Chapter 14
“What do you think?”
Austin whispered softly to Lucille beside him.
She seemed to catch what he meant, since her eyebrow twitched.
“It is about Joshua.”
“I know. Do you really have no sense? Did you seriously think I didn't get what you meant?”
Lucille shot back sharply.
Then she pushed back the hair that had fallen over her face.
“Answer quietly. Make sure the ones behind us cannot hear. What we are about to talk about is something those kids must not hear.”
Austin warned her to be careful.
She didn't like it, but she agreed it wasn't a topic to shout about.
“Your sister is right. That kid is exceptional. I mean his ability to respond to crises is outstanding.”
Five hours had passed since they left the dormitory.
They had gone through three battles on the way here, and Joshua had shone every time.
He cut down zombies and directed the boy beside him.
Even to Austin, who was a leader himself, his performance was impressive enough to make him want to emulate it.
“Once we finish scouting Triden Village, we might want to take him to the Tower.”
“Are you serious?”
“I am still half and half. Among all the students I have seen, I have never seen one this sharp. Including your sister.”
“If you are trying to tease me, quit it.”
Austin’s original plan had been like this.
He would sneak out of the dormitory at dawn with his younger sister, Tania Rainwood.
In the process he meant to take the food the students had secured.
He considered not killing them to be mercy.
Some groups, wary of future revenge, simply cut all potential roots ahead of time.
They showed no mercy even to students.
At least he believed they were keeping the bare minimum of conscience.
Yet that plan had never been put into action.
After he talked with Joshua in the middle of the night, his feelings had changed.
“You are overestimating that kid.”
“Maybe. If my judgment is wrong, I will take responsibility then, so don't worry.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means we use him as much as we can and throw him away.”
“You are saying you will stain your hands with blood again? I am telling you clearly, if you act on your own judgment like that one more time, I will not let it slide.”
Lucille thought back on what had happened on the way from the dormitory.
They had killed people.
It had been their mistake, born from not understanding the situation.
Austin had decided those people were raiders who were after weapons and armor.
He had little basis, yet no one had argued.
‘They were nothing.’
Austin had been wrong.
The blow to the unit was severe.
In the attack by the enraged villagers, they had lost a comrade.
And they had gained guilt.
“I am really not done being angry at you for that.”
“I apologized so many times, but I guess that's not enough. Anyway, from now on I will handle things properly, so try to look kindly on me.”
Austin shrugged his shoulders.
He quickly worked to change the subject.
“We are starting to see the bridge now.”
He pushed aside the brush blocking their view, and they saw the bridge off to the side.
Built over the river, it had probably served as the village’s entrance and exit, since a signboard was posted there.
“There are a lot.”
Austin let out a sigh.
There were more monsters on the bridge than they had faced on the way here.
His head throbbed.
When he turned his head, the comrades who had gathered at some point were waiting behind them.
Their faces, worn down by fatigue, were almost unrecognizable compared to when they had set out.
They had been on a forced march for five hours.
They had taken a few breaks along the way, but none had been real rest.
Since monsters could attack at any time, they rested with their gear on and leaned their bodies against rotten stumps, not soft chairs.
“If we don't intend to use that bridge, we will have to follow the road south. There is another path there. But it will take us several more hours to get there.”
Even in these grim circumstances, someone had already revised the plan.
Was it Lucille?
When he turned toward the voice, his gaze met Joshua’s.
Austin hesitated, unsure how to answer.
The comrades he needed to consult with were catching their breath in the shade behind them, and the one who had stepped forward was this boy.
“Are you made of iron? Are you not tired?”
“I am of course. I have blisters on my feet, it hurts every time I walk.”
“Then you can go rest. Look over there. Look at those adults, collapsed like that.”
“It doesn’t matter to me. The ones who still have stamina should be the ones to come up with a plan.”
“Ha, seriously.”
Austin’s body felt like lead, but Joshua’s attitude piqued his interest.
“Back to what we were just talking about. What about crossing the river instead of using the two paths you mentioned?”
“The river under the bridge is wide and deep. The current is not so strong that we cannot swim across, but we would have to abandon our gear. Including our armor and helmets.”
“That will not do. So there is nothing for it but a frontal assault on the bridge.”
Whichever path they chose, none guaranteed safety.
His chest tightened as he thought about having to assault that narrow span.
Would there be food at the end?
He had to risk his life for something that was no more than a possibility.
Grumbling inwardly, he sat down carelessly on the field.
When he tore off his gauntlets and boots, a foul stench spread.
His torn skin, left untreated, was starting to fester.
“Kgh.”
The wound hurt so badly that even a light touch with his finger was unbearable.
He felt light headed.
He downed a potion he had brought from the Tower before leaving.
The pain eased, but it wasn't a fundamental cure.
He needed rest.
If they kept marching like this, he might be on crutches for months, or they might have to cut away the damaged flesh.
He wanted to avoid that if at all possible.
In a disaster, there was nothing more fatal than being unable to move.
‘The destination is right in front of me.’
Triden Village was now just ahead.
The end of the mission that had lasted half a month.
They had to check whether there were still livestock and food inside.
Even if they came out empty handed, just knowing they had carried out their mission would make it feel worthwhile.
“How is it?”
Lucille came over.
