Capítulo 228: Of Monsters and Men [1]
[Arthur's Pov]
Seeing Sophie's face when she heard about the situation from the principal, I couldn't help but feel my heart ache. Even for me, I detested it a lot, but it was probably nothing compared to how she felt about it.
However, when she walked away, I knew it wasn't a good idea to follow her. This was something she needed to get over herself, to process the fact that we were just students right now, without any real power in this world.
'But one day...'
Even before I came to the academy, I had already made up my mind about the future, and although my ultimate goal was to eradicate the demons, I also knew that I wanted to see a world where no one would have to be treated the same as me.
But I wasn't as naïve as Zero. I knew that even if one spoke fancy words, it wouldn't change anything. Ironically, only power could change the minds of the ones in power. With that in mind, I felt like James had a better read than Zero about how to go about things.
"MEDIC! WE NEED A MEDIC!"
Another man covered in blood was now returning to camp, carried by his pale-faced comrade, shouting for help. It didn't take long until a blonde girl arrived at their side, her eyes weary from all the work she had already put in.
"Come with me. I'll treat him inside of the tent."
It was kind of impressive how the earlier timid princess had now grown enough to not panic when she saw a man missing a leg being carried toward her. At the same time, I could see Anna and Bellatrix dutifully sorting emergency supplies on the side, none of them complaining anymore about their workload.
Even though everyone had tried to act like this was nothing, as that was what was expected of elite students of Ainu, I could feel that everyone was feeling the same kind of angst.
Not a single one of us enjoyed this kind of situation, where we would just stand by and watch other people get slaughtered in front of us, still able to hear the faint sounds of fighting in the foreground.
Still, everyone knew that there was nothing we could do about it. We were here in collaboration with an academy, not a military troop. It would be absurd to think that we would have permission to go out in the field and fight.
We were students, not soldiers.
'Even though that man wasn't a soldier either...'
The day before, the day when the signal rang out and the captain called for an emergency meeting, it hadn't missed my eyes that a man clad in white robes had leisurely walked out towards the battleground.
The same man that had spoken with the principal. Aksel who was just an ordinary priest.
So it couldn't be helped that I got a bad taste in my mouth, thinking about the fact that even a priest ventured out to try his best and help as much as possible, while the much more powerful teachers of Ainu were standing on the sideline.
"Haaa..."
There was no point in thinking about it. No matter how I racked my brains about it, nothing would change anyway. Instead, I lifted the box on the ground in front of me and started to walk toward its designated location.
Suddenly, when I was walking by one of the many tents, I could hear two voices coming from it.
"-What do you mean you're going out again?! You just came back!"
"-Stella, please understand... There is nothing I can do about it. This is the duty of our family, and it will always be."
"-Then I'm coming with you! I'm also part of this family!"
'Stella? And who is she talking to?'
"-My beautiful daughter... You are only a student right now. And more than that, do you truly believe I would allow you to risk your life like that? Please, just stay here. I promise you, everything will be fine. I'll be back."
'Oh shit!'
Having gotten too caught up in the conversation, it couldn't be helped that I reacted too late when the flaps of the tent suddenly opened. Out from the opening came the slightly gray-haired man I had gotten to know as the captain of the border forces, Mr. Lavigne.
As it would have looked quite suspicious if I suddenly started running away, it couldn't be helped that I got 'caught'.
"So you heard..."
Clad in his gray military suit, adorned with a multitude of medals from his earlier accomplishments, it was hard not to feel a bit intimidated.
Quickly bowing, I knew there was no point in trying to give any excuses.
"My apologies, Sir! I didn't mean to listen to your conversation. Please, forgive me!"
"Hmm... You are Arthur, right? I've heard quite a bit about you from the principal."
Although his tone was hard, it didn't feel like he was intentionally giving me a hard time. Most likely it was just a product of the fact that everything was quite chaotic right now. Not raising my head, wanting to at least show him this level of respect, I answered the man.
"That's correct, Sir."
Then, a hand landed on my shoulder.
"Please, raise your head, young man. There is no need to act like that. I'm not angry that you overheard the conversation between me and my daughter. It wasn't even a secret to begin with."
Straightening my back, there was no question that his words carried a lot of warmth, even in this situation. 'A great man...'
That was the only thought in my head when hearing him, how he didn't seem to carry an ounce of cockiness. 'Is it because of his experience?'
"You seem like a good kid, and from what I've heard, you're quite strong, right? So, could I ask you for a favor?"
Not waiting for an answer, he was already on his way out to the field. On his way, he all of a sudden left me with a request. A request that filled my gut with anxiety when realizing what was going to happen.
"I know we just met but... Please take care of Stella."
Not knowing how to respond, I just stood there, watching the broad back of a man who didn't think he would be able to come back.
****
[3rd person Pov]
Chaos was the only reasonable way to explain the situation at hand. Monsters and humans were both desperately struggling for supremacy, with the horde of monsters being seemingly never-ending.
Orcs, ogres, wyverns... All kinds of monstrosities were present, all for some reason fighting together against their common enemy.
"What's the situation?"
"Aksel?! What are you doing here?!"
"Stop wasting time. I will ask you again, what's the situation?"
Having just arrived on the scene, Aksel didn't want to waste another second before he could get to work. And in order to do so, he needed to know how things looked.
With the leader of one of the smaller troops finally getting himself together, he gave a very compressed report.
"It's... We are able to fend them off for now, but it's still not..."
*ROOAAAARRR!*
A huge electric tiger let out his signal for attack, quickly launching himself toward the defensive line. Because of their weariness, a lot of the soldiers weren't fast enough to react when the [B]-ranked monster lunged at them.
Out of nowhere, a huge wall of water was raised in front of them, successfully fending off the, now, confused monster, who opted to retreat and reassess the situation.
Not caring about getting an explanation, Aksel had stepped forward, now standing side by side with the soldiers on the field. "Don't be shaken! Stand together! Don't fall out of formation!"
Having seen similar situations before, the priest raised his voice, knowing that the wills of the soldiers had to stay strong if they wanted to survive. At the same time, he raised his right hand, and a circular wave of water was expelled from it.
"[Healing Wave]!"
As soon as their bodies made contact with the water, all of the soldiers could feel some of their strength returning and their bodies repairing themselves. Turning their heads towards the source of the loud voice and the life-saving magic, they were all met by a resolute nod from a very out-of-place priest.
Thoughts like 'If not even a priest is scared, how can we be?' filled their heads, rejuvenating their weary minds and reinforcing the resolutions that had slowly started to weaken. So with newfound courage, they once again turned their heads to their enemies, confident to fight for as long as possible.
With one of the rarities that were a healer out in the field, there was no question about the fact that their efficiency would drastically increase.
Sadly, there was but one thought in Aksel's mind.
'This... This is not good.'
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