Ch.190The NPC’s Little Sister and Santa Riding Practice (6)

“URYAAAAAP!!!”

-KWANG!

[kee?!!]

“Grace!”

“Spirit! Burn my enemies before me!!!”

“YAAAAP!!”

-KAANG!!

[Kuoo!!]

“I-Ira!”

“Ice Lance!!!”

Four in a group, and within that, the children pairing up in twos according to my instructions, steadily reducing the monsters one by one.

Not just Ira’s group, but all the first-year elementary students are gradually reducing the number of monsters. However…

‘There are too many…’

-Pit!

-Thud thud thud!!

Discreetly. Yet precisely, I’ve been reducing the number of monsters that could threaten the children. But I’m the only one acting this way, while the other teaching assistants are desperately escorting the children.

Some of the sharper children are already starting to notice that something is wrong with the current situation…

“KYAAAK?!! H-Help me!!”

“Wilson?!!”

“This is insane!! This orc’s arm is moving!!!”

Some children have already started to be pushed back and are screaming, while the teaching assistants and guides who came for safety monitoring are urgently rescuing and helping them.

This is the fifth time I’ve witnessed such a scene. Gradually…

“G-Guide adventurer! O-Our group wants to give up here!! This, this is too much!!!”

“Ah, ah?! Th-That’s…!!”

“Tessi is hurt!! We can’t do this anymore!! We want to give up!! Send us back down!!”

“Ugh…!!”

“Our group has already killed 20 orcs?! Aren’t we in first place at this rate?! No, even if we’re not first, can’t we call it a draw and let us go?!”

“J-Just a little more strength…!!”

I saw some teaching assistants going down to report the situation. Probably, if we hold out for just a few more minutes, the assistants and teachers will come up. Plus, Gor and Ragni must be nearby. Or maybe…

‘Should I just do it? Should I just kill them all myself?’

There aren’t any dead or seriously injured children yet, but it won’t take long. Is it really helpful to keep hiding the fact that the children’s peaceful daily lives are being attacked by something?

It’s just my guess, but Gor and Ragni knew something and tried to resolve it themselves. The reason is…

“Ira!! Tie up this foot over here!!”

“Okay!! Ice Link!!!”

“Rock Bell!! Over here!! Let’s block that orc together!! That orc’s arm is moving!!!”

“Tch! Somehow I’m not scared of monsters anymore. I suddenly want to eat meat too? Where, which pig is it?!”

For the sake of Miss Ira’s peaceful daily life.

Jack had desperately cleaned up the vice principals who were trafficking humans and restored a quiet and peaceful daily life. They probably don’t want to reveal that something is once again disrupting the children’s daily lives, Miss Ira’s daily life.

‘…Thinking about it this way, we might be too selfish.’

We deceive everyone for the sake of Miss Ira’s peaceful day. Pretending that incidents are not incidents. We clean it up among ourselves and move on, knowing only among ourselves.

The people caught up in it are merely victims, yet we don’t even let them know they’re victims. Is this really the right thing to do? With a feeling of my conscience aching, I gripped Pommel tightly.

‘…I’ll just kill them all myself.’

If I go wild here, I can completely eliminate the threat of the monsters. I’m confident I can do it, and I’ve already confirmed the strength of the monsters. But there’s just one problem.

‘With this, another incident has occurred in just a week. I’m worried about the future of the academy that Miss Ira has to attend.’

Surely, this time it can’t be quietly overlooked. The previous incident was somehow covered up by claiming we discovered it ourselves, but the current situation is happening during the academy curriculum. Clearly, if this causes a chain reaction, even the headmaster’s position could be in danger. However.

“Kuk?!! N-Now there’s no choice! The monsters…!!”

“There are too many!! It’s impossible to fight while protecting all the children!!”

“Help over here!! Two from this group have fainted!!!”

“Damn it!! If only the children were gathered together…!!”

“…The headmaster’s position and Naty Academy’s superficial peace, and the lives of the children. The weights are too different to put on a scale.”

-Sling.

I quietly draw my sword, activate my skill, and slowly move forward in front of the children.

“Everyone, behind m…”

“EVERYONE!!! All elementary students who can move, gather over heeeeere!!!”

-PER-PENG-PENG!! PER-PENG!!!

“…e, huh?”

Wh-What?! Suddenly, a sharp voice like before, no, even louder than before, rings out powerfully, erasing my voice.

A brown-haired girl holding her magic wand high. Grace has started shouting, drawing attention with the fire spirit technique she showed during the oath.

But somehow, this child seems to cut me off every time I’m about to say something with determination…

“Wh-What’s going on?!”

“Grace Mueller?”

“Isn’t she the top student?”

“Oh, the one they call the assaulter?”

“No, I heard that was the red-haired girl over there…”

“Everyone shut up and gather around me!!! This won’t work!! Collapsing during bonus time means giving up on grades!! Giving up on merit points!! Giving up on promotion!! I will never give up even if I die!!! So listen to me and gather around!!!”