She had taken off the chain mail that weighed on her and walked up in just her gambeson.
Her face looked livelier now that her load was lighter.
Austin considered copying her, then gave up.
“Not good. I talked it over with Joshua, and there is no option but to cross the bridge.”
“That will be hard.”
“We could always just go back. Say we went into the village and found nothing there.”
“If you wanted that, you should have done it from the start!”
Lucille’s anger flared.
Normally she would have responded calmly even to a joke like that.
But right now, she had no room to spare.
The knights had been moving too long and had stared into scenes where death writhed.
Their exhausted minds were starting to eat away at their bodies.
She thought to herself.
In this situation, being able to think ahead every time was its own kind of talent.
‘...Does that kid not get tired at all.’
Only one person in the group managed that.
Joshua Pallarion.
His gaunt face proved his stamina was draining, yet his eyes still shone with life.
Suddenly he swung his hand toward empty air.
As a mage, she saw at once what he was doing.
Magic.
Energy seeped from the boy’s whole body, glowing with a golden light.
She had never in her life seen a color so beautiful.
‘What is he trying to do?’
The energy slowly took form under Joshua’s will.
Like a master smith hammering steel one blow at a time, the shaped energy was carved down until it became a spear.
She gaped in amazement.
Forming shapes with mana wasn't a particularly difficult spell.
The line between master and novice was speed.
And Joshua’s technique went far beyond a Novice.
‘Even at a glance, that's seventh rank, Mithios level!’
He grasped the finished weapon in his hand.
“W-Wait.”
Joshua set himself to throw it somewhere, and Lucille called to him a moment too late.
It was already done.
The spear left the boy’s hand and cut through the sticky air.
He had no launcher, yet it flew with terrifying speed.
Ting! Ting!
“Hm?”
She was just starting to push herself to her feet.
A clear ringing sound, sharp enough to snap his hazy mind into focus, sounded multiple times.
She walked forward.
Then she shared the view the boy had been looking at.
“What happened?”
* * *
When you are exhausted, your judgment dulls and you can’t be creative.
A heavy body refuses to think.
I looked at the knights.
Their pale faces made them look like walking corpses.
Austin could not see ahead.
He was more worried about his body rotting away than the problems in front of them.
I could not blame him.
Austin seemed to have no spare attention for his surroundings.
The other two knights were the same.
I looked at the bridge.
I knew the terrain around Triden Village inside and out.
I also knew how to get in.
Leaving it to them would only waste time.
I gazed up at the sky.
Through the gloomy storm clouds, a faint bit of sunlight leaked.
It was still daytime.
We had to enter the village before night.
Once dark fell, human senses dulled, and in contrast they grew stronger.
Instead of trying to persuade the knights, I decided to drag them into my plan.
What I needed to target was the bell at the head of the bridge.
There was a bell hanging on a wooden frame in front of the bridge.
The bell signified that you were announcing yourself as a guest of the village.
It was an object that would never again serve its intended purpose.
I meant to break it.
In the game, it was a one time entrance ticket.
I formed a spear with mana.
The moment to throw it came at once, but I felt no pressure about failing.
Any physical shortcomings could be covered with mana.
I took my stance and threw the spear.
Lucille called something from behind me, but I ignored her.
Ting! Ting!
The bell struck by the spear swung widely side to side, chiming clear and bright.
That sound drew in the zombies that had been wandering nearby.
“We have to go now.”
I didn't need to explain more than that.
When I glanced back, the knights had already picked up the gear they had taken off and came up behind me.
Their eyes were lit up again.
They looked like people who had found hope in the middle of despair.
“You are not the leader. You cannot just pull stunts like that.”
Austin shouted.
“So are you going to waste this chance then? Stop talking and just follow me.”
“What! Hey, wait.”
I ran for the bridge with everything I had.
I heard footsteps behind me.
The three knights easily passed me and pushed onto the bridge.
There were still a few monsters left on the span, but the knights didn't hesitate.
They drew their swords.
Each blink, a monster screamed and fell.
It was merciless sword work.
Even in wretched conditions, their skill as members of the knight order was far above that of any student.
Talleon was so captivated by their technique that he forgot to swing his own sword.
“Lucille, Zenit.”
Austin signaled to the two of them.
He stretched his index and ring fingers straight ahead, then flicked his wrist.
It meant to scatter.
[Clever] told me what frame of mind his decision came from.
‘He plans to find the supplies first and keep them for himself.’
We had accompanied them as far as the village, but they still didn't see us as part of the same group.
They didn't want to give us any leverage.
Survival of the fittest.
I smiled as I recalled the phrase I had almost forgotten.
He didn't know.
I was already considering Austin an enemy.
‘It is dangerous to stay under him. He is the type who will use us as bait and do anything if he has to.’
Inside the village, I had several ways to deal with knights.
I thought through what I needed to do.
I had to remove him.
For a moment I weighed the weight of that choice.
I didn't hesitate for long.
A boy called to me.
“Sir Joshua, we are getting farther away from them.”
Talleon spoke in a voice tinged with worry.
“It looks like they intend to split up and search.”
“Then what should we do? I think we should follow Austin.”
“No. We are not going to follow any of those three.”
Talleon’s eyes went wide.
I didn't know what exactly he imagined, but his body flinched.
“Come with me. We are going to act separately from them.”