Chapter 51
Inside the carriage where Elbadin rode.
Unlike the uproar outside, the interior of the carriage was as silent as a grave.
Jedd, peering out the window with a somewhat tense expression, spoke.
“Your Highness, it’s Frostfang Wolves. Judging by their size, they seem to be young ones, but their numbers keep increasing.”
Elbadin nodded calmly.
He sat with his arms crossed, unmoving. Beside him, Liat was no different. The two of them sat in complete stillness, as if the commotion outside belonged to another world altogether.
Jedd, keeping an eye on the situation beyond the window, continued his report.
“The knights are all stationed in their assigned positions. The carriage was attacked, but the young lord and the others have all escaped safely.”
For the past week, the children had been put through special training after the announcement of a live combat exercise.
Lucilea, though it was her first battle, had at least learned the minimum knowledge and theory required for combat. She shouldn’t face any major problems.
Moreover, the special group had not only Serdian, but also Raiden and Irnel.
If anything happened, the knights standing by would intervene, and Elbadin himself was not far away.
Jedd turned his eyes back outside. By then, the roof of the children’s carriage had already been ripped apart by the Frostfang Wolf’s claws.
His voice grew heavier as he reported.
“The battle has begun.”
Elbadin replied.
“Do not let your eyes leave them for a second. This may be their field training, but we must not forget this is also training for us—to protect them.”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
Craack—!
With a tearing sound, the children were flung from the carriage.
Rolling across the dirt, Serdian was the first to leap up, sword in hand, and shout:
“Hold formation first!”
The children moved instinctively at his voice, swallowing down their fear and scattering into the positions they had practiced.
Lucilea too shifted herself to where she thought best.
When she had heard Serdian’s explanation inside the carriage, she hadn’t really understood. But now that the moment had come, things became clear.
She retreated as far back as she could without getting in the way.
Serdian barked sharply.
“Irnel! Block their movements!”
Irnel nodded, channeling mana into her staff.
As she lifted it high, the forest winds surged into a whirlwind. Snow piled on branches and ground alike lifted into the air, whirling into a blizzard.
The Frostfang Wolves struck by the gale faltered, unable to advance.
Serdian charged forward.
“I’ll hold the front—Raiden, Caelyn, focus on attacking!”
“Got it!”
Raiden slammed his staff into the ground, muttering a brief incantation. At once, a massive fireball gathered at its tip—bigger than a wolf’s head. It shot straight toward them.
Boooom—!
With a near-explosive roar, the fireball struck a wolf, sending it screaming into a tree.
“Yes! Now, Caelyn!”
Irnel shouted at her.
But—
“I-I… I can’t…”
Caelyn, pale as paper, stood frozen with her staff clutched in trembling hands.
“Caelyn!”
Serdian called again, but she stumbled backward, her faint aura dispersing into nothing.
“I-I can’t do it! I can’t!”
Throwing her staff aside, Caelyn turned and bolted into the forest.
“No, Caelyn! Come back!” Irnel cried out in alarm.
But she was already gone, swallowed by the dark woods.
Irnel made to follow—but another wolf dropped from above, forcing her to stay. If she left, the others would be exposed.
At that moment, Serdian’s sword erupted in a dazzling golden aura, bright enough to sting the eyes. The very air around them shuddered in tension.
Raiden swallowed hard.
‘Incredible…’
For someone so young, his aura was remarkably stable and dense—stronger than that of many grown men.
“Here we go again.”
Shaaah—!
With a burst of speed, Serdian slashed forward, sending a golden blade of energy tearing through the wolf in front.
Keeeee—!
The Frostfang shrieked in agony.
Adjusting his grip, Serdian glanced back at the others.
“Stay focused. We’ll clear this up, then go after her.”
“Understood.”
Irnel and Raiden both nodded.
Watching the three of them fight, Lucilea bit her lip.
