Chapter 46: Second battle
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On the morning of the battle, the classmates were lined up on the training grounds of the Rustock Garrison.
Since I got the news the evening before yesterday that a real battle would take place, I ran around all day yesterday to prepare for today, and now I'm watching them from the shade of the training ground.
It seems that Camilla's admonition and the names of the participants in the actual battle will be read out now, but a few of my classmates can be seen smiling thinly.
The opposing knights, all carrying whips about 50 centimeters long, are glaring at their classmates.
There was a tense atmosphere in the training grounds, and if it wasn't for the arm bands of servitude, a brawl would definitely have broken out.
In such a tense atmosphere, Camilla, who climbed up on the platform overlooking her classmates, seemed somehow lackluster.
In the past, there would have been a hint of fear in the eyes of her classmates as they looked up at Camilla, but today, there were more than a few of them smiling with contempt.
Camilla's expression was a complex mixture of shame, anger and resentment, but once she began to speak, she was still Camilla.
She straightened up and said in a dignified voice.
''Today, we are going to conduct training in the Demon Forest in a live-fire style, there will be fifty participants.
The eyes of my classmates, who had been smiling thinly until then, widened in astonishment.
Although I feel bad for everyone, I can't let Camilla and the others realize my existence until the entire rescue operation is completed, so I've kept the information about the actual battle to the chairman of the committee.
''I've heard that they've grown quite a bit by taking nonsensical rumors to heart, so you should experience the severity of the actual battle firsthand!
Some of the girls started to panic and cry, and the boys seemed to be trembling with fear as to who would be chosen.
'Quiet! The names of the participants will now be read out, and those who are called to step forward promptly!
The classmates gasped and fell silent as the knight who replaced Camilla on the platform raised his voice.
''Shuichi Takayama!''
The first thing that happened was a thud as the name of the Hennakoya hero was read out.
It's no secret that Takayama is considered important, so there's a mixture of optimism that it's okay if Takayama participates, and pessimism that it's so dangerous that Takayama has to participate.
From the information Fred and Basten have gleaned, it seems that the purpose of this actual battle is to purge the public order, and since there are so many people to participate, they plan to bring them all back alive.
In other words, the Riesenburg side is planning to scare them into a little bit of danger, but not to create a situation where they will die.
However, since the last time, all five of them died, their classmates seem to think it's possible to get wiped out.
''Don't worry, I'll protect you all, so don't worry!
When the limp-wristed hero declares, the girls shout in a yellow voice.
You were so reluctant to participate in the actual battle, and now you're going to come out and this is it........................it pisses me off a bit.
After that, the remaining forty-nine participants were called out and stepped forward, but since it's fifty-hundredths of two hundred and fifty, it's calculated that a quarter of them will participate.
If we can rescue all of these people, it would be a big step forward.
''Wait a minute, let me join in!
The chairman of the committee, who was not named among the fifty, raised his own hand and tried to step forward, but Camilla dismissed him.
'No! Saint, you're in detention here.
Why, sir, why won't you let me join you?
Of course, because there's no way the healers will be on the front lines.
No.... if I go with you, if you get hurt, you'll be treated immediately...
'The front line is not a place to heal! Or are you suggesting that you have some means of attack?
'No ... it's not ...'
"Hmph, the more a man without offensive measures wanders around the front lines, the more his fellow soldiers are in danger. Do you want to drag your allies down?
If Camilla tells me this much, I have no choice but to back down as the chairman of the committee, but the chairman's actions are all an act.
I have caught the information in advance that I won't be allowed to participate, and I've told the chairman of the committee that I won't be allowed to participate.
Last night, it was hard to quiet the committee chair who was sulking about wanting to participate.
Eh? Did you kiss him? I mean, that's a secret.
Therefore, I know that the chairman of the committee can't participate, but on the contrary, if you publicly announce your participation and don't raise your voice in protest, it would be more suspicious.
''Kent-sama............................Holy Lady-dono is quite an actor.
Yeah, I think so.
Maybe these performances are a stress reliever for the chairman of the committee.
The fifty chosen people get into two carriages and head for the Demon Forest.
''Takayama's here too, so with this many people here, it should be fine, right?''
'Was it a pack of orcs last time? Do you think it will come up again?
Why don't five or six guys beat them to the punch?
As well as the number of people, this time Riesenburg also specified the composition of the group of five and the group of five.
One group was led by Takayama and the other by Joji Kondo of the judo club.
Kondo is not a so-called "handsome" guy and is not popular with girls because he is a quiet type, but he has a strong sense of responsibility and doesn't mind working hard, which is probably why he caught the eyes of the knights.
''Joe, what do we do when the demons come out?''
'Well, let's try to make it look like the sorcerer is attacking from a distance and the knight types are protecting the sorcerer.
It's like you're trying to weaken him and then take him out in close combat all at once?
No, could it all end up long-distance if you could? We don't know how strong the demons are or anything like that, and if they're stronger than we're imagining, then we're in trouble.
'So that's what it is... so close combat seems like the last option then?
Yeah, I guess so.
Kondo team seems to work with the safety first.
On the other hand, the HENAKO team........
Don't worry, the demons will be scared away with one blast of my magic.
Most of the girls and some of the boys are relieved, but most of the boys and some of the girls look unhappy.
Most of the boys are probably jealous and biting, but some of the girls seem to be worried about whether it will work out.
Some of the girls are Motomiya-san, aka Kenhime, and Sagara-san, who also belongs to the kendo club.
Maybe it's because they have been in the martial arts world that they feel a sense of urgency.
Just like the last actual battle, we were dropped off from the carriage at the entrance of the Devil's Forest, and from here the classmates seem to proceed on foot and the knights on horseback.
At first, the first group led by the lazy heroes will advance in front and the second group led by Kondo will follow.
There are ten knights in total, and each group seems to be assigned to a specific group.
The first group's formation is that the limpid heroes walk at the front, followed by the girls, and then the bastards surround them.
The second group, which will follow, is basically to protect the girls in the center, but the knight types, both male and female, seem to set up a perimeter.
The knights seem to advance behind their assigned groups, with five knights between the first and second groups, and the remaining five knights riding after the second group.
