Chapter 19 | The Assassin Searches
The army of monsters was drawing ever nearer, and the academy was understandably in an uproar.
Nearly all the students had gathered in the dining hall. The only ones not there were Epona and the top upperclassmen. One of the most prominent teams was already moving to intercept.
A professor went up on stage and began to speak.
“Everyone, I have gathered you all here for one reason. A force of monsters is currently targeting this academy. Hundreds of enemies are approaching from every way but the south, and their numbers are still increasing. It is a mixed force of orcs and goblins… There is almost certainly a demon among them.”
That much was obvious. Monsters couldn’t teleport, after all. Only the presence of a high-ranking demon capable of producing and commanding the creatures could explain the sudden appearance of an army.
“We have requested a dispatch of knights from the Royal Order, but it will take them at least half a day to get here. Unfortunately, our foes are nearly at our gates. This means we’ll have to do what we can with our current personnel.”
Help arriving in twelve hours was wishful thinking. The academy was already a stronghold and usually served the role of dispatching military strength. What’s more, if the school was under siege, then the royal capital was likely in danger as well. It seemed highly unlikely that any help would be coming for us when the kingdom’s rulers could be in peril.
“Students, steel yourselves. There is nowhere to run. This will be an all-out battle with no escape. Those who don’t have the strength to engage, find a different way to contribute. We can’t win unless everyone gives their all.”
A silence hung over the dining hall. Many of the first-years were trembling. It was hard to blame them, since they had suddenly been hurled into such a deadly situation.
The professor went on to explain that students were to act in groups. Each one would consist of five to ten underclassmen and one leading upperclassman.
The discovery of the demon was to be reported right away. Engaging with it was strictly forbidden. Only the hero was capable of killing one.
Groups were formed, and students gathered around their leaders—with a few exceptions.
“Unbelievable. We’re the only ones who don’t get the protection of an upperclassman,” I said with a little laugh.
Unlike other teams, Dia, Tarte, Naoise, and I were operating as our usual group, minus Epona.
“Personally, I don’t mind. The faculty probably feels they need to keep the most capable students together, and I think it’ll be easier this way,” replied Naoise. He was half bluffing with that statement. He’d lost his confidence in the battle the other day, and it was clearly still troubling him.
The upperclassmen had already received their orders. After relaying the instructions to their charges, they moved out.
My group was the only one left in the dining hall. No one had given us our assignment yet.
A professor walked up to us.
“I have a special mission for the four of you. I couldn’t say this in front of the regular students, but our defeat will be certain if this becomes a war of attrition. That means the hero is our only hope.”
Epona was an untiring machine of slaughter, but she could only be in one place at a time. Our enemies were marching on our door from every direction but the south, where the capital lay. There was undoubtedly no end to the monsters’ reinforcements. At best, an ordinary student could only keep up the fight for a few hours. Any group defending the academy without Epona’s help was sure to fall.
None of this was a coincidence. The demon had crafted its strategy to ensure this would happen.
“We only see one way to achieve victory. Before our defenses fail, the demon must be located, and the hero must kill it. As such, your mission is to find the demon,” the professor declared.
It was our only option. Stopping the demon would halt the supply of monsters.
I looked to Dia, Tarte, and Naoise, and we all nodded in acceptance.
“Understood. Professor, we will defend the academy and make finding the demon our number one priority,” I said.
“I’m counting on you.”
That team made entirely of upper-level students had probably been given the same mission.
We were stationed on the eastern side. Epona was defending the north. That was where most of the monsters were approaching. The rest of the academy’s strength had been divided evenly between the other two directions.
No enemies were approaching from the south, likely because the demon knew the royal capital would dispatch troops if they pressed in from that direction.
The capital wasn’t going to risk sending help when it needed to defend itself. Any hostile force between it and the academy could spur its knights into action, however. If the demons understood that much, it was clear they had a firm grasp of human thinking.
Two lines of defense had been established on the eastern side.
The first sat a reasonable distance ahead of the second and consisted only of upper-level students fighting furiously. They were skilled combatants, clearly at a level where they could’ve entered the Royal Order.
The senior students weren’t worrying about any monsters that managed to get by them. Instead, they focused on preserving their physical and mental stamina by trying not to overexert themselves. Any foes that broke past were dealt with by the second line of defense. It was comprised of younger students under the command of older ones.
They were performing very well in that formation. The upperclassmen were making great use of the inexperienced lowerclassmen, giving clear orders and only asking them to do things they were capable of.
“Wow, the senior students really are so reliable,” said an impressed Dia as she fired spells from behind the second line.
The upperclassmen weren’t just giving orders; they were providing support when necessary, too.
Dia, Tarte, Naoise, and I were fighting on the second line. After observing the situation, I had a pretty good idea of what was going on.
We should go ahead and move.
“Naoise, Dia, Tarte, let’s move up to the front line. We’re going to look for the demon using the method we discussed earlier,” I declared.
To pinpoint the location of the demon, we had to get to the front of the battle. That meant we’d be in greater danger, however.
“Okay, let’s go,” said Tarte.
“We need to do our part to help Epona,” responded Dia.
