CH 46

Second actual battle

***---***

On the morning of the actual battle, my classmates were lined up at the training ground at Lastock garrison.

After getting the information that the actual battle will be held the evening of the day before yesterday, I ran around all day yesterday to prepare for today, and now I'm watching my classmates from the shadows of the training ground.

After this, it seems that Camilla will give out instructions and the names of the paricipants of the actual battle will be read aloud, but some of my classmates are smirking.

The knights, on the other hand, are all glaring at my classmates with a whip about 50 cm long in their hands.

There was a tingling air in the training ground, and without the slave bracelets, it would definitely have developed into a brawl.

In such a tense atmospher, Camilla, who climbed up to the platform overlooking my classmates, seemed somewhat lackluster.

In the past, a look of horror had come to the eyes of my classmates when they looked at Camilla, but today there are many with a smirk on their face.

Camilla had a complicated expression that seemed to be a mixture of shame, anger, and resentment, but once she started talking, she was the normal Camilla.

She stood up straight, and said in a dignified voice.

"Today, there are fifty participants in the practical training in the Devil's Forest."

The eyes of the classmates, who had been smirking until then, were opened in astonishment.

I think it's bad for everyone, but until the whole rescue operation is completed, I can't let Camilla and the others realize my existence, so the information about the actual battle was not leaked by the chairman.

"It seems that you all have grown considerably after receiving the unrelenting rumors, so it's a good idea to take up arms and enjoy the rigors of the actual battle!"

Some girls panic and start crying, and it seems that the boys are terrified about who will be chosen.

"Quiet! At this point, I'll read out the names of the participants, and those whose names are called should come forward immediately!"

When a knight who went up to the platform to replace Camilla raised his voice, my classmates took a breath and calmed down.

"Shuichi Takayama!"

Immediately, when the name of the Novice Hero was read aloud, screams arose.

It is a well-known fact that Takayama is regarded as important, so there is a mixture of optimistic opinions that it is okay if Takayama participates and pessimism that it is too dangerous to have Takayama participate.

According to the information found by Fred and Basten, the purpose of this actual battle is to enforce discipline, and there are many people participating, so it seems that they are planning on bringing everyone back alive.

In other words, it is the idea of Resenburg to make you feel it's a little dangerous, get you injured and scare you, but not to create a situation where you will die.

However, in the previous actual battle, all five people died, so it seems that my classmates think that it is possible that they will be wiped out.

"It's okay, I'll protect everyone, so don't worry!"

When the Novice Hero declares such, a cheer is heard from the girls.

Even though he was so reluctant to participate in the actual battle, this is what happens when it came about ... It was a little irritating.

After that, the remaining 49 participants were called and went forwards, but since it's 50/200, they must have calculated to have a quarter of them participate.

It would be a big step forward if we could rescue all of them.

"Wait a minute, let me join!"

The chairman, who was not named among the fifty, tried to raise her hand and move forward, but Camilla rejected her.

"No way! Saint, you'll stay here."

"For what reason, why won't you let me participate?"

"The reason is, because if I let the recovery role appear on the front line, there is a risk of you dying."

"That ... if I go with them, even if they get injured, they'll be treated immediately ..."

"The front line is not a place to treat! Or are you saying that you have some means of attacking?"

"No ... that is ..."

"Hmm, the more people who wander the front line with no means of attack, the more their friends are at risk, do you want to drag down your allies?"

If Camilla tells her that much, the chairman has no choice but to withdraw, but everything the chairman said was just an act anyway.

I gathered the information in advance and told the chairman that she would not be allowed to participate.

Last night, it was difficult to console the chairman who was insistent on participating.

I hugged her tightly and said I'll definitely come to pick her up ... I even said a line like a hero somewhere, and even when I think back on it, my face gets hot.

Eh? You wonder if there was a kiss? Well, that's a secret.

So the chairman knows she cannot participate, but even so, if she doesn't raise a voice of protest and proclaim her participation, they will be suspicious.

[ Kent-sama ... The Saint-sama is quite an actress. ]

[ Yeah, I think so too. ]

Perhaps this kind of performance is a form of stress relief for the chairman.

The selected fifty people board two carriages and aim for the Devil's Forest.

"There is Takayama, and it should be okay if there are so many people, right?"

