"Oskar was standing against the wall with his sword stuck in the ground.
"This is truly absurd."
He roughly wiped away the blood trickling from his forehead and scanned his surroundings. Nothing was visible.
Forests are inherently dark. Especially the forests of Pritzenkaya, which are eerily dark. So dark that it's difficult to see light even in broad daylight.
So naturally, when buried in soil beneath such a forest, it's difficult to find a light source. That much he could understand. However...
"Why is there a cave under the forest? This crazy country."
Oskar let out a hollow laugh as he picked up his sword. One of his legs was broken from the impact. He could probably walk while leaning against the wall, but even that wouldn't be easy.
'Should I wait until help arrives?'
He was a student. Naturally, a rescue team would follow after such a major accident during class.
Plus, he had three more orbs in his possession. He'd heard each had a tracking function built into the magical device.
Therefore, staying put would be the safest choice, provided there were no other issues, but...
'Did those guys escape?'
That was the problem. Having three orbs meant he had stolen orbs from at least two others.
He had defeated two of his classmates and taken their orbs. It was unavoidable since it was a test, but now that things had turned out this way, he felt uneasy. Wasn't it like stealing their tracking devices?
If those guys were buried under this soil, they wouldn't be rescued.
Oskar sighed. The pain rising from his broken leg was quite terrible. But,
"I have to save them."
He wiped away the blood and opened his eyes. His green eyes sparkled in the darkness.
I have to save them.
Because they're classmates? Because he's a good person? Because he's the son of Gil Ber, the hero of the Hero Party?
No.
Because he's a knight.
The knights of Tilles do not abandon the weak in the face of hardship.
He recalled what he had learned from his father, who had been the Guardian Knight since his childhood.
"Aaaahh!! Help me!! Is anyone there?!"
"Help us!! We're trapped down here!!"
How noisy. Ivan clicked his tongue as he walked through the tunnel.
In the tunnel with extremely limited visibility, when one sense is blocked, hearing naturally becomes amplified.
Therefore, one should not scream in a tunnel. Especially if it's a frontline.
Not only would it serve as an excellent direction marker for enemies beyond the tunnel, but screams dispersing in all directions would echo off the tunnel walls, distorting one's sense of direction.
If one loses their way like that, fear increases. Humans weren't made to live in darkness.
Untrained humans panic in such situations. They scream again, lose their sense of direction again. That vicious cycle tends to continue.
-Click.
Ivan took out his pistol while listening to the screams. He closed his eyes and moved forward.
One step. Then another step.
Never rushing, but not leisurely either.
With precisely measured strides. Straight ahead.
Counting every step he took, his stride is exactly 86cm. Therefore, if he counts his steps, he can map his movement path from the entry point in his mental map.
An Annihilation Squad officer must master map reading along with field triangulation.
Oskar's last confirmed position, Isabelle's position, and where he jumped down.
By accurately plotting those three points, he can always move with confident steps even in maze-like tunnels.
"Help me!!"
The screams were close. He moved forward with his gun aimed at about waist height.
Considering the average height of a dwarf, it would hit right at head level. Of course, you can't kill a dwarf by aiming for the head with a pistol.
Those creatures are disgustingly tough.
"Who's there!"
"Here!! Over here!!"
"What's your name!"
"Patrick!! Wait, is that important right now?!"
Important? Of course.
Ivan smirked at the sound coming from the end of the tunnel.
That awkward speech pattern, it's a dwarf. They're currently roaming the tunnels looking for their target.
He could feel them moving away again after hearing the voice of the distressed student. Yes, that means not all students were targets.
"Lucky you."
This Patrick fellow survived because he revealed his name first. The dwarves in the tunnel are probably looking for Oskar or Isabelle.
Enrique is in this area. Therefore, they can't afford to waste much time either. Fighting Enrique in a tunnel would be the worst form of suicide, as vampires also have good night vision.
So these two students won't die at the hands of dwarves, at least.
"Where are you going?! Where are you?! Help me!!"
"Shh. Quiet."
Ivan, who had somehow approached the screaming student, firmly covered his mouth. A gasping sound and moist sweat, tears, and other bodily fluids could be felt under his palm.
