Walking through the darkness, Han was on guard considering their circumstance. They had entered the cave system that potentially had a connection to the strange behavior of monsters inside of the kingdom. Instead of the usual damp walls of caves he had visited on Earth, this cave was dry and acrid making it a little difficult to breathe.
The lights from their torches cast shadows onto the wall of the cave, making everything look a little sinister. They had been exploring the network of tunnels for an hour, following the trail left by monsters. Val had her guards positioned at both the front and the rear.
"Even though I am not an adventurer, it sure feels like I am, lately," Han joked out loud.
He looked up at the ceiling to make sure there were no monsters that were trying to sneak up on them.
"Yes. The Council requesting you to join this expedition was something I was vehemently against. It is not your job to go around the Kingdom for the interest of others, regardless of your abilities." Val agreed with his sentiments.
"Sounds like you have some differing opinions, you and the Council?" Han glanced at her.
As Val looked around her, making sure to keep her head on a swivel, she sighed in frustration. "I have begun to notice a drastic shift in behavior and mentality within the Academy. There have been more incidents between those belonging to the nobility and those who are not."
"But I thought that the Academy was above such things, where titles could be used to attack those of lesser status?" Han asked, trying to confirm what he had already started to notice.
"Even though the Academy was built on noble goals regarding equality for all, I have begun to understand that the Council is starting to deviate from its original purpose. In the beginning, the various nations had control over the education system, where only those in power appeared to gain benefits of such a system. The founder was a minor noble, who used his estate to create a school that anyone could attend and receive a high-level education." Val responded. Her face looked pained, as she thought about the place that gave her so many opportunities.
Han could understand her frustration about the whole situation. "What are you going to do about the Council's actions?" He asked her.
"I will continue to try and convince the other members to see that the path we are heading down will only cause the downfall of the academy." She stated, resolutely.
A sound of rocks being stirred and falling could be heard off in the darkness. All of them jerked towards the noise, trying to see what was happening. The guards tightened the grips on their swords and spears.
"Captain, send some men to investigate what caused that noise," Val ordered.
With a cool detachment of someone that had experienced combat, the Captain selected several people to go off and search for any signs. Compared to the level headed appearance of the Captain, the ones selected were sweating and looking nervous about venturing into the darkness. The light from the torches only seemed to accentuate the fact that they were on the tail of dangerous creatures.
"Yi, with how dark this tunnel is, why do you not create the glowing orbs you used inside of the pyramid?" Selestra whispered, leaning closer to Han.
Instead of answering her question, Han asked, "do you not get the feeling that something is off about this whole situation?"
Selestra looked back at him appearing confused. Seeing the confusion on her face, Brittany leaned in and said, "the moment Master arrived back from the ruins, the Council summoned him and sent him on this expedition along with someone that does not agree with their new ideology."
Hearing what Brittany said, she was initially unsure what was being implied, but slowly the implication started to dawn on her. "But why would they want to send us off to search for monsters? She whispered to them.
"That is part of the fun. I think we will find out why we are here or at least get a clue." Han grinned at her.
[Master, there seems to be something up ahead...] Aracia informed him.
[What do you see?] He asked her.
[There are a massive number of monsters. I do not believe that this area is home to a nest, but several nests.] Aracia answered.
"It appears that we found a clue as to why we are here..." He muttered to himself.
Before Selestra was able to ask what he meant by that, they heard screaming and the sounds of flesh being ripped apart.
All of them began running towards the noise they heard. "Help me!! I don't want to die, please!!" They could feel the terror in terror and helplessness as the man pleaded to them, as scrapping sounds could be heard.
"We are coming!!" Val yelled out to the voice.
Instead of getting closer, the pleas could be heard further and further away. "How are we not getting any closer!" One of Val's men shouted in frustration.
The walls began to slowly narrow, and their pace began to drop. "Val! We need to slow down!" Han yelled towards her, trying to get his voice past the clinking and clattering of armor.
"Fuck!" He cursed in frustration. Val was too focused on chasing after her men, instead of realizing where they currently were.
Seeing that Han, and his group, was slowing down, Val yelled, "what are you doing! We need to get to him! He is probably still alive!"
"Exactly! How could he still be alive?!" He yelled back at her.
As he was about to explain his thinking, he heard Aracia scream, [Master, they are heading your way!]
