Chapter 49
xTEpp“More or less, it was the scenario I expected.”LqFcamJ
wSEQuickly taking control of the team, inciting the other teams, and launching a joint attack against the most dangerous one.3Gn3C5
ohP0NFw“Only the protagonist changed a little.”QE9nfL7
ctBwAccording to Professor Rosalia, the one who should’ve been in Fernan’s place was Ludger.1wCyOhA
KpHx“Don’t you think Fernan isn’t that surprising?”p74
QBhomnQ“Yes, he is.”kbNO3E
Sw7SbThey knew Fernan Pellenberg had talent. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t be in the top ten.7TY
CuKEwBut they’d also noticed he avoided showing off completely or stepping out front openly.cD2
dECFO“He’s not the type who enjoys taking the lead so brazenly.”Lk2
GYT3p“Maybe it’s because Luina is involved this time?”VkBl
n3YwI0U“If it’s not that, there’s no other special reason. Though I’m not sure if Luina is that special reason.”eSu5V
HQQDx“Then, as we thought, it must be one of two things.”CFs2
RtfGrad and Rosalia returned to the topic from the last practice.UJ3
8wxgc“Either a burning youthful love in his twenties…”6rJ1
Ok56El“Doesn’t seem like Fernan Pellenberg acts on such trivial emotions.”7aVf7
Ca05“Or a secret agreement between House Pellenberg and House Bercheff.”RgLT
L6H“Didn’t we reach that same conclusion last time?”A2j
FXDull“We did.”wsGe
H4dS3WUGrad stroked his chin.CqU9O9
DLhbAPz“You did that last time too.”Vlj
bihSnLb“You remembered? Let those details go.”dQceT
xsupMGAnyway, it wasn’t important.a2WFK
utHC“Whatever those two houses agreed on, it has nothing to do with me.”A54IQ2
BAp1u4“Maybe not with us, but it does with others.”v6Ishi
uXaBtkAn agreement between the Empire’s richest family and the northern house, fallen but in recovery—for any imperial, that couldn’t go unnoticed.GgVo
Kmbl“No, not with us. With me.”Y7r
9eZhAf“What do you mean?”AhoDUrX
GTXal“You really don’t feel anything? Even if those two houses join forces?”ebbcS
MK49hfT“I’m just an academy professor.”GqK
5XTdqU“But your surname isn’t. And you don’t seem as detached as you say.”jXB0lL
IrN1Y3Rosalia looked at him expressionlessly. Grad avoided her gaze, shrugging.6Jq8yW
t1jK“Well, it’s not something I need to worry about either.”38zifR
ntP0“…It’s begun.”M4Wn
7nn5yThe teams were about to meet on the battlefield.0qWwCF
YaPRfte***ZRrvOak
jXi5N49 versus 90.kCGag
v5bzRMNumbers can never be ignored.ggmB
2G1bkConsidering the students were evenly distributed among the four teams, this battle was extremely disadvantageous for Team 1.U3B
jOZXNA5Even so, Ludger believed he could win.Nqnj
mWx“What do we do, Your Highness?”C6hz
r4P“Hold the line.”bD04xR
v5nsFXIf they didn’t have a base, they could retreat while scheming something, but right now, they had no option but to hold out.7DHiFSd
9q4v9At least, tactically speaking.eASu
Gv3C“Lead them into the traps to maximize casualties. And don’t even think of advancing without my order.”gGRz
VII“Yes, sir.”01ah
CXvmLThe good thing was they had basic traps and decent fortification. And also that Ludger was a prince, so the students followed his orders without objection.hiTm
j2A“Do you think Almon can do it alone?”NR0
6Vx“What do you think?”2gfn9
Fx3uPDavid Lippen, 8th in the Knight Department, hesitated to answer.1EYxC3
aIp6Av“Frankly, I couldn’t beat Almon.”tVqoIQ
uXUs2“Only you?”skUKaH
4ztH“Except for Luina, we’re all the same.”S0XLP
rZFrF7iEven against her, he could only tie, not win.InQpg
JlkVss“There’s your answer.”6IYVk
lfnNNo one in the Knight Department could beat Almon. Maybe the Magic Department had other options, but if their main strength was focused on the front…1JmQcZ
285ylOf course, he couldn’t be certain that Almon would beat the twenty left at the enemy base, but at least he could steal the flag.HWU
y4Hz97e“We just need to buy time.”iTE
Rx6K“But I can’t stop Luina. Nor can Harold, Alia, Doria, Gert, or Felkan.”0kvHM
GkCTn28“I know. If you could beat them, you’d be second, not eighth.”xsTVJN
