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Eloden's strongest fighter, Ian Marcus.
Facing the grinning young man before her, Iris had a troubled expression.
'...I'm in trouble.'
At first, Ian was assigned to the base.
So she judged that it would take at least 20 minutes to reach the front lines, no matter how fast he moved. But this man approached the front lines in an instant as soon as the shift changed, and wiped out the 2nd attack force in the blink of an eye.
‘What method did they use?’
Last weekend, Iris read several books about the types of sacred spells at the library.
She needed to know what spell the enemy was using in order to properly prepare. But there were no spells like that described anywhere.
But the confusion didn't last long.
‘Since that man appeared……’
The situation was akin to spilled water; there was no use crying over it. What mattered now was not figuring out how Ian appeared here, but finding a way to overcome this predicament.
The moment she became aware of reality, Iris opened her tightly closed mouth, “Ibella Elearde.”
“……?”
“Can you buy me some time?”
“Suddenly asking for time..."
“Just a little is fine. I just need enough time to request support."
No sooner had she finished saying ‘request support’, the turquoise eyes shone brightly.
“By any chance, are you talking about Ulan?”
Iris nodded her head wordlessly, and upon realizing this, Ibella's expression brightened instantly.
It was a different story with Ulan.
She grinned.
"Okay. Let's try to hold out as long as we can."
“I will help too.”
Arsene, 3rd year student from Military Studies Department.
Rand Philius, a hunter who was part of the first attack force, took a position behind Ibella. Meanwhile, Iris retreated backwards.
"Are you all ready?"
Ian pointed his sword at the two of them; he grinned mischievously and said, "Then let me ask for your best moves."
Ian's words as a signal and soon a fierce battle broke out.
Meanwhile, Iris, who had retreated backwards, promptly tapped the bracelet on her wrist.
The bracelet was called Connect.
It was a communication device issued only to representatives of each faction. Using this, the representative could communicate with the defense force of the base.
'Currently, the one I can contact is...'
Arsene's student council president, Cliff Anton.
Bringing the bracelet to her ear, Iris shifted her feet anxiously. Soon after, the voice she had been waiting for came through.
—What's going on?
It was a deep voice.
It was Cliff Anton's voice. Iris cut right to the chase.
"It's time to use our insurance."
—Insurance?
“We're under attack from Ian Marcus. To deal with him, we need the power of Ulan..."
She was about to ask him to send out Ulan from the base. But before she could finish speaking, Cliff's firm answer came back.
—I refuse.
“……Huh?"
Did she just hear that correctly? Just in case she misheard, she was about to ask again, when Cliff continued speaking.
—We're supposed to station the barbarian Ulan at the base. I guess this was the condition for me and the student council to participate?
His rhetorical question was devoid of any emotional inflection.
Iris objected in a flustered manner.
“But, but then we'll be defeated!"
—So?
"So!?"
—This is just a friendly mock battle.
Right after giving an unexpected answer, Cliff's question continued.
—The reward is insignificant, and even if we lose, there's no real penalty - it's just entertainment. So why are you trying so hard to win?
“Because we can win!”
If Ulan could only deal with Ian before the 1st attack force is wiped out, there is a chance of victory. So Iris shouted with confidence.
However, the answer that came back was a negative one.
—The student council does not want that.
“What do you mean….”
―It means that it is better to lose honorably than to win with the help of barbarians.
“…….”
For a moment, she was struck speechless.
She had long known that the current student council was steeped in aristocratic ideals, but she hadn't imagined it would be to this extent.
—There is nothing more to discuss. I'm hanging up.
“W-wait a minute! President! Student Council President!"
However, communication had already been cut off. No matter how many times she tried to call back, there was no response. As a shadow fell over her expression, another wave of despair washed over her.
[Rand Philius: Dead]
[Arsene Remaining Forces: 8]
Hunter Rand was defeated by Ian.
Beyond his crumpled form on the ground, she could see Ibella struggling against Ian. Upon seeing this sight, Iris immediately rushed into the battlefield.
She knew that Ibella couldn't deal with Ian alone. Swinging her spear to create some distance, she created an opening for Ibella to fall back.