"Last time was a horde of orcs? Do you think they will come out again?"

"Isn't it possible to win if five or six people team up?"

In addition to the number of people, this time, Resenburg has specified the composition of grouping up, five people per group and a total of five groups.

The role of leading one group is Takayama, the Novice Hero, and the other group is led by Kondo Joji of the judo club.

Kondo is not a so-called handsome guy, and he is a quiet type, so he is not popular amongst the girls, but he has a strong sense of responsibility and is willing to work, so it must have caught the eyes of the knights.

"Joe, what if a monster appears?"(TN:Using Joe here because Jo or Jou sounds like a girls name.)

"Well, let's have the knight types protect the mages who attack from as far away as possible."

"Do you want to weaken them and get rid them all at once in close quarters?"

"No, if possible, can't we finish everything at a long distance? I don't know the strength of the monsters, and if they're stronger than we think, it's dangerous."

"That's right ... Then, is close combat the last resort?"

"Yeah, that's right."

Kondo's group seems to be working with safety first.

On the other hand, the Novice's group ...

"It's okay, one blow from my magic, and the monsters will get scared and run away."

Yeah, it's just as I expected, and most of the girls and some of the boys are relieved, but most of the boys and some of the girls look disgusted.

Most of the boys are looking in envy, but some of the girls seem to be worried about how well his idea will work.

The smaller portion of girls are Motomiya-san, also known as Sword Princess, and Sagara-san, who also belongs to the Kendo club.

They may feel a sense of crisis because they are in the world of martial arts.

As in the previous battle, they were unloaded from the carriage at the entrance of the Devil's Forest, from which my classmates walked while the knights were riding horses.

At the start, it seems that the group led by the Novice Hero will take the lead, and the second group led by Kondo will follow from behind.

There are a total of ten knights accompanying them, and it seems that the group in charge has been decided for the time being.

The formation of the first group is a formation in which the Novice Hero walks in the lead, then the group of the girls, followed by the group of the boys.

The second group following them is basically protecting the girls in the center, but it seems that the knight types are surrounding them regardless of gender.

The knights are following their respective groups, with five knights riding between the first and second groups, and the remaining five knights riding after the second team.

The group walks along the road for about 30 minutes and then steps into the forest on the right.

It seems that they will continue straight for about an hour, turn left 90 degrees, and after another hour, turn left and return to the road.

When returning to the highway, the 1st and 2nd teams will switch, and the 2nd team will lead, and this time they will walk through the forest on the left side of the road in the same way and return to the original place.

Those who were whispering noisily while going down the road, were silent after entering the forest.

[ Reindhardt, how many monsters are there around here? ]

[ Well, the horde of orcs last time was an exception, most around here are goblins or kobolds. ]

[ Is it possible to deal with them with 25 people in a group? ]

[ As long as they don't run into a large horde, it's okay. In this area, it's probably a pack of 15 or 16 monsters, so there's no problem. ]

I was almost eaten by a group of seven monsters, half of that, but it would be okay if there were two groups of twenty-five people.

Then, about 30 minutes after entering the forest, the Novice Hero raised his right hand and stopped the march.

On the other side of the cluster of trees furry figures appear.

[ Kent-sama ... Kobolds, the number is eighteen ... ]

Reported such by Fred, who scouted, it looks like an average kobold pack.

The kobold looks like a werewolf about four heads tall, and looks comical from a distance, but when viewed from up close, it is a complete monster with sharp claws and fangs, and bloody eyes.(TN:I'm guessing it means four of its own head, so its head is 1/4th of its entire size)

This time, it seems that my classmates happened to be downwind, and the kobolds haven't noticed yet.

"Everyone wait here ..."

The Novice Hero went forward about five steps and began chanting loudly.

"Mana, oh mana, oh mana that governs the world, gather, gather, gather in my hands and become a flame, dance, dance, dance oh flame, and become a fireball!"

No, it's hard not to notice if you make such a loud voice.

The kobolds raise their faces all at once and look at Takayama.

"Uryaaaaaa!"

Even so, the fireball released by the Novice Hero hit the group of kobolds directly, and several kobolds were blown away while being enveloped in flames.

"Gyauuun ..."

"Did you do it?"

The fireball explodes and the dust dances in the air, and the wind blows towards us.

