Chapter 65

Reisenburg's knights, I thought, were all bumbling fools.

Like Paul, who had been beating up students with a stick, or the ones who had colluded to say that fifty of them had been eaten by an orc mage to cover up their incompetence.

"Gerd... I guess I was wrong..."

"No, that's not the case. There must be something going on..."

I had asked Kondo to make a list of the boys, finished taking care of the committee chair, and come to the building where the teachers were being held, but the night watch knight, who was supposed to be alone, was there with another one tonight.

The knight who was supposed to be on night duty seemed to be spreading cards on the table, but it appeared that Gerd, who had stayed behind on his own initiative, was keeping an eye on the second floor.

"The youngest one..."

"Huh? What about the youngest one?"

"He was clearly different from before yesterday."

"Really? I didn't feel that way at all, you're overthinking it."

It seems my worries from last night were right on the mark.

When I heard that Mr. Kodo was eating the sandwiches I had brought and was suddenly energetic and lively, I knew something was up.

"If I was wrong, there would be no problem, but what if I wasn't?"

"What if you weren't?"

"What if they get help?"

"Help? Who from? No one would come to help them."

"The fifty who were supposed to have died last time."

"Huh? How could the ones who were eaten by the orc mage come to help? Are you saying they're ghosts?"

Gerd turned his attention from the second floor to his colleague and began to explain his theory.

"Do you really think a horde of orc mages came?"

"Huh? What do you mean by that?"

"Didn't the armor of the ones who came back look unusually clean for having encountered a horde of orc mages?"

"Was it...?"

It seems these two didn't participate in the last battle.

"If it wasn't orc mages, what do you think it was?"

"I can't say for sure, but maybe they made a mistake and ran away?"

"So, you're saying the fifty who ran away contacted them?"

"Probably... maybe not all fifty, but they might have targeted this place, which has weaker security than the garrison."

"Right, adding the adults here... it's possible..."

While it's not the right answer, the fact that he's not just swallowing his colleague's words but questioning them makes him seem quite formidable.

"Rondal, I'm going to check the perimeter of the building. Keep an eye on... upstairs."

"Are you sure you can handle it alone?"

"Come on, I'm a Reisenburg knight trained in rigorous discipline. I won't fall behind some green kids."

"That's true... but don't let your guard down."

"Got it, I'll be careful."

As Gerd went out to patrol the building, Rondal put away the cards on the table and began to chant.

"Mana, Mana, the Mana that governs the world, gather, gather, gather in my body, flow, flow, flow, Mana, flow and become power!"

After finishing his chant, Rondal closed his eyes and seemed to be listening intently.

'Basten, was that chant for enhancing physical strength?'

'Yes, he's probably enhancing his senses to detect the presence on the second floor.'

'You can do that?'

'It varies from person to person, but this knight, Rondal, seems to be playing the role of a seeker.'

'Can he hear conversations on the second floor?'

'It depends on the level of enhancement...'

I thought about moving to the second floor and coming out of the shadows, but talking out loud would be a mistake, so I got a pen and paper.

The teachers were gathered in the shared kitchen.

I slipped out of the shadows and, before the teachers could cry out, put a finger to my lips to ask them to be quiet.

"Country..."

Mr. Sato called out my name and quickly closed his mouth.

When I pointed to the first floor, everyone seemed to understand.

'Lord Kent, Rondal is coming upstairs!'

I put a finger to my lips again and quickly slipped back into the shadows.

The sound of a key turning and footsteps ascending the stairs could be heard.

When Rondal came up the stairs and saw the teachers gathered in the kitchen, he raised his voice.

"What are you all doing, gathered at this hour!"

"What...? We were just talking..."

The one who answered was Mr. Oda, the oldest teacher.

"What are you planning?"

"Planning? What can we do?"

"Don't play dumb, you're trying to escape, aren't you?"

"That's impossible. If we escape, the students will be harmed, and besides, where can we go from here? We don't even know what's outside."

As a math teacher, Mr. Oda's logical and calm response left Rondal with no room for argument.

"There's training tomorrow, so get to bed!"

"Understood, but we would appreciate some relaxation time to chat."

"Hmph, you don't need to think about unnecessary things, just follow our orders and get to bed!"

The teachers gathered in the kitchen were forcibly dispersed.

Rondal watched until everyone returned to their rooms.

With this, it would be impossible to contact all the teachers at once.

So, I decided to choose Mr. Oda as a representative.

While Mr. Sato, my homeroom teacher, would be the easiest to talk to, after seeing his calm and logical response, I thought Mr. Oda would be more suitable.

I wanted to make contact somehow, but Rondal was not about to go back downstairs.

Meanwhile, Gerd, who had gone out to patrol, was carefully checking the surroundings and occasionally turning to check the building for any abnormalities.