The group walked along the street for about 30 minutes, and then stepped into the forest on the right.
They will continue straight ahead for about an hour, where they will turn left 90 degrees, and then after another hour, they will turn left to return to the road.
When they return to the road, the first group will switch places with the second group, and the second group will take the lead.
The people who were chatting privately with each other when they were on the road, but after they entered the forest, they didn't even breathe.
''Reinhardt, how bad are the demons around here?''
Well, with the exception of the last orc pack, which was more of an orc pack, mostly goblins and kobolds.
Twenty-five people in a team is about all you can handle?
"As long as we don't get hit by a large herd of them, it shouldn't be a problem, since there are probably only fifteen or six of them in this area.
I was nearly devoured by a herd of seven animals, half of them, but two groups of twenty-five people would have been fine.
Then, about thirty minutes after we stepped into the forest, the navel-gazing hero raised his right hand to stop the march.
There is a hairy figure frozen beyond the trees.
''Master Kent.......Kobold, the number is eighteen.......''
From the reports from Fred, who scouted the area, it looks like an average kobold pack.
Kobolds look like a four-headed werewolf, and from a distance they look comical, but up close they are complete demons with sharp claws and fangs, and their bloodshot eyes are uncanny.
This time, it seems that his classmates happened to be downwind, and Kobold doesn't seem to have noticed it yet.
''Everyone stay here........''
The limpid hero took five steps forward and began chanting loudly.
'Mana, mana, mana who governs the world, gather, gather, gather in my hands and become fire, dance, dance, dance, fire, dance, fire ball!'
No, no, if you make such a big voice, you're not going to be noticed.
Kobold looks up in unison and turns his gaze to Takayama.
''Uriyaaah!''
Even so, the fireball released by the navel-gazing hero hit the crowd of kobolds, and a few kobolds were blown away as they became fire-dusters.
''Giuuuuuuun...''
Did you do it?
A fireball explodes and a cloud of dirt smoke dances in a fuzzy manner and drifts towards our side on the wind.
The limp-wristed brave is trying to see through the dust cloud with his magic released.
That's when the surviving kobolds attacked him as he tried to penetrate the dust cloud.
'Gahhhh!'
Kobolds are treated as a small fry among demons, but they are still over a meter in size if they stand on two legs, and their four-legged sprint is quite fast.
In other words, they are more dangerous than being attacked by a large dog.
Reacting to the magic attack, the Hennakoya hero is overwhelmed by the power of the kobold, which has rushed forward at full speed, and he is cowering.
''Yaaaah!''
It was Motoyama-san and Sagara-san who intervened between the fanged Kobold and the navel-gazing hero.
The tip of Motomiya-san's sword sliced through the neck with Kobol, and Sagara-san's strike deeply split the other one's body.
'The knight drew his sword and returned fire, the sorcerer chanting! They're still coming!
Instead of Hennapoko, who sat down on her buttocks, Motomiya-san's instructions flew out and the group, which had been on their feet, regained their composure.
The first team regains its composure.
The first team has the upper hand in the battle, thanks to the supportive fire from the second team.
You must intercept them with more than one, and do not approach them carelessly even if they stop moving. If you're going to get close, make sure you put a stop to it!
The limpid hero has stood up on trembling legs, but his chanting voice is trembling and he has failed to activate it.
This is not the time to be scared with your head in your hands, right?
The smell of dense blood and burnt proteins wafted around the area, and all at once it was replaced by the air of a battlefield.
Riesenburg's knights have their bows on their horses and are ready to take cover for a while, but they don't seem to be able to interfere unless they're in too much of a pinch.
The actual time of the battle was over in a little over fifteen minutes, and despite a few minor injuries, the classmates were able to complete the defeat of the Kobold.
The gaze that pierced through the navel-gazing heroes is absolute zero degrees of coldness.
''Gather the corpses and quickly get the magic stones out, hurry up!
Before the classmates who had completed the defeat, the knight gives instructions to tighten up before the classmates try to loosen up.
It seems that the work of recovering the magic stone will be done in one or two groups, and all the classmates have begun to gather around the corpse with Kobol.
Then, it's time to start the rescue mission.
The knights have gathered in one place and are looking down on the classmates who are collecting the magic stone from the top of their horses.
Out of their gaze, from the ground about 20 meters away from their classmates, Fred comes out of the ground with a slippery surface.
''Hey, what's with that skeleton?''
A black skeleton... a singular individual?
What's he doing?
Fred raises his arms from around his waist to high above his head as if he were offering an offering to the heavens.
After repeating the movement three times, he slowly brings his hands down, as if to receive something from the heavens, and begins to compress the object in his hands.
Fred pulls the something that has finished compressing in both hands to his right hip and after a few moments of taunting, he thrusts it out towards the knights.
The classmates buzzed at the movement, and the knight shouted in alarm.
'What the hell, look out! What are you trying to do...?
I don't know ... no, what's with the sleepiness ...
"d*mn........some kind of curse.......?
Of course, it wasn't a curse, but just when Fred stuck out his hands, me, Reinhardt, and Basten threw a sleeping pill into the knights' stomachs.
For today's rescue mission, I went to Muell-san's master's shop yesterday and asked him to make three pills for the last three pills.
This is easy to do, just throw them in one by one.
I asked Fred to sink back into the shadows.
Me too....
One by one, the knights fall asleep, and one after another, one after another, they fall off their horses.
On the other hand, their classmates, who are not feeling anything unusual at all, can't hide their agitation at the sudden situation.
''Hey, what's going on?''
Hey, I think the knights are all asleep.
I mean, isn't that skeleton's move earlier a 'demon bullet'?
But there's no beam, man.
Actually, Fred's movements are the movements of a famous heroic cartoon character.
Isn't this your chance to escape?
Idiot, where do you think you're going to go...
He made sure the knights were fully asleep and went out of the shadow world to the front.
'Hey guys! I'm here to help!
All of my classmates' eyes were on me at once.
'Yeah, yeah, sorry to keep you waiting, but it's our turn now.
