Chapter 117

They didn’t have much time. If Elena used more magic here, she might truly experience rebound effects.

“It’s okay. Everything’s fine.”

Little One gritted his teeth and carried her on his back. He trudged through the dim corridor.

Each step he took made a splashing sound, as if he were stepping into puddles. Most likely, those puddles were made of blood.

Fortunately, no one else came rushing at them. Little One, despite carrying her, climbed the stairs quickly and steadily.

When a glimmer of light appeared in the distance, Elena finally spoke.

“Not yet, Little One. Felix is still here.”

“Give it up. We can’t save him too.”

“Little One.”

“I was wrong. There’s no path where we can all be happy. So, at least… as long as I have you, that’s enough for me.”

The boy’s voice, muttering as if to brainwash himself, was thick with emotion.

“Lies. You need your father too.”

“…”

“Felix is your father, isn’t he?”

“…”

Elena forced herself to speak cheerfully, urging the silent boy.

“Right? Say yes. I don’t want to marry anyone but Felix.”

“He is… my father. But…”

Cold tears fell onto the back of her hand, which was wrapped around the Little One’s neck. They were his tears.

“It’s okay if I don’t have a father. I’ve never met him, so it’s fine. But not you, Mom. I need you. So please, just get out safely.”

“But you’ve seen Felix. Are you really okay without a father?”

“…”

“Felix would make a great dad, don’t you think? The three of us living together would be wonderful.”

“…”

“So, Little One, let’s go get Felix. I can’t live without him. You feel the same, don’t you?”

Elena climbed down from the boy’s back.

“Come on, Little One.”

She took his still-crying hand and said,

“Let’s go see your father.”

***

They retraced the path they came from. Elena worried that there might still be someone lurking, but fortunately, no one attacked them.

“Where could it be?”

“Are you sure it’s here?”

“Yes. Professor Deros definitely said Felix was here. But he didn’t say where exactly.”

“Then there’s no choice.”

Little One paused for a moment, closed his eyes, and released mana. His bracelet glowed yellow.

After a short while, Little One opened his eyes and grabbed Elena’s hand to lead her.

“This way. I can feel two massive mana flows coming from here.”

One would be Felix, and the other, probably Professor Deros.

Elena followed Little One’s lead, walking steadily. However, as they went further, her breathing grew labored. It seemed like the earlier strain had taken its toll.

“Mom, are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine.”

“We’re almost there.”

Little One pointed to a door a few steps ahead. Elena tiptoed forward and pressed her ear against the door.

She could hear Professor Deros’s voice. He seemed to be talking about signing a document that would bind Felix to him.

In the future Little One had come from, that document would have shackled Felix.

‘As if I’d let that happen!’

Elena opened the door and entered. It wasn’t locked, probably because no one expected anyone to come.

“Felix, don’t!”

Her urgent shout made Felix turn toward her, his eyes widening in surprise.

“Elly?”

Felix froze, his pen hovering over the paper. In that moment, Professor Deros grabbed Felix’s hand, seemingly intent on forcing the signature.

“How dare you!”

Little One dashed forward and kicked Professor Deros. Unlike Felix or Little One, the professor, who had never trained his body, tumbled to the ground easily.

Taking advantage of the situation, Felix stood and approached Elena.

“Elly, are you okay? Are you hurt?”

“I’m fine. What about you? You didn’t sign it, did you?”

“No, not yet.”

“‘Not yet’? What were you thinking, trying to sign that?”

“I had no choice if I wanted to save you.”

“And that’s your excuse?!”

Elena, enraged, yelled at Felix.

“What about Madam Jane? Tony and Lindsey? If you become a traitor, they’ll all be dragged into this!”

“I was planning to send them abroad.”

“You’re unbelievable!”

At that moment, a sinister laugh echoed. Turning around, Elena saw Professor Deros, still on the floor, chuckling darkly.

“This is amusing.”

A sense of foreboding crept in. Judging by the situation, Professor Deros was at a disadvantage. 

But what could make him so confident?

“Disobedient students seem to require proper discipline.”

He muttered under his breath and infused mana into the stone floor before anyone could react.

“What on earth…?!”

Suddenly, the ground began to shake violently, and massive vines emerged, wrapping around their bodies.

What initially coiled around their ankles climbed higher, binding their arms and necks.

In an instant, their bodies were lifted into the air. Struggling to escape only made the vines tighten their grip.

