—Maxim and n both were out ofmission. A total of fourpanies, equivalent to one battalion, suffered devastating losses and were routed.


    A deafening silence reigned in the headquarters of the attackers led by Godorfun when they received the shocking news.


    It was impossible to ask what had happened from the eliminated people while the scenario was underway.


    There was no use crying over spilled milk, so they turned to the routed soldiers and heard their share of the details before finally putting the pieces together to some extent.


    First, the western outpost, which had beenmanded by Kate Salkanp, had a monster nest hidden nearby on the northern side of the forest, which was, presumably, intentionally set up by Allen Rovenne. They then released the gathered monsters in the direction of the reinforcements.


    Ths stampede was controlled by Shalum Halloween and L Von Liancool as they crushed the twopanies from the side. Using the split second opening the chaos brought her, Ste Achilies took down Battalion Commander Maxim Achilies.


    At the moment the chaos erupted, Battalion Commander Maxim Achilies was easily defeated and eliminated by Ste Achilies.


    Subsequently, the battle turned strange as the attacking force became preupied with dealing with the monsters. In the end, they were either forced to retire by the monsters or the defending force.


    There were barely any soldiers left of the twopanies by the time they finished dealing with the monsters.


    Then moving on to the eastern outpostmanded by Aldol Engraver, the attacking force was in an even sorrier state.


    Caught in between a pincer attack, and being showered with explosion magic that burst with a loud sound, the attacking force rushed toward the river channel.


    However, about halfway down the barren slope, the river below had been frozen solid by Aldol Engraver’s ice magic. Though the soldiers closer to the river had stopped when they noticed that, the squads behind them were too confused to act normally and continued going down, eventually causing a human avnche.


    As n saw her people begin jumping into the river one after another, she immediately realized such a situation could lead to their deaths, and raised the white g of surrender.


    Aside from a few who managed to escape to the mountain side, they suffered devastating losses here.


    If this had been an actual battle rather than a drill and if they hadn''t surrendered, had they continued to push toward the river, they would have fallen one by one and be perfect targets, and the battalion would have suffered catastrophic damage.


    "…Did they really set up two big hunting grounds in such a short time?…"


    Tim was left speechless after saying this. But the same could be said about the rest of the people present as well.


    After a moment, Godolfen spoke with a heavy tone.


    "These children are terrifying… It’s hard to believe this is their first defensive battle. Not only have they keenly perceived what could be their trump cards, but they even thoroughly grasped the terrain, the local flora, and the nearby monsters as they made us dance to their tune.


    I had felt slightly let down when I heard that the brat barely gathered any local supplies while I was tagging along with the 3rd scenario team… but it seems I was the onecking, in hindsight. Even the procurement of materials was merely a guise to them actually surveying the terrain. It’s no wonder why they needed to look around if they wanted to fully utilize the terrain for themselves. It’s something that seems easy on paper, but is actually quite difficult in practice.


    It was my oversight that I thought that I understood them and their abilities down to thest detail. Now, here we see their multiyered preparations they’ve set up with such tenacity… The teachings of Schord Bainfaust have me in awe again.”


    Godolfen stroked his snowy-white beard as he spoke.


    Not much time had passed when Jipro, the blue-haired battalionmander and the leader of the twopanies raiding the southern base, entered the room, and gave his report to Godorfun.


    "I apologize… The vanguardpanies were annihted. Although I believed we should not allow the enemy any rest, I judged that continuing the attack would have been ineffective, so the reinforcements we received were withdrawn rather than be sent to engage the enemy. Please advise."


    Everyone felt a sense of helplessness, thinking "As expected…’, but Tim prompted Jipro to exin further.


    "Yes. The shortcut leading to the southern base was defended by Leo Zatsinger. He engaged thepany head-on and… wiped them out. Initially, he had been defending while being given support buff magic from Jeuri Levarance, but she has since withdrawn into the base on the orders of Bester von Stocud. Meanwhile, Leo Zatsinger appeared as if he could easily take down twice our number. So I followed my discretion and made the concise decision to retreat.”


    Tim pressed his forehead when he heard yet another dumbfounding exnation.


    “…Support buff magic is tricky to use. While it does reduce the amount of magic power needed to exert a specific amount of strength, it also means that you lose the magical senses that you’ve honed through regr training. It’s not something you could adapt to easily, and in the first ce, there are few mages who can use it. Moreover, their training is insufficient. Are you saying they’ve been regrly training to synchronize with it?”


    Seeing the question was directed at him, Godorfun shook his head.


    “I haven’t had the time to teach them that, and although I’ve heard that she could use it, I’ve never seen Jeuri Levarance use buff magic… The only possibility I can think of is that they practiced it in the External Magic Research Club.”