All around them there was a trampling, and guttural roar that could be heard. Everyone stopped thinking about the men that were being dragged away, and only one thought could be heard in their mind which Val whispered, "it was a trap..."
"Go back the way we came!!" Han yelled out. With how close together the walls were, it would be difficult for them to fend off an attack. "Brittany! Grab Val!!" He yelled as he ran back the way they came. By moving back the way they came, Han was hoping that Val's men would follow his lead and make way for everyone else. All of them needed to move before what he suspected was going to happen.
"Scorching fire obey my call, fireball!!" Selestra yelled out and sent out an attack to the monsters running down the wall ahead of them.
"Damn it!" He cursed. If these monsters were smart enough to make a trap, then they were probably smart enough to cut off their escape.
Monsters were consumed by Selestra's spell and screamed in agony. Her command over fire had definitely improved and was able to damage the creatures, instead of bouncing off their hard skin.
Behind them, several monsters dropped in the middle of the men as they were trying to escape. Han could hear them scream in terror as the monsters began to devour them. No matter how much training a person received, this type of situation would make all that training moot. With her size, Anacolis was in the very rear so was already situated where the walls opened up. She provided covering fire, killing monster after monster.
"Master! We need to retreat if these men are going to survive!" She shouted out.
Turning around, he sent out hundreds of thin wind blades, slicing up the monsters like they were inside of a blender. He needed to be careful so that he didn't cause the cave to collapse, by using something stronger.
As Brittany appeared, dragging Val behind her, she also began to attack the creatures. No longer inside of that confined space, she summoned her armor and weapons. Using one hand, she was cutting up the beasts with a large sword, while throwing large spears with the other. The spears were launched so quickly that they went through tens of monsters before stopping.
"They are behind us!" Val alerted them.
Moving himself to get a clear path, he stretched out his hand towards the ones rushing towards them and made a jet of fire appear. The fire was so powerful that he felt his hair being blown back. No matter how strong his flames were, the sheer number of monsters were staggering and kept coming towards him.
In the background, Val had regained her senses from allowing her men to be led into a trap and was killing monsters that were near her. It was only through the assistance of Anacolis and Brittany that she hadn't been overwhelmed. The sounds of men screaming as they were devoured could be heard, causing a sense of disorientation as the sounds bounced off the cave walls. It felt as if the screams were coming from all around them, as they were mixed with the guttural growls from the monsters. Cries for mothers and prayers to gods could be heard mixed in.
"You need to focus!!" Brittany slashed a monster that was about to land a critical blow onto Val. "Block out the noises. Do not think about what is happening to your men!" Though Brittany sounded critical, there was understanding in her voice.
Han ground his teeth as he was barely able to fend off the legion of monsters. "This is getting ridiculous!" He yelled as monsters continued to pour in. It was like trying to hold back the ocean when you were on the sea floor.
As hundreds of monsters were being killed by him, he was continuously wracking his brain to come up with a solution to get out of this.
--------
The screams from those being eaten and the pleas for salvation seemed to bury into Val's mind as she kept killing anything that appeared in front of her. A part of her didn't feel human after a while, as she swung her sword at numerous monsters. The light from the flames that Yi was continuously streaming into the waves helped to provide enough light for them to fight.
"You BASTARDS!!" her blade plunged into the skull of the latest one in front of her. The blood sprayed all over her face, blinding her for a moment.
"What the hell are you doing?!" Brittany shouted at her, while she used her gauntleted hand to wipe away the blood.
The stench of the blood seemed to flood her nostrils, making her want to throw up. Each time her foot planted on the ground, there was a sucking sound as the blood from the monsters mixed with the ground. How did they end up in such a situation, where all of them were investigating the strange monster sightings to drowning in monsters. What was she going to tell the families of the men she lost. She felt foolish being led into a trap by monsters.
An arrow whooshed past her face, to be plunged into the eye of a monster whose face was next to hers. She didn't even have time to react before realizing what had happened. Turning her head, Val saw the beast woman, Anacolis, firing off arrows after arrows into the swarm.
"Is this what my parents went through during the last Overflow?" Her thoughts drifted again.
"We can not continue to ignore what is happening inside of the Academy!!" Val slammed her fist on Nathanial's desk inside of his office.