''From now on, we're going to flee to Volzard, beyond the forest, the other side of the forest is a different country, so don't worry. And, including the black skeleton from earlier, there will be three skeletons guarding you, so you'll be fine, but don't be alarmed. I know you have a lot of questions, but for now, we'll move before the knights wake up.
Clapping their hands, they urge everyone to move on, but they all look like they've been turned into foxes, and now they're not reacting well.
'You're Kokubun-kun, aren't you? Were you the one who put the knight to sleep?
'Yes, but we'll talk about the details later, but for now, let's move on to... hebuh!
I was suddenly slapped by Motomiya-san, who approached me with a tsukatsuka.
''Why, why didn't you come to help me earlier!
Ehhh, yeah...
'Yes, if you could have done this, you should have helped me sooner...'
'Eh ... no, but ...'
Sagara-san was stuffed, and everyone else complained about it.
''What's the matter, you're waiting.......too late.
Yeah, how many people do you think died?
What took you so long?
'If we could do this, we could have come to your aid sooner!
Instead of being welcomed, I'm surrounded by my classmates with angry eyes.
A limp-wristed hero comes out of everyone and grabs me by the collar and tightens his grip on my neck.
Because of you, Nitta, Furuta, Kobayashi-san, Sakurai-san, Yagi and Funayama are all dead!
That's right, Tomochan and Acchan aren't coming back! Say something!
I even got grabbed by Motomiya-san.
What...?
With my collar in their hands, the hentai hero and Motomiya-san are looking at each other.
I mean, can you please let me go?
''The five of you, disguised as dead, took them to Volzard and are waiting over there...''
Oh ... uh ... I'm sorry!
Takayama, come on, let go!
Ugh, oh I'm sorry...
Everyone else who had been surrounding me and accusing me earlier also has a bum look on their face.
Well, maybe it can't be helped since I was in a stressful environment for a variety of reasons, but it's kind of terrible.
''This time, everyone will disappear in the form of being taken away by a mysterious skeleton, so come on, let's move, if the knights wake up, our plans will be ruined, so hurry up.
The last time we took Yagi and the other five people away, we made a disguise operation, but with fifty people, we can't even prepare a change of clothes, and as expected, we can't fool them without a single corpse, so we decided to take them away as if they had evaporated.
If fifty people walked, there would naturally be footprints left behind, so once we turned back to the original path and used the city road to reach Volzard.
The knights who fell asleep will be grouped together with their horses in one place, and Fred will keep a watch and escort for them.
The fifty men will proceed in the same formation as before, and Basten will be in charge of clearing the footprints after they reach the roadway.
If this happens, the only escort will be Reinhardt, but since there are so many of them this time, it should be fine.
We walked out onto the street and walked towards Volzard, taking off our servitude bracelets one by one.
''Whoa, I'm free!
Yay, I'm free!
We can make them pay for this!
I mean, why don't we just go back in there and kill them all?
Well, I guess that's what they'll think when they're free, of course.
'No, we're still holding everyone else hostage, and if we're not good at it, we might go back to being slaves.
Ugh but hey, if there's this many of us...
Didn't you get across the drawbridge in the first place?
'Oh I see...'
The drawbridge over the river that separates the Demon Forest from Rustock is raised except when the knights are passing through.
With no knights in sight, it's not clear if they'll be able to get the bridge down, even if they signaled with only their classmates.
''We're thinking about rescuing everyone else, so let's just go to Volzard and make a tight plan before we go.
Okay I'll do it.
I feel that my classmates have been so repressed in Rastock that they are somehow ready to kill.
I feel that if they are allowed to participate in the rescue mission as they are now, it will lead to a situation where blood will be spilled and lives will be lost without a care in the world.
It would be better to give him a decent life and stabilize his mental state while training you in Volzade.
''Hmmm.......I guess we'll have to stop spending money......''
"Mr. Kent, I'm sure you've already paid for the Giga Wolf, and I'm sure you can afford it.
'Yeah, I know, but I was afraid that if I didn't work and splurge, the people of Volzard would turn on me.'
I see, but I think you're a sitting duck for your customers.
'Well, that's one way of looking at it... hmmm... should I just reduce the amount of the payment?
"More importantly, Master Kent, things are looking a little bleak...
It was still early in the evening, but thick clouds were beginning to spread and the area seemed to be growing dim.
There seemed to be a dark cloud spreading over the future of the rescue mission as well.
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On the morning of the battle, the classmates were lined up on the training grounds of the Rustock Garrison.
Since I got the news the evening before yesterday that a real battle would take place, I ran around all day yesterday to prepare for today, and now I'm watching them from the shade of the training ground.
It seems that Camilla's admonition and the names of the participants in the actual battle will be read out now, but a few of my classmates can be seen smiling thinly.
The opposing knights, all carrying whips about 50 centimeters long, are glaring at their classmates.
There was a tense atmosphere in the training grounds, and if it wasn't for the arm bands of servitude, a brawl would definitely have broken out.
In such a tense atmosphere, Camilla, who climbed up on the platform overlooking her classmates, seemed somehow lackluster.
In the past, there would have been a hint of fear in the eyes of her classmates as they looked up at Camilla, but today, there were more than a few of them smiling with contempt.
Camilla's expression was a complex mixture of shame, anger and resentment, but once she began to speak, she was still Camilla.
She straightened up and said in a dignified voice.
''Today, we are going to conduct training in the Demon Forest in a live-fire style, there will be fifty participants.
The eyes of my classmates, who had been smiling thinly until then, widened in astonishment.
Although I feel bad for everyone, I can't let Camilla and the others realize my existence until the entire rescue operation is completed, so I've kept the information about the actual battle to the chairman of the committee.
''I've heard that they've grown quite a bit by taking nonsensical rumors to heart, so you should experience the severity of the actual battle firsthand!
Some of the girls started to panic and cry, and the boys seemed to be trembling with fear as to who would be chosen.
'Quiet! The names of the participants will now be read out, and those who are called to step forward promptly!
The classmates gasped and fell silent as the knight who replaced Camilla on the platform raised his voice.
''Shuichi Takayama!''
The first thing that happened was a thud as the name of the Hennakoya hero was read out.