The Novice Hero tries to see through the other side of the dust cloud while still in the position of casting.

At that time, the surviving kobolds attacked him, rushing out of the dust.

"Gaaaaau!"

Kobolds are treated as small fries among monsters, but they are still over a meter in size when standing on two legs, and sprinting on four legs is quite fast.

In other words, it is more dangerous than being attacked by a large dog.

Overwhelmed by the power of the kobolds, who rushed at full speed in response to the magical attack, the Novice Hero stood still.

"Hey!"

Motomiya-san and Sagara-san rushed between the kobolds who were baring their fangs and the Novice Hero.

Motomiya-san's sword slashed a kobold's nape, and Sagara-san's blow slashed another one's torso deeply.

"Knights pull out their sword and fight, mages chant! They're still coming!"

Instead of standing there like the Novice, Motomiya-san tossed out instructions, and the group who just stood there regained their composure.

The kobolds are attacking one after another, burning with the anger of having their companions killed.

There is also support fire from the second group, and the first group is advancing the battle in an advantageous manner.

"Be sure to intercept with multiple people, and don't approach carelessly even if it doesn't move. If you approach, finish them off!"

The Novice Hero stood still with his legs trembling, but his chanting voice trembled and failed to activate the magic.

That's what happens when you're freaking out and aren't calm.

The smell of blood and burnt meat permeated the air, and it suddenly changed to the air of a battlefield.

The knights of Resenburg hold a bow on horseback and are in a good position to support him, but they don't seem to be willing to do anything unless he is in a pinch.

The actual fighting time was a little over fifteen minutes, and although some people were slightly injured, my classmates managed to subdue the kobolds.

The kill count of the Novice Hero is absolutely zero, isn't it?

"Collect the corpses, take out the magic stones quickly, and get moving!"

Before the classmates who have completely the subjugation try to relax, the knights give instructions and keeps them tense.

The magic stone recovery work seems to be done jointly by the first and second groups, and all the classmates have begun to gather around the kobold corpses.

So, let's start the rescue operation soon.

The knights gather in one place and look down at the classmates who are collecting magic stones from the top of their horses.

Fred comes out of the ground about 20 meters ahead of my classmates.

"Hey, what's that skeleton?"

"If it's a black skeleton ... is it a rare encounter?"

"What is he going to do?"

Fred raises his arms from around his waist to above his head, as if he were making an offering to the heavens.

After repeating that movement three times, he slowly lowers his hands as if to receive something from heaven, and begins to compress something in his hands with his palms.

Fred pulled the something that had been compressed in his hands to his right hip, and after a moment, he pushed out his hands towards the knights.

Seeing the movement, my classmates buzzed and the knight screamed.

"What, be careful! What is it going to do ...?"

"I don't know ... no, what's this drowsiness ..."

"Damn ... some curse ...? ...?"

Of course, it wasn't a curse, but when Fred pushed out his hands, I, Reinhardt, and Basten threw sleeping pills into the knights' stomachs.

For today's rescue operation, I went to Muell-san's master's shop yesterday and asked them to make pills of triple portion.

This makes it easy because you can throw it one by one.

Fred sank into the shadows and returned.

"Damn ... no, no ..."

"Oh ... me too ..."

The knights fall asleep one after another, and one after another fall off their horses.

On the other hand, the classmates who do not feel any abnormalities cannot hide their confusion at the sudden situation.

"Hey, what's going on?"

"Hey, it looks like all the knights are asleep."

"I mean, wasn't the movement of the skeleton just before 'hama-dan'?"

"But the beam didn't come out."

In fact, Fred's movement is the movement of a famous anime hero character.(TN:Kaaameeeehaaaa ... yeah you get it.)

"But isn't this a chance to escape?"

"Idiot, where are you going to escape to ..."

After confirming that the knights had fallen asleep completely, I went out of the shadow world.

"Wait everyone! I'm here to help!"

The eyes of my classmates turned to me all at once.

Yeah, sorry to keep you waiting, it's our turn from here.

"After this, we'll run away to Volzard, beyond the forest, so rest assured that the other side of the forest is another country. Also, three skeletons, including the black skeleton you saw earlier, will escort you, so be careful. You may want to ask a lot, but for the time being, we should move before the knights wake up."

