Chapter 30

As the cherry blossoms danced in the wind, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of promise written there.

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Xiaoming stood at the classroom door, took a deep breath, and firmly gripped the secret letter from his mother.

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When the orcs surrounded their prey, I was a bit surprised, but thinking about it, when I was caught by the goblins, I was ambushed from both sides. If the goblins can ambush, it's not strange that the orcs would surround us. The five people surrounded by the orc pack decided to fight their way through. Xiao Lin and Yagi started preparing to cast their magic at the orcs blocking the path leading out of the forest.

"Let's do it, Gasu Megane!"

"Whenever you're ready, Jai!"

"Mana, oh Mana, the Mana that governs the world, gather, gather in my hands, become wind, dance, dance, wind, dance and become a wind blade!"

"Mana, oh Mana, the Mana that governs the world, gather, gather in my hands, become water, dance, dance, water, dance and become a water spear!"

"Ready... Hyaahaaa!"

Xiao Lin cast a wind attribute attack spell, and Yagi cast a water attribute attack spell. The wind blade was invisible, but the water attribute attack, which was more like a spear, was easily deflected by the orcs swinging their clubs. However, in the next instant, Xiao Lin's wind attribute magic attacked the orcs.

"Bufoo...?"

Fresh blood splattered from the orc's shoulder.

"Did it work...?"

"Hey, don't set up a bad flag!"

After being cut cleanly like a sickle, the pain seemed to slowly rise, and as the blood flowed, the orc's face twisted in anger.

"Buooooo!"

"Buooooo! Buooooo!"

The orc that was hit by the magic roared, and the other orcs began to roar as well, quickly narrowing the circle of their包围. The five people were frozen in fear, trembling.

"It's no good, it's not working at all."

"Hey, what do we do, what do we do?"

"It's bad, it's bad, it's bad, it's bad!"

"No, no... someone, help me, someone help me!"

Sakai cried out in panic. I guess when I was eaten by the goblins, I must have felt the same way. To protect the five people who were standing there helplessly, three vicious skeletons emerged from the shadows.

Wow, they look like heroes!

"What... what are these things...?"

"Don't joke, new monsters...?"

While the five people were shocked, the three skeletons charged at the orc pack. Reinhardt, stepping forward with fierce momentum, swung his beloved sword Gram, and five orc heads flew off in an instant. Basten, standing firm, thrust his beloved spear Geiborg, and five orcs collapsed with their foreheads pierced. Fred, whose black body shimmered and disappeared, reappeared, and four orc heads rolled, their bodies continuing to run a few steps before collapsing.

"What is this... did we get saved...?"

When Xiao Lin voiced her doubt, the other four people were so stunned they forgot to respond, looking around in amazement. Well, let me answer for you, shall I?

"Everyone, I'm here to save you!"

Stepping out from Reinhardt's shadow and calling out, the five people's gazes turned to me. Wow, a bit scary, but it feels good.

"Hey, are you Kuniwaki?"

"I know you have a lot of questions, but let's prioritize getting out of here first. I'll remove the slave bracelets, so get ready to change into the clothes I have."

"You weren't supposed to be dead?"

"Save the questions, we need to move quickly, or more monsters will be attracted by the smell of blood."

"Ugh, really...?"

Well, even if more monsters come, Reinhardt and the others will take care of them. But to get them moving, it's best to use the fear of monsters they just experienced. As I removed the slave bracelets, everyone made a fist and cheered.

"Why can you remove the slave bracelets?"

"Because I can use dark attribute magic. Now, hurry up and change. We need to move. Don't worry about the color or pattern, just focus on the size. The monsters are coming."

The boys changed on the spot, while the girls changed in a makeshift changing room made with a tent cloth held up by Fred and Basten.

"These three are skeletons I summoned and enhanced with dark attribute magic. They usually work for me, and they will guard you all as we head to the fortress city of Volzard on the other side of the forest."

After introducing Reinhardt, Basten, and Fred to the five people who had finished changing, their expressions changed when they realized these were former knights.

"That's amazing... they killed those orcs instantly."

"I couldn't even see the spear movements."

"Fred, I couldn't even see when you moved."

Xiao Lin and the new-old duo were very interested in the three, but let's start moving.

"We can talk while we move. Sakai, are you okay?"

"Uh, y-yes, I'm fine, I'm fine."

With the danger of monsters gone, Sakai's pale face was returning to normal, and she was starting to regain her usual demeanor. Since she's shorter than me, the clothes that fit her are a bit loose, but that's just part of the charm.

"You can walk without being forced by the slave bracelets, right?"

"Shut up, Gasu Megane, you weren't much help either."

"What did you say, Mini-Muscle..."

"Alright, alright, let's move. If you keep arguing over trivial things, I'll leave you behind."

"Wait, that's not good..."

"Kuniwaki, you're so cold..."

"Fred, use the clothes and slave bracelets to create a disguise. Basten, take care of the orc corpses."

After entrusting the cleanup to Fred and Basten, we started moving with Reinhardt's protection.

