passing electricity, mana flowed through them.

The circuits were connecting with a magic circle for an earth-type elemental magic spell—which was inscribed on the ceiling above the entrance, the spell activated and summoned a wall of stone which fell and caused the booming sound.

Though all this happened so fast that Leon couldn't react to it, and so couldn't Anya and Ellyn. It was not because his senses weren't sharp—he was S class and could easily see things even at the utmost speed.

But it was that he never expected Challes to do something like this—typical protagonist things.

"What the hell!!! How will we go out now?! And it's so dark that I can't even see properly," Ellyn said screamingly.

"I don't know, but you two stay close to each other. The visibility is almost none so we can't tell what might happen," Leon commanded.

It was true. Since the entrance to the warehouse was now blocked by the rock wall, no sunlight was coming inside and the room was engulfed in darkness.

The red light coming out of the magic circuits was still there but it was too dim that all it could do was illuminate the floor and the walls in red.

That's why Leon had said to stay close so they can't get lost or sabotaged here. But there was a problem.

"Hey Leon, where did Anya go?" Ellyn asked genuinely as she wasn't able to find Anya who was standing beside her just a few moments ago.

"What do you mean where is she? Wasn't she with you?"

"Yeah, she was!"

Leon hurriedly started searching for her in every direction possible but the visibility was low and unfortunately, his system hadn't provided him with a skill that can help him to see in the dark.

As he was searching he suddenly heard a sound.

<strong>-Clang!</strong>

"Shit! She's out there!" it didn't take him a second to realize what was going on. He ran where he saw Challes last time and when he was close enough, he saw two figures moving at great speeds and clashing their swords.

One was Challes and the other was Anya.

"No, no, no! Why now!" Leon cursed, but maybe himself and not Anya since he was the one who waited this long to attack Challes hence Anya lost her patience and did it herself.

At least, this is what he was thinking of as he bit his lips.

"Anya! Come back! I could be dangerous!!" Leon shouted and warned, he had to say a little louder since his voice was getting suppressed by the clanking sound of the swords clashing.

But he was completely ignored by Anya.

"You…bastard!! How the fuck you dared do something like this! I'll make you pay for it! I'll fucking kill you!" Anya was screaming as she moved forward and backward, leftward and rightward, while carefully practicing her blade.

'Yeah, I'll do it. I have to do it. He had saved me multiple times and now is my turn. If I can't even do this much then I'm nothing but dead weight,' she pledged internally.

The expression she had wasn't something the usual Anya would make; her face clearly depicted how angry she was. Red veins were appearing on the sides of her eyes and so were the blood vessels on her forehead—she was also using foul language which was unlike her.

The anger had changed her.

And while it seems like she was converting her anger into power and using it against Challes—since all he was doing was defend, it was not really true though and Leon knew that.

Challes was taking Anya very lightly and was just playing with her. If he were to attack then Anya would be on the ground in only one blow—he was a teacher, after all.

Then why was he toying with her?

The answer was simple…he wanted to break her spirit, just like Zero broke his son's.