Chapter ~ 09
‘The wolf suddenly got scared of Number 25? Then it suddenly rolled onto its back and started wagging its tail? Who the hell would believe something like that?!’
The only one who had sensed Leonard’s killing intent was the wolf.
More precisely, rather than actually sensing his killing intent, it was reacting to the instinctive sense of danger that came from knowing its life was about to end.
The intelligence it had acquired through being trained by humans since childhood, combined with the wild instincts awakened by the fear of death, had both recognized the hierarchy between them and accepted Leonard as someone it needed to obey.
“…Hmm.”
Leonard stared down for a moment at the wolf lying on its back in front of him, whining softly, then reached out with his right hand and scratched its belly.
A purring-like growl came from the now-docile wolf’s muzzle.
Anyone who didn’t know better might mistake it for a dog rather than a wolf.
‘I don’t want to cut it down, nor do I need to.’
If it had been a bloodthirsty beast, that would have been another matter. But killing something this completely defenseless simply wasn’t in line with his nature.
Of course, he couldn’t exactly raise the wolf himself, either.
It would consume an enormous amount of food every day, and if he brought it into fights against the trainees, the instructors would undoubtedly intervene and stop him.
On the other hand, handing the wolf back to the instructors felt like a waste. It wasn’t that he had absolutely no use for it.
Leonard soon reached a conclusion.
“Instructor.”
His eyes accurately focused on a tree several dozen meters away, specifically the top hidden beneath its leaves and branches.
Naturally, Colin, who had been hiding there, was startled.
‘What?! Did he notice my presence?’
Wondering whether his concealment had been disrupted because of what had just happened, Colin silently changed his position. It was possible that Number 25 had simply guessed.
But when Leonard’s gaze followed him, Colin had no choice but to admit that his concealment technique had been seen through.
“—What is it, Number 25?”
Even so, he couldn’t lose his dignity as an instructor. Colin lowered his voice as much as possible and revealed himself.
He even gave off the impression that he had chosen to reveal himself rather than actually being discovered.
Of course, none of that fooled Leonard in the slightest.
“I have something I’d like to ask you.”
“What is it? Personal matters during outdoor training are—”
“This wolf.”
Before Colin could launch into a lecture about outdated rules and regulations, Leonard pointed toward the wolf lying on its back at his feet.
“If I use this wolf, or cooperate with this wolf, to defeat trainees from another group, would that victory count?”
“…No.”
Colin felt a cold sweat run down his back.
That wolf was a well-fed and carefully raised dire wolf—one that even direct descendants would have difficulty facing through sheer strength alone.
It had been prepared specifically as a kind of obstacle.
‘A creature trained to deal with swords, even if only against basic swordsmanship, and then Number 25 joins it for a two-on-one attack?’
It was strong enough to overwhelm even blood relatives from classes one or two years ahead.
Someone who had completely grasped the forest from the very first day and moved through it as though it were his own backyard—and now he could command a dire wolf as well?
The entire purpose of this training was to break the trainees out of the framework of basic swordsmanship. With this development, the training itself would be thoroughly ruined from its foundations.
Fortunately, Number 25 had asked about it before Colin himself had even thought of the possibility. If he had needed to deal with the situation after it actually happened, there would have been no easy answer.
“Then would it be acceptable to use it for gathering food, scouting, or as a means of transportation?”
“Hmmm…”
Colin wanted to say no to those things as well, but he had to think about it.
After all, Number 25 had subdued alone a wolf that was supposed to be fought as a team. Completely preventing him from making even indirect use of that achievement would be too unfair.
“Fine. That much is acceptable.”
“Thank you.”
“As I said earlier, you must not use the wolf to attack the trainees or threaten them. We’ll bring food for the wolf to your base at regular intervals. Is that acceptable?”
Leonard nodded.
“Yes.”
This was better than he had expected.
Considering the purpose of the outdoor training, the instructors were quite likely to simply retrieve the wolf. That would also eliminate the possibility of an unforeseen incident.
Even so, they had left Leonard with the authority to command the wolf. Perhaps they wanted to acknowledge his achievement, at least to some degree.
