A rustling sound.
A presence felt beyond the bushes.
Not only I but the others heard it too, and we immediately assumed battle stances.
“Could it be… another monster?”
We had just finished dealing with the creatures swarming us.
In the process, Minerva was injured, weakening our fighting strength, and we had no means of escape.
But fortunately, amidst the suffocating tension…
“…Theo?”
It was Sylvia, drenched in blood.
“Phew…”
Upon confirming the presence was Sylvia, everyone, including myself, sighed in relief.
“It’s a relief, but why is Sylvia here?”
She should currently be dealing with the chaos caused by the sudden appearance of a mutant.
Normally, this is an event where Ian is supposed to save her.
However, since the protagonist’s group changed, I gave her a small hint before class began to prevent possible danger.
I told her to call the faculty immediately using the communication orb if anything happened.
So by now, she should be repelling the mutant with the faculty who received her report…
“Could it be because of that?”
The monster pheromone I scattered on Ian.
Could it have affected the mutant too?
“No way the range is that wide, right?”
This place is several kilometers away from where the mutant appeared, a distance that takes over two hours to walk without interruption.
“Phew, Sylvia, how are you even here?”
Kanua, also puzzled, put down his tightly gripped greatsword and approached her to ask.
“I ended up here while chasing a monster.”
“You abandoned your team for that?”
“Mind your own business. They’re safe.”
Sylvia answered curtly, turned her head, and walked straight toward me.
“Theo, are you hurt anywhere?”
“Uh… not really.”
For me, Ian and Kanua handled everything, so I had no reason to get hurt.
Minerva’s injury was just a result of slight carelessness.
Had she stayed alert, she wouldn’t have been hurt.
“You look worse off. This isn’t your blood, is it?”
“No, it’s all from the monsters.”
Aside from a few splatters, I was relatively clean.
Sylvia, on the other hand, was drenched, her once white, flowing hair now stained red, with scratches all over her body.
“Theo, I’ve got a bad feeling. Let’s get out of here quickly.”
Staying in a place with this much blood was dangerous, pheromones or not.
We quickly gathered Minerva and decided to leave the forest of monsters.
“…Ah…”
Minerva groaned weakly as if trapped in a nightmare, her body writhing.
Her condition was visibly dire.
“This is worse than I thought. I’ve performed emergency treatment with potions, but she needs proper care…”
“Let’s focus on getting out of here first.”
“Yeah… that’s the best option.”
Kanua seemed deeply guilty about Minerva’s injury.
Even though they were all students, he probably blamed himself for letting his guard down.
“It’s oddly guilt-inducing for me too.”
If I traced it back, the cause was me.
In the 30 minutes we moved, the number of monsters we encountered was fewer than expected.
“Did Sylvia take care of them on her way here?”
“No, the numbers are too great for that.”
Sylvia, ranked second in overall academics and first in practical skills, was incredibly skilled, but she was still a student.
Although she’d later earn the title of Iron-Blooded Knight, she was far from reaching that level now.
Given the time, she could’ve only defeated around ten monsters.
“The end of the pheromone’s effect is the most hopeful assumption right now.”
Assuming the pheromone’s effect had worn off and monsters weren’t drawn to us was the best-case scenario.
Otherwise…
“There might be a mutant nearby.”
For now, I decided to avoid considering worst-case scenarios.
“Ugh…”
“If it’s too much, why don’t you switch with someone?”
“I’m fine. I have to do this…”
I decided to carry the injured Minerva.
Of course, no one forced me; I volunteered.
“To eliminate even a bit of uncertainty.”
From both an objective and subjective perspective, I was the weakest, so it was the inevitable choice.
Just when I thought things might go smoothly for a while:
“…Prepare for battle.”
A new group of monsters appeared.
With sleek gray fur and thick, sharp fangs, they were rank 5 beasts.
“It’s a Giant Wolf! Retreat!”
There were about five of them.
Since there didn’t seem to be a leader, they could probably be dealt with quickly.
“Theo, fall back.”
Kanua and Sylvia coordinated their attacks.
The combination of Kanua’s heavy, rough swings and Sylvia’s fast, precise strikes was impressive.
Even without prior planning, they naturally covered each other’s gaps.
For me, it was hard just to follow their speed with my eyes.
In no time, they dealt with the beasts, and Kanua turned and shouted:
“Giant Wolves without a leader are scouts! They might swarm us—run ahead!”
Giant Wolves are rank 5 beasts.
But that’s only for individual ones.