aGJoYgmThe Knight Department valued real ability over theory. If you could beat them one-on-one, your rank would undoubtedly change.xdxCUS
J2C7Ut“It’ll be fine. Luina won’t fight seriously either.”nShq
2aqx1“Luina? Really?”GKs7
BvM9c“Yes. Fernan won’t either.”ztpS3bk
cBTa0Maybe the entire Team 3 was faking it.yxj
8gF79h“I trust your words, Your Highness. But what about the others?”CH8
ZMzkGE“I’ll take care of Carlo.”l5fkaIX
f2S“Still, there are many enemies left.”uswBg
y8MabEbEven if Team 3 didn’t fight seriously, there were still Teams 2 and 4.wzJ
wjGCjXAnd in them, many were stronger than David.AHf0
JMnSeven in the Magic Department, seven in the Knight Department, although direct comparison wasn’t always possible.Tl20m
HxTpN“David.”hxL
E2Ube4LLudger placed both hands on his shoulders.l4x9
Ly5dw“You can do this. I’ll handle the command. Fight, flee, do whatever it takes to buy time.”zoQs
DXiAfter Almon, David was the strongest knight in Team 1. His role was crucial.0sx8W
7pWi“David. I’m here too.”1rApEU
EWeF3yi“That’s not comforting at all.”1HzG
vQrJGin Brad, his partner and fourth in the Magic Department, chuckled.aaIXet
GpT0v“There are only three second-year mages better than me.”EfieKV
xcZWaDk“And two of them are on the enemy side, just like the one ranked right below you.”RK5
vUJKusZ“Don’t worry, David. I was just joking.”ilbD5V
2CnrupLudger added.ulIe
xU4“How could I not have a plan?”DEu
6YBEHe smiled.Xvs
r3z“I already negotiated with Team 4. Everything depends on how Team 2 reacts.”Pna
nyUTeam 4 was only pretending to ally with Fernan to deceive him.yja
lat09“You don’t mean…?”RbSA
zw7Odz“I was faster, Fernan.”aMY
xc5iNThis time, I won’t let you take first place.kPpy
NfHfcc***5JNWD
oUYC“Stop.”U4v1
t5ri1mtAt Fernan’s barely audible murmur, the members of Team 3 halted in unison.wEvGt7
vooSSFernan unfolded the map and checked their current location.w0Cz7
OzXLF5UTeam 1’s camp was on the forested slope of a mountain. A place far too ideal for ambushes and traps.ojm
HI68leeThe other teams weren’t in much different positions; they had been placed there deliberately.dcYytJ
Wv2n8Bq“Why? We still have a ways to go before reaching the rendezvous point.”APQqO
W8EFuJ“We’re not going.”28kU
wgEi2D“…What?”YQTdwka
wye“Don’t tell me from the start…?”xXSAHo
ECigFernan nodded.AoF
TBbtb0P“In war, there’s no such thing as cowardice.”ofdaICb
ARtf“I didn’t say anything.”ulI
icGP“Your eyes are cursing.”l93YUIU
FGB11“…”k3BGN9x
XrIFE“We’re going to attack Team 4 just as we are.”eji
Lwo7Of all the teams, Team 3 was the farthest from Team 1. Naturally, the others had to arrive first.zr44
cv7PBut at the agreed point, near Team 1’s camp, no one was there.4Hm5gt
XvDeEveryone felt a bad premonition, except for Fernan, who remained calm.b4ZFXMe
9Pm“Then why did we come all the way here?”eXc
MLwQdO“To confirm something. Only a few come with me.”as2
YsGv“Seems like you know something.”cyJ
wFQ5K“Of course. I know Ludger well. I can more or less predict how he’ll act.”DFYe
811ZkpFernan moved forward with a few, cautiously. And then they saw it. A group gathered at the meeting point, and in the distance, a few moving toward Team 1.bCY
Zb2“…Could it be…?”M92WNb6
i8aFP“Surely, yes.”gnJdXLp
KFYo“Then what do we do? Are we done for?”ghkRFLC
mhR“Did the three teams really ally together?”qaVr1
oJH9jR“They said they’d work with us…!”mClKVi
ECR4Fernan pulled out a magic spyglass from his coat. He couldn’t see everything clearly from afar, but it was enough to grasp the general movements.UB8IhWO
vn7s“Now do you see why I said we should go for Team 4?”Ekwt
N5AYpuU“But will stealing an empty base work? If we don’t show up, they’ll know something’s wrong too.”nQQ
fMyBK5C“What I just saw was that everyone in the top 10 was there. They likely planned to eliminate an unguarded team… but if you think about it the other way around…”JeP
x2x“It’s completely empty…?”8o5MYW
v48“It’s not a bad idea. No, in fact, it’s a good one.”t7iCj
j704The students shouted.ynd