It's no secret that Takayama is considered important, so there's a mixture of optimism that it's okay if Takayama participates, and pessimism that it's so dangerous that Takayama has to participate.
From the information Fred and Basten have gleaned, it seems that the purpose of this actual battle is to purge the public order, and since there are so many people to participate, they plan to bring them all back alive.
In other words, the Riesenburg side is planning to scare them into a little bit of danger, but not to create a situation where they will die.
However, since the last time, all five of them died, their classmates seem to think it's possible to get wiped out.
''Don't worry, I'll protect you all, so don't worry!
When the limp-wristed hero declares, the girls shout in a yellow voice.
You were so reluctant to participate in the actual battle, and now you're going to come out and this is it........................it pisses me off a bit.
After that, the remaining forty-nine participants were called out and stepped forward, but since it's fifty-hundredths of two hundred and fifty, it's calculated that a quarter of them will participate.
If we can rescue all of these people, it would be a big step forward.
''Wait a minute, let me join in!
The chairman of the committee, who was not named among the fifty, raised his own hand and tried to step forward, but Camilla dismissed him.
'No! Saint, you're in detention here.
Why, sir, why won't you let me join you?
Of course, because there's no way the healers will be on the front lines.
No.... if I go with you, if you get hurt, you'll be treated immediately...
'The front line is not a place to heal! Or are you suggesting that you have some means of attack?
'No ... it's not ...'
"Hmph, the more a man without offensive measures wanders around the front lines, the more his fellow soldiers are in danger. Do you want to drag your allies down?
If Camilla tells me this much, I have no choice but to back down as the chairman of the committee, but the chairman's actions are all an act.
I have caught the information in advance that I won't be allowed to participate, and I've told the chairman of the committee that I won't be allowed to participate.
Last night, it was hard to quiet the committee chair who was sulking about wanting to participate.
Eh? Did you kiss him? I mean, that's a secret.
Therefore, I know that the chairman of the committee can't participate, but on the contrary, if you publicly announce your participation and don't raise your voice in protest, it would be more suspicious.
''Kent-sama............................Holy Lady-dono is quite an actor.
Yeah, I think so.
Maybe these performances are a stress reliever for the chairman of the committee.
The fifty chosen people get into two carriages and head for the Demon Forest.
''Takayama's here too, so with this many people here, it should be fine, right?''
'Was it a pack of orcs last time? Do you think it will come up again?
Why don't five or six guys beat them to the punch?
As well as the number of people, this time Riesenburg also specified the composition of the group of five and the group of five.
One group was led by Takayama and the other by Joji Kondo of the judo club.
Kondo is not a so-called "handsome" guy and is not popular with girls because he is a quiet type, but he has a strong sense of responsibility and doesn't mind working hard, which is probably why he caught the eyes of the knights.
''Joe, what do we do when the demons come out?''
'Well, let's try to make it look like the sorcerer is attacking from a distance and the knight types are protecting the sorcerer.
It's like you're trying to weaken him and then take him out in close combat all at once?
No, could it all end up long-distance if you could? We don't know how strong the demons are or anything like that, and if they're stronger than we're imagining, then we're in trouble.
'So that's what it is... so close combat seems like the last option then?
Yeah, I guess so.
Kondo team seems to work with the safety first.
On the other hand, the HENAKO team........
Don't worry, the demons will be scared away with one blast of my magic.
Most of the girls and some of the boys are relieved, but most of the boys and some of the girls look unhappy.
Most of the boys are probably jealous and biting, but some of the girls seem to be worried about whether it will work out.
Some of the girls are Motomiya-san, aka Kenhime, and Sagara-san, who also belongs to the kendo club.
Maybe it's because they have been in the martial arts world that they feel a sense of urgency.
Just like the last actual battle, we were dropped off from the carriage at the entrance of the Devil's Forest, and from here the classmates seem to proceed on foot and the knights on horseback.
At first, the first group led by the lazy heroes will advance in front and the second group led by Kondo will follow.
There are ten knights in total, and each group seems to be assigned to a specific group.
The first group's formation is that the limpid heroes walk at the front, followed by the girls, and then the bastards surround them.
The second group, which will follow, is basically to protect the girls in the center, but the knight types, both male and female, seem to set up a perimeter.
The knights seem to advance behind their assigned groups, with five knights between the first and second groups, and the remaining five knights riding after the second group.
The group walked along the street for about 30 minutes, and then stepped into the forest on the right.
They will continue straight ahead for about an hour, where they will turn left 90 degrees, and then after another hour, they will turn left to return to the road.
When they return to the road, the first group will switch places with the second group, and the second group will take the lead.
The people who were chatting privately with each other when they were on the road, but after they entered the forest, they didn't even breathe.
''Reinhardt, how bad are the demons around here?''
Well, with the exception of the last orc pack, which was more of an orc pack, mostly goblins and kobolds.
Twenty-five people in a team is about all you can handle?
"As long as we don't get hit by a large herd of them, it shouldn't be a problem, since there are probably only fifteen or six of them in this area.
I was nearly devoured by a herd of seven animals, half of them, but two groups of twenty-five people would have been fine.
Then, about thirty minutes after we stepped into the forest, the navel-gazing hero raised his right hand to stop the march.
There is a hairy figure frozen beyond the trees.
''Master Kent.......Kobold, the number is eighteen.......''
From the reports from Fred, who scouted the area, it looks like an average kobold pack.
Kobolds look like a four-headed werewolf, and from a distance they look comical, but up close they are complete demons with sharp claws and fangs, and their bloodshot eyes are uncanny.
This time, it seems that his classmates happened to be downwind, and Kobold doesn't seem to have noticed it yet.
''Everyone stay here........''
The limpid hero took five steps forward and began chanting loudly.
'Mana, mana, mana who governs the world, gather, gather, gather in my hands and become fire, dance, dance, dance, fire, dance, fire ball!'
No, no, if you make such a big voice, you're not going to be noticed.
Kobold looks up in unison and turns his gaze to Takayama.
''Uriyaaah!''
Even so, the fireball released by the navel-gazing hero hit the crowd of kobolds, and a few kobolds were blown away as they became fire-dusters.
''Giuuuuuuun...''
