Chapter 45
“Aaargh!”
One of the worst things you can do in a monster-infested zone is scream.
No matter what, you have to suppress the urge to scream.
Why? It’s obvious, isn’t it?
Because it attracts all the monsters, eliminating any chance of survival.
The teachers had stressed this point repeatedly, but…
Well, it’s human nature, isn’t it?
When faced with a life-or-death situation, who can think straight?
Instinct takes over, and you scream for help.
I get it.
But the scream seems to be coming from the restricted area.
They broke every rule and now they’re attracting all the monsters…
They’re definitely getting punished for this.
“…Well, it happened.”
“Indeed. And it seems to be coming from the restricted area.”
“This could turn into a worst-case scenario.”
Not only did they sneak into the restricted area…
They screamed, which means they encountered a monster they couldn’t handle.
And now they’ve attracted every monster in the vicinity?
Their survival is highly unlikely.
Sigh…
This might be a fantasy world, but…
I’m not mentally prepared to see dead bodies.
“Don’t worry, Master. I’ll handle this. You won’t have to get involved.”
Yeah, seeing corpses is a bit scary.
“And the teachers will intervene anyway.”
He’s right.
With the teachers and Dustin involved, the situation will be resolved before I even have a chance to intervene.
I sigh in relief and glance towards the teachers.
And then I see…
“Good luck!”
Teacher Kalus, giving a thumbs-up and shouting something incomprehensible.
“Excuse me?”
“What was that…?”
“You guys were supposed to participate in the training anyway! You must have been disappointed about missing out because of student council duties. This is a good opportunity!”
What the hell is he talking about?!
People might be dying!
And I’m not supposed to participate in the training yet!
“I’m still a first-year, so I don’t have to participate…”
“Oh, well, good luck anyway, haha!”
The fact that the other teachers are silent means Kalus must have threatened them.
He probably said he would take full responsibility if anything went wrong.
“Sigh… that crazy bastard… Don’t worry, Master. I can handle this alone.”
Dustin sighs deeply and dashes towards the source of the scream.
“Yuri! What are you waiting for?! Let’s go!”
I would rather stay here and let Dustin handle it, but…
Seeing the other council members spring into action, I realize I can’t just stand around.
I start guiding the bewildered students, hoping to delay our arrival at the scene.
Those idiots aren’t even attempting to control the students.
Don’t you guys realize what’s happening?!
“We’ll protect the students. Yuri, you go ahead and do your job.”
I really want to punch this guy.
“If you’re going to say that, why don’t you start by guiding the students? Haha.”
“Ahem, well, guiding the other students is also a leader’s…”
“I’m not a leader.”
The words fall on deaf ears.
After a moment of hesitation, I decide to follow the council members. I don’t want to be the only one left behind.
The tension mounts as we enter the dark forest.
“Ugh…! Fireball!”
“Haaa!”
I see the student council members showcasing their skills, bright flames and elegant swordsmanship illuminating the darkness.
“Aren’t those… ogres?”
Their appearance, their ferocious swings…
Everything screams “ogre.”
Ogres are high-level monsters. To encounter a whole pack…
I understand why they screamed.
“Ugh… there’s too many of them!”
“Complaining about this? You’re not qualified to be a council member.”
But they don’t seem to pose much of a threat to the council members, or rather, to Dustin.
He effortlessly cuts down dozens of ogres, ignoring the struggling council members behind him.
“Wow, Dustin. You’ve gotten really strong.”
“Master, you’re here.”
He greets me politely while simultaneously slicing through an ogre. Impressive.
He was just a kid when we hunted goblins together.
“Even in this situation, my status window gave me an emergency quest.”
Wow… that’s so status window-like… and so damn enviable!
This chosen one is even leveling up in the middle of a crisis…
Sigh, I’m so jealous.
I shrug and look away, my eyes landing on a boy lying on the ground.
“That guy’s leg…”
“Ah, yes. He seems to be the source of the scream. The others he was with are all dead. He’s the only survivor.”
I feel a wave of nausea at the thought of an entire group being killed.
I’ve never seen this much blood before…
I probably would have thrown up if I had seen the bodies.
“Excuse me, I need to focus for a moment. Sorry.”
It was my fault for casually talking to someone who’s fighting dozens of monsters alone.
Watching him battle the ogres with such focus and composure…
He even seems to be enjoying himself in this tense situation.