‘What a mess…’
Yet amidst the chaos, there was a fragile order to the battlefield. Serdian held the center, and surprisingly, both Raiden and Irnel followed his lead.
Lucilea herself was occasionally casting spells to distract the monsters’ vision, but after Caelyn’s retreat, she could feel their focus had faltered.
Spotting another wolf, she cast a rooting spell. Tree roots burst from the earth, binding the beast’s legs.
Serdian shot her a quick glance and nodded.
It looked like praise. Grinning, Lucilea nodded back.
One by one, the wolves were cut down. But with every passing moment, more of them appeared.
Lucilea wiped the sweat dripping down her chin and panted.
‘Great materials, sure… but at this rate I’ll die before I fill my chest with them.’
Just then, Serdian, who kept looking back to check on her and the others, shouted:
“Lucilea, fall back and recover your mana!”
“Huh?”
Did that mean just… rest?
Raiden explained instead.
“You only just woke up from mana overload. There’s not much left—so fall back now and rest before it’s too late.”
“Oh…”
So that’s what he meant?
This brat. He was worried about me.
Lucilea rubbed her nose, then nodded. No point in being stubborn.
But then, she noticed Irnel glancing again and again toward the forest.
She was too worried about Caelyn to focus fully.
As Lucilea eased back, she asked quietly:
“Want me to go look for her?”
Irnel blinked in surprise.
“Why would you?”
“If we don’t get her back before she goes deeper, it’ll be worse.”
Serdian, apparently hearing their words even amidst the chaos, shouted:
“No! Too dangerous for you alone!”
His ears were sharp—how had he even heard that?
Lucilea looked at him and said:
“You said it yourself. We’re comrades.”
“…”
“Caelyn’s in there, alone. She’s one of us, isn’t she?”
Whether they liked it or not.
Grinning, Lucilea continued:
“Trust me. I’ve got the artifact you gave me, and Master’s protective necklace. If things get bad, I’ll run straight back here!”
I’ll just grab her and dash right out!
“…”
Serdian fell silent. Irnel hesitated, then spoke softly:
“Then… please.”
“Leave it to me.”
Lucilea turned her eyes to the forest where Caelyn had run.
Its dark, gaping mouth looked like the jaws of some monster.
Gulp. She had spoken big, but—
‘This is… a little scary.’
She gripped her twig-wand tightly.
Still.
‘I’m the only one here who can do this.’
Her eyes flicked toward Elbadin’s carriage.
No movement at all.
Not even in this chaos. The knights too had shifted back, holding defensive lines without interfering.
‘So this really is a live combat drill.’
The battle was meant to be fought by the chosen children alone.
‘And they split us into teams? Ugh. Like one of those awful group projects.’
No matter how well one did, if a member failed, the whole group was dragged down.
So they couldn’t just blame Caelyn.
Someone had to go after her—and that someone, at this moment, was only her.
‘Me.’
Lucilea quietly turned and stepped toward the forest.
Serdian watched her with worried eyes.
At that moment—Kaaang—!
A wolf’s massive claws came slashing down toward his head. He barely raised his blade in time, staggering from the impact before regaining balance.
Grinding his teeth, he glared at the beast.
“As soon as we finish here, we’ll head into the woods to save them…”
Raiden nodded, adjusting his staff.
Irnel stirred the winds again, but her gaze kept flicking toward the forest that had swallowed her friend.
Then—
Kiiiiiiiieeeek—!
A horrific cry, like something being torn apart, echoed from above. It was unlike the howls of the Frostfang Wolves.
Startled, the children raised their eyes skyward.
Through the heavy clouds emerged a colossal shape.
“W-what… what is that?” Raiden gasped.
It dwarfed the wolves entirely.
Irnel murmured in shock.
“…A… Griffin?”
The ancient divine beast they had dismissed as mere legend.
Its vast wings beat the air with ease as it glided through the sky.
And the direction it flew—
Straight into the forest.
The very one Lucilea had just entered to find Caelyn.