“I’d look like quite the cad if I backed down after hearing Dia and Tarte say such things. I’ll go, too… Following you seems like the best option anyway,” Naoise agreed.
These are reliable companions. With them by my side, fighting will be no problem.
Things were raging up on the front lines.
…These monsters are even stronger than the orcs from last time.
I used mana to enhance my physical strength. I usually increased my power to a level that matched a regular mage, but this time I pushed it to the very limits of what an average mage should’ve been capable of.
“Tarte, have you mastered both eyes yet?” I asked.
“Of course. I won’t fail like I did before. How about you, Lady Dia?”
“…I’m doing okay, too. I have them under control.”
I’d been worried about the side effects of their Tuatha Dé eyes. But Tarte had adapted to them, and Dia was an expert at mana control. I had no real cause for concern.
The four of us fought without any problems, even at the forefront of the battle. We weren’t any less skilled than the upperclassmen. If anything, we were better.
Our joining with the older students immediately shifted the battle’s tide on the eastern side to our favor. Many of our seniors turned to us and offered praise.
“I’d heard there were some real standouts among the first-years. You guys are terrific. Keep it up!”
“Thank you. Your support makes fighting a breeze,” I answered.
“Ha-ha-ha, protecting younger students is the duty of an upperclassman. But can you really keep fighting at that pace?”
As he said, my group was fighting with all our might. We weren’t pacing ourselves at all.
“Preserving our strength isn’t our goal. Our mission is to pinpoint the location of the demon, and we’re doing what we need to do to accomplish that,” I explained.
“So you’re hunting the leader… Hey, Granz, Bachal, Reina. Fight full strength for five minutes to help out these underclassmen! Given the current flow and momentum of the enemy, it will probably take another ten minutes.”
“Roger.”
“I’d thought about searching for the demon, too, but I never would’ve thought some younger students would be the ones to do it.”
“You guys are impressive for a group of first-years. Leave this to us.”
The upperclassmen stopped holding back and began to rip into the monsters with incredible force.
I’d barely said anything, and they’d figured out my entire plan. They truly were the best the academy had to offer.
Two hours passed, and the battle didn’t show any signs of slowing down.
The situation had been getting steadily worse all the while. Injuries were starting to pile up. The wounded would retreat from the battle, but that only put a more significant burden on those still fighting, which meant more casualties. No one could afford to make a single mistake or take a moment to rest.
The enemy was too strong, and their numbers were also great. Until we found the demon and alerted Epona to its location, we didn’t stand a chance of winning.
We can’t put it off any longer. The academy is lost unless we act now.
I’d already ordered Dia and Tarte to fight without holding back. I was also using my Rapid Recovery to kill monsters at a fast rate. That was part of the plan to locate the demon.
Wherever it was, the creature was producing a steady stream of monsters. Killing them wasn’t going to reduce their numbers. But thinking about this situation logically, what we were doing was the best way to pinpoint its location.
There was a good chance there was only one demon producing monsters. Any creatures it summoned were marching toward the academy from the demon’s location. We merely had to follow the path of monsters to find the one in charge.
I’d been searching for that course while fighting.
The enemy wasn’t stupid. They were taking precautions to conceal their location. To draw them out, I decided to create a situation that would force the demon to make a large number of monsters quickly. As such, my team was devoting itself to slaying as many orcs and goblins as we could.
My plan paid off almost immediately. Our target was summoning up new troops faster than they could cover their tracks. The road to the demon was now clear.
“Tarte, Dia, Naoise. I’m going to seek out the demon. Once I find it, I’ll send up the signal. You three stay here and support the front line,” I instructed.
“No, you can’t go alone, my lord. It’s too dangerous,” protested Tarte.
“I can only accomplish this alone. Tracking the enemy requires the skill of my primary profession,” I stated.
To find the demon, I would have to charge headfirst into the opposing army and slip behind enemy lines. Naturally, fighting through every monster on the way would’ve been impossible.
My experience as an assassin told me it was better that I took on this challenge alone.
“I can’t believe I’m getting left behind again, but I’ll protect the academy so you have somewhere to return to, my lord,” Tarte agreed.
“I’ll be angry if you come back hurt,” Dia chided.
“You can count on me. By the way, I know this isn’t the best time, but could you both kiss me for good luck? It turns out I’m feeling a little scared at the thought of charging into their army,” I said.
“Yes, of course.”
“You’re hopeless, Lugh.”
I kissed both Tarte and Dia, replenishing their mana in the process.
Being nervous had just been an excuse. The two girls had been pushing themselves very hard and had exhausted much of their magical power. A few pecks disguised as gestures of good fortune were all it took to bring them back to full capacity.
I admittedly felt strange kissing in the middle of a battlefield, but it was preferable to leaving Tarte and Dia low on mana.
“All right, I’m off.”
“Good luck!”
“When you come back, let’s have a normal kiss, okay?”
I smiled at the girls, then took a deep breath and took off at a run. I hurried forward into the enemy army, darting between the monsters.
Suddenly, I found myself struck by a sense of curiosity.
I wonder what sort of creature the demon is.
No Comments Yet
Post a new comment
Register or Login