The World Is Mine For The Taking-Chapter 1170 - 178 - The Bandit Ambush (6)

Chiaki’s POV

It was early morning—so early that the sun hadn’t fully risen yet. Only a faint, pale light clung to the horizon, barely pushing back the darkness that still lingered over the village. The sky was caught in that uneasy in-between state, where night hadn’t fully let go and day hadn’t quite claimed its place.

That was when it finally became clear.

The attackers were retreating.

Not charging anymore. Not shouting. Not burning. Just... leaving. Fading back into wherever they had crawled out from.

Even so, no one felt relieved.

Fortunately—if that word could even be used—the remaining magic knights and the students had managed to hold their ground. Bruised, exhausted, shaking, but alive. They had defended themselves through the night, through fear and confusion and sheer desperation. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Still, not everyone had made it.

There were reports coming in—quiet, heavy reports—that some villagers had died during the attack.

Hearing it out loud made my stomach twist.

It was awful. There was no better word for it.

The destruction left behind wasn’t something a human could do. Not like this. Whoever attacked the village didn’t just want to hurt people—they wanted to erase them. Burn them. Tear them apart. There was no hesitation, no mercy, no trace of sympathy for the suffering they caused.

"Sakai-san, are you okay?" I asked softly.

She was standing a short distance away, one hand clamped tightly over her mouth. Her face was pale, eyes unfocused, like she was trying desperately not to see something that had already carved itself into her mind.

"I don’t think..." her voice trembled, barely holding together, "...I can take this world anymore, sensei."

She swallowed hard.

"I-I just saw... bodies," she continued. "They were everywhere. All over the place. Burned. Mutilated. I can’t... I can’t take it anymore..."

Her shoulders shook.

I felt my chest tighten painfully.

This had to be the first time she had ever seen a dead body. Not just death—but death in its ugliest, cruelest form. And she wasn’t the only one. Most of us had never been exposed to something like this before.

Seeing corpses twisted and destroyed so badly... it didn’t matter how strong you were. How prepared you thought you were. That kind of sight crawled under your skin and refused to leave.

"I still want to help people," Sakai-san said, her voice cracking, "but after seeing something like that... I don’t think I can. Not right now..."

"It’s okay," I said gently. I placed a hand on her shoulder, careful not to startle her. "It’s fine, Sakai-san. Just rest for a bit."

She nodded weakly, though I wasn’t sure my words really reached her.

The truth was—I wasn’t fine either.

But I didn’t have the luxury to stop.

I had to make sure every student was accounted for.

I looked around the area. Some students were sitting against broken walls or collapsed fences, others lying on the ground, staring up at the sky with blank expressions. They were recovering as best as they could—catching their breath, nursing wounds, trying to process the night they had just survived.

Most of their injuries weren’t lethal. Cuts, bruises, burns, exhaustion. Painful, yes—but survivable. Still, fighting through the entire night had drained them completely. Their bodies were running on fumes.

I had already healed them all.

Every single one.

There were so many that by the time I finished, my mana reserves were almost completely gone. My limbs felt heavy, like lead. My vision blurred at the edges, and my body screamed for rest.

It honestly felt like I was about to collapse right there.

But I couldn’t.

Not yet.

I forced myself to keep moving, checking faces, scanning the area, making sure no one had been missed. That was when I noticed her.

A young girl.

She looked badly injured at first glance—but when I focused, I realized something was off. Her wounds had already been treated. Healed... partially. The damage was still there, but it had clearly been mended by someone before I found her.

"Are you okay, little girl?" I asked, kneeling down in front of her.

Her eyes were wide, filled with fear that hadn’t faded yet.

"C-Can you help us?" she asked.

My heart sank.

"What happened?" I asked.

She raised her trembling hand and pointed.

I followed the direction of her finger—and my breath caught.

A woman lay there, barely conscious, her body covered in burns. The smell of scorched fabric and flesh still clung to her.

I rushed to her side immediately and cast healing magic without hesitation.

But the spell felt weak.

Thin.

My mana was almost completely depleted, and I could feel it. The magic responded, but sluggishly, like it was being dragged out of me.

"I’m... completely healed..." the woman whispered.

"What—?" I froze, staring at her.

Her injuries were still there. Badly burned skin, raw and damaged. At least second-degree burns, maybe worse. It was the kind of injury that made you afraid to even touch it.

"But...!" I started.

"Don’t worry about me," she said, her voice faint but steady. "Please... save the one who saved me instead..."

I blinked.

"Huh?"

"A woman," she continued slowly. "A hero. Like you."

My blood ran cold.

"She was captured... so she could save us."

The words echoed in my head.

Captured.

Hero.

Saved us.

My thoughts went completely blank.

***

Myrcella’s POV

My phone rang.

The moment I saw Miss Chiaki’s name on the screen, a terrible feeling settled in my chest.

I answered—and immediately stood up.

It was still early morning. The castle was quiet, the halls barely awake. But the moment I heard her voice, I didn’t even think about preparing myself.

I got out of bed at once, still wearing my sleepwear, and rushed outside without changing.

As I stepped out, I saw Miss Shredica already there—climbing onto her wyvern, movements sharp and urgent.

"Miss Shredica! Are you heading to the village?!" I called out.

"Yes, Your Majesty," she replied calmly. "It seems you woke up quite early. You haven’t even changed out of your sleepwear."

Her gaze lingered on me for a second longer than necessary.

Then she noticed my expression.

I wasn’t just a little panicked.

I was shaking.

Her eyes narrowed. "What happened?"

I told her everything Miss Chiaki had told me.

That the village had been attacked last night. That bandits were responsible. That one of the heroes had been taken.

Miss Kaori.

Miss Chiaki said she had saved a woman from the burning village. But the bandits had captured the woman’s child and used her as leverage.

They told Miss Kaori that if she didn’t come with them, they would kill the girl.

She didn’t hesitate.

Not even for a second.

She went with them.

The uneasy feeling I had before only grew worse. That heavy dread I felt when they left the castle—it hadn’t been nothing.

"I haven’t received any report about this from the others," Miss Shredica said quietly. "The magic knights stationed there haven’t contacted me."

She climbed higher onto the wyvern.

"I’ll leave immediately."

"Can I come with you?" I asked.

Miss Kaori was my student.

My disciple.

If something happened to her—if she suffered because we were too slow—it would haunt me forever.

I had no idea what those bandits would do to her.

And that uncertainty terrified me more than anything else.