Chapter 117

A steep hill surrounded by wooden palisades and the earthen fort above it.

It looked daunting, but the face of Hubert, the leader of the first-year Noble Class, was filled with confidence.

It was a well-founded confidence.

They were painfully aware that they were inferior to the first-year Royals, who were like an insurmountable mountain, so they prepared for the mock battle more diligently than anyone else.

Especially for group battles.

They knew that without such preparation, they wouldn’t be able to score properly against the Royals, so they had put in blood and sweat.

Perhaps as a reward for their efforts, luck was on their side as the Royals had split into three groups.

However, even against those split groups, they were still struggling, so the situation wasn’t optimistic.

This opportunity.

Hubert and the Noble students knew that if they missed this chance, they would never get another one.

So.

‘I must succeed.’

Hubert’s eyes were determined.

His gaze fixed on the hill.

There were about ten archers.

But they couldn’t only be wary of arrows.

There were surely those preparing magic attacks as well.

“Shields forward!”

Hubert shouted.

Of course, they had prepared for this.

There wasn’t a single foolish Noble who would recklessly charge into range without thinking.

Thud, thud, thud, thud!

Soon, ten students holding large wooden shields big enough to cover an adult’s entire body formed a wall in front.

There was no need for too many tanks.

While holding such large shields, they were essentially giving up half of their offensive power.

So, this number was sufficient.

“Everyone, get behind!”

Soon, Hubert and exactly 21 students lined up behind the shields.

It was a shame about the four who had been taken out by an unknown enemy, but it was fine.

Everyone believed that they could still bring down the fortress without those four.

“The path is that way! Everyone, advance!”

Thud, thud, thud, thud!

The first-years advanced with momentum.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Bang! Bang!

Arrows and magic flew in response.

Thus began the full-scale battle for pride between the first and second years.

* * *

Bang! Bang!

The shields blocked the incoming magic.

The magic attacks were more powerful, perhaps because of the slope.

“Push up no matter what!”

Hubert shouted loudly, frowning.

No matter how solid the shield wall was, they had to push up to gain the upper hand.

But that task wasn’t going well.

The second-year defense was stronger than expected.

“Damn, push up!”

“Get lost. Where do you think you’re going?”

The first and second years clashed on the slope.

But the narrow path limited the pushing force.

“What are you doing? Break more of the palisades!”

Hubert commanded.

Bang, bang, bang, bang!

The first-years struck the palisades with their weapons.

The second-years wouldn’t just watch that happen.

“Stop those breaking the palisades!”

Brett, the leader of the second-year Royal Class, shouted.

Soon, the second-years attacked the first-years breaking the palisades.

“Damn.”

“Don’t get pushed back!”

The palisade line became a sort of barrier, leading to a fierce melee.

Neither side was willing to back down.

At a glance, it seemed even, but it wasn’t.

The second-years, holding the high ground, were bound to gain the upper hand.

“Ha, arrogant first-years. They talk about the golden generation, but they’re nothing special!”

“Even if a hundred come, we can block them all!”

The second-years’ morale rose.

Brett, watching this, didn’t get excited but fell into thought.

They had the advantage.

But something was missing.

The defense was solid, but the offense felt lukewarm.

They needed firepower.

Overwhelming firepower to push the enemy harder and secure a decisive victory.

Brett immediately turned his head.

There was Lana.

“Is Elaine ready yet?”

“Well, she said she needed more preparation…”

Lana looked away, twisting her fingers.

She was barely hiding her trembling heart.

She had checked earlier.

Elaine wasn’t in the room.

She had disappeared without a word.

Though deeply shocked, Lana believed in Elaine.

She knew Elaine wouldn’t do such a thing without a reason.

But that was because they were best friends.

No matter how good Elaine’s reputation was, if it became known that she had left her post in such an important fight, no one knew what would be said.

Morale would plummet.

To prevent that, she was desperately making excuses.

“Preparation? What kind of preparation? I don’t understand.”

Brett tilted his head.

Having been in the same class for almost two years, he knew Elaine well.

