Surviving The Fourth Calamity

”Teacher.” A beautiful girl wearing a standard pale purple robe provided by Sia Tower softly called out.

Among the five auxiliary towers, Jenny Rojas chose the one built last, the one furthest from the first residence choice of Aislin. She glanced back at Sonia when she heard her call, ”What’s up, Sonia?”

”Mage Koyl seems to have a good relationship with Mage Gilbert, which is why the two of them went to test him,” Sonia Russo, Rojas’s first apprentice, quickly reported the information she had just obtained.

They weren’t that familiar with Ruth’s other students, at most keeping a relatively close distance with most of the female students to exchange information.

However, when Rojas suddenly plunged herself into the whirlpool of power struggle, those so-called close friends from the past temporarily vanished.

Rojas was neither surprised nor discontented with this.

If she were in their shoes, and a friend who once loved discussing fashion and home suddenly transformed into a power player, she too would start by stepping back to observe.

Between Mages, regardless of how close the relationship might be, one wouldn’t let someone affect their own interests... Truly sharing life and death must be because their benefits and losses are entirely shared.

Together live, together die.

The simplest and most straightforward explanation is a direct master-apprentice relationship.

Rojas sighed heavily, a trace of regret surfaced in her heart for the first time: why did she have to be so focused on appearances?

She glanced at her first apprentice Sonia’s beautiful, flower-like face... Sonia was the only one among her female students who dared to be sent out to handle tasks!

After all, when she accepted Sonia as her apprentice, she was only an Intermediate Mage.

Even if she felt a pang over a few girls whose beauty seemed unreal, Sonia was her choice considering her own capacity rather than opting for them.

Moreover, at that time Aislin still had the qualification to accept apprentices... So it’s conceivable what those girls’ fates would be.

It was then that Ruth strictly prohibited her from taking any students, even disallowing Aislin from contacting her own female apprentices.

Although time has passed, Rojas always remembered the regret from that period.

Those girls indeed couldn’t resist external temptation, and their inner vanity led them astray, but it’s natural for young girls to be easily influenced by the environment!

Indeed, being able to maintain purity amidst filth and walking towards light through one’s will is admirable.

However, the Mortal World is still populated by ordinary people.

No, one might say, naturally pure individuals are the rarest beings in the world.

Expecting to find Saints among ordinary people, one wonders how Aislin’s kind of mind was formed, her talent for magic must have consumed all brain matter, leaving holes elsewhere.

But Aislin’s talent... who knows what sort of thing it is, anyway, Rojas doesn’t understand it.

Rojas even suspected Ruth might not fully understand how the Law that elevated Aislin to the Eighth Ring came about.

Rojas acknowledged that some people’s talents indeed allow them to do as they please, but resonating with the Law requires not only talent but also considerable time spent cultivating that Law.

Her talent wasn’t enough, making finding that Law that welcomes her a longer journey. Even when she sees that joyful little hand, reaching it is no easy feat... She needs to clear numerous stones of various sizes scattered upon the narrow path before proceeding.

Even if Aislin sees a long, wide road with a nearby entrance, doesn’t she still have to clear stones?

Who walks directly onto a path, not even knowing how they got there or even where they were walking?

Unless Aislin has rabbit legs, others walk, she jumps, even making blind leaps.

Of course, if that were the case, Rojas wouldn’t find it strange... after all, being non-human, such things can be understood.

Naturally, although Rojas regretted, she wasn’t to the extent of challenging an Eighth Ring Mage for strangers.

Being able to hide in her room, secretly toasting herself when Ruth forbade Aislin from continuing to harm children, was already the pinnacle of her courage.

Yet she constantly dwelled on that regret, so when she finally rose to become a Seventh-Ring Archmage, Rojas decisively started accepting beautiful young girls.

Initially, her feelings for these children were akin to desires repressed for what was unattainable or undeserved, and now with ability, a self-recompense, rather than genuinely cherishing them.

But each student stumbled behind her, slowly nurtured by her!

Those young girls were obedient and cute, their coy voices melodious, who could bear letting them suffer?

Even though Rojas had stringent demands on these girls, she protected them well.