“G-Grace?! Your language is too harsh?!!”

“Ira! Ira said she could command if everyone gathered!!”

“Eh?!!”

When I turn to her in confusion, she points her finger at Ira with sharp eyes, and Ira nods with a grin. W-Wait a minute! What do you mean Ira is going to command…?!

“You guys!! Are you going to give up like this?! Are all first-year elementary students giving up on promotion?! Field training is an important class with merit points at stake!! If you cry and run away saying you can’t do it here!! You’ll still be first-years next year!! I’m the top student! I will definitely become a second-year!!! You’ll have to call me senior!! Do you want that?!!”

As she shouts, some children deal with the monsters in front of them and start whispering among themselves.

“…No, calling someone the same age ‘senior’ is a bit…”

“Sh-Shut up is a bit harsh. I’m also from a count family…”

“I-I can’t lose to an imperial noble…!!”

“If we follow the top student, we might not get first place, but we’ll at least be in the top 10. I’ll do as she says!! Let’s go over there, our group!!”

“…Is the red-haired girl really an assaulter? She looks cute when she smiles.”

“Should we go talk to her?”

“But, why isn’t she sweating? What is she? Some kind of fairy?”

“…I’ll be kicked out of home if I repeat a year. Let’s go too, our group!!!”

Misled by her words, the children block the surrounding monsters and gradually gather over here, and the teaching assistants also find it easier to protect the injured children by gathering them in one place. This way, even if it really becomes dangerous, it would be easier for me to step in, but…

“Ahem! Here! My best friend and excellent magician, Miss Ira! Will command us from now on!!”

“Hello! I’m Ira!!”

“””……”””

With a bright expression that didn’t match the atmosphere of being attacked by monsters, Ira bowed her head in greeting and immediately opened her mouth with a beaming smile to everyone.

“From now on, everyone will form a raid formation!”

“R-Raid formation?”

“I-I’ve heard of it. It’s about the formation adventurers use to hunt large monsters or what they call field boss monsters.”

“S-Student! Aren’t you in elementary school?! That’s clearly something taught in the tactical studies department in the third year of middle school…!!”

“I learned a lot from my excellent sister! I can do it! And I’ve actually done it before!!”

When? Huh? Ira, when did you do something like that?!

I guess the person who taught her was Ragni, but even my eyes widen at the mention that she’s actually done it before.

However, Ira’s voice was unwavering.

“Everyone with swords, put them down and hold shields with both hands! Those who can use magic, knock down the trees around here to create cover! Injured children, recover behind the cover! If anyone can use healing magic even a little, please treat your friends!!”

“Those who can use binding magic on feet, bind the enemies when the friends with shields block them, and those who can use spirit arts, focus on attacking! Be careful not to target the friends with shields!!”

“And teaching assistants!!”

“Uh, huh?! Us?!”

“Yes! Teaching assistants, come forward with me for mobile operations! I’ll drive the monsters that scatter left and right toward the friends with shields!! Just think about reducing their numbers and fight carefully without getting hurt!! If we narrow the battlefield, we’ll have the advantage with firepower!!!”

“O-Okay…”

“H-How many should go? We also need to protect the injured children…”

“Half! Half come with me for mobile operations! The other half, please protect the injured children and the formation!!”

“Oh, alright!”

“…Wow, the kid is smart. I failed tactical studies at that age.”

“L-Let’s follow her for now. The children’s morale is improving again.”

…Amazing. What’s amazing is not just that Ira is giving instructions so methodically, but also that Rock Bell, Latina, and Grace are perfectly checking the approaching monsters while maintaining a path for others to gather.

No. Children grow fast, but Miss Ira, haven’t you grown too fast?!!

And wait, what? Miss Ira doing mobile operations?!

“I-Ira! Mobile operations?! Miss Ira is a magician…!!”

“There are many magician friends in the elementary division! I learned from my brother and ‘big sister’ so I can fight up close too, so I’ll go forward!!”

“Ugh…!!”

Her violet eyes, sparkling like the Milky Way, looked at me and called me ‘big sister’! Ugh!! It’s so admirable, but!! It seems dangerous!! How should I…!!!

“If you’re worried about me, would you like to move with me, Guide Ray?”

-Tilts head.

“Of course!! Grace, Latina, Rock Bell. I’ll move with Ira!”

After immediately answering Ira’s cute head-tilting question, I drew my sword and shouted to the children.

“Yes! Please take good care of our Ira!!”

“Sorry! I can’t even use a sword!!”

“We might be in the same group next time, so I’ll practice more with swords and shields by then!! Sorry!!!”

“Hehe! Okay! Now then…”

[keeeee…!!]

[KUOOO….!!!]

[KEEEEEC!!!!]

“Everyone!! Deploy raid formation!!”

As Ira’s bright voice rang out, the students began to form a defensive line, knocking down trees and holding up shields.