Chapter 86

Part 11: Left Behind

Upon arriving at the clearing, we sat down to rest.

Seeing the professor and the knights resting, it seemed that there was some kind of device set up in this clearing or around those wooden boxes to prevent monsters from approaching.

Behind us, students began to gather in the clearing one by one with the professors and knights.

Although there was a slight danger, it seemed that the field trip was about to end.

As time passed, the sun began to set behind the trees, and the surroundings started to darken.

When are we leaving?

Since we ended up resting longer than expected, I looked around.

Noticing the serious expressions of the teachers and knights, I strained to listen.

"What happened?"

"One group hasn't arrived yet."

"Isn't it too late?"

Who hasn't come?

I checked who was missing.

Some students were not visible, and among the professors, one was also missing.

Catherine. Professor Catherine was not in sight.

Only then did our group members realize something was wrong.

"It seems something has happened."

At Vaea's words, everyone looked around.

"It seems one group hasn't arrived yet."

I explained the reason.

"Really?"

Everyone was surprised and looked around.

"Bria is missing."

Vaea noticed that one of her friends was not there.

"Oh my, Melissa!"

Piar realized his cousin was missing.

"Hey, Catherine is missing."

And the princess said in a shocked voice.

As the princess said, Professor Catherine's group was not in sight.

"Let's wait a bit. I'll find out what's going on."

Professor Niel, who was resting with us, went to where the headmaster was.

The headmaster was surrounded by knights and professors.

I tried to eavesdrop by infusing mana into my ears, but I couldn't hear well. It seemed they had set up a mana barrier.

The group members were restless, especially the princess, whose face had turned pale.

It seemed she knew something.

What will happen if Professor Catherine's group is even later? Should we just wait? It will be night soon.

While I was thinking this, the professors and knights who had gathered around the headmaster returned to their respective groups.

Professor Niel also returned to our group.

Everyone looked at Professor Niel, but she made an excuse.

"The headmaster will explain."

As soon as she finished speaking, the headmaster spoke loudly.

"One group is still missing and hasn't arrived. We've been waiting, but it's getting dark, so we can't wait any longer."

As the headmaster said, the sun was setting behind the trees.

It would get dark quickly in the deep forest.

"For safety, we will leave a search party of knights and the rest will return to the academy."

As expected. We couldn't spend the night here just because one group hadn't arrived.

The correct approach was for the others to return first, and the search party to find the missing group and bring them back to the academy.

But, what could have happened? How could Professor Catherine's group not have arrived? Even if the group members lacked skills, Catherine alone should have been enough.

The students were restless due to the sudden incident.

"Can't we wait a bit longer?"

A student asked, but the headmaster shook his head.

"The artifact that prevents monsters from approaching is almost out of time. Soon, monsters will come here."

The headmaster immediately urged the students.

"The night is more dangerous than the day. Everyone, prepare to move."

Everyone looked worried but had to follow the headmaster's orders.

However, the princess was different.

"I will stay behind."

"No, you can't."

Professor Niel immediately rejected the princess's request.

"Even if you talk to the headmaster, it won't work. We can't leave a young student who has just awakened in the sealing area. Besides, you are royalty. No one will allow it."

Professor Niel spoke firmly, unlike before.

It was more about her being royalty than a young student.

I don't understand why the princess is being so stubborn.

I understand she is worried about her aunt Catherine, but she must know that joining the search party won't help at all.

"But, even if the search party finds them, they can't return immediately."

Professor Niel's face hardened at the princess's words.

What does she mean? If they find them, they can just return with the headmaster.

Wait a moment.

"Is there a cooldown, or a waiting time, for moving?"

At my question, the princess nodded with a pale face.

Everyone was surprised by her answer.

"When will it be possible?"

"Since they came in the morning and are returning now, they can come back in the morning, right?"

Vaea and Piar, who had friends and a cousin who didn't return, asked urgently.

"Since the mana that brought us here needs to be returned to its original position, it's said that the return is not a problem."

Professor Niel explained kindly to the other students, unlike before.

"However, once we return, the mana gathered in the magic circle will disappear, so it will take about a week to be ready again."

She looked regretful as she counted on her fingers.

"The knights who stay behind won't be able to spend a week here easily."

Piar also pleaded urgently.

"I will stay behind."

"No, you won't be any help, so I can't allow it."

