CHAPTER 19: Outdoor Drill & Greed (Part 1)

CHAPTER 19: Outdoor Drill & Greed

(Part 1)

On the morning of the outdoor drill. Armed students clad in the uniform of the Royal Academy of Beltrum gathered in a mountain forest area northeast of the capital, two hours away via enchanted airship.

There were ten people in a squad, and Rio's squad is currently holding their pre-drill briefing.

"I will now read out the drill details." Alphonse Rodan said as he is chosen to be the commander and leader of Rio's squad. Other notable members include Roanna, Christina, Flora, and Stewart.

"This drill takes place during a hypothetical war where an enemy has invaded our kingdom. Our small squad was dispatched to stop the enemy's troops, but we must retreat from the battlefield by making our way through the mountain forest. To avoid our pursuers, speed and covertness are of the utmost importance." Alphonse opened the map in his hands as he explained

"The time limit is until sunset today. If we miss that deadline, we'll lose a lot of points. Then, the faster we arrive the better."

"And so, ladies and gentlemen, we will be arriving just after noon," Alphonse announced confidently.

"Just a moment, please," Roanna objected with a clouded expression as she found something fishy in Alphonse's confidence, which was supported by the uneasy feeling Rio told her earlier. "That might be possible if we assumed a straight route. However, this is the mountain forest — it should take much longer to traverse. Arriving in the afternoon shouldn't be possible."

"Worry not, Lady Roanna. I have already plotted out the shortest route using the old roads." The confident smile on Alphonse's face did not waver.

"...What are you implying? The exam location was only announced yesterday," Roanna said with an unhappy expression.

"One of my family's private soldiers is a former adventurer, you see. He just so happened to know this area well. There were several old shortcuts that I simply informed Alphonse of." Stewart, who had been listening silently until now, spoke up with a triumphant look.

"That's how it is... You could say information is everything in a war. Our grades have been essentially guaranteed with this," Alphonse said with a cheerful grin.

"Well, my personal belief is that this is underhanded and shameful." Roanna maintained her stern expression.

"I also find it unwise to trust information from such unknown sources," Christina added curtly. The words of the princess herself caused Alphonse's mood to darken slightly.

"You needn't worry about that, Your Highness. Comparing my map with this map here shows that my information is indeed authentic and very reliable," Stewart responded calmly in place of Alphonse, who had grown somewhat nervous.

Christina narrowed her eyes. "...If we wander onto the older roads, there will be a greater chance of encountering monsters and savage beasts. What are your thoughts on that?" she asked Alphonse.

"This area has undergone a safety check beforehand. The drill requires us to escape our enemy pursuers, so choosing to travel along the older roads makes sense," Alphonse offered hesitantly.

"I see. Fine. You're the commander of this squad, after all — I shall defer to you." Contrary to expectations, Christina backed down easily. She may have had her own opinions, but she wasn't about to challenge the decision of the commander, which is the most important thing taught in the royal academy.

Roanna did the same, even if she wanted to say more, but she didn't when Rio gestured for her to let it play.

"Leave it to me, Your Highness. I promise we shall obtain the highest score in our year," Alphonse stated respectfully with a sigh of relief.

[Rio's POV]

After that, the team moved on to the final checks of our formations and attack plans for monster encounters.

Unlike in the Light novel, Alphonse didn't try to mess with me, as one and a half years ago with the help of Celia. We have created amulets that can be used to store the formula of more than 50 different Sorceries.

Using these amulets eliminates the need to imprint formulas needed for the Sorcery inside the sorcerer's body, these amulets allow their owner to use any Sorcery imprint in them by just spelling their name.

And I, Celia, and Liselotte have been using these amulets to hide the fact that we can use spirit arts, and that our body rejects any imprinting of the sorcery formula in our body, as these amulets automatically imprint the formula in themselves, allowing us to avoid any suspicion.

Later, after checking the supply our squad marched along an old road that stretched deep into the forest. No matter how far we walked, there was nothing to see but dense, overgrown vegetation.

It was still before noon, but the air was dark and chilly against our skin, filled with high-pitched bird chirps and beastly roars heard in the distance. That startles Flora every time, which has resulted in her moving closer to Roanna, whose lips twitch on seeing how easily Flora is startled by the noise.

Seeing such an expression on Roanna's face made me want to tease her, but I controlled myself as there are still others around us, and I don't want to make her feel embarrassed.

Ten minutes later, just as Roanna was reaching the peak of her curiosity on seeing Flora stealing glances at me.

Alphonse, who was walking in the front, shouted, "Monster!", Making The entire squad tense up except me.

Monsters. according to what has been taught in the academy. The ecological details of these supernatural creatures were shrouded in mystery. They possessed a certain level of intelligence, but they were hostile towards everything except their kind. Their defining trait was the way their bodies disappeared upon death, leaving behind only a gemstone filled with magic essence — an enchanted gem.

On seeing monsters approaching, the male students, all except me, reached for their swords at once and assumed their respective battle positions.

The female students raised their staves, primed and alert. Although we are in the middle of a drill exercise, the battle about to begin was not an exercise. It is undeniably real.

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