Seirei Gensouki Konna Sekai De Deaeta Kimi Ni
Field Training Part 2

Field Training Part 2

Everyone in the group who saw Rio fall from the cliff were dumbfounded.

「Now is our chance to exterminate them! Alphonse! Go back to your senses! We can use our magic together to defeat the goblins! Hurry on! 」

Roana was the first to regain her senses and shouted at Alphonse, the leader of the group.

「Pr— Protect them! All men, form a wall around Christina-sama and Flora-sama! Those in the back row used attack magic. Reform ranks! Try to avoid using fire magic, use ice if possible. Use only wind or water if you can't use ice. Attack my signal! Those who can use 『Cure』 please come to the injured! 」

Awakened by Roana's words, the students calmed down when Alphonse could finally issue a somewhat coherent order.

"Groan!!!"

Alphonse waited for the right time and gave the order to attack.

At the signal, the students direct an approaching horde of goblins and a number of offensive magic that is not released simultaneously.

The combined magic unleashed by the students let out a deafening roar as it collided with the trees and goblin vanguard while also kicking the cloud of dust.

"We made it!"

"Ha! They're just monsters! 」

「Goblin is just food before human magic!」

Looking at the scene before them, the students raised shouts of excitement convincing them of winning.

「Gugyaa !!!」

However, a blunt voice suddenly sounded from within their group.

From within the cloud of dust, several wooden spears thrown by the giants came towards them.

「Itu— Impossible ..」

The students underestimated the accuracy of the giants because of the dust clouds and were struck one by one.

Nearly ten students had been the victims of the spear.

It wouldn't be surprising if someone was killed.

Fortunately, thanks to the presence of several healers in their group, no one had received a fatal attack and was able to prevent death.

「Do not panic! Those who could use healing magic continued to take care of the injured. It was just an attack! Again, attack! 」

With competent leaders, students can work efficiently as a strong group.

Those who could use magic stood at the peak of human power, and all the students in the group could use magic to some extent.

In a span of ten or so seconds, a burst of dozens of magic attacks rained down on the goblins.

The vanguard strengthened their bodies using magic and cut off the goblins that were running towards them.

The remaining goblins and giants were powerless under the constant barrage of magic.

Continuing for a few more minutes, the students unilaterally attacked the goblins using long-range magic and finally exterminated them all.

「Nine injured. Fortunately, no one died. The severely injured had also been healed by Christina-sama and Flora-sama. But we lost one. 」

Roana confirmed the condition of the group and reported to Alphonse with a pouting expression.

There was no one among the students who did not know about the missing person. The sophistication slowly spread throughout the group.

「Fo— For now, let's listen to everyone's reports! Can anyone share with us what happened? How did Flora fall in the first place? 」

Alphonse spoke in haste.

Blood gushed to his head as he tried to resolve the scandal that had occurred under his leadership.

Alphonse looked at Flora for an explanation.

「Uh— Uhm, someone hit me from behind .. the person who hit me was ..」

Flora spoke in confusion.

Since Stead hit him from behind, Flora only knew he was knocked out but not who the culprit was.

Suddenly, a student timidly raised his hand and spoke hesitantly.

「Uhm, Her Highness the Princess fell because Stead hit her..」.

Many students immediately turned around and looked at the speaker.

He only spoke the unspeakable.

However, whether he was afraid of Stead, the student spoke in a stern voice.

Stead looked at the student with a demonic face.

「Did you say it was my fault !? I was also pushed! I am a victim here too! 」

Being the target of skepticism, Stead tried to defend himself.

「N— No. I'm not saying it's Stead's fault. 」

The student glared under Stead's gaze.

「Then who said it was my fault !?」

「N— No. There's ... there's someone who hit Stead right? 」

"Rubber! I'm pushed! It's their fault! A lot of people pushed me! 」

「Everyone panicked at that moment so colliding with each other was inevitable. We all focus on monsters. Seeing the situation, inevitably we become unaware of our surroundings. Now how are you going to find who's wrong? 」

Having grown fed up with the lack of progress, Roana took over the discussion.

Stead glanced at Roana with annoyance.

「Then what should we do?」

Alphonse asked for clarification.

「Should we help him or should we leave this forest? Or didn't? 1 」

As if the answer was obvious, Roana spoke with a displeased expression.

「I— It was for me to decide ..」

Roana was surprised to hear Alphonse's reply, unsuitable for a leader.

「What you said at the time Commander ..」

「Th— Then I also want to hear everyone's opinion. What is everyone thinking? 」

Alphonse seeks opinions from the group.

「First of all, is he still alive?」

「Is there anything that can be saved from this height?」

「We need to get out of here quickly. The monster may appear again. 」

「Yes, Flora-sama's life was saved only in exchange for the lives of ordinary people. 」

"Religion . It was an honor for him to give his life for her. 」

The group only expressed reluctance to save Rio.