She spoke firmly to all the group members.

"I shouldn't say this, but remember clearly. The Royal Academy is not an academic institution like a school. This place is where you learn the duties of nobles and face death. You must get used to the death of your comrades."

The professor was preparing the students and professors for the possibility of death.

The students were shocked by her words, and I was no different.

I already knew that the academy in this world was completely different from the schools I knew in my previous life.

I knew it was more like a military academy and much more dangerous than expected.

But, this was the first time I truly felt it.

From the headmaster to the professors, they didn't take the deaths of students and faculty during education seriously.

They were all awakened individuals and nobles who could lead the country, but they were also human resources who could die during education.

'Still, the princess is an exception.'

Realizing she couldn't stay behind, the princess looked at me with a desperate expression.

I immediately understood what she meant.

Even if she didn't ask me directly, I couldn't miss that expression.

I sighed.

It wasn't because of the princess's request.

I couldn't let Catherine die, no matter what.

If I only had one life, I would have refused, but I could do this once.

I was also curious about what had happened.

I turned and walked to the headmaster.

"You too! No, you can't!"

Professor Niel shouted from behind. It seemed her original personality was showing.

People were preparing to move.

Under the guidance of the professors, they lined up in the same positions as when they arrived.

A few knights were standing a distance away, looking serious. They seemed to be the chosen search party.

I sat on a closed box where the headmaster was controlling the mana.

He opened his eyes and looked at me.

"What is it?"

"I want to join the search party."

He frowned at my words.

"What's your name?"

"Alex de Gracia."

Hearing my name, he sighed.

"I wondered who was bothering me. It was you."

He looked behind me and shook his head.

"Since the princess wants it so much, I can't refuse. You can join."

The reason the princess was evacuated to the academy without being awakened was that the headmaster, who was an ally of the queen, had made the decision.

He had also accepted Catherine as a professor and admitted me to the academy with the queen's sponsorship, and had buried the incident of the instructor's suicide during the opening ceremony.

Among the faculty, only Catherine and the headmaster knew that I was the princess's hidden bodyguard.

That's why he could let me join the search party.

"You, where are you going!"

"I'm joining the search party."

"What?"

After finishing my conversation with the headmaster, Manuel shouted at me.

But I just waved my hand.

The princess couldn't meet my eyes.

She was biting her lip tightly and pulling on her skirt with both hands.

It wasn't because of me, but she seemed to be quite self-reproachful.

I decided to leave her alone. If she thinks about it, she might get a good reward later.

Vaea was looking at me enviously.

I don't know what she envies.

Piar was looking at me and the search party knights with a desperate expression.

He seemed very worried about his cousin.

Other students were also surprised and looking at me.

It was obvious that I was going to join the search party.

Leaving the people's gazes behind, I arrived in front of the knights standing a distance away.

"I'm joining the search party. I'm Alex."

The knights looked bewildered at my introduction.

It was certainly hard to understand that a student was joining the search party.

"The headmaster allowed it. The princess asked for it."

Before the knights could say anything, I spoke first.

They were bewildered but couldn't say anything.

The headmaster and the princess. Indeed, they were a good pair.

A moment later.

Whoosh.

With a bright light, people disappeared.

I didn't realize it when I moved myself, but from the outside, the method of moving was quite amazing.

'It's not instant teleportation, but it looks like being carried by mana.'

It moved so fast that it seemed to disappear, but looking at the remaining mana, it seemed to be moving quickly along a path connected by mana.

'So that's why I felt motion sickness.'

I hadn't fully grasped it yet, but further investigation might yield interesting results.

After everyone disappeared, the knights stood up.

They started walking into the forest and began talking.

"I hope we can return alive."

"It won't be easy."

"To be honest, if we can't return together, we'll probably die."

Their conversation was filled with gloom.

"Do we have food?"

"We have enough for a week. Well, since we have one more person, it's six days now."

A middle-aged knight, looking at the backpack carried by his comrade, turned to me.

"Why did you come to a place where you might die?"

I smiled at his words.

"It's similar to the knights. I'm also bound here."

It was a vague excuse, but the knights smiled bitterly.

They were thinking about their own situation.

"How skilled are you? You won't slow us down, right?"

Another knight asked.

I answered his question.

"I have been certified by the knights of the fief. I'm at least an intermediate knight."

The knights all looked at me.

I shrugged.