The day of the drill part 2

"That's right, Your Highness. This barbarian has more than enough strength to

spare anyway," Steven chimed in. He stepped between Kyle and Eira to

increase the distance between them.

Kyle bowed once toward them before he walked away to wait for the signal of

their departure.

Eira looked towards Nathan watching all of this with a pleading look on her face. Nathan sighed once in annoyance and then said "It is too much wait to be carried by one person, Mr James. Let some other people carry some of it."

James was a little annoyed by this but followed it anyway. Later, Kyle's squad marched along an old road that stretched deep into the

forest. No matter how far they walked, there was nothing to see but dense,

overgrown vegetation. It was still before noon, but the air was dark and chilly

against their skin, filled with high-pitched bird chirps and beastly roars heard in

the distance. They startled Eira every time.

Every member of the squad was dressed in their uniform and armed with a

weapon, with the exception of Kyle, who also carried two additional packs. Even after Nathan distributed the duty of carrying supplies somewhat his burden was incomparably greater than theirs, yet they continued to walk

onwards without any consideration for him. Eira would occasionally turn back

to look worriedly at him — he took up the rear of the march — but Kyle showed

no sign of fatigue in his expression.

"Eyes ahead, Eira. Worry about your own stamina," Annora warned Eira,

who was fidgeting restlessly. She kept her voice low and true to the

concealment required for the drill.

"B-But sister, this is wrong. Why is he the only one..." Eira said with a look of

sadness. Annora's eyes widened by a fraction at the sight of her timid sister

raising an objection.

"He should be equipped with an artifact that enhances his physical abilities."

"But his essence and stamina can't last if he keeps it constantly activated. We

need to take more breaks, or take turns carrying the supplies..." Eira's concern

over Kyle's burden made Annora's expression darken.

"Have you forgotten what I told you before you enrolled into the academy?

To refrain from associating with him?"

"...I remember. That is why I have followed your words this entire time. But,

sister... I don't understand. Why is he always alone?"

"It is what it is," Annora replied simply.

"How can you..." Eira was taken aback.

Collete, who had been listening to their conversation as she walked alongside

them, appeared troubled. "In an environment like the Academy, needless

association with him will not be of any benefit to either party. This, I am sure he

is aware of."

"W-What are you saying, that can't be—"

"It is. Now stop this mindless chatter," Annora spoke over Eira. "We're

meant to be withdrawing from a war right now, so—"

"Monster!" James suddenly yelled. The entire squad tensed up.

Monsters. 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. The male students — all except Kyle

— reached for their swords at once and assumed their battle positions. The

female students raised their staves, primed and alert. Although they were in the

middle of a drill exercise, the battle about to begin was not an exercise.

It was undeniably real.

Monster encounters were an expected part of outdoor drills, however, so the

students remained calm and composed.

"No one panic! They're goblins, and there aren't many of them. Once the four

of you in the front guard raise your physical abilities with your artifacts, we'll

charge forward and crush the enemy." At Nathan's order, the James,Steven and two other boys in the

front started to chant at once.

Alkazama

The bracelet underneath their uniforms started to glow as the sorcery to

enchant their physical abilities was activated. The bracelets were a magical

artifact that acted as a starting point for the geometric spell formulae to appear

and wrap itself around the students.

Artifacts were activated by chanting the spell name in a similar way to magic,

but unlike the human body, which could store multiple formulae for magic,

artifacts were typically restricted to a single formula. This allowed incompatible

people who failed to form a formula contract the ability to use the artifact, but

the sorcery could only activate the way the bracelet was set to.

The four boys took off and closed in on the group of goblins — monsters that

took on the shape of small, hideous people. In no time at all, they had been

defeated.

Goblins were among the weakest monsters that existed; though the students

were only around twelve years old, the legitimate combat training they

received at the Academy, coupled with their ability-strengthening artifacts,

meant the goblins stood no chance. As the bodies of the goblins vanished, an

enchanted gem the size of a pebble was left behind

Well, that was nothing. It'd take a more formidable monster to stand a

chance against us," Steven said proudly. The easy victory seemed to have lifted

his mood.

"As expected, you can always rely on Steven. Unlike the useless thing over

there." James praised Steven pleasantly before turning his gaze to Kyle.

But Kyle was staring deeper into the forest and paying absolutely no attention

to James' words. That seemed to strike nerve.

"Hey, Kyle! The battle's over. Stop daydreaming or we'll leave you behind!"

James yelled.

"My sincere apologies," Kyle replied, tearing his eyes away from the forest

depths. They immediately resumed their march.

Meanwhile, deep within the forest where Kyle had been staring, a lone man

was hidden amongst the plant life.