"Let me explain what's next. The city we're heading to, Volzard, is in the Republic of Lanzhelt, not the Kingdom of Reisenburg. I've arranged for you to be accepted there, so you can rest assured."

"Are you sure we won't be made slaves again?"

"Of course, I've talked to the lord, and since Reinhardt and the others are valuable assets in protecting the city, you won't be treated as slaves. Besides, the Republic of Lanzhelt has abolished the slave system."

Hearing this, the five people sighed in relief. They must have been suffering from the treatment at the garrison.

"Once we get to Volzard, we'll get you identity cards from the guild."

"Oh, does that mean we can become adventurers?"

"I thought the same thing at first, but the guild in Volzard handles all kinds of jobs, like a job center. It's not just about being an adventurer."

"Does that mean we can do regular part-time jobs too?"

"Yep, from apprentice jobs to monster hunting, anything goes."

"Can we take on monster hunting jobs too?"

"Unfortunately, probably not. Even with strong magic, you'd start at E rank, and usually, you'd start at F rank. To take on the kind of jobs you're thinking of, you need to rank up."

"Wow... it's finally starting to feel like a different world!"

"Are there any pretty ladies at the guild?"

"Are there any delicious foods unique to this world?"

"Man, I'm so excited!"

Seeing Yagi punch the air in joy, everyone else agreed. It's understandable that their spirits would rise after escaping the treatment at the garrison. But I need to set some boundaries before any trouble starts.

"It's okay to be happy, but listen up. I've arranged for you to be accepted in Volzard, but we still need to rescue about two hundred more classmates and get them accepted too. If you cause any major trouble in Volzard, the acceptance might be canceled, and we'll have nowhere to go."

"Hey, since they called us here, shouldn't they treat us well?"

"Kudo, you didn't listen to Kuniwaki, did you?"

"What do you mean, Jai, what's wrong with what I said?"

"Kuniwaki said the city we're going to is in a different country."

"Oh... I see..."

The Odd Couple and Gasu Megane seem to understand, so I'll focus on setting boundaries with the new-old duo.

"This time, I brought you out pretending you were dead, but after rescuing everyone, we need to negotiate to return to Japan. Until then, we need to stay in Volzard, or we might end up dying in the Demon Forest."

"Ugh... that's a no-go..."

"Don't cause any unnecessary trouble, Daita."

"I get it, I'll behave. Man, what a bummer..."

I see, the brainless ones need a way to release stress.

"Ah, if you want to hunt monsters, the guild offers combat training. You can try it out."

"Combat training? For real... but it's not just hitting each other with wooden swords, right?"

"No, it's not like that. It's a proper match format."

"Really? Maybe I'll give it a try..."

"If you complete all the training from Fire Day to Star Day, you'll get permission to enter the dungeon alone."

At the mention of the dungeon, everyone perked up.

"Really? There's a dungeon?"

"Wow... I want to go to the dungeon..."

"Does the dungeon have treasure?"

"Have you been to the dungeon, Kuniwaki?"

"What kind of monsters are there?"

"Stop, stop, wait a minute, I can't answer all at once."

I made everyone stop and set some boundaries again.

"If you cause trouble, you won't get to explore the dungeon. Besides, the dungeon is as dangerous as the Demon Forest. You can't enter alone without completing the training. I heard that someone who lived in my boarding house never returned after entering the dungeon."

Hearing that it's as dangerous as the Demon Forest, everyone's excitement seemed to calm down.

"But... we've been walking for a while, and no monsters have appeared."

"Ah, that's right. Gasu Megane, you noticed something important."

"Shut up, unlike you brainless ones, I don't neglect observation."

Since being attacked by the orcs, the five people have been relaxed because no monsters have appeared.

"Let me tell you, the reason no monsters have appeared is that Reinhardt is not hiding his presence. Weak monsters are fleeing and not attacking. Normally, this area would be crawling with goblins, kobolds, and other weak monsters."

"Really...?"

"Hey, Yagi, didn't you forget about being attacked by orcs as soon as you entered the forest?"

"No, I didn't forget, but..."

"Then, how about you five try walking to Volzard on your own? If you hurry, you might make it in two days."

"Two days? That's so far. Where will we sleep? What about food?"

Ah, this Gasu Megane is so annoying... maybe I should strangle him a bit.

"Don't worry, I have tents and food prepared. But if you want, you can go on your own."

"No way, no way. But Kuniwaki, you can't make it alone either, right?"

"Ah, I can move through shadows, so I can get to Volzard right now."

"What? That's so unfair. If that's the case, we should move through the shadows too. I'm so smart!"

"You can't enter the shadow world without the affinity for dark attributes. Want to try opening the gate?"

I opened the gate to the shadow world, but Yagi and the other four couldn't enter.

"Che, dark attributes are useless..."

"Yep, we should just leave Yagi behind..."

"No, no, wait, that's not what I meant..."

"Right, I'll put the slave bracelet back on and send you back to the garrison."

"No, no, it's a joke, a joke..."

"The tents and food can't be retrieved without dark attribute magic, so you won't have any..."

"Sorry, really sorry, I was getting carried away..."

