30 Years Have Passed Since the Prologue - Chapter 42



42 – 9. Assault always happens during Academy field trips. (6)

*

Oscar leaned against the wall, a knife stuck into the ground.

“Absolutely unbelievable.”

Wiping the blood trickling down his forehead, he scanned the area. Nothing in sight.

Forests were naturally dark. Particularly the Freichenkaya forest, ominously dark to the point of obscurity even in broad daylight.

So, buried beneath the soil under such a forest, naturally, finding a light source would be difficult. He could comprehend that much. But…

“Why would there be caves underground in a forest? This insane realm…”

Oscar chuckled, lifting the knife. One leg shattered from the impact. He could hobble against the wall, but even that was not easy.

“Should I wait until reinforcements arrive?”

He was a student. Naturally, rescue teams would follow for such a major accident during a class.

Moreover, he had three more beads on him. They were said to be magical devices with location-tracking functions.

Therefore, unless there was a significant problem, staying put here would be the safest choice, but…

“Did those brats manage to escape?”

That was the issue. Having three beads meant, at least, two of the guys had been robbed of theirs.

He’d taken down two classmates and seized their beads. It was part of the test, unavoidable, but now that things had turned out like this, it was disconcerting. Was it a snatch of the location tracker?

If those guys were buried under this soil, they wouldn’t be rescued.

Oscar sighed. The pain emanating from his broken leg was excruciating. But,

“I have to save them.”

He wiped away the blood and opened his eyes. Green irises sparkled in the darkness.

I have to save them.

Is it because of duty? Because he’s a noble? The hero of the Knights’ Party, the son of Jil Ver?

No.

Because he’s a knight.

Tilless’s knights do not abandon the weak in the face of adversity.

He recalled what he had learned from his father, a homeland defender since childhood.

*

“aaah!! Help us!! There’s no one here!!”

“Help us!! We’re trapped here!!”

It’s noisy. Ivan clicked his tongue and walked along the corridor.

In a corridor with extremely limited visibility, when one sense organ is blocked, hearing naturally amplifies.

Therefore, shouting in the corridor is forbidden, especially if it’s a front line.

It serves as an excellent signpost for enemies beyond the corridor, and screams echoing off the corridor walls distort the sense of direction in all directions.

If you lose your way like that, fear increases. Humans are not made to live in the dark.

Untrained individuals panic in such situations. They scream again, losing their sense of direction. The vicious cycle continues.

-Click.

Ivan listened to the screams, pulled out his gun, and moved with closed eyes.

One step. Another step.

Not rushing, but not leisurely either.

Measured steps as if precisely taken with a ruler. Straight ahead.

Counting all the steps he had taken, his stride was exactly 86cm. So, if you count the steps he took, you can draw his path on a mental map from the entry point.

Special forces officers must master field triangulation along with guerrilla warfare.

Oscar’s last known location, where Isabelle was, where he leaped down.

By accurately depicting these three points without error, even in the maze-like corridors, he could always move confidently.

“Help us!!”

The screams are close. Holding the gun, he aimed around waist height and moved forward.

Considering the average height of a dwarf, it would hit just about the head. Of course, aiming for the head with a gun wouldn’t kill a dwarf.

They’re damn tough.

“Is anyone there?”

“Here! I’m here!”

“What’s your name?”

“Patrick! But does it matter!?”

Not really.

Ivan chuckled at the voice echoing from the end of the corridor.

That awkward way of speaking, a dwarf. They were searching the corridors for their target.

He felt them moving away upon hearing the distressed voice. Well, not all students were the target, it seemed.

“Lucky break.”

Patrick survived because he revealed his name first. The dwarves in the corridor were probably looking for Oscar or Isabelle.

Enrique was in this area. Hence, they couldn’t linger for long. Fighting Enrique in the corridors was the worst suicide plan, especially with vampires having heightened night vision.

So, those two students wouldn’t be killed by the dwarves, at least.

“Where are you going? Where are you?! Help me!”

“Shh. Quiet.”

Ivan approached the shouting student and firmly covered the kid’s mouth. He could feel the gasp for air, the sweaty dampness, tears, and bodily fluids under his palm.

Ivan tapped the kid’s shoulder gently and whispered.