As one of Archmage Ruth’s Seventh-Ring students with significant ability, Rojas might not have much presence, but her deterrence remains considerable.

Because indeed, she excels in combat.

Of course, there’s also a very practical reason.

While Female Mages from other places may not delve into the details of Aislin’s tales and mishaps, Ruth Faction’s female apprentices certainly know them well.

Even for the female students under the male mages, to make them understand the gravity of the situation, they must absolutely avoid getting too close to Aislin... Even if the mages do not care about the lives of their apprentices, they have to consider if they themselves might get implicated, so they make those past events very clear.

In the most naive moments of the girls’ lives, what they hear are the most vicious and insane stories... As for love, there’s no question of anticipation; right after hearing such tales, they would even avoid their senior and junior fellow disciples.

Not to mention Rojas’ female students... when these imaginative young girls gather together, they can always elevate the horror level of these stories significantly.

Sometimes, the stories that have circulated among her students even make Rojas question life.

If Aislin really were the tragic heroine in those tales, deceived and heartbroken, having her liver and kidneys gouged out, would Rojas still need to steer clear of that woman?

However, those stories are quite entertaining and very useful.

At least over the years, she hasn’t had to worry about her pretty female students going astray.

As for love, it’s not that no one has ever found it.

Someone can always blossom in the ruins, that’s their fortune, so Rojas only keeps a fallback for them... She doesn’t transfer them from her student roster to the man’s, she just lets them go.

To someone as rational as Aislin, her story leaves only one deep impression: no matter how recklessly you play, as long as there is a backup plan, you won’t lose everything.

Among her children, those willing to step out are quite courageous... Much more so than her, a teacher who doesn’t dare to take that step.

Thus, once she has confirmed the chosen men of her students aren’t lying or harboring ill intentions, Rojas softly sends them off from her protection.

For so many years, Rojas has been in her small Magic Tower, protecting these lovely girls... She has sent off some and taken back others; even though times were both good and bad, they remained relatively peaceful.

After all, those she took back came back when passion faded and time defeated love, resulting in what could be deemed as amicable separations.

So, when they returned to her side, even if a bit regretful, the children bore no resentment.

However, their peaceful days ended the moment they had to enter the Sia Tower.

Or rather, on the day they queued up to register their information.

The countless eyes watching them made Rojas feel her hair stand on end.

That wasn’t just from the mages of Sia Tower, even Eighth Ring and Ninth Ring mages, but also some high-level mages from the Ruth Faction, who stared so intently.

Archmage Ruth certainly provided them with shelter, but he couldn’t or wouldn’t spare the time to address those hidden maneuvers.

If he could, he would have long created a world full of harmless pretty faces for Aislin.

Rojas glanced at the beautiful girls in the hall, chatting and gathering information from Sonia... They’ve grown so much already!

Every one of them, grown so beautiful and outstanding, at the cost of how much of her painstaking effort!

How can she bear it?

However, relying only on herself, it’s truly hard to withstand.

Thus, on that day, she unhesitatingly charged out.

The reason her Magic Tower was placed as the last option was that her hall, including her study, was directly facing Archmage Ruth’s study window.

Moreover, the two towers were the closest in straight-line distance... Although one would need to take a roundabout to walk over, if one were to fly straight, they would probably land just as they took off.

As long as Ruth stood by the window, he could see the happenings in her Magic Tower.

Although their windows only allowed viewing from the inside out, well, that’s Ruth.

If he wants to see, would a window merely enhanced with a common spell really obstruct his view?

Even Aislin and Oliva didn’t want to choose this Auxiliary Tower.

But Rojas, she was very willing!

Being able to leave this tower for last made her utterly grateful!

Now her only concern is Koyl.

Between Oliva and Aislin, even though things might not be as bad as outsiders think, cooperation was still out of the question.

But if Koyl were to side with one of them, then it would be hard to say.

That guy is very cunning.

”Gilbert... that guy has a high and sharp vision; for someone to catch his eye, they shouldn’t be that foolish, right?” Rojas murmured softly.

”Teacher, aren’t we only supposed to guard against Miss Aislin?” Sonia asked in surprise.

”You never know what Aislin might pull off,” Rojas sighed, ”As for Koyl...”