Chapter 44: Assault
Many knights can be seen in the academy. These knights escort the hero candidates, and today their appearance was even more conspicuous than usual.
In fact, the number of knights mobilized to escort the candidates is more than double the usual number. The signs of an attack were seized upon by the Church Mages. That was what made them reinforce the escort.
"What are the other side's movements?"
"Two near the main gate and three at the back gate. There are also two signs of magic on the east side."
"I know that. I'm asking for their movements."
"No movement"
"Probably too tight."
It had been a whole day since the mages had confirmed the presence of what appeared to be assailants by magic detection. The guards were getting impatient.
"Why don't we attack from here?"
“Can we annihilate them for sure? If they get away and end up involving the local residents, we'll be in big problem."
"……Yes"
"We'll have to draw them in."
"How?"
"A decoy."
"Are you going to use the hero candidates as a decoy?"
“Yes. We knew this was coming. We're ready for it."
"Yes"
"Then let's start the operation right away. Give instructions to each department."
"I understand"
A short time later, they saw a group of hero candidates surrounded by many knights in the schoolyard in front of the main gate.
The number is seven. They are Class C hero candidates.
Why were they taken out to the schoolyard? They already knew the meaning. Every face had a complicated expression, a mixture of anxiety and anger.
And the expressions on the faces of those staring out of the classroom windows were also complicated.
"Is this okay?"
"If you think so, why don't you join the escort?"
Jin spoke coldly to Shizuru who muttered worriedly.
"……What do you mean?"
"I mean exactly what I said. I'm telling you to show it in action, not just words."
"Don't say that"
"What do you want me to say? They are sacrifices to protect us. Am I right in saying they deserve our respect?"
"Jin!"
Jin's words were not directed only at Shizuru. But everyone in this room.
"What is a hero? A hero who uses his comrades as a shield and hides behind them?"
"We're not doing it because we want to."
"How do you feel? Shizuru likes to do things like this in the shadows, don't you?"
"...I don't understand what you mean."
In response to Jin's words, Shizuru's face turned pale.
"I'm not trying to get you to understand."
"Don't take it out on me. I know you're shocked to find out that the woman you've been courting is that kind of person. But that's none of my business."
Saying this is like admitting that, on the contrary, Shizuru has an idea that Jin has a bone to pick with her about Kazuki.
"Taking it out on you? Yes, I definitely take it out on you."
"See."
"But what irritates me is my own pitifulness."
"……That's?"
"The body is nothing more than a vessel. Even though there are beautiful jewels inside, are you going to throw it away because the container is dirty?"
"What is that?"
"I was told by someone"
"Is it Ren, by any chance?"
"No. She has the same hair color as Ren, but she's a woman. She was a surprisingly beautiful woman."
"...That girl."
"You know her?"
"Yes. The girl that Ren loves like a little sister. She has the same hair and eye color, and to a stranger, she certainly looks like a sister."
Shizuru thinks that the woman Jin talked about is Luna.
"...It's different."
"Eh?"
"She doesn't look like a younger sister. And her eyes are a different color."
"Then who?"
“That's what I want to know. But I am sure she is an acquaintance of Ren's."
Jin wonders if the word "acquaintance" is correct. Rin was saying Ren's name with a -sama. It's not a normal relationship.
However, he kept silent, thinking that if he talks about this, it will only become troublesome.
"Do you understand that?"
“I think Ren would think so. That's what she told me."
"I see……"
“Even if I hear that, the animosity inside me won’t go away. In other words, I’m losing to Ren.”
Jin does not have the confidence to treat Kazuki as if nothing had happened. This is what is irritating Jin.
"It's impossible to compare yourself with Ren. Ren is special."
"Special... No, he may be the only decent one."
"Eh?"
"It's nothing. Anyway, Ren must be on the escort mission right now. And we're just watching. It's clear who's right."
"But……"
"They moved! An attack!"
The conversation between Jin and Shizuru was interrupted by this shout. The reaction was the same for the others. They all gathered at the window to see what was going on outside.
The scene they saw was the figure of a knight running in the direction of the main gate, and two shadows running in the opposite direction, from the main gate toward the school building.
"Through this security?"
The situation in front of them seemed surprising, even to the students who had thought that an attack was coming. It was highly unlikely that they would be able to break through the tight security. The attackers' actions would be nothing more than a suicide mission.
But they had forgotten. The attacker's action was, in fact, a suicide.
Just as the knights drew their swords, a loud explosion rang out.