"Val, I have told you that you are blowing this out of proportions. Students naturally have disagreements, and it is not always due to a clashing of nobles and commoners." Nathanial sighed as he tried to persuade her.
Shaking the documents in her hand, Val stated, "are you trying to tell me that the twenty cases of rape, IN JUST THIS MONTH, has nothing to do with an underlying issue??!! That the people who are committing these horrendous acts just happen to be nobles of the Kingdom and Empire?!"
"It is a horrible thing that is happening but..." He started.
"Nathanial!! Both of us know that you are not a fool, so do not try to insult my intelligence by continuing this charade!" She cut him off. "The Council needs to take action! Each time I apprehend these scum, I keep receiving orders, FROM YOU, to let them go! What is going on! As the Lady Knight of this Academy, I demand to know what you are planning!"
Nathanial placed a hand over his face, and whispered, "you remember what happened earlier this year, where the exploration class was nearly wiped out by monsters?" Looking up at Val, he continued, "that has not been an isolated incident. I have contacts within the Kingdom who have been informing me that such events are becoming more frequent."
"What does such a thing have to do with us?" Val asked sounding confused.
"Have you not thought about why you have not been hearing this until just now? Our students and residents have not been as affected due to the support we have been receiving from certain nobles." The implications hung in the air between them.
"Are you saying...?"
"Yes. The nobles that I have been asking you to release are related to families that have been handling the increase in monster activities. We are not a nation onto ourselves and rely on other powers to intercede with such matters. Though we do have a military force, it is nowhere near enough to protect this academy if there is such an increase in monster attacks!" He yelled out the last point at Val, to get her to understand how delicate the situation was.
Val stayed silent after hearing this. Though she understood what he was saying to be true, the fact that nobles were taking advantage of others didn't sit well with her. "What does the Council have to say about this?"
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"They are in support of my actions, though they understand that you are only doing your duties. We are grateful that you have a strong sense of justice, but you also need to know that our hands are tied in such matter. Will you be able to curb your duties on these issues and be able to look away from the greater good of the Academies survival?" He pleaded with her.
Val knew that he knew that she wouldn't be able to turn a blind eye to such a matter. Nathanial had been someone that helped her to get to be in such a position within the Academy. It pained her that she would have to oppose his actions.
Nodding, Nathanial said, "I understand." He chuckled and smiled. "Even though we are fighting about this issue, it is because you are such a strong and caring person that I thought you would be perfect for this position. I am sorry that I have tried to get you to compromise on your ideals." Nathanial grimaced and said, "though I am unsure about how we will handle this, I will talk to the Council and convince them that you are right and support you with your actions."
She remembered leaving that office happy to have such great people as fellow members of the Council.
"Die!!" Val yelled as she sliced the head of a monster and followed through to the next one. She tried to flow from one monster to another, keeping her movements to a bare minimum and conserve her stamina.
Time seemed to have no meaning as she took down monster after monster. When she messed up, Yi's servants were alway there to support her mistakes.
"You have asked for me?" Val asked as she entered the President's office. She saw Nathanial looking out the window with his back to her. With him standing there, Val could understand the stress that must be on his shoulders and how she would try her best to support him and the Academy.
He turned around and gave her a weary smile. "There have been some of our students who have been killed in monster attacks, a couple of days ago. I never seem to get used to having to speak with the families, and give my condolences." Walking over to where he kept some alcoholic beverages, he poured himself a glass. Raising it up and looking at the contents he asked, "I wish there were a way for us to find what is causing these increases in attacks. It was not like this, so there must be something that is influencing these monsters."
"Could we not send people to investigate this issue?" She inquired.
"But who could we send out on such a mission? We would need to find someone with a strong sense of justice and who could be trusted with such an important task." Nathanial sighed in frustration.
Hearing how this could be such a dangerous task, leaving it to someone didn't sit right with her. Realizing that there was only one solution, Val said, "I will take some men with me and find out what is causing this incident."
Nathanial spun towards her looking shocked. "No! We can not have the leader of the Disciplinary Committee go out and potentially get killed!"
"No. You are right. This type of dangerous mission can only be entrusted to someone on the council. To expect someone else to handle this would be unfair." Seeing that he was about to convince her to walk away from her idea, she stated, "I have made up my mind on this matter. I will inform my men to get ready to leave for this operation."