"Hah...hah!"
Thanks to this, Ibella was able to catch her breath.
She let out her raspy breath and looked at Iris. As if to ask what happened to her support.
Iris bit her lip tightly, “…… I’m sorry."
An expression that was trying hard to suppress feelings of resentment.
Ibella asked back with a puzzled look on her face, “Was it the Student Council's doing?"
"...! Ah, you already knew?"
“I had a general idea."
She had wondered why the Student Council President insisted on leaving Ulan at the base, but now the reason was clear.
Ibella's face contorted.
Along with an expression of displeasure.
“Just like at the entrance ceremony, they're really childish lot, aren't they? Or do they just dislike the sight of Ulan being active that much?"
"The entrance ceremony, you say?"
"Huh? You didn't know?"
Iris asked a puzzled question and Ibella looked surprised. The two girls faced each other and opened their eyes wide.
But the conversation did not continue.
Woosh! Whooosh!
A whirlwind of sword strikes; it was due to Ian's furious assault.
With his shield raised, he closed the distance in an instant, then suddenly grabbed Ibella by the collar.
"I've finally caught you."
"......!"
She tried to counterattack but couldn't; they were too close for her to swing her sword.
Belatedly, Iris swung her spear, but it was promptly blocked by Ian's shield. At the same moment, Ian's sword struck Ibella in the stomach.
"Ughk!"
The pain of being unable to breathe for a moment. Then, the bead hidden in her abdomen broke. Perhaps he had been aiming for her bead from the beginning.
[Ibella Elearde: Dead]
[Arsene Remaining Forces: 7]
Ibella was eliminated from the battle in an instant.
Did Iris sense the crisis? She retreated a good distance away.
Seeing this, Ian laughed derisively, “If you’re planning on running away…” …Let me tell you it's impossible.
He lowered his stance, poised to immediately give chase.
But then, as Iris stood her ground, she suddenly shouted into the void.
“Ulan Bator!”
A resounding cry that shook the battlefield.
She spoke again.
“If you are watching this video, please switch out with the defense force's combatants and come to the battlefield! We need your help!"
With that, her message was delivered. Iris's expression became considerably relieved. Of course, Cliff would likely interfere, but what mattered was that she had conveyed the situation to Ulan.
“Hmm, that’s strange.”
Meanwhile, around that time, Ian narrowed his eyes.
“They were surely issued Connects, yet she requests help in such a roundabout way. What do you think, Senior Laurea?"
Laurea smiled wryly, “It's probably one of two things - either there's some issue at the base, or there's infighting among Arsene's forces."
“…….”
“Then, while the monster is at the base, we should wrap this up as quickly as possible."
He put an unusual emphasis on the word ‘wrap up.’
The moment Ian finished speaking—
Paaaaat!
—his sword and shield were bathed in a silver glow.
At this, Iris's eyes widened in astonishment.
“…… !”
A condensation of pure holy power — that’s because it was a sacred aura that could only be used by a Paladin who had reached the realm of a master.
And in that moment,
A silver radiance enveloped her.
* * * * *
Around the same time,
It was not only the attack force that was engaged in a fierce battle. Arsene's defense forces also continued to exchange fierce attacks.
A terrifying barrage of attack magic.
This was Camilla and Dilia's work.
The two mages, taking advantage of the high ground, rained down attack spells on the approaching Eloden’s attack force.
After finishing one such bombardment, "Phew…," Dilia caught her breath. Due to the large-scale bombardment that had just occurred, all of Eloden's magical soldiers were wiped out.
On the other hand, the attack team was still alive and well.
Part of the reason was that they were well-united, as if they were used to these types of battles, but the fundamental reason was the shields imbued with sacred spells.
"...Holy power is really...troublesome."
Holy power was the opposite of magic. Therefore, no amount of ordinary magic could pierce a shield wrapped in sacred spells.
"As much as I'd like to use meteor shower..."
"If you did that, we'd really be wiped out."
Noah chuckled awkwardly.
The holy shields were not omnipotent.
Right now, even if Dilia were to use constellation magic of Rank-4 or higher, they would be destroyed.