    “...Is it the same club that had been called out for its perverted nuances, like learning to lift skirts, from where Allen Rovenne learned his wind magic?…… I had been wondering why the rumors weren’t quashed when there were enough chances to do so, but it all makes sense if it was a setup to control information. Is that it, Sir Godorfun?”


    However, Godorfun shook his head again.


    “I had no involvement with that rumor. Even when I subtly asked him about it, he said that the absurd rumors wouldn''tst long, and showed an indifferent attitude toward them. Though that’s one of his peculiarities. It’s natural for the younger generation to be concerned about their reputation, but he remains aloof from the so-called fame. No, it isn’t just being aloof, he is actively trying to stay out of everyone’s eyes.”


    Tim nodded, seemingly bing certain of something.


    He could tell that the extraordinary and relentless mental strength of ss 1-A was undoubtedly influenced by Allen Rovenne. Their journey had started from the top where others had stopped, and one could only imagine how far they could go yearster.


    At that moment, a messenger entered the headquarters meeting room with a pale face.


    “I have a report to make! A while ago, an envoy from the enemy general, Bester von Stocud, came to deliver a message to Godorfun-sama.”


    Everyone turned their eyes toward Godolfun.


    Prompted by Godorfun to “Speak,” the messenger, sweating nervously, reported.


    “Uh! ‘If you wish to safely return the 120 prisoners we captured, withdraw your forces within one hour and return to your own country. Otherwise, the lives of the prisoners will not be guaranteed’… That’s all.”


    ◆◆◆


    For a second time, a deafening silence reigned in the headquarters meeting room, broken only by Tim’s words.


    “So, it’s about the prisoners… I was under the impression that they were all considered dead… What shall we do, Sir? Our military regtions in the Yuglia Kingdom clearly state that prisoners must be treated with respect…”


    Godorfun red at Tim sharply.


    “This isn’t a time for a moral lesson, Tim. No, that doesn’t even matter in a situation like this. They have the soldiers in their grasp, and we''re a foreign force who had crossed someone else''s border. Plus, neither side has given up fighting yet. We’re out for their blood, and allowing us to make a retreat means our soldiers can kill the innocent civilians of the kingdom another day.


    Until we surrender or agree to a ceasefire, I can’t even think of saying that they should treat the prisoners with respect. If anything, keeping them alive as prisoners is already too lenient of a measure.”


    Tim grimaced as Godorfun taught him the realities of military duty, regardless of the fact that he was here only to inspect the outdoor sses, and then ask Godorfun.


    “Then what are they plotting by keeping the prisoners alive?…..”


    Godolfen narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.


    “Themotion outside is loud… so I presume the envoy had ryed the message in quite a loud tone. Now, if we let them have their way and kill the prisoners, it’ll crush the morale of our army…… This is an outright challenge. It’s their attempt to turn the tables on us.”


    Tim, however, still had a confused expression.


    Even during the most intense drills with the Knight Order, he had never encountered such a taboo-like situation. It was truly like a real battle—


    As Tim was contemting this, the old man in front of him said something shocking.


    “…I’ll go. Jipro, take onepany and apany me. We’ll rescue the captured prisoners.”


    Godorfun dered in a clear voice.


    “...That’s too much, Sir. Isn’t it a bit cruel to the children? They’re just 12 or 13-year-old kids, and if you take the helm, everything they’ve set up will be shattered like ss. Let’s keep the activities within the confines of the military— I mean, in the outdoor ss’ range.”


    “I know that well enough. They certainly wouldn’t receive any supplementary sses even if they lose their three bases in the following events. Plus, the score is based on difficulty. This, alongside their previous scenarios, is actually going to grant them an unprecedented score, I’m sure.


    But there’s something you’ve yet to learn, Tim. A teacher’s duty is to bring out thetent potential of their students. After all, a battlefield is an ever-changing ce… Hold the fort here, Tim.”


    “Excuse me?! There’s no way I could do that as a judge, Sir. There''s definitely no reason why—”


    Time was about to talk back, but only saw Godorfun ring at him.


    “ording to the reports, there have been no sightings of Allen Rovenne or Daniel Sardos. So you have to assume that they have another goal in mind. With someone like you, who can control such arge force, present here, it would be a waste not to utilize you. Don’t worry. Those kids have undoubtedly factored you in as an enemy force. We have long since fallen into Allen Rovenne’s trap the moment we got the surrounding army grouped up in one ce.”


    Godorfun said, and then he left the headquarters with Jipro in tow.


    A trap?


    Had there been a hidden goal behind Allene Rovenne’s demand for the whole army to be their opponent, apart from being a foolhardy decision?


    Tim, still unable to fully grasp Godorfun’s final words, focused on issuing instructions to the nearby senior officers regarding the reorganization of the troops.


    E/N - How exciting! With how familiar Allen is with Godorfun, he most likely knew this would happen, and he probably has something in mind for the guy who supposedly ruined his youthful outdoor ss. I''m excited to see how this''ll go down. Any guesses?