She wasn’t someone to neglect preparation before such a big event.

If anything, she would come perfectly prepared.

But suddenly, what preparation?

“I-I don’t know exactly. But Elaine said it was very important preparation.”

Lana continued to make excuses, hoping for the best.

But Brett had already decided to go see Elaine himself.

“Really? Anyway, I’ll go check.”

“W-Wait! What if the leader leaves his post?”

“I’ll be quick. You keep supporting with magic.”

“L-Leader!”

Brett headed towards the fortress.

‘Oh no… It’s over, Elaine…’

Lana despaired, thinking it was all over.

At that moment.

An anomaly occurred in the rear of the first-years.

A bundle of thick magic arrows floated in the air.

Next to it, a rain of ice shards filled the sky.

“Huh…?”

Lana’s eyes widened.

She instantly sensed that it was no ordinary scene.

“L-Leader! Look! Look over there!”

Lana shouted urgently.

“What’s that?”

“Is it a new enemy?”

It wasn’t just her.

The surrounding second-years also stared blankly at one spot in surprise.

Brett reflexively turned around.

And then.

He shouted in shock.

“Everyone, be careful!”

Even in confusion, he quickly issued a warning, proving his worth as a leader.

But he soon realized.

It wasn’t necessary.

* * *

“What is that?”

“Magic?”

The first-years turned around and froze.

Anyone would react that way if something like that suddenly appeared behind them.

The first to regain his senses was Hubert.

He felt a chilling sensation down his spine.

That was an attack.

An attack from behind.

“B-Block it!”

Hubert shouted desperately.

But even as he said it, he knew how futile it was.

The shield wall was entirely focused forward.

Turning it around suddenly was almost impossible.

Moreover, being caught from behind was a situation the first-years had never imagined, leaving them paralyzed with shock.

Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!

A barrage of magic arrows rained down.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

A rain of ice shards flew in.

“S-Shield! Shield! Shield! Shield! Shield!”

In his desperation, Hubert shouted the same word five times at the top of his lungs.

Whether due to his desperate cry, a few magic users hastily cast shields to the rear.

But.

Crack, crack, crack, crack!

The shields quickly cracked under the force of the incoming attacks.

“Ah, it’s breaking!”

“Dodge!”

Crash!

But it was too late.

There was no time to dodge.

Bang, bang, bang, bang!

“Ah!”

“Ugh!”

“Screech!”

The magic arrows and ice shards pounded the rear of the first-years.

The first-years, who suddenly received a harsh “massage,” screamed and fell.

Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep!

The warning alarms rang endlessly.

In an instant, nearly ten were marked as casualties and taken out.

The physical shields somewhat protected those behind, limiting the damage.

“Ugh…”

Hubert clenched his fists in frustration.

He couldn’t comprehend the situation.

In none of his calculations did this scenario have even a 0% chance of happening.

“How does it feel, arrogant first-years? Do second-years still look like dog food to you?”

A man appeared, full of mocking laughter.

It was Max Celtrine.

He looked bigger than ever.

“Ugh, who are you?”

Hubert looked at Max in disbelief.

He couldn’t understand how a man he hadn’t considered in his calculations appeared in this dire situation.

“Who am I? You should call me senior. First-years are so arrogant.”

Max chuckled.

Then he continued.

“Remember this well. You were completely outsmarted by me, your brilliant and respectable senior, Max Celtrine.”

“……”

Everyone thought he was shameless.

Not just the first-years, but the second-years too.

However, aside from that, it was clear that this man was related to the occurrence of this situation.

“Tch, if you thought I’d quietly die like this, you’re mistaken…”

“Come on, we don’t have time, let’s finish this quickly. Hey, Royal leader! It’s a pincer attack from front and back!”

Max interrupted Hubert’s words mercilessly and shouted to Brett.

Brett hesitated, never having imagined that he would be taking orders from Max.

Max clicked his tongue, letting out a small laugh.

“Tch, do you not trust me that much? I guess I have no choice but to show you someone reliable.”

Max gestured behind him.

