This Time, I Am A Mob's Potions Teacher Who Has Become Engaged To The Mastermind Of The Otome Game - 8

The magical beast that appeared in the game was the headless knight—a Dullahan.

Humanoid monsters are especially troublesome. Unlike beasts or insects, they use cunning and deceit, making their next move impossible to predict.

To make matters worse, the Dullahan excels in swordsmanship, seamlessly combining magic and sword attacks to push Alois into a desperate corner.

Please, let there be no monsters.
And if there are—please don’t let it be the Dullahan summoned by Sia.

Clinging to that hope, I searched frantically for Noel.
But the tension in the air was growing with every step in his direction, and a sense of dread steadily overtook my thoughts.

“I need all of you to wait here.”

I decided to have Sara and the others stay behind, just in case the worst happened.

“I can’t do that.”

The usually well-behaved Alois immediately cut in.

“I already knew Sia was targeting members of the Nox royal family with summoned beasts. This one is probably after me too. That’s why I need to face it myself.
A royal who only ever gets protected and never protects others… doesn’t set much of an example.”

I already knew, from the game, that he didn’t want to involve anyone else.
But that doesn’t mean I can just let him run into danger.

I struggled to find the right words to stop him—
And before I could say anything, Alois ran off into the forest without another word.

“Ah—wait, stop right there!”

Of course, telling him to wait didn’t mean he actually would.
I sprinted after him with all I had, but thanks to my usual lack of exercise, no matter how desperately I moved my legs, I just couldn’t catch up.

“Megane, I’ll go on ahead and follow him!”

Frederic effortlessly passed me by.

“No! If you do that, you’ll be in danger!”

“You’re too overprotective, Megane. We have at least some ability to defend ourselves—you should try believing in us.”

Believe in us.

When he said that, it hit me.
Back when I was listening to Alois, I hadn’t really believed in his strength—and the realization made my heart jolt.

I had been so focused on protecting them, on making sure nothing happened, that I never stopped to think that maybe, just maybe, I was sending the message:
“You’re weak. You can’t handle this.”

In the end, I wasn’t really listening to what was in his heart.

Regret threatened to weigh me down, but I kept forcing my legs to move forward—until finally, I caught sight of Alois and Frederic ahead.

Relief flooded me the moment I saw them—
But it vanished instantly when I followed their gaze.

Standing before them was a knight clad in pitch-black armor, mounted on a headless horse, and lacking a head himself.

It was him.
The Dullahan.

Noel stood between them—shielding Alois and Frederic.

The monster quickly noticed our presence. The crimson eyes embedded in the severed head it held twisted sharply in our direction.

Noel followed its gaze and found us.

“Leticia?! Why did you come?!”

“Because I didn’t want to leave you alone. Fighting by yourself… it’s lonely, isn’t it?”

Noel fired off an attack spell to divert the monster’s attention, but it didn’t so much as flinch. Its gaze remained fixed on Alois, and it let out a distorted shriek.

Just as I feared—it was exactly like the monster from the game.

The creature kicked off the ground and charged forward with terrifying force. Noel unleashed a surge of black flames to trap it, surrounding it completely, but even as the fire roared around it, the Dullahan showed no signs of damage and barreled forward unfazed.

“Protect—Escudo!”

I reached out instinctively, wanting to protect Noel, who stood at the tip of the raised sword.

“Leticia!”

“Professor Bellecour!!”

“Megane!!”

Their voices overlapped—Alois, Frédéric, Noel—and amid them all, Sara’s voice rang out the loudest.

“Megane-sensei, look out!!!!”

Time seemed to slow to a crawl.

A massive shadow loomed above. I looked up to see the Dullahan’s sword raised high, poised to strike.

This is it. It’s over.

If this is the end, then let me at least protect them—Noel and the others.

The very moment I thought that, a blinding light burst forth, engulfing the Dullahan in an instant.

The monster let out a violent roar, thrashing and struggling—only to vanish completely without a trace.

I turned my eyes toward the source of the light… and there stood Sara, frozen in place.

“What… is this…?”

She stared down at her hands, still wrapped in a faint golden glow. Her entire figure was cloaked in a luminous veil, one that resembled the image of the Lightbearer depicted in the painting that inspired the Winterstar Festival.

I had seen this scene in the game countless times—there was no mistaking it.

Sara… had awakened as a Lightbearer.