Did you do it?
A fireball explodes and a cloud of dirt smoke dances in a fuzzy manner and drifts towards our side on the wind.
The limp-wristed brave is trying to see through the dust cloud with his magic released.
That's when the surviving kobolds attacked him as he tried to penetrate the dust cloud.
'Gahhhh!'
Kobolds are treated as a small fry among demons, but they are still over a meter in size if they stand on two legs, and their four-legged sprint is quite fast.
In other words, they are more dangerous than being attacked by a large dog.
Reacting to the magic attack, the Hennakoya hero is overwhelmed by the power of the kobold, which has rushed forward at full speed, and he is cowering.
''Yaaaah!''
It was Motoyama-san and Sagara-san who intervened between the fanged Kobold and the navel-gazing hero.
The tip of Motomiya-san's sword sliced through the neck with Kobol, and Sagara-san's strike deeply split the other one's body.
'The knight drew his sword and returned fire, the sorcerer chanting! They're still coming!
Instead of Hennapoko, who sat down on her buttocks, Motomiya-san's instructions flew out and the group, which had been on their feet, regained their composure.
The first team regains its composure.
The first team has the upper hand in the battle, thanks to the supportive fire from the second team.
You must intercept them with more than one, and do not approach them carelessly even if they stop moving. If you're going to get close, make sure you put a stop to it!
The limpid hero has stood up on trembling legs, but his chanting voice is trembling and he has failed to activate it.
This is not the time to be scared with your head in your hands, right?
The smell of dense blood and burnt proteins wafted around the area, and all at once it was replaced by the air of a battlefield.
Riesenburg's knights have their bows on their horses and are ready to take cover for a while, but they don't seem to be able to interfere unless they're in too much of a pinch.
The actual time of the battle was over in a little over fifteen minutes, and despite a few minor injuries, the classmates were able to complete the defeat of the Kobold.
The gaze that pierced through the navel-gazing heroes is absolute zero degrees of coldness.
''Gather the corpses and quickly get the magic stones out, hurry up!
Before the classmates who had completed the defeat, the knight gives instructions to tighten up before the classmates try to loosen up.
It seems that the work of recovering the magic stone will be done in one or two groups, and all the classmates have begun to gather around the corpse with Kobol.
Then, it's time to start the rescue mission.
The knights have gathered in one place and are looking down on the classmates who are collecting the magic stone from the top of their horses.
Out of their gaze, from the ground about 20 meters away from their classmates, Fred comes out of the ground with a slippery surface.
''Hey, what's with that skeleton?''
A black skeleton... a singular individual?
What's he doing?
Fred raises his arms from around his waist to high above his head as if he were offering an offering to the heavens.
After repeating the movement three times, he slowly brings his hands down, as if to receive something from the heavens, and begins to compress the object in his hands.
Fred pulls the something that has finished compressing in both hands to his right hip and after a few moments of taunting, he thrusts it out towards the knights.
The classmates buzzed at the movement, and the knight shouted in alarm.
'What the hell, look out! What are you trying to do...?
I don't know ... no, what's with the sleepiness ...
"d*mn........some kind of curse.......?
Of course, it wasn't a curse, but just when Fred stuck out his hands, me, Reinhardt, and Basten threw a sleeping pill into the knights' stomachs.
For today's rescue mission, I went to Muell-san's master's shop yesterday and asked him to make three pills for the last three pills.
This is easy to do, just throw them in one by one.
I asked Fred to sink back into the shadows.
Me too....
One by one, the knights fall asleep, and one after another, one after another, they fall off their horses.
On the other hand, their classmates, who are not feeling anything unusual at all, can't hide their agitation at the sudden situation.
''Hey, what's going on?''
Hey, I think the knights are all asleep.
I mean, isn't that skeleton's move earlier a 'demon bullet'?
But there's no beam, man.
Actually, Fred's movements are the movements of a famous heroic cartoon character.
Isn't this your chance to escape?
Idiot, where do you think you're going to go...
He made sure the knights were fully asleep and went out of the shadow world to the front.
'Hey guys! I'm here to help!
All of my classmates' eyes were on me at once.
'Yeah, yeah, sorry to keep you waiting, but it's our turn now.
''From now on, we're going to flee to Volzard, beyond the forest, the other side of the forest is a different country, so don't worry. And, including the black skeleton from earlier, there will be three skeletons guarding you, so you'll be fine, but don't be alarmed. I know you have a lot of questions, but for now, we'll move before the knights wake up.
Clapping their hands, they urge everyone to move on, but they all look like they've been turned into foxes, and now they're not reacting well.
'You're Kokubun-kun, aren't you? Were you the one who put the knight to sleep?
'Yes, but we'll talk about the details later, but for now, let's move on to... hebuh!
I was suddenly slapped by Motomiya-san, who approached me with a tsukatsuka.
''Why, why didn't you come to help me earlier!
Ehhh, yeah...
'Yes, if you could have done this, you should have helped me sooner...'
'Eh ... no, but ...'
Sagara-san was stuffed, and everyone else complained about it.
''What's the matter, you're waiting.......too late.
Yeah, how many people do you think died?
What took you so long?
'If we could do this, we could have come to your aid sooner!
Instead of being welcomed, I'm surrounded by my classmates with angry eyes.
A limp-wristed hero comes out of everyone and grabs me by the collar and tightens his grip on my neck.
Because of you, Nitta, Furuta, Kobayashi-san, Sakurai-san, Yagi and Funayama are all dead!
That's right, Tomochan and Acchan aren't coming back! Say something!
I even got grabbed by Motomiya-san.
What...?
With my collar in their hands, the hentai hero and Motomiya-san are looking at each other.
I mean, can you please let me go?
''The five of you, disguised as dead, took them to Volzard and are waiting over there...''
Oh ... uh ... I'm sorry!
Takayama, come on, let go!
Ugh, oh I'm sorry...
Everyone else who had been surrounding me and accusing me earlier also has a bum look on their face.
Well, maybe it can't be helped since I was in a stressful environment for a variety of reasons, but it's kind of terrible.
''This time, everyone will disappear in the form of being taken away by a mysterious skeleton, so come on, let's move, if the knights wake up, our plans will be ruined, so hurry up.