The knights were swallowed by the spreading blast. It was a far different order of magnitude from the previous attacks.
Two more explosions can be heard from somewhere.
"What?"
The students' question was answered by an angry voice echoing from the corridor.
“They came in from the back and east! They took out some of us with one blow! Send in reinforcements!"
“How many are they!?”
"I don't know! Two men left in the back! One in the east! Anyway, we can't let them near the school building! Hurry up!"
"Alright! Hey! Let's go!"
The knights who had remained to guard the classroom rushed away from the scene, leaving a few behind. This made the students realize how serious the situation was.
"Are they going to be all right?"
"If push comes to shove, we can fight them ourselves."
"But that's not something you can fight with a sword."
"That's true, but."
"Calm down! It's okay! We are heroes!"
Yuya's words are completely baseless, but they are still useful in times like this. The dismayed thoughts that came to the minds of the other students were actually being calmed down.
“What's going on at the main gate?”
"They're still stuck in one place. Does that mean there are no other attackers?"
"No, there must be another one."
“But there's no sign of a second attack. Maybe they were caught in the blast?
"Maybe. So, you said back and east. Are we on the lookout for that side?"
"We must be vigilant."
"How about we go out into the hallway and stay there?"
"Yeah, that might be a good idea. Rather than being in the classroom, we can spot someone approaching."
"Okay! Then everyone! Follow me out into the hallway!"
Why should we follow you―― the words were held in everyone's throat.
Anyway, the hero candidates went out into the corridor and formed up as they should. The knights, flanking them, also took up their positions. No sounds of explosions or battle could be heard. Only the murmurs of the students flowed through the corridor.
A moment of suffocating tension―― it was suddenly broken.
"Guwah!"
"Behind!"
When the hero candidates looked back at the sudden shout they heard, they saw a slowly crumbling knight and a man in black who was thrusting a sword into the knight from behind.
"Uooohhh!"
The hero candidates, especially Yuya, reacted quickly. He quickly pulled out his sword, closed the gap with the black-robed man in an instant, and swung his sword down.
Unable to resist, the black-robed man spurted out blood and collapsed.
"Anybody else!? Stay vigilant!"
The hero candidates looked in all directions. When no one suspicious was in sight, they formed up again. This time, they did not forget to be vigilant in their back.
And so, the tension continued again―― the time it eased was when many knights came into view from the end of the corridor.
"Are you all right?"
"We managed to prevent it, thanks to the efforts of the hero candidates."
"Prevented? There was an attack?"
"Yes"
"...It was a decoy after all?"
"Decoy?"
"The attackers seem to have withdrawn after one person on each side blew up. When reinforcements were sent, they were gone."
"Is that so?"
"But I'm glad you're all right."
The feeling of relief would blow over in the next instant.
"Here they come again! This time there are more of them!"
"What did you say!?"
Hearing the shouts of the hero candidates, the knights prepared their swords and deployed themselves in the corridor. From there, a group of people dressed in black were slowly approaching.
Walking in the lead was a small silver-haired man. Next to him is a woman, also silver-haired, dressed in a tight-fitting outfit that clearly shows off her figure. They are Ren and Rin.
"Isn't that the Guild?"
"The guild? Adventurers who received escort requests?"
"Probably. Hey! Who are you people!?"
"No need to be vigilant! We are the adventurer's guild! Who is in charge of this place!?"
The one who answered the question was Mion who was diagonally behind Ren.
"As of this moment, it's me."
"I'm Mion from the Adventurer's Guild. This is the first time we've met, but I have attended the meetings. If you are in doubt, please ask the deputy commander of the Knights or the deputy commander of the Mages.
"There's no need for that. I know it too, but I'm more certain of the identity of the man before me."
The voice that interrupted Mion's words belonged to Heinz.
"You are here. This is the guarantee from the client. Is that clear?"
Mion's question is directed at the knight.
"Yeah. But why are you guys here?"
"We're here to identify the assailant. We will have the body examined."
"If that's the case, we too."
"Then come with us."
"All right. Is the body behind?"
"Ha"
"This way, then."
Ren and the others are led by a knight as they make their way through the hero candidates. Ren doesn't even look at them.
When they come to the two corpses lying in the corridor, Ren lightly waves his finger. In response, the two guild soldiers who had come forward began to straighten up the knight's bodies.
"Wait? What are you doing?"
"I thought I said we would be checking the assailant's corpse."
"That's a knight of our order."
"No, it's the assailant."
"What did you say?"
