Chapter 273 Perfect Time
Although they hadn't figured out how to stop the dolls from burning or counterattacking the ones who destroyed them, the students confirmed through repeated trial and error that there was nothing to worry about as long as they didn't destroy the dolls.
So, they left destroying the dolls to those who could withstand the counterattacks and instead focused on gathering the dolls in one place to keep the city's streets open and easy to use in case they needed to fight on them or transport something.
Zach finally earned a short break.
However, it didn't take long for yet another effect to appear from the dolls. The fumes they released when they burned were toxic. It wasn't just underworld energy that slipped into the students' lungs while they worked. It could be a natural side effect of the magic or the burning blood. Or it could be intentional.
It didn't matter.
Zach, Alzara, and the alchemists had to work around the clock to work out something to purify the poison and create a preventative measure. Well, Alzara and the alchemists did that.
Zach was back to slinging burning doll corpses since he could block the fumes and gases with his barriers.
However, the progress was slow. The alchemists were working almost blind since they couldn't study the fumes without risking getting affected themselves. And Alzara didn't have enough hands to run all the tests she needed.
"Master." Yanael requested Zach's attention during a moment when they were almost completely alone in the city.
It was the perfect time to ask Zach about something important.
"Yeah?" Zach looked tiredly at Yanael, not because he was tired of looking at her. He would never tire of that. He was tired after shoveling doll corpses, training, eating potions, and being so active. He needed a week or two to laze around.
He had finally broken free of his obsessiveness that had overtaken him during his first and second years at the Academy. Or his hard work had broken him.
"May I express my opinion on a matter we have already discussed?" Yanael asked carefully.
They had talked about it before without concluding anything. But the fact that they hadn't decided on changing it meant that Zach was still reluctant to let others know about the uniqueness of his familiars. He had said he was reluctant since he would only stand out unnecessarily without gaining anything.
Yanael was worried there was more to it.
"Go ahead?" Zach raised an eyebrow, and his gaze cleared up as he looked at Yanael. It looked like he needed to be a little serious and alert for this conversation.
"I…We think our ability to converse with others would be a great asset during this time. Let us help you, Master. Not just by tending to your needs and training. Let us share the burden you carry." Yanael bowed deeply. Her upper body was parallel to the ground, and her hands were pressed against her lower belly. Her eyes were shut tightly as she pleaded with Zach.
Hopefully, her earnest request would make Zach reconsider his stance and reluctance.
Zach's other eyebrow also rose as he looked at Yanael.
He had not expected this.
"Alright." He nodded, a gentle smile adorning his lips as he had Yanael stand up straight. He appreciated the gesture, but she didn't need to be so desperate. He was more than willing to hear her and the others out, even if they didn't do that, though he had a feeling Yanael was the only one who would do something like that.
Yanael stood up, surprised at how easily Zach had agreed.
For more than two years, he had been staunchly against telling anyone but Nora and his family about his familiars' uniqueness. But now, he was suddenly fine with it. It was sudden.
"Are you sure?" She couldn't help but ask.
"I've been thinking about it myself." Zach shrugged. "You three are already making more people gape and gawk with each lap around the Academy. If anyone comes to seek trouble because you can talk or whatever, let them come. The ones who can cause trouble for us even with Soara in our group, like the principal, probably already know."
They had made sure not to talk when they so much as suspected that anyone was listening in. But Zach and his familiars weren't omniscient. The principal, on the other hand, was ridiculous. He didn't seem like the type of guy who cared about others' privacy, and he had the strength to make others' attempts at keeping secrets useless.
If he wanted to eavesdrop on Zach and his familiars without them knowing, he could.
The only reason he hadn't mentioned it to Zach was because he either respected Zach's desire to keep the secret, or he didn't care that much.
"But before we do anything, I want to talk to the principal first. It's been a while, after all."
Yanael nodded. She was inherently a little skeptical of the principal given everything he had done, primarily instigating a war between his students and the Underworld. But she could tell Zach respected him, so naturally she did too.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om
Zach found Kat and gave her a barrier to protect her against the fumes before sending her into the city to cover for him while he talked with the principal. She was reluctant, even if only because she didn't want to rely on Zach's barrier.
But she, as most of the other students in the class, had been feeling pretty useless as of late.
Unlike the past two years, during which Zach smashed records and grades because of his access to the library and superior familiars, this year, he was in the lead because the others
couldn't
do anything.
They couldn't kill the dolls pouring out of the Underworld like ants without risking serious injury to themselves or their familiars. And they couldn't move the corpses of the dolls without eventually ending up coughing, weak-limbed messes.
And they had already scoured the library as best as they could for any helpful information without noteworthy success.
Given the chance to contribute to the battle against the Underworld and salvage their grades and the city, the students had to take it.
However, since Kat was doing it with Zach's barrier, he would earn part of the contribution she got for shoveling dolls.
Kat sighed and got to work.
It could have been worse.
She could have been forced to do it while wearing a shirt with heart stamps on it like a certain black-haired count's son from the north.