Looking to her side, Elena saw Little One hacking at the vines with his sword, while Felix chanted a spell.

Even as they floundered, Professor Deros continued chanting his own incantation. No visible changes occurred, but that made it all the more unsettling. They couldn’t predict what might happen next.

Finally, Felix’s spell was completed, and crimson flames burst over the green vines.

But his attack had no effect. The vines showed no signs of burning. It had been the wrong spell.

“Why isn’t fire magic working?”

Fire was the standard counter to plant-based magic.

‘But if fire doesn’t work, it means these vines aren’t plant-based.’

In that case…

“Light! Felix, use light magic!”

Felix changed his spell and chanted again. As light emanated from his hands, the vines holding them let out a strange screech and withered.

“It was dark-element magic.”

“Yes, I remember seeing it in a previous class.”

While Felix and Elena exchanged words, Little One landed lightly on the ground and charged at Professor Deros with his sword. However, the professor, unfazed, began chanting another spell.

The ground in front of him rose up, deflecting Little One’s sword with a grating sound.

Little One aimed for the professor’s back this time, but a strange noise came from behind.

It sounded like the cry of a beast.

Professor Deros smirked, looking past them.

“They’ve arrived.”

A chill ran down Elena’s spine. Swallowing hard, she turned to see men they had defeated earlier entering the room. Their eyes were entirely white, and their skin was dark and mottled.

More disturbingly…

“They were dead earlier…”

As she muttered in disbelief, one of the men, blood dripping from his abdomen, lunged at her, baring his teeth. He aimed directly for her neck.

Frozen like prey before a predator, Elena couldn’t move.

“Elly, get out of the way!”

Felix’s shout jolted her, but it was too late. She closed her eyes, bracing for the end.

“Ugh.”

Someone shielded her, and she heard Felix groan. Opening her eyes, she saw the man biting into Felix’s left arm like a wild animal.

“Mom!”

Little One rushed forward and stabbed the man in the back with his sword, but the man didn’t even flinch. It was as if he felt no pain.

Shocked, he withdrew his sword. Felix gritted his teeth and chanted a spell. A blinding light burst from his body, forcing the man to recoil.

“D*mn it.”

Felix cursed under his breath, glaring at Professor Deros, who laughed maniacally.

“Could it be…?”

Little One’s question was met with Felix’s grim nod.

“He’s reanimating the dead.”

“How is that possible…?”

“Technically, he’s not bringing them back to life. He’s just controlling corpses. He must’ve dabbled in forbidden magic while researching how to revive the Second Prince.”

Corpses. The thought made Elena shudder. 

How could anyone stoop so low?

She trembled as she looked at the men surrounding them.

“What do we do now?”

“Physical attacks won’t work. They don’t feel pain since they’re already dead.”

“Then what?”

“For now, light magic should keep them at bay.”

“There’s a better way.”

Little One tightened his grip on his sword.

“Kill the caster.”

With those words, Little One lunged at Professor Deros. The professor gestured, sending the undead men charging at them.

What followed was chaos. Felix and Elena stood back-to-back, using light magic.

To be precise, Felix cast light magic while Elena used defensive spells.

“Shield!”

As a man charged at her, Elena shouted, creating an invisible barrier that sent him flying back, blood spurting.

Suppressing her nausea, she kicked the man with all her strength.

“Elly!”

Felix noticed her and cast a spell, pushing the man away. But it was only a temporary solution.

Light magic alone couldn’t defeat them.

‘What should I do? Think!’

Elena struggled to maintain her defensive spell while observing the men’s movements.

Why didn’t they attack each other? Why did they target only us? Was there something unique about us?

And why didn’t they attack Professor Deros directly? Why focus solely on the three of us?

Because he was their master? But could these mindless creatures even recognize that?

Then she noticed something—Professor Deros’s lips had turned purple.

An idea flashed in her mind.

“Body heat.”

“What?”

“They’re distinguishing between the living and the dead by body heat!”

The dead were cold, while the living maintained a temperature of 36.5 degrees.

If that’s the case…

“Ice! Felix, use freezing magic!”

At her command, Felix canceled his light magic and cast an ice spell. An opaque wall of ice formed in front of them.

The undead men, now disoriented, stood still, looking around. Eventually, they turned toward Little One.

Now, there was only one thing left to do.

“Little One, nullify Professor Deros’s magic!”