Chapter 243 Arthan Library (2)

Just as what one might expect from the defeated side, 25 kilometers away from Woster County, the army who had fought in Ruttenhale Barony was running without minding the people on their back or their side.

They felt like they were the only person running there, completely disregarding the thought of helping each other out. They were still traumatized by what had happened just a few hours prior.

The Legion Commanders had received an information from the scouting team stating that they had found a vulnerable spot in the Demons' defense, and all of the people were really excited at the prospect of landing a heavy blow to the other side.

An assault plan was concocted, and new assault groups were formed. Everyone was ready to vent their frustration on the Demons as their fighting spirit burned brighter than ever.

Much to their utter bafflement however, out of the newly formed 9 assault groups with 3000 people in each group, five of them ran way even before they reached the vulnerable spot.

It didn't stop there; to further amplify their bewilderment, the so called vulnerable spot in the Demons' defense had been nothing but a lie. The moment they arrived at said place, all of them were ambushed by thousands of Middle Class Demons.

The so-called scout team that was made of mostly Nobles had provided all of them a fake investigation just so they could distract them. They wanted to run away from Ruttenhale Barony so badly, they stooped that low.

Thousands of humans and one of the Vice Commanders had fallen because of the dirty scheme. That was the beginning of the fall of Ruttenhale Barony, and they could confidently say it had been a miracle they managed to survive this far.

Ansley Woster, as one of the 5 remaining Nobles, had contributed so much to the survival of many people, and once again, he gained the people's respect for his undying spirit and bravery.

In order to buy the time for the people to retreat, Ansley Woster, along with the eight Vice Commanders had led some of the willing people in the very front line. Their effort wasn't fruitless as they had saved many people due to their bravery.

"My Lord, stay awake! We will arrive at the County soon!"

Still, in everything one achieves, one has to sacrifice something for it. The Fifth Legion's Vice Commander had fallen in the chaotic battlefield, and Ansley was left critical due to the heavy blow he had received in the stomach.

Sceptical as they might to another people, everyone who had seen how much Ansley had struggled didn't even think twice to carry his weak body with them. Either they were a Noble or just an ordinary Mage or Knight, all of them were willing to take care of him.

They abhorred the dirty thing the 5 assault groups had done to them, and they didn't want to end up the same. They knew how to thank the person who had helped them, so they did their best to save Ansley.

"I can't hear any sound behind us. Where are they?!"

"Don't look back—keep running!"

"O mighty Gods in the heaven, bestow upon us your grace, and save us from the Monsters chasing us!"

Exclamations of worry resounded amongst people. They had been chased by the Demons for a quite some time, so when they saw that the Demons were no longer following them, their heart immediately sank to the bottom of their stomach.

'What are the Monsters planning to do? Where are they currently? Have they really stopped chasing us? Where would they possibly show up?!'

Those questions occupied their mind, even making them temporarily forget that the goal was not to mind the Monsters, but staying alive. No one could blame them however, since their survival also depended on their readiness on facing the Demons' ambush.

They had to stay alert everytime to avoid losing their life; being paranoid was the best thing they could do for their survival. Lucky them, they managed to arrive at Woster County without facing a single ambush in their way.

"Bring the injured to the Church—quick!"

"Prepare yourself for the upcoming battle!"

"Steady your breath!"

Upon reaching there, the army was busy once again. They immediately took the injured people to the Church so the Priests, who fortunately stayed behind, could heal them, before preparing their formations to face the Demons.

Some of the lightly injured soldiers were treated by the only 20 Healers in the army. They deliberately didn't go to the Church for they knew they would just be wasting the Priests' Miracle.

They understood that their injuries wouldn't be fully healed by the Healers as the Healers were already extremely exhausted from the constant [Healing] they had done, but they didn't need to have an uninjured body to be able to fight.

They, of course, wouldn't normally fight like that—ignoring the small injuries on their body—but the situation gave them no choice. Unless they wanted the heavily injured people remain injured, they would never ask the Priests to heal their injuries.

Badump. Badump.

Their heart beat loudly in anticipation and slight terror; they were closely watching the forest where they had come from to look out for the Demons. All of them sensed movements, but none of them dare to feel the presences.