However, in this mock battle, all magic higher than Rank-3 was prohibited. The reason being the potential for casualties.
"But this way...mages are at a disadvantage," Dilia pouted her lips. At first glance, the situation appeared to be equal. But looking closer, it absolutely wasn't.
Unlike their side which had spent over half their mana, Eloden's attack force was overflowing with holy power.
The reason was simple.
"I can't believe they could recover holy power through prayer."
"Isn't that completely unfair?!"
Arsene, 2nd year student at Military Studies Department — the Hunter, Emil Dirbel, grumbled.
As he said, Eloden's attack force seemed focused on stalling for time to drain their mana, rather than making bold advances.
And around that time, the dire news arrived.
[Rand Philius: Dead]
[Arsene Remaining Force: 8]
A hunter belonging to the 1st attack force.
Upon hearing he had fallen, the defensive line fell into a momentary somber silence.
Everyone must have felt it -
That their lines were gradually being pushed back. Dilia looked back towards the base and said:
"We should probably...call Ulan soon."
"I was thinking that too, but…," Camilla trailed off awkwardly.
If he was coming, he should have arrived already.
If it were Iris, she would have called out Ulan the moment the 2nd attack force was wiped out.
But since he still hadn't shown up, it was clear some problem had arisen. Dilia seemed to realize this too, immediately asking:
“Is there a problem?”
"Yeah, it looks that way," Camilla nodded with an embarrassed expression.
She could only assume the Student Council President accompanying them had caused some issue. As Camilla bit her lip slightly, Dilia immediately turned her head, "Noah."
"Huh? Yes?"
"Go to...the base."
"You mean..."
"And switch out...with Ulan," Dilia's eyes shone with seriousness.
Noah too seemed to recognize the gravity of the situation, promptly nodding, "Got it. I'll tell him to come this way!"
"Yeah, please do."
After answering, Noah disappeared from view.
It was a little over 1km from the defensive line to the base.
Considering that, they had a rough idea of how long they needed to hold out. Not long after Noah left, more dire news arrived.
[Ibella Elearde: Dead]
[Arsene Remaining Forces: 7]
The expressions of the three simultaneously hardened.
Ibella is an intermediate-level knight.
Moreover, she was a skilled combatant with excellent battle sense - she wouldn't lose to even an advanced-level knight. In other words, there were not many people who could defeat her.
The candidates that immediately came to mind were Theron Schlagen — Eloden's representative and an advanced-level knight — and Ian, the powerhouse at the realm of Expert.
Some time after that.
The person who subdued Ibella was revealed.
[Iris Seniore: Dead]
[Arsene Remaining Forces: 6]
The one person who could defeat Ibella and take down Iris less than a minute later - they knew of only one such individual.
"...Ian Marcus," Camilla muttered with a sigh.
The news of Iris's defeat meant that all of Arsene's attack forces had been annihilated.
They weren't the only ones who received this news.
"They're coming this way!" Emil shouted anxiously as Eloden's attack force resumed their advance.
"What do we do? If this keeps up..."
“We'll have to hold them off while stalling."
“Can we really resolve this just by stalling?"
"Yes. We can."
Dilia nodded firmly, without a shred of hesitation in her expression.
“If Ulan comes...we'll win."
“…….”
An answer full of strong confidence.
Seeing the trusting look in her eyes, Camilla closed her mouth. Then she let out a deep sigh, "Alright. If you say so with that much certainty, I'll believe you." Camilla's eyes turned fierce.
No matter how much of an Expert Ian Marcus was, she was confident she wouldn't go down easily.
For one, they had the geographic advantage, and she still had about half her mana left. Dilia also nodded with a wry smile. Let's stall for time by holding on as long as we can.
Until Ulan arrives.
With their objective now much clearer, the three began preparing to face Eloden's attack force. But in that moment,
They were met with a sudden anomaly.
"What?"
Camilla was the first to notice this.
Soon after, Dilia and Emil's expressions also hardened.
In particular, Emil, who was trying to load his magic arrow, stuttered with a startled look on his face.
“Wh-what's happening to my mana..."