“The ones who asked for your name are the ones who sold this burrow.”

“Ugh?!”

“Yeah. You were close to death. So, stay quiet.”

“Ugh…! W-Who are you, sir?”

“Rescue team. Now, hush. Do you have a bead?”

“Oscar took it from me!”

Well, it couldn’t be easy.

Ivan sighed and asked.

“Is Oscar nearby?”

“Yes, after we lost to Oscar, the floor collapsed almost immediately…”

“Can you walk?”

From Noble mtl dot com

“Yes, yes!”

“Take this.”

Ivan pulled out a bead from his waist and handed it to the student.

“In that direction, about 10 meters… At least if you walk that far, you should be able to see the sky. Go up there and wait for rescue. Enrique will find you soon.”

“T-Thank you!”

“Quiet. The enemy is still nearby.”

Ivan patted the guy’s shoulder a couple of times and moved on.

*

“What’s your name?”

“Patrick!! No, is that important right now?!”

Alright. He’s a rescue team member.

Good. If I stick with him, we can get out of here together.

Luckily, both of them seem to be alive. A sigh of relief.

Oscar exhaled and staggered forward. About to shout for rescue, he suddenly closed his mouth.

Something’s strange…?

‘Asking for the name… and then silence.’

There’s no reason to whisper. If there were other students nearby, it would be better to make a loud noise to alert the rescue team.

So, the sudden silence is suspicious. Oscar’s instinct sounded the alarm.

“Again! Is there anyone else?! Are there no other survivors?!”

“….”

Oscar swallowed his saliva and listened carefully.

After that guy’s shout, the voices of the two students stopped abruptly.

One assumption popped into Oscar’s mind.

– If having a cave like this underground in the Frechenka Forest is not normal.

Come to think of it, the walls are too even for a cave. If this is not normal, if someone has been digging a tunnel and setting up traps?

Then, the guy shouting loudly as if rescuing students…

‘Enemy.’

Oscar grimaced. Fighting an unknown enemy in the deep darkness where nothing is visible is foolish.

Especially with one leg broken.

‘Just waiting might be better.’

Anyway, he has a location-tracking magic device on him. As long as Enrique is around, the rescue team will arrive soon. Just wait until then.

Oscar gritted his teeth and tightly gripped his knife.

“Hey!! Help!! Save me!!”

“Who’s that student!?”

From deep within the cave, the sound of shouting echoed once more.

Another survivor was screaming.

Troublesome.

Oscar brushed off his spot and stood up. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes tightly, and hesitated a few times before finally opening them.

He shouted, “Oscar, son of Jil Ver, defender of Tiless, is here!”

Predictable. If they were cunning enough to set up a trap like this, they would undoubtedly be aiming for a high-value target.

In the Prichenkaya Forest, the most valuable target is none other than himself.

Sure, there’s Isabelle too, but it’s hard to argue that she holds higher value. After all, her father is missing, and his own father is currently the Duke of Tiless.

If they were to kidnap someone, it would be better to kidnap the Duke’s son. Even if the opponent is not the kidnapper, it’s the same. A knight, Maximilian, has incurred much more resentment than his father.

So, the likelihood that the opponent’s goal is him is very high. It was suspicious from the beginning when they were asking about the students’ names.

“Found you.”

A low voice echoed. Oscar clenched his teeth and raised his sword.

Is this the right thing to do?

Well, who would know if he didn’t try such a thing risking his life? Who would appreciate it?

“I appreciate myself.”

Good deeds should only be a beacon for oneself.

The highest virtue of goodness is self-sacrifice unrelated to the recognition of others.

Tiless’s knights never abandon the weak in the face of adversity.

Oscar bit into this thought and held the sword upright.

*

“Ivan kept his son well.”

Ivan chuckled as he watched the scene.

He slowly moved his steps, raising the pistol.

Step by step. Not rushing, but not leisurely either. Matching the exact pace, counting each step.

With the gun raised, the aiming line at waist level.

Listening to the heavy footsteps, calculating the stride to infer the height, adjusting the aiming line.

Waiting for the audible footsteps to reach the effective shooting distance.

Identifying Oscar’s position and sweeping the sightline. Head-on.

Aim, hold your breath, and.

Fire.

-Boom—!!

*