CH 165

Because of the suddenness of the attack, the camp was in chaos and people and monsters were flooding the area and clashing.

“2nd and 4th Platoons, give direct cover for the Academy students!”

“2nd Company! We’re moving out! Don’t let any of those monsters through!”

““OOOOOUUUUHHHH!””

Although there were people on duty as night watchmen, most of the security was centered on the western side. A normal army would have collapsed if it was suddenly attacked by such a large number of monsters from the eastern side, where their security was lax.

However, the most elite Royal Guard Division immediately recovered from the surprise and mobilized troops on the east side. By confronting the monsters immediately, the damage was minimized.

“Division Commander Horst! We have successfully constructed the eastern defensive line!”

“Alright!” Horst said. “Even though there are so many monsters, none of them are that powerful! With the protection of the students as the top priority, don’t let anyone die!”

“Sir!”

Despite the sudden attack from an unexpected direction in the middle of the night, the battle situation have stabilized. Thanks to the vanguard’s defensive line, the possibility of further invasion by monsters was extremely low, and it was almost safe to stay still in the camp… or at least, it should have been.

If the people here were adults accustomed to war or experienced in actual combat, they would have been quietly protected by the Royal Guard Division’s direct cover of the camp. However, the only people here were the children of high-ranking aristocrats who had almost no actual combat experience, let alone experience fighting in a real war. Here they started panicking and there was no way you could get these students to follow instructions from the Royal Guard Division, low-ranking nobles they usually looked down upon.

“Hii…! Run away!”

“Ah! Don’t leave the camp without permission!”

A shivering student in the headquarters tent jumped out and ran towards the forest in the west. Panic spreads one after another after seeing it happen.

“Ah, it’s useless! The monsters are coming for us!”

“If we stay here, we’ll all be killed!”

“Run for it!”

With all those echoing in the air, the students slipped out one after the other from the main tent being protected by the Royal Guard Division and fled into the forest to the west. As the remaining students saw them fleeing, the panic spread and they, too, started fleeing in fear it would be worse to stay there.

“Wait! Our soldiers are guarding this place! Stay inside the tent! It’s safe here!”

“Shut up! Do you think I can trust what a measly knight noble like you says?! Out of my way!”

“Uwaaahh~~~!”

“If we stay here, we’re going to be killed! The Royal Guard Division is useless!”

“The Royal Guard Division has been routed! It’s only a matter of time before the monsters come here!”

From the start, the sons of high-ranking aristocrats looked down on the Royal Guard Division as “just a bunch of low-ranking aristocrats” and “those who are envious of us high-ranking aristocrats, without the ability to match us.”, and were easily susceptible to similar claims coming from others. Dozens upon dozens of students rushed into the forest.

In the Camp Training so far, quite a few students have been trampling and hunting prey in the western forest. If you think about it normally, there will be no more dangerous beasts or monsters.

But it’s not absolute. Not all beasts and monsters were hunted, and some beasts and monsters return after a while. Above all, unlike during the day, it is now midnight and humans are blind here, but nocturnal beasts and monsters are probably wandering around calmly.

The appearance of the forest during the day and at night changes completely. They hunted a lot of beasts and monsters during the day, but they never went into the forest at night during this training camp. It can even be that the nocturnal predators will hunt them, if rarely. There’s no way you’ll end up safe by entering such a forest unprotected.

“Everyone calm down! The Royal Guard Division is among the most elite in this country to protect us, the royal family!” Ludwig yelled, stretching his hands out to the fence that separated the forest from the camp. “There’s no way the Royal Guards will collapse with an attack of this magnitude! Look! Where in this tent are the monsters approaching? Don’t be fooled by other people’s cries of panic. Don’t be scared, see it with your own eyes and decide for yourselves!”

“Your Highness…”

At that sight and sound, those who had yet to flee calmed down in an instant.

“It’s more dangerous in the forest at night!” Ludwig said. “If you still want to enter the forest alone, step forward! I’ll listen to you!”