"Didn't you know yet? This knight is one of the attackers."
"That's absurd!? Then, who is that black-robed man!? ...Black-robed?"
The knight realized that the black attire was the same as that of the adventurers' guild standing in front of him. Ren stepped forward without regard to the knight, exposing the face of the black-robed corpse.
"Ah, this man. Rin, that's a pity. You won't get your revenge."
"Yes, you're right. I was going to make him pay for his disrespect to Ren-sama and to me with his life, but it didn't come true."
"There are others, so you'll just have to put up with them. But this is the guy who touched Rin. I was going to give him the worst."
"I'm satisfied with that."
"I see. Now, then, we must put our grudge aside and think about the mission. Who killed him?"
Ren's gaze turned to the leader of the knight order.
"...That's, we."
"'The knights, or. Well, it doesn't matter."
In response to Ren's words, a sigh leaked out from the group of hero candidates.
"As long as it wasn't an attacker, this wasn't a death in commission, it was an accident. And a negligent accident at that."
"What are you talking about?"
“I demand compensation for his death. Mion-san, who would be responsible? The church or the client?
"The church is more appropriate, given the circumstances."
“I agree. Well, then, I guess they'll do."
"Wait a minute. I haven't grasped the situation. A knight of our knight order is the attacker? Where is the evidence?"
The leader asks for an explanation.
"There's no need for us to show that. We knew that the knights were the attackers, and we prevented the attack as requested. That's all."
Ren refused the demand of the leader. The guild and the church do not cooperate with each other. The church does not understand this.
"Don't mess with me! Without proof, it's just murder!"
“…Are you an idiot?”
Ren was directing a cold gaze at the leader who was furious.
"What did you say!?"
"It's your job to collect that evidence, isn't it?"
"You're the ones who killed him! You're the one who should show the evidence!"
"……Bothersome"
"What did you say!?"
"If you want evidence, ask your order. Was the culprit the only knight here?"
"Ah."
The leader made a surprised face when Ren pointed it out. The knight who was escorting them was not alone. There must have been witnesses.
Looking around, Ren fixed his eyes on a single knight. The knight is clearly about to say something.
"Is it you?"
"Yes"
"Then report the situation."
“Yes. Mansel is the name of the knight. Mansel slowly approached the hero candidates from behind. I was watching him, not really paying attention, thinking he was going to talk to me about something, but suddenly, Mansel drew his sword and swung it wide."
"To a hero candidate?"
"Yes"
“That's enough of that. Now, here is the evidence you requested. Do you not trust the testimony of your men?"
"……No"
"I wouldn't trust it, though."
"What?"
"Hold him down!"
A few guild soldiers reacted instantly to Ren's order. They were headed for the knight who was standing a short distance away. The guild soldiers restrained the knight without giving him time to resist.
"What are you doing!?"
"Do you still need an explanation?"
"...Yeah, please."
The leader asked for an explanation, even though he was a little irritated by Ren's contemptuous gaze.
"As soon as you heard the explosion, a knight came calling for reinforcements. It would be stranger if you didn't wonder about it. Just think of the distance from the back gate and the east wall to here."
"……No way."
The knight who called for reinforcements did not come from the site. Then how could he know the location of the attack and that reinforcements were needed? It was a lie to separate the guards.
"The attack from outside was a decoy to draw the guards away from the hero candidates. The real attack is by the knights. Do you understand?"
"Yeah."
“Then we will take this knight with us. I have a lot of questions I want to ask him."
"W-wait! Joint interrogation!"
"Is there a guarantee that the information obtained will not leak? Is there a guarantee it won't be just these two?"
It is now clear that there is an Anti-Hero Alliance within the Order. It would be wrong to trust the Knights.
"...At least, share the information with us."
"It's the same thing. I'm not saying I won't share it. But I'll choose what information to share. That is, if we can get that much information."
"I can't agree to that. You don't have that authority."
"Of course. I don't need your approval. I've done what I had to do. Now I'm going to leave."
Ren turned around and tried to move forward, but there was a figure blocking his way. It is not a hero candidate. It is a guild soldier dressed in black.
"What?"
"We just took orders."
"What are you saying?"
"That's why we injured you because we were instructed to do so."
"So?"
The person who spoke to him was the guild soldier who injured Ren in the cemetery.
"...It's absurd to be hated for it."
"I don't know what you mean."
"Please forgive me"
"I don't understand. What's the point of asking for forgiveness?"
