The Sponsored Heroines Are Coming for Me

Lichten Academy Student Council Hall.

The student council hall, which originally housed long dining tables, was now packed with academy cadets and the citizens of Lichten.

Though it was the most spacious and secure building in the academy, the atmosphere was filled with anxiety and fear.

Iris Lipenstein, the student council vice president and daughter of Lichten’s ruling family, was moving among the people.

“Waaaah—!”

“M-Mom, what do we do?”

“It’s okay, sweetie. It’s okay. The academy will protect us.”

Children trembled in terror, while parents did their best to console them.

In truth, things could have been much worse.

“H-Have you seen my daughter? She has big eyes and orange hair—.”

“Dad—! Mom—! Waaaah!”

“Hey, are you okay? J-Just hang in there. I’ll find a doctor…”

People who had lost their families, the injured—

This place had turned into a scene of utter chaos due to the monsters that had stormed in unexpectedly.

Iris moved through the crowd, working to calm the people.

“Please, don’t worry too much. The academy cadets and professors, along with the knights and mages who remained in the principality, will do their best to protect all of you.”

She climbed onto a podium to reassure them.

“If you’re looking for a missing person, please gather under the white pillar over there. It’s too crowded here, and searching will be difficult. We will assist you over there.”

She divided the area into sections to prevent further chaos from spreading.

“Emergency aid will be provided to critical patients first. Please hold on just a little longer.”

She also tended to the wounded.

The reason Iris took care of them was simple.

Many people were fighting at the frontlines to protect them.

Keeping the evacuees calm was just as important.

Thanks to her tireless efforts, the panic gradually subsided.

Above all—

“A-Are you the daughter of the Lipenstein Count?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Ah! As expected, the Lipenstein family has not abandoned us!”

Her noble status alone helped to reassure the people.

“Will Count Lipenstein return from the frontlines?”

“Yes. We sent a message before the portal was severed.”

“Oh, what a relief. He will surely return.”

In this way, Iris slowly dispelled the fear that had gripped the crowd.

— Kwaaaaang!

A deafening shockwave rang out intermittently.

It was the sound of monsters attacking the academy’s protective barrier.

“Kyaaa!”

Screams occasionally erupted, but most people were beginning to regain their composure.

Iris let out a small sigh.

‘Still, I can’t help but worry.’

The number of monsters outside was overwhelming.

They might have to endure for days, perhaps even weeks.

Would there be enough space for everyone to sleep?

Was there enough water and food?

As these worries flooded her mind—

— Kuwaaagagagagagak!!

A thunderous noise erupted.

“Kyaaah!”

“The barrier has finally fallen! We’re all going to die!”

A wave of panic surged through the crowd once again.

“The barrier has not fallen. Please remain calm.”

As she reassured the people, Iris swallowed hard.

Perhaps… she had been worrying too much.

‘…Could there be hope?’

She knew the situation surrounding the academy’s barrier.

Countless monsters—

And an unknown being beyond comprehension.

“It will be alright.”

That was all she could say.

Yet, deep inside, she couldn’t help but wish.

‘Please, someone save us…’

Someone who would rescue these helpless people—

And herself.

◆

In the student council office, which had been repurposed into a strategic meeting room, Silvia was clutching her head in frustration.

The final line of defense, the barrier, was on the verge of collapse.

Yet, there was no way to overturn the situation.

“…What should I do in a moment like this?”

She murmured just loud enough that no one else could hear.

— Kuwaaagagagagagak!!

 

A tremendous explosion rang out.

Kugugung.

 

The ground shook violently a moment later.

It was as if an earthquake had struck.

Unlike the occasional explosions from the grotesque creatures trying to break the barrier—

This was different.

Silvia quickly moved to assess the situation.

“What’s happening?”

“A massive explosion was heard from the western forest. Right now, a thick cloud of dust is rising, filling the sky.”

What now?

Fortunately, there were no additional bad news reports.

In fact, the collapse of the area had wiped out a portion of the monster horde that was advancing toward the academy.

It was a favorable turn of events.

— Scratch, scratch.

Silvia Laurent moved her pen, adjusting the balance of power between allies and enemies.

It wasn’t enough to shift the tide of battle.

The situation remained desperate.

“…Hmmm.”

Silvia let out a small sigh but didn’t show any outward signs of distress.

— Kwaaang!

 

Another explosion rang out. A faint vibration could be felt, as if signaling that the barrier’s durability was nearing its limit.

“S-Sister Silvia, what should we do? Can we hold out like this?”

Elena trembled as she asked.

“After that last explosion, the barrier’s durability is now at half—”

Kwaang!

Another explosion interrupted.

“To be precise, it’s now below half.”