I couldn't talk out loud while Rondal was searching for signs, so I had to rely on writing.

However, the teachers who couldn't see well at night would need light to read, and if I turned on a light, the light would leak out the window and be noticed by Gerd.

After about twenty minutes, I confirmed that Rondal had returned to the first floor and made contact with Mr. Oda.

I blocked the window and door of Mr. Oda's room with a shield of darkness to prevent light from leaking out, then turned on a magical light. Mr. Oda quietly got out of bed.

I gestured for him to be quiet, and he nodded in understanding.

I asked Basten to keep watch downstairs and explained the situation in writing, being careful to make as little noise as possible.

'From Mr. Kudo's attitude, I suspect they are suspicious. Do not mention the rescue plan.'

'So, they were just bad actors. There's nothing we can do but pretend nothing happened?'

'I don't want to change the plan. Be ready for the operation the night after tomorrow.'

'Understood, I'll try to pass the message to the others without the knights noticing.'

'Thank you.'

As expected, Mr. Oda was very calm and reassuring, but Mr. Kudo, the youngest, seemed a bit suspicious.

I hope he doesn't say anything unnecessary and draw attention from the knights...

After finishing the written conversation with Mr. Oda, I watched the first floor from the shadow world, and Gerd returned from outside.

"What's the situation outside?"

"So far, nothing unusual."

"I see... The group on the second floor seemed to be gathered in the kitchen talking about something."

"What? Really?"

"Yes, I sensed their presence and went up to check."

"And what were they talking about?"

"I couldn't tell, but it seemed like they were making some kind of plan, so I warned them."

"I see..."

Gerd crossed his arms and seemed to be deep in thought.

He closed his eyes, looked up at the ceiling, and after a moment, nodded and spoke.

"Rondal, I'm planning to report this to Lady Camilla tomorrow."

"Gerd, I understand your concern, but isn't it a bit too hasty?"

"But it will be too late if something happens. Shouldn't Lady Camilla be the one to judge whether it's too early or too late?"

"But most of it is still speculation."

"Isn't that why we should seek Lady Camilla's judgment?"

"Hmm..."

This time, Rondal crossed his arms and thought about it.

"Alright, I'll report it. You're on duty again when the day breaks, right?"

"Yes, but..."

"I'm off duty and returning to the garrison. I'll report on your behalf."

"Alright, that would be a help... What about tonight?"

"Usually, I'd sleep, but we'll take turns staying awake. You need to be rested for your duty tomorrow, so it would be tough to stay up all night."

"Right... You go to sleep first, and I'll wake you when it's time."

"Alright..."

I didn't know how high Mr. Kudo's spirits were, but I didn't expect things to get this complicated.

'Hmm... I underestimated the Reisenburg knights a bit.'

'Lord Kent, I'll keep watch here, so please return to Volzard and rest.'

'Yeah, I don't think we'll move tonight, but the problem is what happens if Camilla is informed.'

'Right, I'll follow this Rondal.'

'Alright, I plan to watch over the handling of Zae and the others' carriage at the guard post, but let me know when he reports. I want to see it firsthand if possible.'

'Understood, I'll bring Hilt for communication.'

I asked Basten to keep an eye on Gerd and returned to Volzard.

After explaining the situation to Reinhardt, he suggested changing the plan.

'Lord Kent, we may need to expedite the operation.'

'If Camilla learns about the rescue plan, the chances of failure will increase.'

I only told the teachers that the Reisenburg knights would be incapacitated, but from the situation when we rescued fifty people, if the knights who participated in the battle find out, they might realize the danger of being put to sleep.

According to Mr. Corey at the pharmacy, there are also wakefulness potions that can counteract sleeping potions, and if taken, the effect of the sleeping potion is reduced.

If the sleeping potion doesn't work, we'll have to incapacitate them by force.

With the current power of my familiars, it's possible to suppress them by force, but there's a risk of injuring or even killing them.

'What do you think, Reinhardt? Can we carry out the operation during the day if Camilla reports it?'

'Without knowing the knights' positions and the location of the students, there are too many unpredictable factors.'

'Which is easier, dealing with the wakefulness potion or if the plan is exposed?'

'It depends on how Camilla responds, but if the Reisenburg knights get serious, it will be troublesome.'

'Yeah... Alright, let's be ready to move at any time.'

'Understood.'

I asked Reinhardt to be ready to move at any time and decided to sleep between Malt and the others.

Yeah, it's not good to have just one in a specific order, but the sleeping position seems to change in turns.

The next morning, after finishing breakfast, I headed straight to the guard post's barracks.

I collected the list of girls from the Bumpy Sisters and the list of boys from Kondo.

All that's left is for Zae and the others to learn how to handle the carriage, and the preparations will be almost complete.