"I don't want to die"
"I don't understand more and more"
The guild soldier tried his best to appeal, but Ren's reaction was not what the other party wanted.
"Don't play dumb with me. You knew what I was getting into. You gave him the task of taking down the assailants because you knew this would happen."
"That's a hell of a misunderstanding. There's no way it's going to be that convenient."
"Please, listen to me. I think I went too far. I'm reflecting on it. So."
"...I don't know, I see it as having two choices when it comes to grudges."
"What?"
“Would you like to wipe out the grudge of the other person, or kneel on the ground and apologize to the other person until they forgive you? Which would you choose?”
"……Apologize"
The guild soldier chose to apologize. Not because of this. He could not bring himself to choose the option of killing Ren.
"I see. Well, then, if there ever comes a time to do that, just do it."
However, Ren refuses to give the other person a chance to apologize.
"Wait! I."
"I don't believe in apologies. People can lie as much as they want."
"No way..."
If he doesn't get Ren's forgiveness, he may be the next to die.
"...Then let's do this. Once Rin approves, I'll forget the whole thing."
"What should I do?"
"Ask Rin about that."
"……What should I do?"
The guild soldier asked Rin the question.
“Yes. I have decided to serve Ren-sama with all my body and soul. Thanks to that, he seems to recognize me a little more recently, so why don't you do the same?"
"Body and soul..."
When these words come out of Rin's mouth. Even if he doesn't like it, he can't help but imagine obscene thoughts.
"It means risking your life. I won't force you to do so. If anything, I don't want you in the same line."
"...Let me think for a moment."
What Rin is saying is something he can't accept right away, even if his life is at stake.
"Please do as you please. For the time being, why don't you clear the way for Ren-sama? It's a job that doesn't require you to risk your life."
"Yeah."
The two guild soldiers made their way through the hero candidates who had gathered in the hallway, stunned. Even Yuya, who usually complained about it and got involved with Ren, was overwhelmed by the exchanges so far and couldn't say anything.
It just means that Ren's atmosphere wasn't what it used to be.
Ren was walking along without paying attention to the stares of those who were looking at him. As he passed through to the other side, Mion opened her mouth.
“Ren-kun is really scary.”
"What?"
"Getting rid of the guild soldier from earlier."
Dedicating both body and soul to Ren means serving him with that much loyalty.
"It's not like I'm trying to get rid of him."
"But you actually will."
Mion affirmed. The guild soldiers, who are supposed to be superior in terms of strength, are afraid of Ren. Mion thought it was not fear, but awe. More than anything else, she felt it herself.
"It's not. Wanting to think is the same as refusal."
"I don't know about that?"
"I don't care, just think of a way to escort the knight we've captured."
"Do you think they'll come?"
"I hope so. If they come to keep his mouth shut, that means he has information."
He was hiding in the Church Knights. There is a good chance that he is in a certain position.
"You already have a general idea, don't you?"
"...You need proof to turn speculation into fact."
“Well. Now, then, I'll have to think about Ren-kun's protection."
"Me?"
“If I were on the other side, I'd go after Ren-kun first. You're the biggest obstacle."
The Guild is a threat to the Anti-Hero Alliance. And it is Ren who creates that threat. It's natural to want to kill that Ren.
"...I see. If we can catch more prey then we're lucky."
"Lucky?"
"Yes"
"Is that what you call it?"
"...Certainly. But that's all it is."
"Even if it's only to that extent, I hope that Ren-sama will be lucky."
"Rin?"
Rin entered the conversation.
"Ren-sama should of course know. If they were in the Knights that means they were also in the Mages. It is not easy to prevent a surprise attack with magic, let alone with a sword."
"Well."
"...So that's what you mean. I thought you were joking, but you were going for it."
Ren, who had been hiding in the shadows for so long, showed up at the scene. Mion knew the reason for this.
"At least, the roots cannot be eradicated unless proper evidence is gathered."
"Even if we do, I don't know."
"If that doesn't work, it's nothing to do with me. I feel like I can do whatever I want."
"Yes. As expected, I have no choice but to think so."
"As expected? Does that mean you're putting yourself in Mion-san's shoes, which I don't know?"
"...Ren-kun is the one who says to never let your guard down. The answer is a secret. Women have a lot of secrets."
"It's Mion-san who's scary."
"I'm a woman"
From this day on, Ren never appeared in public again. It was not only because of Ren's will. It was because they decided that it was necessary to protect him.
The situation went beyond the request for an escort and turned into a dark battle with the Anti-Hero Alliance.
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