“Then… does that mean we won’t last another six hours?”

“Most likely, yes.”

Inside the meeting room, where key figures had gathered, a faint sense of despair began to spread.

Realizing she had only been delivering cold, hard facts, Silvia quickly tried to shift the mood.

“Of course, it’s not like we have no options.”

“Options?”

Someone from the student council asked. Silvia nodded immediately.

“I’m sure you all understand that we are in a defensive position, protecting the academy. And in defensive strategy, there is a concept called the ‘Phase Theory.’”

“Phase Theory?”

“Yes.”

Silvia brought over a standing chalkboard.

With a piece of chalk, she divided it into three sections.

Phase 1.

Phase 2.

Phase 3.

“From a defensive standpoint, the enemy’s offensive can be divided into three major waves. Phase 1 is the initial clash, where both sides test each other’s strength.”

“…So what we’ve been holding off until now was Phase 1?”

“That’s right.”

A brief silence fell over the room.

It had taken everything they had just to hold off the first phase.

“Phase 2 is the clash against the main forces. Right now, the creatures attacking the barrier with their full power can be considered part of this phase.”

— Kwaaang!

Waiting for the explosion to subside, Silvia continued.

“Phase 3, as the name suggests, is the final showdown. Hopefully, that unknown monstrous entity is part of Phase 3.”

“Then… what should we do?”

A student council member asked.

“We must focus everything on Phase 2. We will pour all our resources into defending against this wave.”

“Does that mean…?”

“Yes. We fight only for the present moment. That is our best option. We don’t have the luxury to worry about what comes after.”

“Then… what about Phase 3? How do we stop it?”

“Salvation.”

Silvia Laurent.

A leader who calculated every possibility with reason and logic.

Yet, the word she had just spoken was unlike her usual rational approach.

Several people repeated it, confused.

“Salvation?”

“Yes. Someone will come to save us. We will wait for that in Phase 3.”

“Who?”

Silvia didn’t answer right away.

It had only been a day since the Bloodstone Cult set foot in Lichten.

Right now, many forces would be rushing toward the academy.

Grand Duchess Yergina of the North.

Princess Asteria.

Aria, the Saint.

And perhaps even Emilia Raymond.

“However, all the portals have been destroyed. It will take time for reinforcements to arrive. Meanwhile, that Phase 3-class monster… will be here soon.”

Someone pointed out the reality of the situation.

It was a valid concern.

There was no immediate salvation.

That’s what everyone thought—except for a few cadets in the room.

“Ian Blackangers.”

The one who stepped forward was Lina.

“Ian?”

Some people voiced their confusion, but Danya spoke with certainty.

“That’s right. Ian will come to save us, nyah.”

Even Elena joined in.

“Exactly! Brother Ian will surely come to our rescue!”

As the others tilted their heads, wondering what these people were talking about, even Sasha Asilia added her voice.

“I believe in my disciple as well.”

When multiple people say the same thing, even a lie can sound like the truth.

And in this place, it was a truth that didn’t need much convincing.

Hope.

Right now, they desperately needed something to cling to.

“Yes! Someone will definitely come to save us!”

“I trust that Ian kid too. He was no ordinary cadet.”

“Let’s believe in him!”

The hope of salvation.

It spread like wildfire.

And with it, came the resolve to pour everything into the next phase of battle.

Watching this, Silvia Laurent nodded.

“Phase 2 will be an all-out war. I’ll take that as unanimous agreement.”

No one objected.

“Good. From now on, we begin preparations for Phase 2 defense. Here’s the plan: the moment the barrier breaks, we will unleash the most powerful area-of-effect spells we have available.”

“AoE skills?”

“Yes.”

Silvia turned to Danya and Lina.

“We will use Danya’s Full Arrow Barrage and Lina’s Flame Reaction together.”

She continued explaining the elemental synergy between grass and fire.

“That makes sense.”

A senior professor of magic, whose hair had turned completely white—too old to be sent to the battlefield—nodded in approval.

“And we will amplify their spells using everyone else’s mana.”

“Amplify?”

“Yes. Christina?”

Silvia called out to a red-haired woman.

Christina, adjusting her glasses, stepped forward to explain her invention.

“I developed a Magitech Amplifier. If you channel mana into it, any magic passing through these rings will be enhanced. The maximum mana capacity is 100 million mps, so—”

Her eyes gleamed as she reached her conclusion.

“With this, we can amplify Danya and Lina’s spells enough to incinerate an entire city.”

A faint flicker of hope against despair.

Beneath the crumbling barrier, the final resistance was being meticulously prepared.

And then—

— CRACK!

The barrier that surrounded the academy shattered into countless pieces.