「Alright, we will claim that he was the one who pushed me and I was the only witness. 」

Stead spoke in a low voice that only Alphonse could hear.

「The Rio farmer is the culprit. During the battle, the coward became frightened and hit me who was hit by a spear. As a result, I was unable to avoid Flora-sama and collided with her. The coward, afraid of being accused of killing nobles, desperately tries to save Flora-sama. He then fell off a cliff due to an accident. Didn't we? 」

Most of the students agreed.

「Su— Things like that!」

Flora shouted in confusion.

「Are you telling the truth?」

Christina who had remained silent so far asked Stead in a low but authoritative voice.

Stead subconsciously took a step back under his sharp gaze.

「Kamu— Yes. There's no mistake about that. 」

「Begitukah .. I understand. 」

Christina continued to stare at Stead for a while before letting go of her gaze.

「Unless there is any other testimony contrary to his testimony, we cannot invalidate his testimony. Sorry but leave it. 」

Christina muttered only loud enough for Flora to hear.

Christina also didn't see who hit Stead so she couldn't protect Rio from his fake testimony.

Moreover, even if there were witnesses, Christina already knew that they would not dare to testify against Stead.

There were no students whose families were influential enough to fight against him, some even belonged to his home faction.

It was unwise to create enmity between the noble factions. Even the Institute took careful note of it during class distribution.

「Eh !? Onee-sama! 」

Hearing Christina's words, Flora raised a cursing voice.

「Flora-sama, I understand that you almost lost your life and thank him. But that was his own fault. You don't have to worry about such a trivial existence. 」

Not understanding Flora's internal chaos, Alphonse spoke to her.

His words showed that he had the same opinion as Stead.

It was as if he wanted to keep the conversation away from the subject.

「Na ~」

Flora was confused as to how to refute his words.

Alphonse turned his gaze to Christina.

「After all, we need to escape from this forest. Can I still lead? Staying here longer will put Her Highness the Princess as well as our group in unnecessary danger. It is unfortunate that we can no longer reach first place but we have to report the situation as soon as possible. 」

「You are right .. Well I will leave it to your discretion because you are the commander. 」

No longer caring, Christina replied in an apathetic voice.

「Wait a minute! Are we just going to leave him !? 」

Flora stubbornly rekindled the matter when Alphonse tried to close the discussion.

「I cannot expose Her Highness the Princess and our group to further danger for the sake of that worthless farmer. 」

Alphonse confirmed Rio's abandonment in a resolute voice.

「I— If that's the case, then I'll save her!」

Many students were confused when they heard Flora's words.

None of them could believe what he said.

"You don't have to! Our dignity serves you, Flora-sama. Why should Flora-sama care about that ordinary person? 」

Alphonse's expression was completely incredulous.

Wh why?

What'd he say?

Is he serious about what he says?

「What did you say !? We won't be in this situation from the start if you lead us properly! 」

「I— It .. I am not saying that I am not responsible in this matter. I will assume the responsibility of leading the group into danger. But I will not let your life be at risk. 」

Alphonse sent a fleeting glance at Stead.

Stead nodded and spoke to Flora.

「Princess Flora, Alphonse-senpai feels very responsible for the current situation. He could not risk further casualties. I'm begging you to understand the difficulty. 」

「…」

Flora wanted to refute but paying attention to the eyes of the surrounding students, she was speechless.

He understood that no one among the group would support him.

Although they all respected him, no one shared his opinion.

Only a glimpse of their faces told him that.

Flora shaking.

「Bu— But he saved me?」

Flora could barely get her words out.

He thought about Rio.

The black hair of a raven alien to the Kingdom, a handsome face, a year older than him, an outcast is considered a matter of the Institute's son.

That's what Flora knows about her.

He was the one who saved her and her older sister from the kidnappers more than five years ago.

From that moment on, he felt guilty about her.

He thought for sure, he should hate her.

Nonetheless .

From that day on, Flora wanted to sincerely thank you.

As a result of helping him, he was involved in various problems.

He was captured and pitted against the Imperial Guard Knight.

Flora recalled the time she fought against the Imperial Guard Knight.

He was also present among the spectators.

The boy who saved her was in a worse condition than before for some reason.

Bloodstains were visible on his face and his mouth was swollen.

Maybe he received those injuries while in prison.

Flora had no idea what happened afterwards but before she realized it, her savior was to break into the Royal Institute.

During an audience with the King, he was shocked by his appearance; he was captivated. She thought she could finally convey her gratitude.

However, when he enrolled in the Royal Institute a year later, he learned that Rio was exiled.

Moreover, contrary to his expectations, he had also become the object of ridicule.

Flora indirectly asked her sister about Rio but was told to forget about it.

She did not understand why but it seemed that Christina found Rio rather unpleasant.