While clapping my hands with 'pom pom', I encourage everyone to move, but they all look like they're being tricked by a kitsune, and their reaction is slow.

"You are Kokubu, right? Were you the one who put the knights to sleep?"

"That's right, but I'll talk more about it later, for now get moving ... Hebu!"

Motomiya-san, who approached briskly, suddenly slapped me.

"Why, why didn't you come to help earlier!"

"Eh, eh ..."

"Yeah, if you could do something like this, I wish you could have helped sooner ..."

"Well ... no, but ..."

I was scolded by Sagara-san, and everyone else complained.

"Why did you wait so long ... it's too late."

"Yes, how many people do you think are dead?"

"Why were you dawdling!"

"If you could do this, you sohuld have come to help sooner!"

Far from being welcomed, I was surrounded by classmates with angry eyes.

From all of them, the Novice Hero comes out and grabs my nape and tightens his grasp.

"Because of you, Nitta and Furuta, Kobayashi-san and Sakurai-san, Yagi and Funayama are all dead!"

"Yeah, Tomo-chan and At-chan won't come back! Please say something!"

Even Motomiya-san got caught up in it.

"Wait a minute ... the old and new duo, the dekoboko sisters, and fake glasses group of five are all rescued and doing fine at Volzard ..."

"Eh ...?"

While holding my nape, Novice Hero and Motomiya-san look at each other.

Will you let me go?

"The five are disguised as dead, taken to Volzard, and are waiting over there ..."

"Ah ... um ... I'm sorry!"

"Takayama, hurry and let him go."

"Uh, oh ... I'm sorry ..."

Everyone else who surrounded me and blamed me a while ago also had a poor expression.

Well, it may be unavoidable because they were in a stressful environment, but it's a bit annoying.

"This time, everyone will disappear in the form of being taken away by a mysterious skeleton, so let's move, hurry up because the plan will be ruined if the knights wake up."

Last time, when I took away the group of five including Yagi, I did camoflauge work, but when it comes to fifty people, I can't prepare a change of clothes, and as expected they can't be deceived in a situation where there are no corpses, so to make them disappear, I decided to have them be taken.

If fifty people walk, their footprints will naturally remain, so once we head back to the original road, we will use the road to head towards Volzard.

The knights who have fallen asleep will be put together with the horses in one place, and Fred will monitor and guard them.

The fifty people will continue to maintain the formation, and Basten will be in charge of erasing the footprints after going out on the highway.

If this happens, the only escort will be Reinhardt, but this time there are a lot of people, so it should be okay.

I went out on the road and walked towards Volzard, removing the slave bracelets one by one.

"Wow, I'm free!"

"Yeah, I was released!"

"Now I can take revenge on them!"

"Well, should I go back and kill them?"

"Well, of course you would think so if you were free.

"No, everyone else is still hostage, so if it goes poorly, you might go back to being a slave."

"Uh ... but okay, if there are so many of us ..."

"In the first place, you ca'nt cross the drawbridge, right?"

"Ah ... that's right ..."

The drawbridge over the river that separates the Devil's Forest and Lastock is raised except when the knights pass through.

If there are no knights and only the classmates give a signal, it is unknown whether the bridge will be lowered.

"I'm thinking of rescuing everyone else, so let's go to Volzard and set up a solid plan before we go."

"OK ... let's do that."

The classmates feel somewhat angry because they have been oppressed by Lastock.

If we participate in the rescue operation as they are, I feel that it is likely that blood will be shed or lives will be lost.

It seems better to have a decent life and stabilize their mental state while training as coachmen at Volzard.

[ Uuun ... I wonder if there is a way to prevent them from splurging ... ]

[ Kent-sama, you've probably been paid for the Gigawolfs, aren't you financially okay? ]

[ Yeah, that's right, but if they were spending money without working, I don't think the residents of Volzard would take too kindly to them. ]

[ I see, but I think it will be well received by those from whom they buy the products. ]

[ Well, there is that way of looking at it ... Hmm ... Should I reduce the amount of payment? ]

[ Rather than that, Kent-sama, something is going on in the clouds ... ]

It is still early for the dusk to approach, but thick clouds are beginning to spread and the area seems to be growing dim.

It seems that dark clouds are spreading above the future of the rescue operation.