When in a pack, their strength rivals rank 4.
Without hesitation, I dashed forward at Kanua’s command, with Sylvia and Ian following close behind.
We cut through the forest path at full speed.
But before long, Sylvia grabbed my collar.
“Theo. You can stop running now.”
“…Damn it.”
Though I had run as hard as I could, we were already surrounded by Giant Wolves.
As I began contemplating how to break through the encirclement.
Tatatatak!
“This crazy…!”
“Ian! Get back here immediately!”
Ian rushed toward the beasts without a word.
Both Kanua and I were stunned by his reckless move, while Sylvia’s expression remained unreadable, as if lost in thought.
‘What the hell is that lunatic thinking?’
Surely, he wasn’t foolish enough to believe he could take on all those beasts alone.
Nor did it seem like he was driven by some noble sense of sacrifice.
“Kanua.”
“What is it?”
“Protect Theonar. I’ll handle this.”
“Sylvia, no matter who you are, you can’t just order me around—”
“Shut up and do as I say if you don’t want to die.”
Sylvia’s icy, even chilling demeanor.
She entrusted Kanua with me and Minerva, then muttered something under her breath, almost like a whisper, before charging toward Ian and the beasts.
***
‘…She’s insane.’
Her movements were stunningly beautiful yet terrifyingly precise.
Her accuracy and ruthlessness as she closed in on the enemies in an instant were breathtaking.
Even Ian couldn’t help but be surprised as he watched her.
The Imperial Academy, the most prestigious institution, where Ian had enrolled with the ambitious goal of seeking revenge.
He had kept his noble status hidden but never his skills.
Confident in his abilities, he had claimed the top position and tested the other students’ strength.
Arrogance, perhaps, but one supported by genuine capability.
And yet…
“Your swordplay is too predictable.”
One late night, a girl with white hair appeared out of nowhere.
And utterly defeated him.
“It wasn’t even visible to my eyes.
And there was no way to do anything about it.
It was so overwhelming that I didn’t even feel inferior or angry.
I was just curious.
How far apart were we?
‘Are you still going?”
‘Hmph that’s obvious.’
We clashed and tested our limits until the break of dawn.
But the result was, of course, defeat.
Unlike me, battered and bruised, she didn’t have a single scratch.
‘Don’t slack off on your training. With your current level, you can’t protect him.’
Right before I lost consciousness, she left with those cryptic words.
Later, I suffered a minor incident, losing to other students in a duel due to my injuries, but none of that mattered anymore.
‘I might actually get to see her true skills.’
Being surrounded by beasts?
Breaking formation by charging out?
None of it meant anything.
If she were to get serious, this would be nothing to her.
***
“Geez, no matter how many I kill, they just keep coming.”
With two of them charging ahead, there was no way to run.
It was hard for Kanua to defend in all directions alone, so I set Minerva down and drew my sword.
‘A bit of a waste, but I need it to survive.’
[Althia Swordsmanship]
[The royal swordsmanship of the long-destroyed Althia Kingdom]
[EXP 15,000]
‘Damn, that’s expensive.’
Artheia Swordsmanship, which had only briefly appeared in the original story.
I hadn’t expected much since it was just a footnote when explaining other techniques, but it turned out to be surprisingly useful.
The knowledge engraved itself into my mind as soon as I purchased it from the shop.
Though it took some time to put it into action, it was enough to handle the beasts.
“… Have I gotten better?”
“Well, you could say that.”
Kanua gave me a meaningful look.
I understood his feelings.
The guy who had flailed like a balloon doll suddenly changed.
“Should we go help… huh?”
I expected Ian and Sylvia to be barely holding back the beasts in front.
That’s why I was ready to burn through my EXP to assist them.
I couldn’t afford to die here.
But…
‘How did they almost finish them off?’
Even at a glance, the number of beasts had significantly decreased.
Now, only a few remained, including the leader.
‘How did they almost finish them off?’
Even at a glance, the number of beasts had significantly
decreased.
Now, only a few remained, including the leader.
“How…?”
“Look up.”
At Kanua’s words, I lifted my head.
There, Sylvia slashed down the leader with a single strike.
“Haha…”
Her skills rendered not only Kanua but also Ian, the protagonist, into mere background characters.
I couldn’t help but chuckle in disbelief.
I had my doubts before.
‘I thought I had reached some conclusions.’
I had brushed off the matter for too long, wrapped up in my own thoughts.
But now, there was no more avoiding it or backing down.