“””””………..”””””

After Ludwig’s shouting, the remaining students looked at each other. Now that they’re calmer, they think about which is safer: walking alone in the forest at night without proper equipment, or wearing proper equipment and preparing for the monsters while being protected by the Royal Guard? It was so obvious. No one moves arbitrarily anymore and everyone calms down completely at once.

“Alright! You guys!” Rutger said. “Divide into your teams and check your members! How many people went into the forest now and who did?”

That causes the students to protest. No one wanted to move in this crisis.

“Hurry up, move it!” Rutger yelled. “Do you want to let your friends die? Everyone, form up according to each team! Report any missing members!”

“”””Ro-Roger…!”””””

Intimidated, the students finally began to move briskly. Certainly, those who entered the forest without permission did something stupid of their volition. Even if they die, it would have been well-deserved. But that doesn’t mean they can just leave people to die when they could help. If they chase after them now, there is a good chance that everyone will be rescued unscathed.

“Well… that was quite the feat, wasn’t it?” Horst said, clapping his hands as he approached the restrained students. “I’m impressed, Your Highness and Your Lordship.”

“Commander Horst,” Ludwig said.

It was necessary to discuss the future plans while the other students were splitting back into their teams and counting heads.

“Oops!” Horst gasped. “Your Highness Ludwig, Your Lordship Rutger, how does the night find you… uhhmm…?” he said, struggling.

“Division Commander Horst, you don’t need to use such formal language,” Ludwig interrupted. “It’s an emergency right now. We don’t have the time. Please speak however is easiest for you.”

Now is not the time to think about how you speak. It is necessary to communicate quickly, accurately, without mistakes, and in a way that is easy to understand.

“That helps,” Horst said. “We’re looking for the students who went into the forest, but right now the Royal Guard Division can only send two platoons. Any more than that will make holding the monsters back difficult, we can’t fully mobilize until they’re all defeated.

Other armies have different formations, but the current Royal Guard Division consists of 4 Knights in 1 Squad, 3 Squads in 1 Platoon, 3 Platoons in 1 Company, and 3 Companies in 1 Battalion. Until daytime today, 2 battalions were here to protect the students for Camp Training, but unfortunately, 1 battalion has now returned to the royal capital, leaving 1 remaining.

There are 120 members of the Royal Guard Division in this place, including 108 members per battalion plus commanders such as Horst, general staff, medics, and others who have non-combat roles. At the moment, only 24 people from 2 platoons can be dispatched for the search. If they dedicate more than that, they will not be able to maintain the camp’s defense line and protect the remaining students.

“2 platoons… that’s not very many… understood,” Ludwig said. “Then let’s recruit volunteers from the students and accompany the 2 platoons of the Royal Guard Division.”

Horst thinks a little about Ludwig’s offer. The forest at night is very dangerous. Even a professional soldier or knight should not let his guard down. However, when it comes to searching for people in the forest, manpower is needed. If it was in the daytime, it would be fine, but more and more people will be needed in darkness.

Moreover, judging from the lines and attitudes of the students who fled the camp, there is a high possibility that the Royal Guard’s Knights will not be listened to even after they pursued them. In that case, it might be better to persuade them by using students like them.

In the Camp Training so far, a large number of people entered the forest and hunted prey. The forest monsters had been hunted by the Royal Guard Division for over 3 months, so the danger should be even less than usual. In that case, it might be better to listen to Ludwig’s opinion and approach the search with teams consisting of 2 Royal Guard Division platoons and volunteers from the Academy.

“I am grateful for that, but if something happens to those that entered the forest without permission and join the search, can you say the Royal Guard Division won’t be responsible? We don’t have time to spare, either,” Horst said. “If you want to join us in the forest, you have to be ready to take the fall.” 1

“I and Rutger both guarantee it,” Ludwig said.

“Yeah, and you all heard that too, didn’t you?” Rutger said. “Those who fled into the forest on their own had it coming. And those who join us in the forest to look for them will also get what they deserve.

