Animal Rampage

"Housemaster, what should we do now?" The teacher behind him spoke in a trembling voice, his eyes full of panic.

As the person in charge of the entrance exam, every decision Henry made affected everyone's safety. The other teachers held their breath, their eyes fixed intently on him.

"Get down there and help. There are some important people among the applicants. Don't let them get hurt." Henry's brows knotted tightly as he raced to devise a plan.

To bring the herd under control quickly in this chaos, they would need someone with enough strength...

Strength... that's it!

A figure flashed through his mind-Karen!

Henry's pupils contracted sharply. He fumbled for his radio and hurriedly switched to Karen's channel.

Static crackled, and Karen answered.

"Hello, Housemaster. Is something wrong?"

"Mr. Karen, the animals are running wild in Passage One. Get over there and deal with them right away!!"

"Roger that. I'm right at the entrance to Passage One. I'll be there in a moment."

"I'm counting on you."

Karen crunched the lollipop in his mouth, swallowing the fragments along with his saliva. With a casual spit, he sent the stick flying like a dart straight into a trash can several meters away.

He patted the two-meter staff beside him, which he had prepared specially that morning. Knowing the plot, he naturally had to show off a little.

"Ah, my first real assignment at Eden Academy..." Karen rolled his neck, his knuckles cracking crisply. He snatched up the staff and assumed a starting stance, his leather shoes scraping harshly against the ground.

"Here we go-"

Boom! Before the words had fully left his mouth, Karen shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow. The rush of air sent his coat flapping, leaving only an afterimage behind.

He was incredibly fast-fast enough to slip away with ease even in front of Yor, the Thorn Princess.

"Are you all right?" Twilight set the child he had just rescued down on the ground. His voice was breathless as he warily scanned the chaotic crowd.

Damn it, this isn't about the exam anymore.

He stared at the bull charging at the head of the herd. Every bounding stride of its powerful body made the ground tremble slightly.

Judging by animal behavior, the one running at the front was the leader. If he could stop it, perhaps the herd would stop too.

But for a human to stop a charging bull head-on was pure fantasy! The crowd ahead was too dense to get through, and the lead bull was already almost upon them.

Twilight's hand unconsciously drifted toward his case and the pistol hidden inside. He debated whether to use it.

If I use it, how will I explain myself?

Why would a psychiatrist be carrying a weapon?

"Mr. Forger, sorry for the trouble, but please take care of Anya."

Yor took a deep breath, her chest heaving as she carefully handed Anya to Twilight.

The veins in her neck stood out faintly, and a fierce glint flashed through her eyes as she prepared to act.

"Miss Yor?!" Before Twilight could finish, a dark figure swept between them like the wind.

Karen rushed to a spot two meters directly in front of the bull at astonishing speed, the wind he stirred lifting the stray hair over his forehead.

"No passage beyond this point!" Karen lowered his gaze, ran his tongue halfway along his lower lip, and curled his mouth into a dangerous smile.

The bull let out a deafening roar at the man blocking its path. Its front hooves rose high as it charged straight at him.

"Moo-!"

Just as the bull was about to collide with him, Karen flicked his wrist. The wooden staff traced a sharp arc through the air and struck the bull's leg with a crisp crack.

The bull's massive body crashed to the ground, throwing up a cloud of dust and leaving a small crater.

Karen did not pause. He slipped around to the bull's side like a phantom, his staff whistling through the air as he swung it.

The whirring staff spun twice above the bull's head at high speed before pointing straight at its forehead.

Terror filled the bull's wide eyes. Its body shook uncontrollably, making even the ground tremble slightly.

The other animals stopped in their tracks. When Karen swept his bloodthirsty gaze over them, they all took several steps back, low whimpers rising from their throats.

Twilight stood rooted to the spot, his eyes vacant and his mind blank.

What happened? Who am I? Where am I? What am I supposed to do?

A string of questions exploded in his mind.

Karen took out his radio and spoke steadily. "Housemaster, it's taken care of. Send someone to take them back, and remember to shut the gate properly."

Anya looked at the trembling bull on the ground, her eyes full of pity. Her innate kindness urged her to walk slowly toward it.

"Anya, it's dangerous!" Twilight shouted. He tried to stop her, but the crowd blocked his way, and cold sweat instantly broke out on his forehead.

Anya paid him no heed. She crouched beside the bull and gently stroked its forehead with her little hand. "It's okay. You don't have to be scared. Good boy, good boy."

Under her soothing touch, the bull gradually stopped trembling. It struggled to its feet on its broken leg and let out a low "Moo..."

Twilight seized the chance to rush over and scoop Anya back into his arms, watching the bull like a hawk.

Fortunately, the bull did not attack. Instead, it limped back the way it had come, and the other animals followed, gradually disappearing into the distance.

"They all went back," Anya said.

Twilight wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, relief coloring his voice. "Looks like it. Thankfully, no one was hurt..."

Henry had watched the entire scene from the second floor.

His earlier displeasure with Anya vanished, replaced by astonishment. She might have scored only thirty points, but her character was truly elegant!

"So, so, so, so, so, so... elegant!!!" Henry was so excited that his glasses slipped askew. He rushed downstairs without a second thought. By the time he found the Forger family, he was panting hard from running. Bracing his hands on his knees, he said, "Today, I have been utterly defeated..."

Twilight looked at the breathless man before him and quickly searched his memory.

If I remember correctly, he's one of the first-year housemasters at Eden Academy.

Henry looked at Twilight's clothes, torn during the rescue, their ragged edges stained with dust and bits of grass. The scales in his heart quietly tipped in their favor.

"We have postponed the interview examination to deal with the aftermath of the disturbance. Please return once you have put your appearance in order."

Henry paused. "You are worthy of facing our school's challenges."

This was the first time Eden Academy had allowed students and parents to go back and change their clothes.

Twilight felt a surge of joy. He had been worried that his clothes would leave a bad impression on this teacher, who was renowned for his elegance.

Outwardly, however, he remained composed. "Thank you for your consideration, sir, but please don't worry."

He opened the case he carried, revealing neatly folded clothes, and deftly changed into another outfit. "We brought an extra set of clothes precisely because we considered the possibility of a situation like this..."

Henry looked at the freshly dressed Forger family. He opened his mouth but could find nothing to say.

Their thorough preparedness went far beyond his definition of "elegance." If anything, he found it a little frightening.