Their mana was suddenly depleting rapidly; like oil being consumed by flames. At that moment, a piece of information flashed through Dilia's mind. She had read about this phenomenon of mana being burned up in a book before.
First of all, there is only one force in the world that is capable of this phenomenon.
‘Holy power.’
The polar opposite of mana - holy power.
And among holy power, the purest form used by those closest to God. When faced with this, mana was said to burn away like oil touched by flame.
And right now,
The only one Dilia knew could wield such pure holy power on this battlefield was:
“Laurea……!”
With her turquoise hair visible in the distance.
Looking at the girl smiling mischievously in her direction, Dilia snarled viciously.
And at that moment—
[Emil Dirbel: Dead]
[Arsene Remaining Forces: 5]
—along with the sound of a shattering bead, a chilling voice pierced their ears.
"Hello there."
“……!”
A young man with ultramarine hair. Ian Marcus. He had climbed up the hill unnoticed and aimed his sword, enveloped in a silver glow, towards them.
"You've worked hard till now."
After bidding them farewell,
The silver sword cleaved the air.
* * * * *
Dilia and Camilla, who were eliminated in an instant, left the battlefield according to the rules.
As the defeated students departed, the Eloden students shrugged nonchalantly.
"More mediocre than I expected."
"Yeah. Way too easy, isn't it?"
“I thought we'd be fighting for at least two hours, but it looks like it'll be over in less than one."
Scornful smiles crept across their faces.
As they chatted, one student suddenly furrowed his brow in puzzlement.
“But it is a bit strange."
“What do you mean?”
“They said Arsene also had an Expert, so why haven't they swapped him in yet?"
Now that it was pointed out, that was odd.
Despite the complete annihilation of their attack forces and the neat pushback of their defensive line, Ulan was still at the stronghold.
As everyone wondered about this, an unexpected voice provided the answer.
“It’s probably because of the student council.”
Eloden's student council president.
It was Theron Schlagen's voice. He crossed his arms and spoke in a blunt tone, “Just last night, a man claiming to be Arsene's Student Council President came to see me. He said he had a proposal regarding this mock battle."
“What was the proposal?"
It seemed like an interesting story.
Laurea showed her curiosity. Theron respectfully bowed his head as he replied, “He said he would cooperate with us to help us win the mock battle, and he asked us to arrange a place where he could meet alone with Laurea.”
"Me? Privately?"
Was it because of the sudden mention? Her eyes widened significantly.
Meanwhile, as soon as Theron finished speaking, the students around him erupted in anger.
"What an offer not even worth considering."
"How dare he regarding Lady Laurea..."
"So what did you say in response?"
"I refused, of course," Theron stated bluntly. “We're strong enough without resorting to such vile methods. However, separate from that proposal, it did seem there were internal issues."
If there were no problems, they likely wouldn't have made such an offer. Theron's answer seemed to provide some understanding, as the students nodded.
“Still, it’s a bit disappointing.”
"Yes, I wanted to see Arsene's Expert fight against Ian."
Battles between Experts were uncommon.
Even more so if they were students.
So the students had inwardly hoped to witness a clash between Ulan and Ian. But Ian's own thoughts were quite different.
“Personally, I'd prefer if it just ended like this."
"Hmm? Why is that?"
“Ah, could it be you lack confidence?"
When someone mockingly asked, Ian quickly nodded without a moment of hesitation, “If we fight, I will definitely lose.”
His instantaneous answer held no uncertainty.
Ian's brow furrowed as he continued, "That guy is a monster, you see."
"A m-monster?"
“Even with Senior Laurea's help, I can't win. No, I doubt all of us together would stand a chance."
After his resolute statement, he respectfully clasped his hands, “So I suggest you all start praying as well. Pray that the monster doesn't break free from the base before this mock battle ends."
Ulan absolutely must remain at the base.
This was the essential condition for Eloden's victory in this mock battle.
Their only real chance was for everyone to rush the base together while ignoring Ulan, and seize the flag.
After sharing this strategy, Eloden's attack force began their advance once more.
Towards the lone hut towering atop the hill -
Arsene's base.
End of Chapter. . . . . . . .Thanks for Reading. . . . . . . . .
Translator's Notes:-
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