The last time we took Yagi and the other five people away, we made a disguise operation, but with fifty people, we can't even prepare a change of clothes, and as expected, we can't fool them without a single corpse, so we decided to take them away as if they had evaporated.
If fifty people walked, there would naturally be footprints left behind, so once we turned back to the original path and used the city road to reach Volzard.
The knights who fell asleep will be grouped together with their horses in one place, and Fred will keep a watch and escort for them.
The fifty men will proceed in the same formation as before, and Basten will be in charge of clearing the footprints after they reach the roadway.
If this happens, the only escort will be Reinhardt, but since there are so many of them this time, it should be fine.
We walked out onto the street and walked towards Volzard, taking off our servitude bracelets one by one.
''Whoa, I'm free!
Yay, I'm free!
We can make them pay for this!
I mean, why don't we just go back in there and kill them all?
Well, I guess that's what they'll think when they're free, of course.
'No, we're still holding everyone else hostage, and if we're not good at it, we might go back to being slaves.
Ugh but hey, if there's this many of us...
Didn't you get across the drawbridge in the first place?
'Oh I see...'
The drawbridge over the river that separates the Demon Forest from Rustock is raised except when the knights are passing through.
With no knights in sight, it's not clear if they'll be able to get the bridge down, even if they signaled with only their classmates.
''We're thinking about rescuing everyone else, so let's just go to Volzard and make a tight plan before we go.
Okay I'll do it.
I feel that my classmates have been so repressed in Rastock that they are somehow ready to kill.
I feel that if they are allowed to participate in the rescue mission as they are now, it will lead to a situation where blood will be spilled and lives will be lost without a care in the world.
It would be better to give him a decent life and stabilize his mental state while training you in Volzade.
''Hmmm.......I guess we'll have to stop spending money......''
"Mr. Kent, I'm sure you've already paid for the Giga Wolf, and I'm sure you can afford it.
'Yeah, I know, but I was afraid that if I didn't work and splurge, the people of Volzard would turn on me.'
I see, but I think you're a sitting duck for your customers.
'Well, that's one way of looking at it... hmmm... should I just reduce the amount of the payment?
"More importantly, Master Kent, things are looking a little bleak...
It was still early in the evening, but thick clouds were beginning to spread and the area seemed to be growing dim.
There seemed to be a dark cloud spreading over the future of the rescue mission as well.
On the morning of the battle, the classmates were lined up on the training grounds of the Rustock Garrison.Since I got the news the evening before yesterday that a real battle would take place, I ran around all day yesterday to prepare for today, and now I'm watching them from the shade of the training ground.It seems that Camilla's admonition and the names of the participants in the actual battle will be read out now, but a few of my classmates can be seen smiling thinly.The opposing knights, all carrying whips about 50 centimeters long, are glaring at their classmates.There was a tense atmosphere in the training grounds, and if it wasn't for the arm bands of servitude, a brawl would definitely have broken out.In such a tense atmosphere, Camilla, who climbed up on the platform overlooking her classmates, seemed somehow lackluster.In the past, there would have been a hint of fear in the eyes of her classmates as they looked up at Camilla, but today, there were more than a few of them smiling with contempt.Camilla's expression was a complex mixture of shame, anger and resentment, but once she began to speak, she was still Camilla.She straightened up and said in a dignified voice.''Today, we are going to conduct training in the Demon Forest in a live-fire style, there will be fifty participants.The eyes of my classmates, who had been smiling thinly until then, widened in astonishment.Although I feel bad for everyone, I can't let Camilla and the others realize my existence until the entire rescue operation is completed, so I've kept the information about the actual battle to the chairman of the committee.''I've heard that they've grown quite a bit by taking nonsensical rumors to heart, so you should experience the severity of the actual battle firsthand!Some of the girls started to panic and cry, and the boys seemed to be trembling with fear as to who would be chosen.'Quiet! The names of the participants will now be read out, and those who are called to step forward promptly!The classmates gasped and fell silent as the knight who replaced Camilla on the platform raised his voice.''Shuichi Takayama!''The first thing that happened was a thud as the name of the Hennakoya hero was read out.It's no secret that Takayama is considered important, so there's a mixture of optimism that it's okay if Takayama participates, and pessimism that it's so dangerous that Takayama has to participate.From the information Fred and Basten have gleaned, it seems that the purpose of this actual battle is to purge the public order, and since there are so many people to participate, they plan to bring them all back alive.In other words, the Riesenburg side is planning to scare them into a little bit of danger, but not to create a situation where they will die.However, since the last time, all five of them died, their classmates seem to think it's possible to get wiped out.''Don't worry, I'll protect you all, so don't worry!When the limp-wristed hero declares, the girls shout in a yellow voice.You were so reluctant to participate in the actual battle, and now you're going to come out and this is it........................it pisses me off a bit.After that, the remaining forty-nine participants were called out and stepped forward, but since it's fifty-hundredths of two hundred and fifty, it's calculated that a quarter of them will participate.If we can rescue all of these people, it would be a big step forward.''Wait a minute, let me join in!The chairman of the committee, who was not named among the fifty, raised his own hand and tried to step forward, but Camilla dismissed him.'No! Saint, you're in detention here.Why, sir, why won't you let me join you?Of course, because there's no way the healers will be on the front lines.No.... if I go with you, if you get hurt, you'll be treated immediately...'The front line is not a place to heal! Or are you suggesting that you have some means of attack?'No ... it's not ...'"Hmph, the more a man without offensive measures wanders around the front lines, the more his fellow soldiers are in danger. Do you want to drag your allies down?If Camilla tells me this much, I have no choice but to back down as the chairman of the committee, but the chairman's actions are all an act.I have caught the information in advance that I won't be allowed to participate, and I've told the chairman of the committee that I won't be allowed to participate.Last night, it was hard to quiet the committee chair who was sulking about wanting to participate.Eh? Did you kiss him? I mean, that's a secret.Therefore, I know that the chairman of the committee can't participate, but on