“As expected of the President…”
“He’s on a whole different level.”
“He can handle them all by himself.”
The council members, who had been resting to replenish their mana, regain their composure after witnessing Dustin’s prowess and rejoin the battle.
Hmm, I should probably do something too…
But I’m not skilled enough to join the fray, so I just stand there, watching and waiting. And then I feel a strange presence behind me.
“What’s that huge thing…?”
Dustin and the council members are too focused on their battle to notice.
A massive monster, radiating an ominous aura, its appearance grotesque and intimidating.
It slowly but surely advances towards us.
Or rather, towards Dustin and the council members, its trajectory suggesting it plans to flatten them like pancakes.
“Where the hell did that thing come from?! It’s huge!”
If I don’t do anything, they’ll be crushed while they’re busy fighting the ogres.
I glance towards the teachers.
If I run towards them and draw its attention, they’ll notice and take care of it, right?
Even if they said they wouldn’t intervene, they wouldn’t just stand there and watch as a monster radiating such an ominous aura approaches them.
If they ignore it… well, I don’t know what will happen.
It’s a gamble either way.
Let’s do this.
It’s a terrifying monster, large and ferocious, but…
I can’t let those kids become pancakes!
“To draw its attention… this is the best option.”
I’m not going to throw away my expensive practice sword, and I don’t have anything else on me.
So this is what I’m going to use.
An ordinary rock lying on the ground.
“Alright, aim carefully.”
I can’t miss.
Their lives depend on this.
“Here we go!”
Whoosh!
The rock I just picked up soars through the air, heading straight for the monstrous creature.
Hit it! Please hit it!
I just need to get its attention!
Thud!
I thought I just needed to get its attention…
But…
“Uh, hmm…”
I didn’t mean to crush its skull…
What the…
It was all bark and no bite!
Well, I guess I was worried for nothing.
***
Kalus had already given the teachers strict instructions before the training session began.
Do not intervene, no matter what happens.
The official reason was that he wanted to assess the student council members’ capabilities, but the truth was…
He wasn’t interested in the other students.
He only cared about Yuri.
“But how can we, as teachers, just stand by and watch?”
Of course, there were objections.
“Don’t worry, I’ll take full responsibility.”
He had faced countless dangers during his time as Commander of the Imperial Knights.
He would naturally intervene if necessary, but considering Yuri’s skills…
He was confident that such a situation wouldn’t arise.
Unless a major crisis occurred.
The training session proceeded smoothly, almost too smoothly.
“Hmm, these students are quite competent.”
The other teachers nodded in agreement, surprised by the lack of incidents.
And then…
“Aaargh!”
It happened.
A scream from the restricted area.
“Oh dear…”
“This is unprecedented.”
“Indeed. A major incident. We should go and handle…”
“Hold on. Don’t you remember what I said?”
“Teacher, students might be dead.”
He was well aware of that.
Judging by the blood-curdling scream, there were definitely casualties.
But…
“Those who break the rules in a real battle face death.”
He had met and lost countless people during his time as Commander.
Many of them had died because they broke the rules and acted recklessly.
“B-but…”
The teachers hesitated but didn’t move.
Satisfied, he glanced towards the student council members, who were looking back at him.
“Good luck!”
He gave them a thumbs-up.
Their expressions soured, but he didn’t care.
“Excuse me?”
“What was that…?”
“You guys were supposed to participate in the training anyway! You must have been disappointed about missing out because of student council duties. This is a good opportunity!”
“I’m still a first-year, so I don’t have to participate…”
That boy was surprisingly blunt.
“Oh, well, good luck anyway, haha!”
He brushed off their protests, and Dustin was the first to depart.
He had always been like this, ever since he joined the Imperial Knights.
Always the first to rush into danger, prioritizing the safety of others.
But he was also a capable leader who knew when to make sacrifices.
“Yuri! What are you waiting for?! Let’s go!”
But today, he wasn’t interested in witnessing Dustin’s leadership.
“We’ll protect the students. Yuri, you go ahead and do your job.”
“If you’re going to say that, why don’t you start by guiding the students? Haha.”
“Ahem, well, guiding the other students is also a leader’s…”
“I’m not a leader.”
He wanted to see this girl’s true potential. The girl who wouldn’t back down, even in front of him.
Nice kill