Chapter 20 - Fourth Test

Chapter 20 - Fourth Test

"Hey..."

"You're here. It's been a while."

One of the instructors approached, interrupting the thief leader before he could finish speaking.

I gave the thieves a subtle signal and saluted the instructor.

The instructor made eye contact with the two sitting on the driver's bench of the wagon.

"Hmm, I don't think I've seen you two before?"

"Ah, well, I'm... just someone learning under the owner of this wagon. The owner isn't feeling well, so I came instead," the thief leader replied.

It wasn't perfect, but it was a reasonably smooth excuse.

"Ah, I see. Let me check the cargo compartment. Please remain where you are."

The instructor walked to the back of the wagon.

As soon as he was out of sight, the two thieves exhaled heavily, as if they'd just dodged a disaster.

"Boss, we stitched up the cut dummies as neatly as possible. You don't have to worry."

"Shut up and keep quiet. And don't call me that."

"Yes, boss."

From the cargo compartment, the instructor's voice called out.

"Everything looks fine. Please take it to the storage facility."

He tapped the wagon lightly to signal them.

The thief leader guided the wagon toward the storage area.

By tomorrow morning, the instructors would transport the cargo—orc dummies—to the testing grounds for the fourth trial.

They remained unaware of the blades hidden inside the models.

All preparations were complete.

***

Twelve hours before the fourth trial.

"Mago, are you awake?"

It was Amon's voice, coming from the bed next to mine.

"No. Why?"

"Never mind."

Even after only two words, Amon was already testing my patience.

"Fine. Don't say anything, then."

"Wait! Okay, I'll tell you."

I didn't respond.

"You know the Coster family, right? One of the Empire's three great houses?"

"What's your point?"

"We've maintained our reputation for generations, but most people now call us rigid and old-fashioned. Our family's focus has always been fighting magical beasts, not dueling other humans."

"And?"

"Until last year, before the war broke out, we'd had over a century of peace. Ever since the Demon King was sealed. Naturally, the Coster family's prime had long since passed."

"If I wanted a history lesson, I would find someone else..."

"Why are we still hunting magical beasts in a world like this?"

"Maybe because when people let their guard down, war breaks out? So, what's your point?"

Amon's voice faltered.

"Cowards..."

I heard him shift in bed.

"My father, feeling disgraced by tarnishing our family's name, took his own life. The fault wasn't with us—it was with the world."

I still didn't know where he was going with this.

"This time, I'm going to join the Special Ops Unit. I'll restore our family's glory and prove that the Coster family exists for moments like these."

"And why are you telling me all this?"

"But if... I make a mistake in tomorrow's test. Even just one..."

"If you make a mistake?"

"Can you help me out?"

"What?"

I must've misheard him.

But no further words came.

Instead, there was the sound of soft snores.

He was obviously pretending to be asleep.

Asking for help—those were words I never expected from him.

For him to bring himself to say that meant he was willing to let go of all his pride, just to secure a place in the Special Unit and achieve his goal.

"Helping you is up for debate, Amon," I muttered.

The fake snoring continued.

"But just so you know, this test splits us into odd-numbered and even-numbered groups based on our current rankings. You and I will be in different groups."

"Cough. So?"

"With me in another group, you'll have a chance to shine."

"As if I'm so weak that I couldn't perform if you were there..."

"Amon, sorry, but I'm the one who needs to ask for a favor."

"Huh?"

"With me not in your group, you have to stand out."

"Wait, I just said the same thing earlier—"

"You're the only one who can fill my absence tomorrow."

When the sun rises, the test will begin.

So will the ambush.

It won't matter whether it's a test or anything else.

By tomorrow, the Empire will lose its capital.

***

"The final test is a protection mission."

The instructor drew the recruits' attention and continued.

"This test, like the first one, will take place on the mountain behind the training grounds."

He gestured with his thumb toward the hill behind him.

"Orc dummies have been placed there."

"Oh, so we just need to protect someone playing the VIP role from those dummies?"

Kinjo nodded as he muttered to himself.

"You'll be protecting those orc dummies."

The instructor's words refuted Kinjo's assumption.

"Wait, what?"

"There's no one to play the VIP role," the instructor explained.

"The recruits will be divided into two teams based on current rankings: odd-numbered ranks and even-numbered ranks."

I was ranked first, Kinjo had slipped to ninth, and Bell, at forty-first, ended up on the same team as us.

"The odd-numbered ranks are the defense team, and the even-numbered ranks are the assault team. The defense team will go up first, locate the orc dummies, and protect them from the assault team while coming down. Successfully escorting the dummies back earns points."

The instructor paused to swallow and continued.

"Bringing back more than one dummy will earn additional points. Conversely, losing all your dummies results in zero points. The condition of the dummies will also factor into the scoring. Any questions?"

No one raised a hand.

"If there are no questions, line up according to your rankings."

Kinjo came up beside me.

"Looks like I'm stuck with you this time. Damn it…"

Oscar muttered quietly to himself nearby.

"Oscar, the teams are divided based on odd and even ranks."

"Oh."

"You're on the odd team too."

Kinjo shrugged, smirking. "You should be grateful to have me on your side."

Once we were sorted, the recruits picked up the wooden swords prepared for the test.

The instructor took a pocket watch from his inner jacket pocket.

"Five minutes until 8:00. The defense team will wait and set off on the hour."

The second attack would occur around 10:00.

We had two hours to locate the orc dummies, which contained concealed swords.

