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Chapter 29
Taking Them Down Simultaneously (1)
“Brother Gort, I heard that Ernas has returned to Black Class 6.”
“Really?”
“Yes, I just heard it from the instructor.”
Hearing his subordinate’s words, Gort put down the dumbbell he had been holding.
Wiping the sweat from his forehead with his bare hand, he perched himself on a nearby piece of exercise equipment.
“I wish he had just been locked up in the punishment cell until he croaked.”
He spoke with a harshness unbefitting the son of a noble family.
But those around him were accustomed to this side of Gort, so they showed little reaction.
“What happened with that story about being attacked by an assassin?”
“It seems to be true. They said Ernas repelled it.”
“Ernas repelled an assassin skilled enough to infiltrate the Academy…”
“The punishment cell is at the northern edge of the Academy, so it’s easier to infiltrate than other places.”
“Still, it’s suspicious that that pathetic guy managed to fend off an assassin.”
Gort muttered to himself, crossing his arms.
“Sure enough, there’s something about him.”
“I thought you were underestimating Ernas, Brother Gort…”
“Don’t get me wrong. I still think that guy is a pathetic coward.”
Gort had always looked down on Ernas.
He had even once suggested a duel, but Ernas had refused, giving some excuse.
Apparently, other children of noble families had had similar experiences.
“If I face that guy, I can crush him. Don’t worry.”
“Ooooh…!”
“As expected of Brother Gort!”
Receiving praise from his followers, Gort continued speaking.
“But since we’re doing this, we might as well crush him thoroughly and perfectly.”
Gort underestimated Ernas, but he had no intention of being careless.
He planned to exert all his strength from the start and overwhelm him with sheer power.
“Seeing that, Serine will be completely disappointed in Ernas.”
He muttered this, feeling slightly annoyed.
Gort had thought Serine genuinely disliked Ernas.
But upon observing her recently, he realized she seemed to trust Ernas deeply.
“Damn it, even after breaking off the engagement, I still don’t understand what’s going on.”
“Huh?”
“Nothing.”
Gort shrugged.
“Anyway… are you ready?”
“Yes, of course.”
One of his subordinates brought out a small-framed male student.
The boy looked at Gort with a stiff, serious expression.
“G-Gort…”
“Oh, I’m really grateful.”
Gort bowed dramatically.
“You’re willing to give me your precious Elixir?”
“…”
The boy held a vial containing a red liquid— the red Elixir received after passing the first test.
While other students drank their Elixirs immediately, he had kept his without consuming it.
There were a few students like him in Yellow Class 3.
“Brother Gort, as promised, our family—”
“Don’t worry. I’ll tell my father everything.”
“Understood.”
The boy handed over the Elixir with a determined expression.
Gort smiled, took the vial, and drank it without hesitation.
“Phew… I wish I could just gulp it all at once. Having to sip it in intervals over several days is so frustrating.”
“Brother Gort, drinking several vials at once could cause a magical overflow—”
“I know. I’m just saying.”
Gort tossed the empty vial aside and sat cross-legged on the ground.
“I’ll circulate the mana; keep watch.”
“Yes, Brother Gort!”
Closing his eyes, Gort began circulating the mana within his body.
His mana heart already contained a large reserve of magic.
He had accumulated it by receiving Elixirs “conceded” by other students.
In terms of raw magical power, he likely had the largest amount among the Academy’s freshmen.
“Damn, still, the efficiency is terrible.”
While absorbing the Elixir’s magic, he clicked his tongue.
Because his ability to control magic had not improved, the Elixir’s mana couldn’t properly settle into his mana heart.
“I need to reach enlightenment to enter the Graduate lower tier, but it’s impossible right now.”
Advancing to the lower Graduate tier is extremely difficult.
Even if one forcibly increases their magical power with Elixirs, without the corresponding enlightenment, it’s useless.
Any forcibly increased mana will eventually leak out of the body over time.
“Still, this is better than just drinking two vials normally.”
He needed to secure as much magical power as possible to enhance the strength of his attacks.
Later, he would have to face the “prodigy” of Blue Class 2, and this would be his only weapon.
“First… I’ll show Ernas my strength.”
Whether Ernas had been hiding his power or suddenly became stronger after coming to the Academy didn’t matter.
Gort planned to crush him with overwhelming force.
Using Veris Riese to corner Ernas, he would finish him in one strike.
“In showing my true power, I’ll rise to the top of the Academy.”
Forcing the mana into his mana heart, Gort smiled.
Finally, the day of the siege battle arrived.
As during the inter-class competition, professors watched as students from each class arrived.
However, students from different classes didn’t meet each other.
The entrances to the arena were separate.
“If it’s like in the novel, Black Class 6’s position forms a triangle with Yellow Class 3 and Green Class 4.”
I surveyed the area while climbing the mountain path.
Our position was at the northern edge, with Yellow Class 3 to the east and Green Class 4 to the southeast.
“Gort and Veris Riese probably already know this info, and they must have planned to jointly attack Black Class 6.”
Meanwhile, Red Class 1, Blue Class 2, and White Class 5 were clustered to the southwest, perfect for fighting among themselves.
Having lost Lester, White Class 5 would be the first target, followed by the battle between Red 1 and Blue 2.
According to the novel, their fight shouldn’t affect us, but we can’t afford to be careless.