Then Elaine appeared, looking somewhat embarrassed.

It seemed she felt guilty for slipping away without saying anything.

“Elaine…?”

“How is Elaine over there…?”

The second-year students looked confused.

Only Lana and Brett seemed to understand the situation.

‘Ugh, Elaine, you tricked us completely!’

‘So that preliminary inspection was a setup? Ha, this is something…’

Brett shook his head in amazement, realizing the truth.

He never thought he would experience the war adage, “To deceive the enemy, first deceive your allies,” so directly.

‘Max Celtrine… what a terrifying guy.’

Brett was convinced.

This was all Max’s strategy.

He knew Elaine’s personality wouldn’t allow her to deceive her own allies.

“Is this enough, Royal leader? Let’s finish this now! We don’t have time to drag this out!”

Max shouted again.

This time, Brett responded.

“Yeah, got it!”

No matter what, this was a golden opportunity.

If they missed this chance, they wouldn’t deserve to be in the top academy.

“Everyone, switch to offense!”

Finally, the second-year’s overwhelming combined attack hit the first-years.

“D-Damn it!”

Hubert’s panicked shout reflected the first-years’ situation.

* * *

“So… humiliating…”

Beep beep!

Finally, the last person, Hubert, fell.

The situation unfolded much faster than expected.

Such was the power of the pincer attack.

Especially the performance of two people.

Elaine and Riviera’s performance was outstanding.

“Woohoo!”

“We won! We completely crushed the first-years!”

“Ha, they’re nothing special!”

“Let’s keep it up like this!”

The second-years shouted in joy.

Their morale was through the roof.

Good.

It was a good state.

But there was no time to waste.

“Hey, Royal leader! Over here, now!”

I called Brett.

Brett hesitated for a moment but then approached me.

“What?”

“There’s no time. The enemy will come soon. And they’re strong.”

“Strong?”

“Yeah. The princess and the Royals are moving.”

“Hmm…”

Brett groaned with a hardened face.

They had achieved a great victory, but the opponent was the first-year Nobles.

He knew well that the Royals were on a different level.

And there was also the certified monster, the princess.

They were undoubtedly the worst opponents.

However.

They had known from the start that they would have to fight the first-year Royals in the mock battle.

Brett steeled himself and composed his expression.

“So what do we do?”

“You guys solidify your defenses. That was the plan, right?”

“Yeah, that was the plan. So what will you guys do? You’re not going to join and defend with us, are you?”

“Of course not. We’ll stay outside and constantly harass them. Isn’t that the way to shake them from front and back?”

I said, my eyes shining.

In a direct confrontation, the chances of winning were zero.

That’s why strategy was necessary.

Like now.

If we harass them from behind like guerrillas, they won’t be able to focus solely on attacking the fortress.

We’d be like a thorn in their side, constantly bothering them.

If they had their full strength of 30, it would be just a minor annoyance, but now it was different.

I had already taken out Alfred, Leon, and 13 others.

Only 17 remained.

On the other hand, we had 30 Royals and the additional three miraculous Common students.

Even the first-year Royals wouldn’t dare treat us as easy prey.

“I see. Got it. Then we’ll quickly fortify our defenses.”

Brett quickly nodded.

He knew.

My method was the best way to harass the first-years.

“Alright, do that. We’ll hide for now. It would be a shame not to launch a surprise attack.”

I smiled.

* * *

“A monster…”

Thud!

Beep beep!

Fabiola, the leader of the second-year Nobles, collapsed with a terrified face.

“It’s over.”

Princess Oscar, who had struck down Fabiola in one blow, smiled.

The fallen hill.

All the second-year Noble students were lying miserably.

What about the first-year Royals’ damage?

None.

Not a single student had even a small wound.

“No need to rest, right?”

No one answered her question.

Everyone clearly thought it was unnecessary.

“I see. Let’s go then.”

Princess Oscar moved with a smile.

The Imperial faction students, along with Camian and Annette, followed her.

They were heading to the fortress where the second-year Royals were stationed.

The final battle was about to begin.