the contrary, if you publicly announce your participation and don't raise your voice in protest, it would be more suspicious.''Kent-sama............................Holy Lady-dono is quite an actor.Yeah, I think so.Maybe these performances are a stress reliever for the chairman of the committee.The fifty chosen people get into two carriages and head for the Demon Forest.''Takayama's here too, so with this many people here, it should be fine, right?'''Was it a pack of orcs last time? Do you think it will come up again?Why don't five or six guys beat them to the punch?As well as the number of people, this time Riesenburg also specified the composition of the group of five and the group of five.One group was led by Takayama and the other by Joji Kondo of the judo club.Kondo is not a so-called "handsome" guy and is not popular with girls because he is a quiet type, but he has a strong sense of responsibility and doesn't mind working hard, which is probably why he caught the eyes of the knights.''Joe, what do we do when the demons come out?'''Well, let's try to make it look like the sorcerer is attacking from a distance and the knight types are protecting the sorcerer.It's like you're trying to weaken him and then take him out in close combat all at once?No, could it all end up long-distance if you could? We don't know how strong the demons are or anything like that, and if they're stronger than we're imagining, then we're in trouble.'So that's what it is... so close combat seems like the last option then?Yeah, I guess so.Kondo team seems to work with the safety first.On the other hand, the HENAKO team........Don't worry, the demons will be scared away with one blast of my magic.Most of the girls and some of the boys are relieved, but most of the boys and some of the girls look unhappy.Most of the boys are probably jealous and biting, but some of the girls seem to be worried about whether it will work out.Some of the girls are Motomiya-san, aka Kenhime, and Sagara-san, who also belongs to the kendo club.Maybe it's because they have been in the martial arts world that they feel a sense of urgency.Just like the last actual battle, we were dropped off from the carriage at the entrance of the Devil's Forest, and from here the classmates seem to proceed on foot and the knights on horseback.At first, the first group led by the lazy heroes will advance in front and the second group led by Kondo will follow.There are ten knights in total, and each group seems to be assigned to a specific group.The first group's formation is that the limpid heroes walk at the front, followed by the girls, and then the bastards surround them.The second group, which will follow, is basically to protect the girls in the center, but the knight types, both male and female, seem to set up a perimeter.The knights seem to advance behind their assigned groups, with five knights between the first and second groups, and the remaining five knights riding after the second group.The group walked along the street for about 30 minutes, and then stepped into the forest on the right.They will continue straight ahead for about an hour, where they will turn left 90 degrees, and then after another hour, they will turn left to return to the road.When they return to the road, the first group will switch places with the second group, and the second group will take the lead.The people who were chatting privately with each other when they were on the road, but after they entered the forest, they didn't even breathe.''Reinhardt, how bad are the demons around here?''Well, with the exception of the last orc pack, which was more of an orc pack, mostly goblins and kobolds.Twenty-five people in a team is about all you can handle?"As long as we don't get hit by a large herd of them, it shouldn't be a problem, since there are probably only fifteen or six of them in this area.I was nearly devoured by a herd of seven animals, half of them, but two groups of twenty-five people would have been fine.Then, about thirty minutes after we stepped into the forest, the navel-gazing hero raised his right hand to stop the march.There is a hairy figure frozen beyond the trees.''Master Kent.......Kobold, the number is eighteen.......''From the reports from Fred, who scouted the area, it looks like an average kobold pack.Kobolds look like a four-headed werewolf, and from a distance they look comical, but up close they are complete demons with sharp claws and fangs, and their bloodshot eyes are uncanny.This time, it seems that his classmates happened to be downwind, and Kobold doesn't seem to have noticed it yet.''Everyone stay here........''The limpid hero took five steps forward and began chanting loudly.'Mana, mana, mana who governs the world, gather, gather, gather in my hands and become fire, dance, dance, dance, fire, dance, fire ball!'No, no, if you make such a big voice, you're not going to be noticed.Kobold looks up in unison and turns his gaze to Takayama.''Uriyaaah!''Even so, the fireball released by the navel-gazing hero hit the crowd of kobolds, and a few kobolds were blown away as they became fire-dusters.''Giuuuuuuun...''Did you do it?A fireball explodes and a cloud of dirt smoke dances in a fuzzy manner and drifts towards our side on the wind.The limp-wristed brave is trying to see through the dust cloud with his magic released.That's when the surviving kobolds attacked him as he tried to penetrate the dust cloud.'Gahhhh!'Kobolds are treated as a small fry among demons, but they are still over a meter in size if they stand on two legs, and their four-legged sprint is quite fast.In other words, they are more dangerous than being attacked by a large dog.Reacting to the magic attack, the Hennakoya hero is overwhelmed by the power of the kobold, which has rushed forward at full speed, and he is cowering.''Yaaaah!''It was Motoyama-san and Sagara-san who intervened between the fanged Kobold and the navel-gazing hero.The tip of Motomiya-san's sword sliced through the neck with Kobol, and Sagara-san's strike deeply split the other one's body.'The knight drew his sword and returned fire, the sorcerer chanting! They're still coming!Instead of Hennapoko, who sat down on her buttocks, Motomiya-san's instructions flew out and the group, which had been on their feet, regained their composure.The first team regains its composure.The first team has the upper hand in the battle, thanks to the supportive fire from the second team.You must intercept them with more than one, and do not approach them carelessly even if they stop moving. If you're going to get close, make sure you put a stop to it!The limpid hero has stood up on trembling legs, but his chanting voice is trembling and he has failed to activate it.This is not the time to be scared with your head in your hands, right?The smell of dense blood and burnt proteins wafted around the area, and all at once it was replaced by the air of a battlefield.Riesenburg's knights have their bows on their horses and are ready to take cover for a while, but they don't seem to be able to interfere unless they're in too much of a pinch.The actual time of the battle was over in a little over fifteen minutes, and despite a few minor injuries, the classmates were able to complete the defeat of the Kobold.The gaze that pierced through the navel-gazing heroes is absolute zero degrees of coldness.''Gather the corpses and quickly get the magic stones out, hurry up!Before the classmates who had