Seeing him kowtow shamelessly, I decided to forgive him. While I was nodding with my arms crossed, Xiao Lin pointed something out.

"Kuniwaki seems different, doesn't he?"

"Ah? Really?"

"Yeah, he used to be more nervous and weak, but he doesn't seem that way now."

"Ah... maybe it's because of the physical labor at the farm and the special training with Reinhardt... and also, he's had more opportunities to interact with adults..."

"Kuniwaki seems to have gone through a lot."

You're pretty perceptive, Mini-Muscle. Maybe I should introduce you to Donovan. As for the brainless new-old duo, we should make sure they don't cause any unnecessary trouble.

With the disguise work completed, Fred and Basten joined us, and our security was now foolproof. The five people, freed from the slave bracelets, seemed to be in a complete picnic mood. It's easier to keep an eye on them since there are only five, but if there were fifty or a hundred, it would be much harder. From their performance against the orcs, they can handle goblins, but anything stronger would be a problem.

"Hey, how do these five compare to the others in terms of combat ability?"

"Kudo and I are among the stronger ones among the knight types."

"Xiao Lin and I are at a high level among the mages... except for Takayama, who's in a different league."

"I see... as expected..."

"What's that supposed to mean, Kuniwaki?"

"Ah, actually..."

I answered Yagi's question and talked about the upcoming rescue plan. To escape to Volzard, we need to traverse the Demon Forest, and if Reisenburg sends pursuers, Fred and Basten will handle them, which could thin our security. Therefore, I plan to have the classmates gain some skills in Reisenburg.

"Kuniwaki, do you think they can beat those orcs?"

At Yagi's words, the other four immediately shook their heads. Sakai's face turned pale again. Given their performance, it seems impossible.

"Kent-sama, battles don't always have to be one-on-one."

"Yes, Kent-sama, this time there were more orcs, but what if it was the other way around?"

"The key is... coordination and tactics..."

"Ah, right! Yes, that's it!"

"What's that, Kuniwaki, what's it?"

"Ah, sorry, I just received some advice from Reinhardt and the others through telepathy."

"Telepathy? No way, can you really do that? Damn, dark attributes are so cool..."

Yeah, I use it so much now that I forget how impressive it must seem to Yagi.

"So, Reinhardt and the others say, instead of one-on-one, think about many against one."

"Right, like when Kudo and I took down a goblin."

"Exactly, not just two, but five or ten. What if we all attack together?"

"Then we could take them down, right? The mages can attack with magic first..."

"The knights can finish them off. It might work."

With only five people, it's easier to guard but smaller in terms of combat power. If there were fifty or a hundred, the combat power would be ten or twenty times greater, and we could defend ourselves against a similar number of orcs, with Reinhardt and the others thinning their ranks.

"I see, like a party in a game... but we never had that kind of training, right?"

"True... the knight training was just about using wooden swords to beat each other."

"The mage training was just about shooting magic at targets."

That's exactly what Kudo and Xiao Lin said when I scouted the situation.

"Will we get proper coordination training in the future?"

"Maybe not. They might just use us and throw us away."

"Isn't that what's happening to us now?"

Yagi and Sakai's words were echoed by the other four. If that's the case, the crucial task of developing the Demon Forest might not progress. I asked the five if they knew what they were fighting and what their purpose was, but they only knew they would be fighting monsters. I explained that Camilla's goal was to develop the Demon Forest as part of the desertification control in the western part of Reisenburg.

"You investigated that much? That's impressive..."

"We didn't have the luxury to think about that..."

"What are you talking about? The brainless ones wouldn't think even if they had the time."

"Shut up, the Odd Couple wouldn't think either."

"True... in that environment, I wouldn't have the luxury to look for reasons either... so, what do you think?"

When I explained that the desertification was causing a drop in crop yields and malnourished children, the five people's expressions became complex.

"I understand the goal, but the methods are unacceptable."

"True, if they treated us better, we might consider it, but we can't cooperate after being treated like this."

"The girls cry every night."

"True... only a few, like Takayama, seem motivated."

"Wasn't it Shelia? Damn, so envious."

At Yagi's words, the new-old duo strongly agreed, and the Odd Couple frowned a bit.

"About Shelia..."

She is Camilla's half-sister, and her low-status mother is being held hostage, forcing her to be Takayama's partner. When I explained this, all five frowned and started cursing Camilla.

"Damn, that princess is the worst."

"So annoying, Kuniwaki, just kill her."

"Right, she can't be kept alive."

"Really, I don't think we should forgive that woman..."

"But, you'd want to humiliate her before killing her, right?"

"Ugh, there you go, Ero-Megane, showing your true colors..."

"Wait, Kudo, don't you think the same?"

"N-no... I don't..."

"You guys are really low..."

The conversation was getting off track, so I decided to stop it.

"Alright, everyone, wait a minute. Didn't we forget something important?"

"What's important?"

"Yagi, don't you want to go back to Japan?"

"Ah... right, that princess has the return magic."

At Yagi's words, the other four seemed to remember something they had forgotten.

"Camilla is annoying, but she has the return magic.