As she was about to walk out of his office, Nathanial said, "I do not agree with your decision, but if you are going to be stubborn you need to have some support." When she turned towards him, he continued, "I believe you should take the new student, Yi, with you. With his abilities, he will be a great asset."
"What are you suggesting?! Do you hear yourself speaking?!" She yelled at him, angry at him for even suggesting the idea.
"No. You are my precious friend. If there is anything I can do to help you succeed, then I will do it! This is an order from your President, and I will not allow for any discussion on this matter. If you are foolish enough to go on this potentially suicidal mission, then you will heed my command." His expression matched the same one that she had on her face when she came to a decision.
"Please!! Help us, Lady Knight!!" A soldier called out to her, as two monsters gripped him by his shoulders and proceeded to tear him in half.
"Damn you!!" She rushed towards the two monsters, as they tried to drag both halves away. There was a sudden weight pressing on her back, as she fell onto the floor. Next, to her left ear, she heard a growl and felt the heated breath of the monster. Realizing that she was pinned to the ground, and was about to be eaten she choked in grief. "I am sorry, all of you. My foolishness was what caused this mess."
Closing her eyes, Val waited for the monster to bite off her head.
----
As he tried new spells to try and increase the number of monsters that he was killing, nothing he tried seemed to decrease the numbers. It felt like it was an endless wave that would continue to crash against him.
"I will NOT let it end like this!!" He growled at the monsters around him.
Just as he was about to teleport himself and his companions away, he came up with an idea. Forging a sword into his hand, and quickly programming it with a new attribute, Han looked at a nearby monster rushing towards him and stabbed it. "See how you like that, you son of a bitch!"
As the monster appeared to be unharmed, aside from a small wound on its shoulder, it appeared to shrug something off as it shook its head. The creature began to claw at the ground in frustration, as it looked to be in a greater degree of pain as time passed. Bashing its head into the ground, it looked to be fighting against something.
It howled in pain, as the creature's skin began to start sloughing off. Beneath on the new skin, it appeared to look purplish. There were bony growths that broke out. Also, the size of the monster started to increase. Once it seemed to stop mutating, it looked at Han like a loyal pet would.
"Fetch!" Han growled at the new creature.
The newly changed creature began to bit into the other monsters and claw at everything. As each one was wounded, the monster would appear to repeat the same process. Once finished, the original mutated creature would hiss at it, and the new ones would chase after its former brethren.
As Han was killing off multitudes of monsters, he watched as his creation infected other exponentially. If there was no end to the monsters, then all he would need to do is create something similar. From his memories of video games and sci-fi novels, there were a couple of templates he could use. He just happened to use the creatures from a popular strategy game he used to play.
To prevent his attacks from killing his new allies, he just pictured hundreds of firebolts that tracked the enemy forces. It felt like he was firing a machine gun in a video game, the kind that gave unlimited ammo as you cut down enemies. Normally, those kinds of situations would be dangers due to head shots, but he didn't have to worry about that here.
"Yi! Are you alright?!" Selestra approached him, covered in blood. Seeing him look shocked, she quickly said, "this is not mine. It came from those monsters."
"It should not be much longer until we get out of this. Sorry for not thinking of this solution earlier or teleporting ourselves out of here." He could have transported themselves out of this and nuked this area from orbit, but he had a feeling that showing his cards early would make things complicated.
Selestra shook her head, "I knew that we would be okay."
Aracia dropped from the ceiling, and reported, "Master, the corrupted monsters are slowly pushing back the monsters, while also converting more of them to our side."
Seeing that there was no need for him to continue to blast away monsters, he lowered his head and sighed in exhaustion. "As long as those things are not spawning at an exponential rate, my pets should have things handled." Looking at Selestra and seeing her pout, he asked, "what is the matter?"
"I thought I was your only pet." She muttered, looking spoiled.
Taking one of her hands, he raised it to his heart and said, "you are the one that matter."
Rushing towards him, she planted a kiss and snuggled up to him. It was a ghastly scene, the way they looked happy while there were rivers of blood on the ground.
Han noticed Val and walked over to her. "Are you alright?"
Val was on her knees as she watched the monsters being eaten by the corrupted ones. "I could not save even one of them."
Without saying anything, he placed a hand on her shoulders and watched the carnage in front of them.
-------
Han and his companions, along with Val, walked out of the cave. The night sky welcomed them, making them understand how much time had passed.