“Ah, Number 25.”
Colin, who had been about to disappear again, spoke up.
“Since you mentioned using it as transportation, are you planning to ride that wolf?”
“Yes.”
“I heard you have no experience riding horses. Riding a wolf is even more difficult than riding a horse. Even if you fall and suffer a serious injury in the process, we won’t treat you. If you want proper medical attention, you’ll have to give up on the training.”
“I understand.”
Leonard merely accepted his warning without hesitation.
Unable to help sighing at his reaction, Colin vanished as though he had dropped straight into the ground.
This time, he used his concealment technique with the determination never to be discovered again.
‘Oh, not bad.’
Feeling Colin’s presence become even fainter than before, Leonard briefly praised his skill.
For a knight who wasn’t even an assassin to be this proficient at concealing his presence—was it versatility developed through actual combat experience?
He would find out soon enough.
Leonard looked down at the wolf growling softly beside his feet and sent out a strand of thought through his mental power.
—Rise.
The wolf immediately stood up after receiving the command.
It was clearly bewildered. It had never received an order in a form other than a voice before.
“Sit. Stand. Jump. Roll.”
Leonard pretended to give the commands aloud while simultaneously conveying his intentions directly into the wolf’s mind.
The wolf followed his instructions, sitting down, standing up, lightly jumping into the air, and rolling across the ground.
It was one of the applications of Hye-gwang Sim-eo.
Rather than transmitting words, it conveyed the meaning itself, making it easy even for creatures other than humans to understand.
Of course, the wolf couldn’t respond in the same manner, so this was ultimately one-way communication.
‘As long as it understands my commands, that’s enough.’
Leonard stroked the wolf’s fur as it pushed its head toward him as though seeking praise.
Then he looked toward the sky, which was gradually darkening.
If he wanted to light a campfire and gather firewood, he needed to hurry.
He gently scratched the bridge of the wolf’s nose and muttered,
“We’ll start operating in earnest tomorrow.”
As though answering his mutter, the wolf raised its muzzle and howled.
“Awoooooooo—!”
Birds startled by the cry of a predator took flight from somewhere in the forest, while rabbits preparing to sleep flattened their long, alert ears.
Another day in the forest was coming to an end.
“That’s a wolf.”
Number 1’s eyes gleamed as he sat on a tree stump.
The sound had come from quite a distance away.
And yet, he could feel his entire body growing cold, every hair on his body standing on end.
It was undoubtedly one of the beasts specially prepared by Cardenas.
“…Other than the Young Lord, I doubt anyone could face it one-on-one.”
Number 5, a boy who had stayed close to Number 1 as his aide since the early days of their admission, spoke calmly.
Unlike the other trainees, who had failed to sense any particular danger, he had recognized the combat power of the wolf.
Number 1 praised him with a smile in his eyes before looking around at the children sweating as they constructed their campsite.
183 people.
Out of a total of 505 trainees, that meant he possessed nearly 40 percent of the entire force.
‘Having more people doesn’t automatically make everything advantageous.’
Number 1 coldly analyzed the situation.
‘The first priority is securing enough food and drinking water for nearly two hundred people. Another problem is that it will be difficult to find a suitable campsite if everyone stays concentrated in one place. But if we split our forces too much, there’s a risk that Groups 2 or 3 could pick them off one by one.’
He could ignore Number 4, who was reluctant to make the first move because of his opportunistic nature, as well as Group 5, whose overall strength was inadequate.
The same applied to Group 6, which wandered around independently.
‘If we ration the camping supplies distributed before entering, we can last about a week. After that, we’ll have to become self-sufficient or steal other group members’ badges to purchase food. No. That’s not right.’
As he continued thinking, the corners of Number 1’s mouth twisted into a vicious smile.
‘Why should we wait until after the supplies run out? The best strategy is to raid the other groups from the very beginning, collect their badges and points, and preserve all the supplies we were given in case of unforeseen circumstances. We’ll eliminate the others one by one before the stragglers can band together to oppose my group.’
Being arrogant did not mean he was stupid.