That was what Flora understood about Rio.

Finally, he no longer knew how to approach her.

Despite being a noble, he had no real power.

On the contrary, even if he wanted to do something for someone, his status as a noble prevented him from doing that.

He can only rely on others.

It always ends with someone else taking care of the problem for her.

It would be difficult for him to live a good life if he was linked to him.

He was always expressionless.

But he could feel a bit of sadness on his face.

Could it be his fault?

Every time Flora saw him at the Institute, she couldn't help but think like that.

Somehow, his life was saved by him again.

Then he risked his own life.

For that reason, he refused to leave her.

However, taking advantage of his momentary silence, the students began to leave the forest.

Flora can only remain rooted in unbelief.

「Flora, I will not force you to agree with them, but we must leave immediately before the situation worsens. As it stands, we will only be rebuked. 」

Christina called out to the Flora that was left behind.

「With one dead person, we will only be scolded ..?」

Flora's voice was barely audible.

「Not all lives have the same weight. It makes no sense to compare our lives with that person. Face it, we're nobles, he's nobody. We can't let the others shoulder the responsibility of ignoring our safety here, can we? 」

"What did you say? We choose to participate of our own accord. We understand the risks. 」

Flora disagreed with the annoyed tone.

The risks we understand cannot be compared to the current risks. What we expect most from field training is injury, not death. If not for that, wouldn't it be impossible for us to participate? 」

Christina explained their situation to Flora with a bitter expression.

「Usually we are not even allowed to participate but Father allows us because he loves us. I don't want to worry about Dad anymore. 」

After raising her beloved father, Flora could not say anything.

"…I understand . 」

Flora's answer was lost among the rustling leaves of the forest. Unknowingly he began to prepare to leave.

* * *

Back 15 minutes before the group's departure, Rio fell to the open ground in the forest below the cliff.

As expected, falling from a height of 30 meters was truly frightening.

The closest comparison he could think of was getting kicked out of a moving roller coaster.

(Ah, fuck. I didn't think I would test the effectiveness of strengthening my body in a situation like this ..)

Seeing the ground quickly approaching, a trivial thought entered his mind.

With his body strengthened, there was a chance that he would live while only having to endure the pain.

Strengthening the body at full strength would allow him to crush the stone with his fist.

Still, it's scary.

Even knowing that he might not die, it was natural to feel so when falling from such a height without a rope.

In an attempt to soften the landing, Rio released the magical body from within his body and manipulated it.

It was similar to casting magic but he used a completely different principle. The magic interfered with the laws of nature and a gust of wind was released in front of him.

The magic he had just used was a clone formed through copying the flow of magic from the Contract Ceremony. It would probably be more appropriate to call it Spirit Art.

Spirit Art is a form of magic performed by fairies, dwarves, and wild beasts.

Rio was unable to use contract magic but was able to use Spirit Art, a form of magic that could not be used by most of the human race.

While human Spirit Arts users did exist, they were extremely rare and as such, very little information relating to Spirit Arts existed.

The only reason he knew about his whereabouts was because he found an old book that contained a brief summary of it. However, the information was inadequate so he could not learn much.

What he understood was that he did not need a contract or spell to invoke magic. Of course, it's all speculation.

By producing a gust of wind right below him, Rio was able to reduce the speed of his descendants.

He's starting to slow down.

However, the force of gravity was still greater than his magic which made him unable to completely negate his fall.

Fortunately, his current speed was sufficient for a safe landing.

Rio adjusted his landing position by manipulating the wind and aiming at the trees.

Capturing a tree branch that was thick enough, it was able to kill its momentum.

He ignored the tension he felt from his gloved hands.

「Hmph, huh. 」

The result was an injury-free landing.

He fixed his hands with the recovery Spirit Arts so there was no problem.

Glancing at the top of the cliff overhead, Rio inevitably wondered what was happening there.

It would not be difficult for him to return to the top and rejoin the group.

The cliff could be said to be quite tall but he could easily climb 30 meters back.

On the other hand, it would be suspicious for Rio, who could not use magic, to be able to directly climb back up from a height of 30 meters unharmed.

He could only sigh at the troublesome situation.

Rio decided that it was best to hide himself for a while and monitor the situation.

He strengthened his body and quietly climbed onto the cliff like an acrobat.

Within seconds, he reached the top and hid behind a tree after hearing the voices of other students.

(Well, I thought it was gonna be like this.)

He sighed in his mind while eavesdropping on the students.

He did not expect anything profitable from the start.

Only Flora seemed to worry about him, but eventually, she was also convinced to leave by the surrounding students.

Even if he claimed that he had miraculously survived, it would be awkward to rejoin them immediately.

It would be better to lie down for a few days.

(Currently, it was as troublesome as expected.)

Watching the group disappear into the forest, Rio thought of the difficulty in front of him.

He was talking about Rio