Thinking that it would be best for them to rest in comfort, he waved his hand and made a large house to appear. It was a very modern looking house, with lots of metal and concrete on the side with tons of windows. Snapping his finger, Han made all the blood on them disappear. He didn't like the idea of them tracking blood into his house.
Walking up to the house, several maids appeared and greeted him. Not wanting to think about anything else, he said, "I am going to take a hot bath. Have one of the maids direct you to where you can bathe and sleep. We can talk about what happened tomorrow after we have rested."
Not waiting to hear a response he walked towards where the baths were. Han proceeded to remove his clothes as he approached the bath. Grabbing a stool, he grabbed a shower head and washed. The hot water felt nice. Compared to the baths he used in Leafly Village, this area was almost the size of an apartment. This was to allow Aracia and Anacolis to enjoy the baths.
As hands began to massage all over his body, he tilted back his head and closed his eyes. After such a strenuous event, having his body massaged and washed felt nice.
"Master, your thinking of corrupting the monsters was brilliant." Anacolis complimented him as her hands rubbed his shoulders.
"I stole the idea from something I have seen before, so I can not take all the credit." He smiled.
"To correctly implement an idea is also a sign of a great leader," Brittany informed him.
"You are right." He chuckled, as Brittany began to massage his left leg.
"Yi, why were we sent to such a dangerous location?" Selestra asked him, as she massaged his right leg.
As he sat on the stool and enjoyed the pampering he was receiving, he said, "I think the Lady Knight has stepped on someone's toes, during her time at the Academy." When Selestra's hands stopped, he sighed and said, "whoever sent Val to investigate had a strong suspicion that she would arrive at the cave and enter it. After entering the cave, she and her men would have been slaughtered."
"Why would they want to kill her?" She asked, continuing with the massage.
"That I do not know, though I have a suspicion that Queen knows." He chuckled.
"Master is correct. Val has been very outspoken about the treatment of the commoners by the nobility within the city. This has likely caused the Council to send her away on her suicidal mission, to eliminate the threat that she posed." Queen reported.
"Then why were we sent with her?" Selestra followed up.
"The powers that are working behind the scene are threatened by the power that Master has shown, so they thought they could eliminate two issues at once." Brittany completed Queens report.
"What?!" Selestra shouted in alarm. "We need to leave Academy City, right away!!" Her voice began to panic, thinking about someone trying to kill Han.
Looking at Selestra and placing a hand on her face, Han said, "My pet, there is no reason for you to be alarmed. First, they do not pose a danger to me. Second, Queen would have alerted me to any issues that came up that required my attention. She is quite good at her job, so I rarely ask for reports anymore."
"Master, you are too kind," Queen said.
Seeing that Selestra had begun to calm down, he stood up and took her hand to guide her towards the bath. The water was initially hot, but as he got used to it, the water became relaxing. Walking to the other side of the bath, Han sat down on a throne looking seat that was submerged into the water.
Having Selestra sit on his lap, he rubbed her back to make sure she was okay. Hearing that there were people actively plotting against him was a big shock to Selestra. Though she a warrior in combat, she seemed to be a lioness when it came to his safety. She may not be as fierce as his creations, but if still made him happy that she worried about him.
As she rested her head on his shoulders, Selestra asked, "what are we going to do? I do not like knowing that people are looking to have you killed. It makes me scared."
"What do you think, Brittany?" He asked.
Pondering on what they should do, she said, "I believe we should wait and see what they have planned. Considering the power that Master commands, there is no reason to spring the trap prematurely."
"How about you, Aracia?"
"I agree with Brittany. I think we should wait and see, and then enjoy watching them squirm before we devour them." She grinned.
On one of the armrest, he created a miniature version of Val. He watched as the mini Val walked around the armrest. Behind her, Han created a large lion that was sneaking up behind her.
"I think that our little Lady Knight may be in danger now, especially when the people that tried to have her killed learn that she is still alive. It may be a good idea to have her sent to Felicitas." He made walls surround the mini Val, just as the lion was pouncing. The lion hit the wall and looked dazed. It roared in frustration and began to circle the wall.
"Once the Lady Knight is safely tucked away," Han made the mini Val disappear and removed the walls. As he looked at the lion and raised his fist, Han said, "then we can look at the remaining threat." He slammed the fist down and turned the lion into paste.