uLUcp2m“Then what are we doing here?! Let’s go already!”ZmH
EVNDKzn***5cv5
zpeMyx“Don’t move.”SLWm87
c8GTDs5Almon smiled calmly.P4cAQC4
UNlgIn front of him was the flag. Team 4’s flag, clearly marked with the number four. If he took it, Team 4 would be eliminated.28jLl
bvHhYS“…Calm down, Almon. Let’s talk first.”u9Atz5
mYrn“Yeah, don’t you think this isn’t right…”bfX
UoMG0The members of Team 4 tried to reason with him calmly.LELRHY
9TTW‘Damn it, how did they manage to send Almon here?’GkIhq
nfd‘Why to us of all teams…?’SFD
Rf6tnI‘How do you stop someone like him, charging straight through? He’s a monster.’HEk2Rh0
dQR161Though they realized it late, they did the best they could. They attacked with magic, and the knights tried to block him.1CfEI0
4X2QBut Almon blocked all the magic and took out two knights. Then he charged straight through the formation and stood before the flag.J3u
Pc0zVCR‘If only Harold or Doria were here…’dbO
dmUaw0The gap between those in the top 10 and those outside was bigger than they thought. If those two had been here, it wouldn’t have been so easy to break through the defense.qMXgbe5
fx6Xe“You’re the ones who cheated, excluding us from the start.”cV6
EEFxNA“Ah, no…!”LJtioPy
zfVCeu3“Yes!”2k2
dyVdmYAlmon yanked the flag.tMXkRji
WWHIn that instant.7Lf3
Twy5Fwoosh!TFxy
RALA wave of mana spread from the flag across the entire field, and all of Team 4’s maps began to burn.DtP
aEACAll, eliminated.EKLsV
8R5h“…Ah.”qX4BBr6
qT5nqlq“We’re out just like that?”LoRb
dN0jI“No way…”DAVV
T4Y“No! It’s all Harold’s fault! He said if we all attacked together we’d take him down first!”Roqw7
Sfk5XThe eliminated students slumped to the ground with disbelief on their faces.cmp
vev“Good. I didn’t disappoint His Highness.”ApoQ
gPyeQwESeeing the defeated group, Almon gave a satisfied smile.ZFw
T7HuThe cost in aura had been high, and he had a few scratches, but it was worth it for the result.58lsxML
KXu75l8Or so he thought.fPGp
WSWx“It’s been a while. Hasn’t it, Almon?”yryoR
QKp1If only he hadn’t suddenly been surrounded.I8Fbv
0fK41And if the person at the front weren’t Luina—the only one among the second years who made him nervous.fYIlNIS
630n9TJAnd if Fernan Pellenberg weren’t behind her with a mocking smile.pEe
bgJYb“…Luina? Fernan? How…?”m8K5AE
cEzA6h“That means, no matter how far you run, you can’t escape my hand. Thanks for doing the job for us.”o8T
FaPu4“Weren’t you going to attack us?”wo1s2AV
3gcHsZC“Yeah, but Ludger also moved his pieces. So we decided to take out another team first. And thanks to you, the work’s already done.”OoFgovS
cR9N“…And why here, of all places?”1kjhghv
Hxp“Because if I were Ludger, I’d have done the same.”t7mMLLP
jarTeam 2 had Carlo Deneb. One backed by the imperial family. Ludger likely thought that by eliminating Team 4, he could easily finish off Team 3 with Team 2. And who would he send for that?JDEbKtg
6GG104Someone he trusted, the strongest one, capable of securing the flag. Fernan was sure it would be Almon.D3yE
9qyx8PhBut since it was confidential information, he hadn’t said it out loud.1hUc
ODqB3cV“Pure coincidence.”zcpcptH
i98w0Zb“Haah…!”vnWPL9a
HNpTrying to find an escape, Almon charged. But he didn’t make it.5nJFHVS
3Ztl0bP“Where do you think you’re going?”gFu
uF0“…Luina. You’re a noble knight. Are you really going to take part in something this cowardly?”cRbM5
Xaelo9D“Says the one who snuck in and stole a flag.”jji
T3D“It was a direct, fair attack.”VhLgOJ8
MzCE“…In war, what matters is winning.”4n5
wqn“And that’s why you’re planning a group ambush?”YlX0ZO7
kEy2V3TLuina looked away.JH2
YZa“Capture him.”aPk9qf
O6rPO2YAt Fernan’s command,wPuDp7
yPo0WFwoosh!6WfJP
k4LmAlmon’s map ignited.UWcC3u
se9Od“…Hmm?”CUucc
yXNre9KAnd so did Ludger’s, who had been following Almon after noticing Fernan hadn’t shown up.gIbd3pu
8B8U“…Tch. Fernan, you damned bastard.”o78m8i
iPlAThere’s nothing likable about you.arR2s
I2aXaNLudger clenched his teeth.hlf6OrQ
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