Ivan gently patted the youngster's shoulder and whispered.
"The ones who just asked for your name are the ones who dug this tunnel."
"...Mmph?!"
"Yes. You almost died. So you need to be quiet."
"Phah...! W-who are you?"
"Rescue team member. Now, be quiet. Do you have an orb?"
"Oskar took it from me!"
Right, things couldn't be that easy.
Ivan clicked his tongue and asked.
"Is Oskar nearby?"
"Yes, after we lost to Oskar, the ground collapsed almost immediately..."
"Can you walk?"
"Yes, yes!"
"Take this."
Ivan took out an orb from his waist and handed it to the student.
"Walk about 10m in that direction... at least that far and you'll see the sky. Climb up there and wait for rescue. Enrique will find you soon."
"Th-th-thank you!"
"Quiet. The enemy is still nearby."
Ivan patted his shoulder a couple of times and moved on.
"What's your name!"
"Patrick!! Is that really important right now?!"
Good. A rescue team member.
That's fortunate. I can escape alongside them.
Fortunately, both of them seem to be alive. That's a relief.
Oskar sighed and staggered forward. He was about to shout for help when he suddenly closed his mouth.
Something feels off...?
'He asks for a name... and then there's silence.'
There's no reason to whisper. If we assume there are other students nearby, he should be shouting loudly to let them know about the rescue team's presence.
So, the sudden silence is strange. Oskar's instincts rang alarm bells.
"Hello! Is anyone else there! Are there any other survivors?!"
"..."
Oskar swallowed and listened carefully.
After that man's shout, the voices of those two students had abruptly stopped.
A hypothesis formed in Oskar's mind.
-What if the existence of such caves under the Pritzenkaya forest isn't normal?
Come to think of it, the walls are too straight for a natural cave. If this isn't normal, if someone had dug tunnels to prepare a trap?
Then, the man who's now shouting, pretending to rescue students...
'Enemy.'
Oskar gritted his teeth. Fighting an unknown enemy in pitch-black darkness where you can't see an inch ahead is foolish.
Especially with a broken leg.
'It might be better to just wait.'
In any case, he had a tracking magical device in his possession. Since Enrique was around, the rescue team would arrive soon, so he just needed to wait until then.
Oskar clenched his teeth and gripped his sword tightly.
"Me!! Help me!! Please save me!!"
"Student over there, what's your name?!"
Shouts were heard again from far away in the cave.
Another survivor was screaming.
This is maddening.
Oskar got up from his spot. After heaving a deep sigh, closing his eyes tightly, and swallowing several moments of hesitation.
He opened his eyes directly and shouted.
"Oskar, son of Gil Ber, Guardian Knight of Tilles, is here!!"
Damn it. Isn't it obvious? If they're meticulous enough to set up such a trap, they'll naturally target high-value targets.
And the highest-value target in this Pritzenkaya forest would be himself.
Of course, Isabelle is also there, but it's hard to say she has higher value. After all, her father is missing, while his father is still the Duke of Tilles.
Naturally, if they're going to kidnap someone, it's better to kidnap the Duke's son. Even if the opponent isn't a kidnapper, the same applies. His father has made many more enemies than Maximillian, the Hero.
So, there's a very high possibility that he is the target. It was suspicious from the start that they were asking for students' names.
"Found you."
A low voice echoed. Oskar bit down hard on his teeth and raised his sword.
Is this the right thing to do?
Well, who would know if he risked his life doing this? Who would appreciate it?
"I would know myself."
Good intentions should be one's own guiding light.
The highest virtue of good intentions is self-sacrifice regardless of others' recognition.
The knights of Tilles never abandon the weak in the face of hardship.
Oskar gritted his teeth and held his sword upright.
'Gil Ber raised his son well.'
Ivan smiled slightly as he watched.
He slowly moved forward, raising his pistol.
Step by step. Not rushing, but not leisurely either. Counting each step with precise stride.
Holding the pistol, aiming at about waist level.
Listening for heavy footsteps, calculating height from stride length, adjusting his aim.
Waiting for the audible footsteps to reach effective firing range.
Positioning to avoid Oskar's line of fire. Straight ahead.
Aim, hold breath, and.
Fire.
-Bang—!!
*"