-----
Val woke up after having a fitful sleep. Her dreams were filled with the images of her men being slaughtered as they accused her of being the reason they died. No matter how much she apologized and said that she didn't mean for it to happen the way it did, the soldiers continued to accuse her. Her bed was soaked in sweat, as her eyes opened.
Getting up, she was confused by the room she was in. The quality was better than anything she had ever seen. After some time had passed, Val realized that she was inside the home that Yi had created. Removing the blanket off of her, she was surprised by how cool it was. Inside of her residence, the house was often warmer than she liked. She wondered if this was thanks to his abilities that he was always secretive about.
Looking down, she realized that she didn't have any clothes on. Realizing the maids had likely undressed her, she walked around trying to find where her clothes were. Passing by a mirror, Val was surprised by how clear the image was. With the number of suitors she has had, Val understood that she was pretty, or at least influential with power, but seeing herself now the way her muscles tightened and loosened and how curvy she looked she admired how feminine she was.
Moving away from the mirror, Val saw a small door that she thought was where the closet was located. Opening up, there was her uniform and armor hanging. The uniform looked cleaned and the armor polished. Taking her time, she put everything on and felt better having some metal on her. Being a Lady Night, Val often felt more comfortable wearing armor.
There was a knock on the door, with a voice saying, "the Master would like to inform you that breakfast is ready once the Lady has finished changing."
Walking down the stairs, Val noticed a very large dining area with an abundance of food on top of it. Yi and his servants, along with Selestra, were eating and chatting. Glancing up, Yi spotted her and waved for her to come and eat.
"There is a large selection of food, but if there is nothing that meets your fancy the chef can prepare whatever you wish." He grinned and directed her to a tall man in a chef's outfit.
Val took her seat and looked at the variety of food. Grabbing some sausages, eggs, bacon, and pancakes, she began to eat. The taste of the food was mind blowing, and she couldn't help but moan in pleasure.
Yi laughed at her expression, and his companions also giggled. Selestra looked at her with understanding, knowing how big of a difference his food was compared to the world.
"How..." She began.
"I am lucky to have access to large amounts of resources. While we are on the topic, I would like to offer you an opportunity." He grinned. Seeing her expression, Yi continued, "I think you are beginning to realize that something is going on inside of the Academy. This expedition was not meant with you surviving."
Gulping down the remaining food in her mouth, she asked, "what are you implying?"
"You are an intelligent woman. The cave that we ended up in was the only logical place we would end up in. By this rationale, we can deduce that our surviving this expedition was not planned. Someone wants you dead." He explained.
Shaking her head, she responded, "No. I am the one that suggested this mission."
"Are you saying that you came up with this insane mission without any external inspiration?" He said mockingly.
"No, but Nathanial tried to convince me not to go on this mission. He even suggested I bring you to make sure that there was a chance this mission would..." She trailed off as she saw him sneering at her naivety.
"I understand that someone like you is going to have a hard time understanding how friends can betray you, but the sooner you can, the better. If you want, I can take you to a place where your sense of justice will be appreciated and where people do not have the reason to stab their friends in the back." He spat out the last part.
"Where would I go?" She asked.
"I am sure that you have heard of a new city appearing inside of The Great Desert?" When she nodded, he continued, "I have a connection with the person who created this city, and I would be able to provide you with sanctuary. Inside of this city, your talents could be used to help out those who truly need your help. The Academy was a great concept, but it always had a flaw inside of it." Seeing her lack of comprehension, Yi said, "the Academy will always be at the mercy of those who have resources, due to its size and ability. As long as it can not sustain itself without outside assistance, Academic City will always have to dance around those with power. The same power that is running amok in your city."
"Then how is this city that is inside a desert able to do what the Academy can not?" Val pointed to a flaw that she noticed in his example.
Yi grinned and said, "resources are not something this city has to worry about. I can explain everything, but it would be better for you to just see for yourself."
Val thought about what Yi was trying to tell her. Even though she couldn't imagine Nathanial wishing her dead, the things Yi pointed out were suspicious. It was tempting to accept Yi's offer, but she shook her head. "Thank you. I appreciate that you are looking out for my safety, but I can not go with you to this wonderful place."
"Why not?" Yi said, but she knew that he already suspected the reason why.
"Because I can not just abandon the students who are unable to defend themselves."