HTNSA 115

Chapter 115

* * *

Meanwhile, outside, people continued watching the scoreboard that updated in real time.

Frankly, there was nothing else for them to do, so everyone busied themselves eating, drinking, and enjoying the festival atmosphere.

“…Truly remarkable.”

Yet amid the laughter and chatter, there was one person whose eyes remained fixed on the scoreboard alone.

It was Darian.

While everyone else laughed and talked merrily, he alone wore a grave expression.

“Is something the matter, Your Highness? Is there a problem?”

The dean, noticing the important guest’s prolonged silence, carefully spoke up, reading the room.

Darian flinched and turned his gaze.

“Ah… it’s just that one team’s score is standing out. How on earth are they subjugating monsters so efficiently that their score is rising this quickly?”

At his words, the dean also studied the scoreboard closely before letting out a soft gasp.

“Ah, you’re right. And it’s still increasing…?”

Before long, his face turned bewildered.

“How could they be dealing with monsters this quickly? Could there be a malfunction in the magical instruments?”

“It doesn’t seem like a normal situation. Could something be happening inside?”

Of course, when a large number of low- and mid-tier monsters were slain at once, it wasn’t unusual for scores to rise rapidly.

However, for the increase to be this steep meant they were facing numerous, perhaps dozens of, high-tier monsters simultaneously.

Just as the dean, flustered, was about to consult with the professors of the magic faculty—

someone who had been silently sitting among the invited guests finally opened his mouth leisurely.

It was Seran, the Master of the Mage Tower.

“From what I can see, there doesn’t appear to be any malfunction in the magical instruments.”

Darian, frowning, turned toward the owner of the voice. Seran smiled languidly at him and continued.

“Why so concerned, Your Highness? Are you worried about the students inside?”

“…Of course. The students participating in the subjugation festival are all exceptionally talented individuals. If something were to happen to them—”

“Haha, wouldn’t it be better to be more honest? That team includes the Master of the Black Dragon. The very person both you and I are interested in.”

“…”

Seran’s blue eyes sparkled as he gave a meaningful smile. Seeing this, Darian firmly closed his mouth.

He had wondered why someone who rarely showed himself in public would suddenly attend an academy event, and now he finally understood.

‘So he’s after the Master of the Black Dragon as well.’

Dragons were beings of immense interest and research for the mages of the tower.

Just as the royal family coveted the Black Dragon’s master, the Mage Tower had plenty of reasons to desire Eila as well.

With that realization, Darian felt a sudden need to be cautious around the man before him.

“What do you think? Why not summon your knights now and go check the scene?”

“…”

“If the students are in danger, wouldn’t it be best to help as quickly as possible?”

Darian hesitated, unable to answer immediately.

The Mage Tower was an independent power outside the empire’s control. There was no way its master would approach him with purely altruistic intentions.

However, if something truly was happening in the forest…

For a moment, pink hair flickered in Darian’s mind.

‘Surely they haven’t been ambushed by a horde of monsters, have they?’

Imagining the owner of that hair in danger, his fist clenched unconsciously.

Yet he couldn’t show that emotion in front of the Mage Tower Master, so he spoke in the calmest tone he could manage.

“Sir Anton, gather the knights. We will go verify the situation ourselves.”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

The knight standing by gave a crisp bow and stepped back.

Almost immediately after the order was given, a reconnaissance unit was swiftly assembled. Seran, Darian, and the knights mounted their horses simultaneously.

Seeing this, murmurs spread among the students outside.

The commotion was so great that Peony, who had been resting in her personal tent, came running out in surprise.

“What’s going on? Did something happen?”

“Well…”

The knight mounted on his horse hesitated, glancing toward his master.

Darian looked down at his sister for a moment before speaking briefly.

“I will explain in detail when I return.”

Before he could even finish, the knights gripped their reins and charged toward the forest.

The forest, shrouded in the darkening sky, was now so black that one couldn’t see an inch ahead.

Watching the receding backs of the departing reconnaissance unit, Peony quietly murmured:

“…Brother.”

* * *

The knights galloped swiftly through the forest.

Along the way, they encountered several students returning after completing their subjugations, but the person Darian was looking for was nowhere to be seen.

“What’s the precise location of the students? How much further?”

“That… It seems the trackers aren’t functioning properly, perhaps due to the denser miasma in the forest at night.”

“What?”

At Sir Anton’s report, Darian scowled and turned his head.

During the subjugation festival, all students were required to wear trackers for their safety, so they could be swiftly rescued in case of emergencies.

But for the magical devices to fail completely just because it had gotten dark…

Watching their exchange, Seran offered, sounding almost generous,

“It seems you’re in quite the predicament. Should I try casting a wide-area detection spell?”

“…”

Darian did not answer immediately, hesitating.

Detection magic would indeed locate all presences, but filtering for useful information would take time.

And no matter how skilled Seran was as the Mage Tower Master, casting a precise spell while on horseback would not be easy.

“Let’s head to the last confirmed location first. If we still can’t find them there, we will use detection magic.”

“Understood!”

As Darian’s group continued riding tensely through the forest—

Sir Anton, who was leading, suddenly narrowed his eyes, staring ahead.

“Who is that…?”

Someone was shouting desperately, blocking their path.

Darian and the knights quickly pulled back on their reins.

“Huff, huff…”

As the dust settled, the intruder’s appearance became clear.

The young man’s face was ashen, and his uniform, marking him as a participant in the subjugation festival, was torn and dirty.

With a dazed, hollow look, he shouted toward Darian.

“P-please help us! Inside… there’s a massive horde of monsters…!”

Darian looked at the student with a grave expression and asked:

“Who are you?”

“I-I’m Ruban.”

His cracked voice continued,

“My team is in danger. W-we were in the middle of subjugating when, all of a sudden, high- and mid-tier monsters swarmed us… I managed to escape while my companions bought me time, but at that scale, they won’t be able to hold out for long!”

“High-tier and mid-tier monsters appeared together?”

Darian narrowed his eyes, questioning him skeptically.

Monsters typically established territories based on hierarchy, with high-tier monsters preying on mid-tier ones.

For them to act together went against their very instincts.

“Yes… I know it’s hard to believe, but it’s true. For some reason, they suddenly rushed in and attacked our group!”

Ruban clutched his chest in frustration as he spoke, and Darian’s face gradually paled.

It was hard to believe, but if it was true, it aligned with the abnormal signs he had noticed earlier.

It could mean that Eila and the others were truly in grave danger.

“Guide us there immediately.”

“T-thank you, Your Highness!”

Without hesitation, Darian pulled the dirt-covered student up to ride with him. As he increased their speed, he continued questioning:

“What did you say your name was? Your affiliation?”

“Magic Faculty, Ruban Enox.”

“What kinds of monsters appeared? How many?”

“T-the exact number, I don’t remember, but there were Pendragons, Bloodwings, Bonetails… there were so many! It was too dark to see clearly…”

Hearing this, the knights behind them began to murmur softly.

“Did he just say Pendragons?”

“If it’s monsters of that level, it would be impossible for academy students to handle them…”

“Is there even any point in attempting a rescue?”

Hearing the skeptical remarks of the knights, Darian’s heart sank.

If Ruban’s words were true, by the time they arrived, it might already be too late to change anything.