Whoever of you is ready, join the search!”

The students get noisy again. Few people would risk their lives for someone that had decided to flee arbitrarily.

To start, those who have not completed the line-up and roll call are identified. It turned out that there were 27 missing heads. The names of the missing persons are also identified, and the information is shared with Horst and the other officers of the Royal Guard Division and the student headquarters staff.

“27 people… that’s so many…” Ludwig said, clenching his fists in frustration.

Horst called out to Ludwig, “Thanks to your stopping them, Prince Ludwig, we only have 27 missing people. That is an undeniable fact. Once the monster subjugation is over, we can allocate more people to the search, but right now we have no choice but to do it with these numbers. Let’s go search as soon as possible before we get lost or get attacked by monsters ourselves.”

“Ah!” Ludwig gasped before he nodded strongly.

“So, who are the volunteers who will join the search among the school students?” Ludwig asked.

“Ah, it’s these guys,” Rutger said, pointing.

Ludwig looked, there were only 8 of them.

“Is this… all of them…? no, I’m glad that there we have 8 brave people here,” Ludwig said.

There’s only one 1 student from Class 2, 1 student from Class 3, and 6 students from Class 4 across all years and grades. On top of that, with some of the Class 4 students, it seems rather dubious if they did volunteer or were “volunteered.”

First of all, those in the higher ranks, such as Class 1 and Class 2, do not think of entering the dangerous forest for the sake of others. All of them seemed to have been at headquarters the whole Camp Training.

It seems that a Class 3 student had a friend who fled into the forest. His volunteering is to find that friend.

No one else out of Class 3 wanted to join the search.

Some of the Class 4 volunteers are probably related to faction politics. It seems that the low-ranking nobles belong to the factions of the high-ranking nobles that had fled, and now they are volunteering reluctantly. Also, the other Class 4 students are not very strong-willed. There is a high possibility that they also reluctantly participate due to pressure from their surroundings.

There’s only 1 or 2 participating outside of political calculations or peer pressure. Both Ludwig and Rutger saw through it at a glance. Whatever the case…

“Lord Simon, have you lost any friends?” Ludwig asked.

“No… I don’t have any friends among the people who have entered the forest,” Simon said. “But I can’t let them go just like that. I’m good at magic, so I think I can be of some help.”

Ludwig and Rutger trusted and liked Simon, and Simon said all that while looking them in the eyes.

“Okay! Then I’ll join alongside Rutger,” Ludwig said.

“Huh?!” Horst cries out in surprise. “Are you going to join the search as well!?”

Everyone else was speechless in disbelief.

“Of course I am!” Ludwig countered. “What will happen if we don’t? Even if we find them, a stranger might not be able to persuade them. In the worst case, Rutger and I can order them to come back forcibly. If they disobey direct orders from us, it cannot be said to be the fault of the Royal Guard Division.”

Ludwig has a point. Certainly, if either Ludwig or Rutger persuades or orders, most people will obey. And if you still go against it, it’s no longer anyone else’s responsibility. Some of Ludwig’s words are true, but he is trying to take responsibility for his failure to control the students who ran away into the woods.

Knowing this, Horst can’t just reply, “I can’t let you go because you’re too important.” Horst sensed Ludwig and Rutger’s manly spirit and nodded silently.

“Understood,” Horst said. “… Listen up, you bastards! Don’t ever let His Highness Ludwig or His Lordship Rutger get hurt! Show them the pride of the Royal Guard Division!”

““OOOOUUUHHH~~~!!!”

Originally, Ludwig and Rutger should be stopped from going. They knew that. However, they want to respect the bravery of these young men. If something happened to the two of them, it would be more than just a question of who was responsible. Nevertheless, Holst agreed to add them to the search party.

2 platoons plus volunteers, each consisting of 1 Royal Guard Division platoon and 5 students each, went into the forest at night to search for the missing people.