I used the remaining five minutes to steady my nerves.

Closing my eyes, I took deep breaths.

Then, I felt a sharp gaze fixed on me.

It came from the armory.

The slightly ajar door was held in place by a chain lock, allowing only a narrow view.

Through the gap, I saw crimson eyes watching me.

El was inside, keeping an eye on me.

"I told her to stay hidden, so why is she locked in there…?"

El had managed to hide in the armory but seemed to have gotten locked in from the outside.

Knowing her strength, she could easily smash the door if necessary.

I decided not to worry too much.

I felt the water flask in my inner pocket, its contents sloshing faintly.

"Defense team, get ready."

The five minutes had passed.

"Move out."

Fifty recruits sprinted toward the mountain.

After about twenty minutes of running, Kinjo called out to me.

"Mago."

"What?"

"There's something odd about the dummies."

"What do you mean?"

"I saw the instructors moving the orc dummies early this morning. Thinking it might give me an edge, I used a clairvoyance spell. Inside the dummies… there were swords."

He kept his voice low, ensuring only I could hear him.

"Why would there be swords inside the dummies?"

"How should I know?"

"Why hide weapons in training dummies? What's the point?"

"Maybe they'll be used in a later drill."

I feigned ignorance to the end.

"What if the instructors don't know about them?"

"What?"

"What if someone smuggled those swords into the dummies without the instructors knowing?"

"It's possible. But would the security really be that lax?"

"Then there might be a traitor in our midst. Someone sneaking in weapons to use later…"

Kinjo's deductions were sharp, but he'd drawn the wrong conclusion.

The perpetrator was me.

And I wasn't a traitor.

At that moment, Bell sped past us.

"You two! Stop dawdling and keep up!"

She broke our conversation at just the right moment.

Kinjo was suspicious about the hidden swords, but his thoughts of betrayal and treachery could spiral into bigger issues.

If he thought someone brought the weapons in for malicious purposes, I might be able to use that.

"Hey, Kinjo."

"Yeah?"

"You could be right."

"About the traitor?"

"Having swords hidden inside dummies is strange."

"Exactly. How else would you explain it?"

"Whoever it is, they made a mistake. They underestimated your clairvoyance."

"Or they knew about me and decided to gamble on their luck."

"Let's secure those dummies ourselves. That way, they can't be misused. Besides, we're supposed to protect them anyway. Let's focus on the ones with swords."

"Good idea. Just in case."

Kinjo gave a small nod of agreement.

"First, let's catch up to Bell."

We increased our pace, closing the gap to the flash of red hair ahead.

***

After the escort team had climbed the mountain, an hour passed.

The attack team followed shortly after.

Another twenty minutes went by.

The head instructor strolled around the training grounds, a cigarette between his lips.

His movements were sluggish, a picture of boredom.

Every time a pebble caught his eye, he bent down to fling it away.

That was the entirety of his task while waiting for the trainees.

As he bent to pick up another pebble, he noticed something odd—his shadow had stretched unnaturally long.

The shape was unsettling, enough to give him a strange sense of unease.

Assuming it was just clouds, he glanced up, only to find that his sharp-featured face was cast in deeper shadow.

What loomed above was no cloud.

It was jagged, stretching chaotically in all directions.

Something big.

Spread wide on both sides.

It looked almost like wings.

***

Another hour passed.

The attack team was likely still climbing.

"I've found one," Kinjo said, his eyes glowing with a faint blue hue.

"And another," he added, turning his head to the right.

"Got it."

"There's more—five in total, all grouped nearby."

"Got it."

"Why do you keep saying that? Mago, are you even paying attention?"

"They're coming."

I pointed toward the sky.

A dark mass hung beneath the clouds, spreading across the heavens.

It was an army, blotting out the light.

Winged beasts with wide black wings, their talons clutching goblins and orcs as cargo.

Slowly, they descended in low, deliberate flight.

It was exactly the same as the day I had faced them in my previous life.

"All trainees! Prepare for battle! This is not a drill!" one of the instructors shouted, trailing behind us.

"Move!"

The moment the word left my mouth, an orc dropped from the sky, crushing the instructor beneath its weight.

Dark red blood splattered everywhere.

Aside from the heavy breathing of the orc, silence reigned.

For just a moment.

Then the monsters the winged beasts had carried all began to fall at once.

The earth trembled.

The ground quaked relentlessly until the last of the beasts had landed.

"What… what is this?" Kinjo let out a breathless laugh, tightening his grip on the handle of his wooden sword.

The monsters raised their weapons high, roaring their battle cries to signal the start of the fight.

Kinjo, Bell, and I drew our wooden swords.

We steadied our breathing.

This hastily assembled escort team—none of us had ever fought together before.

But at this moment, we shared the same thought.

We would fight.

We would kill.

That was the only thing we were perfectly in sync about.

Each of us had something to avenge.

"I was planning to hunt them down myself anyway," Kinjo said, his voice cold.

He had lost his family, his home.

"I bet he's here somewhere," Bell muttered, her voice laced with bitterness.

She had been robbed of her humanity.

"This time… I'll protect them," I whispered.

I had lost my dreams, my freedom.

The moment I had broken free, I had been shackled again.

And at that precise moment, war erupted.

I had been just one step away, but the bridge to freedom had collapsed beneath me.

For eight long years, I had lived a life resigned to defeat, losing comrades, enduring alone.

But no more.

"From this moment, the counterattack begins."