Knowing full well that Demons were very sensitive creatures, they didn't want to extend their Mana Sense or Qi Wave that far. They didn't want to expose themselves, which in turn, would expose the other people.

The Knights and Battle Mages held their weapons tighter the clearer they heard the sound of movements, meanwhile the Spellcasters were already casting their Spells.

It only took a few seconds for the first figure to show themselves. The people, who had intended to attack whatever was coming out of the forest, however immediately stomped their urge down, and sighed in relief the moment they saw who the figure was.

"We are the aides from Randalvine Magic Institute! Please, hold your attack!"

The help they had been secretly waiting for—the incredible students of Randalvine Magic Institute had finally joined them.

Many of them shook their head bitterly while smiling in disbelief at the joy they felt, but they still didn't abhor themselves for depending on the younger people. The students were more than qualified to be depended on.

The moment the groups of students arrived in front of the people, the red haired girl with a delicate body but a maturely stern face, who had been leading the students, stepped forward.

"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Annabeth, the Secretary of Randalvine Magic Institute's Student Council." Annabeth bowed. "I am here under our President's command to aid you in the upcoming battle."

The man, whom Annabeth had bowed to, Baron Ruttenhale, hummed in acknowledgement as he took a good look at Annabeth. Like anyone, he could see Annabeth had a very weak body, but he had a strong feeling he wouldn't win a fight against her.

"May I ask you where the other 60 students our Magic Institute has sent here are?"

"That is..." Baron Ruttenhale's face immediately turned sour. "They have run away with some of the Nobles ... I can't blame them though."

"I see." Annabeth nodded solemnly. "I am very sorry for the inconveniences our students have caused you."

Baron Ruttenhale immediately laughed in disbelief the moment he looked at the expression on Annabeth's face. 'They are definitely going to die,' was what her face was conveying.

'As I expected, no matter how old they are, I can't bring myself to be fond of Mages.'

Baron Ruttenhale, as an adult Knight, was terrified upon feeling the sheer killing intent Annabeth was exuding. He knew, in this kind of world, betrayal was an unforgivable scene, but only Mages could be that decisive.

He had seen how frightened the students had been in Ruttenhale. He had seen many of them had called their parents when they were eaten alive by the Demons.

Twenty three—that was how many students he had watched being eaten alive by the Demons. He perfectly knew what they had in their mind the entire time, and he didn't blame them for the choice they had made.

'This kid—she didn't even ask why they ran, but she still decided to punish her friends simply because they had broken the rule.'

Everyone was aware of the rule Randalvine Magic Institute had applied to their students: never abandon your assigned post.

The students were given the privilege to retreat to the backmost line—to "safety," but they were never allowed to leave the post they were assigned to. A heavy punishment would await them if they did that.

Regardless of the situation however, Mages kept being Mages, they would always stick to the rules. Just like how Annabeth had decided the students were punishable due to what they had done despite the understandable reason.

"I have only gotten ten bodies of our fallen students from the previous battlefield, Ruttenhale Barony. I wonder if you bring the rest of the bodies with you."

"You went to my Barony?!" Baron Ruttenhale's eyes widened. "How come we didn't notice any of you?"

"We arrived there just a few moments after you left the Barony. We have also been following closely behind you for all this time."

"Then, the Monsters... All of you..." Baron Ruttenhale widened his eyes once again as another realization dawned upon him.

Annabeth nodded her head simply. "Yes, we were the one who had led them off course." Glancing at the people behind Baron Ruttenhale, Annabeth continued, "Am I allowed to meet the Vice Commanders?"

"Of course, you are allowed to. They are currently being treated in the Church however, so you have to wait for some time."

"That is fine."

Just as Baron Ruttenhale was about to lead Annabeth to the Church so she could meet the seven Vice Commanders, they were all surprised by another group's appearance.

This group wasn't consisted of many members, but each of them had a uniquely undeniable aura surrounding them. They also had varied personality judging from the expression they had, but it was apparent they were already used to battles.

"We are the aides from Randalvine Magic Institute!"

The rest of the Rehearsal Class—Litton, Monica, and Missy—had arrived at Woster County, along with a couple of competent people.