“Chloe, pick the fast ones and station scouts in that direction.”
“Yes, understood.”
Serine issued orders even before I spoke, realizing the southwest also needed monitoring.
“If Serine commands and Chloe assists, I can focus solely on the attack.”
Gort of Yellow 3 and Veris Riese of Green 4—two heirs of swordsmanship families—were my targets today.
The evaluation method for the siege battle differed from the inter-class competition.
Each base had four flags, and points were deducted whenever a flag was broken. Flags deeper within the base were worth more.
Conversely, breaking enemy flags earned points.
To score high, we had to defend our base while destroying the enemy’s.
“The Black Class 6 flags are split with Yellow 3. We only fight Yellow 3 after fully subduing Black 6, so don’t clash with them yet.”
“Yes, Lady Veris Riese!”
Because of Veris Riese’s personal preference, her subordinates were all noble girls, unlike Gort, who brought only muscular young men.
“Black Class 6 will know we’re going to jointly attack. They’ll adopt a defensive strategy.”
“…”
“It won’t matter. Black 6 hasn’t fully recovered from the last survival training, so they can’t withstand Yellow 3’s assault.”
The momentum of Yellow 3, led by Gort, was overwhelming.
The injured Black 6 students couldn’t possibly stop them.
“Once Yellow 3 breaks their defenses, Green 4 will slip in through the gap. Understood?”
“Yes, understood!”
“If you spot Ernas, spread his location immediately. Gort and I will go after him.”
After confirming the basic strategy, Veris Riese left the base with only minimal forces.
From the rugged mountain path, Black 6’s base came into view.
“Wait, Ernas.”
Holding a specially modified wooden sword, Veris Riese thought,
“I’ll reveal your true self to the world.”
The thought of crushing Ernas alongside Gort pleased her.
Just then, a panicked voice called out.
“L-Lady Veris Riese!”
“What’s wrong?”
“Look to your right!”
“…?”
Veris Riese turned and saw a male student walking along the ridge with a wooden sword.
“Ernas?!”
There was no mistake.
Ernas Lanzstein, who should have been defending Black 6, was walking alone along the ridge, completely exposed.
“That trickster… what is he thinking?”
“Lady Veris Riese, this is suspicious.”
“Yes, moving so openly must have an ulterior motive.”
Hearing her subordinates, Veris Riese felt slightly irritated.
“I know that! You think I’d fall for his trick?”
“Sorry!”
It was undoubtedly a trap.
But it couldn’t be ignored either.
“Where is Ernas going? Our Green 4 base? Or Yellow 3’s?”
Green 4’s base had minimal forces.
If Ernas attacked, he could take down a flag or two.
“But if Black 6’s base is annihilated in the meantime, it’s meaningless…”
If all four flags were destroyed, points were doubled in deduction—essentially disqualification.
If Ernas left, Black 6 would likely face this.
“Wait, maybe he’s luring us to prevent this?”
If Ernas attacked, both Yellow 3 and Green 4 would have to return forces, making it harder to annihilate Black 6.
He was likely buying time until the end of the match.
“That won’t work!”
I remembered Yols’ words: trickery is also a skill.
But as long as we didn’t fall for it, it was fine.
“Lead the forces forward toward Black 6’s base.”
“Huh?”
“I’ll handle Ernas.”
“…!”
Hearing this, her subordinates swallowed hard.
“Splitting forces for one guy is inefficient. I can’t just let him be, so I’ll chase him alone.”
Veris Riese was also excellent at movement techniques.
She could chase Ernas and return to join the forces afterward.
“But, Lady Veris Riese…”
“They say Ernas also defeated Red 1’s Rufus and White 5’s Lester…”
“Still with that story?”
Veris Riese’s sharp voice made everyone shrink back.
“It doesn’t matter if he really has that skill. Surely Gort will move to face him too.”
We just needed to coordinate with Gort to subdue Ernas.
Then there would be no problem.
“That trickster won’t get his way. Not ever.”
Muttering this, Veris Riese began moving alone.
‘Veris Riese must be caught now. Gort will start moving immediately too.’
I walked along the mountain path, lost in thought.
‘Both Veris Riese and Gort… they must think they’re making rational decisions.’
They were too conscious of Ernas.
Consumed by the idea that they couldn’t let him get his way, they ended up doing exactly what he wanted.
I had already analyzed their psychology.
‘It was the same in the novel.’
Both also underestimated Serine.
Though she was weak to unexpected situations, she possessed skill on par with heirs of swordsmanship families.
With Veris Riese and Gort gone, Serine could easily defend the base.
‘Because they defeated Serine in the last survival training, they made a misjudgment.’
This successfully lured Veris Riese and Gort.
But I couldn’t defeat them individually; taking one first might cause the other to retreat or call reinforcements.
They had to be taken down together.
‘Even 2-on-1 isn’t disadvantageous.’
Thinking this, I touched the ring on my hand.
‘I have the Graduate-exclusive sword technique now.’
Graduate-exclusive sword technique.
A sword technique designed from the start to use mana, far beyond ordinary swordsmanship.
I had recently acquired this from Yols Kalesius.
‘With this Graduate-exclusive sword technique… I’ll take down Veris Riese and Gort simultaneously.’
Feeling the pure mana flowing through me, I gripped the wooden sword.