At the stable, the guard post members were exercising the horses.

The stable hands were cleaning the stables during this time.

Since I heard that horses are afraid of monsters, I can't bring Zae and the others out yet.

If a frightened horse runs wild, it could be dangerous.

"Hey, Kent, you're early. What's up today?"

"Good morning, Raymond. I'm planning to borrow the carriage and the stable today..."

"Yeah, I heard, but I didn't know it was you... You can't handle horses yet, can you?"

"No, I'm planning to have my familiars pull it."

"You mean... the lizardmen?"

"Yes, with horses, I'd have to put on harnesses, tie them up, and give them commands to move, but my familiars can judge and move on their own."

"I see... Then you just need to learn how to release the brakes and how to pull, right? Wait a moment, I'll put this one back and show you the carriage..."

Raymond took the horse he was leading back to the stable and led me to the garage where the carriages were kept.

There were over ten carriages in the garage, ranging from two-horse carriages to four-horse carriages and box carriages.

Raymond led me to a two-horse carriage.

"There are various types of carriages, but this two-horse carriage is the basic model. I think the Reisenburg ones are the same, so if you can handle this one, you should be able to handle the others."

"Raymond, is it okay if I call my familiars here?"

"Yeah, I told them not to bring horses over here, so it's fine."

"Thank you. Everyone, come out."

Zae and the five undead lizardmen gathered.

"Wow... They're really impressive..."

Raymond, who is quite tall, looked up at Zae and the others, whose black, shiny skin added to their imposing presence.

"Raymond, these are my familiars: Zae, Tuo, Karm, Suo, and Tara."

"Nice to meet you, Lord Raymond."

When Zae and the others saluted in unison, Raymond's eyes widened.

"Wow, this is surprising, they can talk and salute... I'd like to recruit them for our squad."

As Raymond started explaining how to handle the carriage, Hilt popped his head in.

"Master, Basten says he needs you."

"Got it, I'll be right there."

It seems Rondal had gone to report to Camilla.

"Raymond, can you continue explaining to Zae and the others? I need to go check on the situation."

"Sure, no problem. I've explained the basics, so it's fine if they go now."

"Alright, if anything comes up, have them come back. In the meantime, can you explain the finer details to them?"

"Sure, I'll do that."

I entrusted Zae and the others to Raymond and hurriedly slipped into the shadows to head to Basten.

'Basten, how's it going?'

'Lord Kent, he's just about to report.'

Peering in, I saw Rondal approaching Camilla's office.

He saluted the knight guarding the door, took a deep breath, and knocked.

"Who is it?"

"It's Rondal, in charge of the annex."

"Come in!"

Despite her stern voice, Camilla, seated at her desk, had a soft expression.

"What's the matter?"

"Yes, there's something that concerns me, and I would like to seek your judgment, Lady Camilla."

"Hmm, what's concerning you?"

"Well, actually..."

Rondal reported to Camilla in a way that made it seem like he had discovered the suspicious behavior of the youngest teacher and their late-night gatherings.

"Hmm, it does seem suspicious... But they can't do anything on their own."

"Yes, I agree, but there's another thing that concerns me..."

"Hmm, what is it? Go on..."

Camilla listened to Rondal's report with a thin smile.

"First, I must clarify that this is just my imagination, and I have no intention of implicating other knights."

"Hmm... This involves other knights, then?"

"Yes, during the second live combat exercise..."

Rondal recounted Gerd's theory as if it were his own.

'Hey, Basten, is he trying to take credit?'

'Yes, it seems so.'

However, as Rondal's story progressed, Camilla's expression grew more serious.

"Are you saying that the knights who participated in the live combat are lying to me?"

"N-no... This is just an extreme scenario. It's also possible that they were attacked by orc mages and managed to escape..."

"Hmm... I see..."

Camilla leaned back in her chair, crossed her arms, and closed her eyes, deep in thought.

When she opened her eyes, Rondal straightened up under her stern gaze.

"Barks! Tell Revitch to report to me!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

As the secretary left to deliver the message, Rondal's face paled.

Camilla glanced at him and smiled more clearly.

"Don't be so tense. It's important to investigate any suspicious points, even among our own. If it turns out to be a misunderstanding, your actions were still correct. Stand tall and wait."

"Yes, thank you."

Every time, I think Camilla is truly lenient with her own people.

If she could be even half as lenient with us, things might have been different.

After a while, the sound of footsteps echoed in the hallway, and the door was knocked on.

"Who is it?"

"It's Revitch, reporting as ordered."

"Come in!"

The knight who entered with a slightly pale face was familiar.

He was probably the one who led the second live combat exercise.

Depending on his report, we might need to expedite the rescue operation.

I also sent Hilt to fetch Reinhardt.

Let's see how this plays out.