Number 1 had instantly figured out the path most advantageous to himself and Group 1 during this outdoor training.
If allowing time to pass would only put them at a disadvantage, then they simply had to finish everything before time could become a problem.
The moment he rose from where he had been sitting, all the trainees who had been busily moving around stopped.
His presence was like that of a lion dropping from the sky!
“Listen.”
Number 1 declared,
“Tonight, divide the night watch into five groups and go to sleep as soon as possible. The unfinished fortifications can be completed tomorrow.”
He didn’t even wait for the children to respond before turning his gaze away.
The sun had already disappeared beyond the western horizon, and the forest was being swallowed by an unfamiliar darkness.
Yet the golden light radiating from Number 1’s eyes was sharp enough to seem capable of piercing through it.
“Starting at dawn tomorrow, we’ll send half of our total forces to search the forest. If you discover another group, do not let yourselves be detected under any circumstances. Come and report to me. The moment we determine their location, we’ll launch an all-out attack.”
The greatest strength of Group 1 was the power derived from its numbers.
Group 2 had only 91 people, Group 4 had 89, and Group 3 had 80.
Even if two of those groups formed an alliance, they still wouldn’t surpass Group 1 in numbers.
And if they failed to unite, there was even less to worry about.
“If we eliminate just one of Groups 2, 3, or 4, our victory will be guaranteed from that point onward. We can hunt down the remaining stragglers at our leisure.”
A leader’s confidence naturally inspired the group.
The children, excited without even realizing it, clenched their fists and trembled with anticipation, as though they might charge out at the slightest command.
It was not the kind of charisma one would expect from a mere fourteen-year-old.
Number 5, watching him from nearby, praised himself for having made the right choice in following him.
“You only need to follow my orders. Don’t think about anything. Don’t worry about anything. Just follow behind me. Understood?”
““WAAAAAAAH!!””
Their roar spread beyond the darkness of the forest, louder even than the wolf’s howl from moments earlier.
The noise might reveal their location to the other groups, but that didn’t matter either.
If the others became conscious of Group 1 and started moving in response, it would actually make their movements easier to track.
And anyone foolish enough to approach them without fear could simply be bitten to death.
“Number 5.”
“Yes.”
At Number 1’s call, Number 5 approached and lowered his body.
“Select those among them who have good eyesight and are skilled at climbing trees. Starting tomorrow, have them move separately and begin mapping the surrounding area.”
“Mapping…?”
“It only needs to be understandable. It doesn’t have to be detailed.”
It was enough if they could split up, move in different directions, and later regroup without difficulty.
It was a way of making maximum use of their numerical advantage.
Some would search for food and drinking water.
Others would scout the locations of other groups.
Others would survey the terrain and landmarks.
Their time limit was until the supplies they had initially received ran out.
‘More than enough.’
No matter how large the forest was, it was still only the size of a mansion estate.
Taking into account the area the instructors themselves could manage, an army numbering in the hundreds could search the entire place thoroughly and still have people to spare.
The only weakness in this strategy was if the three group leaders anticipated his intentions and quickly formed an alliance, then used their divided forces to eliminate his scattered units.
‘Hmph. As if that will happen.’
But Number 1 scoffed at that worst-case scenario.
Number 3 harbored an inexplicable hostility toward the direct descendants, while Numbers 2 and 4 were both fatally lacking in decisiveness.
They would agonize over the situation again and again until they were driven into a corner, and only then would they attempt to join hands.
Therefore, before that happened, he would destroy one group—or, if possible, two.
“I will be the one who wins.”
It was a conviction that had never been broken since the day he was born.
He looked up at the stars that had begun to sparkle across the night sky and allowed his ambition to burn brighter.
He would rise all the way to the pinnacle of this family.
That was his father’s will, and it was his own will as well.
To prove that he was stronger and more superior than anyone else!
“…Number 25, that arrogant bastard, is no different.”
Number 1 ground his teeth as he recalled Leonard’s back disappearing into the forest without giving him so much as a glance.
Once he had dealt with all the group leaders, that bastard would be next.