completed the defeat, the knight gives instructions to tighten up before the classmates try to loosen up.It seems that the work of recovering the magic stone will be done in one or two groups, and all the classmates have begun to gather around the corpse with Kobol.Then, it's time to start the rescue mission.The knights have gathered in one place and are looking down on the classmates who are collecting the magic stone from the top of their horses.Out of their gaze, from the ground about 20 meters away from their classmates, Fred comes out of the ground with a slippery surface.''Hey, what's with that skeleton?''A black skeleton... a singular individual?What's he doing?Fred raises his arms from around his waist to high above his head as if he were offering an offering to the heavens.After repeating the movement three times, he slowly brings his hands down, as if to receive something from the heavens, and begins to compress the object in his hands.Fred pulls the something that has finished compressing in both hands to his right hip and after a few moments of taunting, he thrusts it out towards the knights.The classmates buzzed at the movement, and the knight shouted in alarm.'What the hell, look out! What are you trying to do...?I don't know ... no, what's with the sleepiness ..."d*mn........some kind of curse.......?Of course, it wasn't a curse, but just when Fred stuck out his hands, me, Reinhardt, and Basten threw a sleeping pill into the knights' stomachs.For today's rescue mission, I went to Muell-san's master's shop yesterday and asked him to make three pills for the last three pills.This is easy to do, just throw them in one by one.I asked Fred to sink back into the shadows.Me too....One by one, the knights fall asleep, and one after another, one after another, they fall off their horses.On the other hand, their classmates, who are not feeling anything unusual at all, can't hide their agitation at the sudden situation.''Hey, what's going on?''Hey, I think the knights are all asleep.I mean, isn't that skeleton's move earlier a 'demon bullet'?But there's no beam, man.Actually, Fred's movements are the movements of a famous heroic cartoon character.Isn't this your chance to escape?Idiot, where do you think you're going to go...He made sure the knights were fully asleep and went out of the shadow world to the front.'Hey guys! I'm here to help!All of my classmates' eyes were on me at once.'Yeah, yeah, sorry to keep you waiting, but it's our turn now.''From now on, we're going to flee to Volzard, beyond the forest, the other side of the forest is a different country, so don't worry. And, including the black skeleton from earlier, there will be three skeletons guarding you, so you'll be fine, but don't be alarmed. I know you have a lot of questions, but for now, we'll move before the knights wake up.Clapping their hands, they urge everyone to move on, but they all look like they've been turned into foxes, and now they're not reacting well.'You're Kokubun-kun, aren't you? Were you the one who put the knight to sleep?'Yes, but we'll talk about the details later, but for now, let's move on to... hebuh!I was suddenly slapped by Motomiya-san, who approached me with a tsukatsuka.''Why, why didn't you come to help me earlier!Ehhh, yeah...'Yes, if you could have done this, you should have helped me sooner...''Eh ... no, but ...'Sagara-san was stuffed, and everyone else complained about it.''What's the matter, you're waiting.......too late.Yeah, how many people do you think died?What took you so long?'If we could do this, we could have come to your aid sooner!Instead of being welcomed, I'm surrounded by my classmates with angry eyes.A limp-wristed hero comes out of everyone and grabs me by the collar and tightens his grip on my neck.Because of you, Nitta, Furuta, Kobayashi-san, Sakurai-san, Yagi and Funayama are all dead!That's right, Tomochan and Acchan aren't coming back! Say something!I even got grabbed by Motomiya-san.What...?With my collar in their hands, the hentai hero and Motomiya-san are looking at each other.I mean, can you please let me go?''The five of you, disguised as dead, took them to Volzard and are waiting over there...''Oh ... uh ... I'm sorry!Takayama, come on, let go!Ugh, oh I'm sorry...Everyone else who had been surrounding me and accusing me earlier also has a bum look on their face.Well, maybe it can't be helped since I was in a stressful environment for a variety of reasons, but it's kind of terrible.''This time, everyone will disappear in the form of being taken away by a mysterious skeleton, so come on, let's move, if the knights wake up, our plans will be ruined, so hurry up.The last time we took Yagi and the other five people away, we made a disguise operation, but with fifty people, we can't even prepare a change of clothes, and as expected, we can't fool them without a single corpse, so we decided to take them away as if they had evaporated.If fifty people walked, there would naturally be footprints left behind, so once we turned back to the original path and used the city road to reach Volzard.The knights who fell asleep will be grouped together with their horses in one place, and Fred will keep a watch and escort for them.The fifty men will proceed in the same formation as before, and Basten will be in charge of clearing the footprints after they reach the roadway.If this happens, the only escort will be Reinhardt, but since there are so many of them this time, it should be fine.We walked out onto the street and walked towards Volzard, taking off our servitude bracelets one by one.''Whoa, I'm free!Yay, I'm free!We can make them pay for this!I mean, why don't we just go back in there and kill them all?Well, I guess that's what they'll think when they're free, of course.'No, we're still holding everyone else hostage, and if we're not good at it, we might go back to being slaves.Ugh but hey, if there's this many of us...Didn't you get across the drawbridge in the first place?'Oh I see...'The drawbridge over the river that separates the Demon Forest from Rustock is raised except when the knights are passing through.With no knights in sight, it's not clear if they'll be able to get the bridge down, even if they signaled with only their classmates.''We're thinking about rescuing everyone else, so let's just go to Volzard and make a tight plan before we go.Okay I'll do it.I feel that my classmates have been so repressed in Rastock that they are somehow ready to kill.I feel that if they are allowed to participate in the rescue mission as they are now, it will lead to a situation where blood will be spilled and lives will be lost without a care in the world.It would be better to give him a decent life and stabilize his mental state while training you in Volzade.''Hmmm.......I guess we'll have to stop spending money......''"Mr. Kent, I'm sure you've already paid for the Giga Wolf, and I'm sure you can afford it.'Yeah, I know, but I was afraid that if I didn't work and splurge, the people of Volzard would turn on me.'I see, but I think you're a sitting duck for your customers.'Well, that's one way of looking at it... hmmm... should I just reduce the amount of the payment?"More importantly, Master Kent, things are looking a little bleak...It was still early in the evening, but thick clouds were beginning to spread and the area seemed to be growing dim.There seemed to be a dark cloud spreading over the future of the rescue mission as well.
