Part 1

- DANTHE HANNES’ POV -

The night inside the forest was cold and the soft breeze surely didn’t help mitigate that feeling. I was keeping guard together with Sora while the others had their turns to sleep. We were both sitting on a tall rock with our backs against each other, Lucas and Youm laid at the feet of the rock. The river banks were rather clear of trees so the whole forest could be viewed quite easily.

It had been a rough day. With three fights and more than twenty badges under our belt, everyone seemed to feel the lack of energy as soon as the night came. Our hope was to have an easy night and fight once more the next day. And up to that point, it seemed like our wish was being fulfilled.

We were halfway through our three hours shift when three pillars of red smoke rose from behind the thees almost at the same time. The silence of the night was ripped apart by the loud explosions that echoed through trunks and rocks. The sudden noise startled me for a second, forcing me to gawk at the surprising sight like a toddler with fireworks.

“Danthe-” Said Sora as she vigorously shook my shoulders “- Did you see that?!”

“Yeah…I did,-” I replied after I ceased to space out. It was impossible not to notice them but more than that, the realization that the timing of the flares was too strange for that to be a coincidence rippled worries through my mind “- Wake the others, Sora. We gotta discuss this and we gotta do it now”

It took us no time to jump down the rock and wake our two sleeping friends. Of course, our abrupt and rather rude method of rapidly waking them up by shaking their whole bodies didn’t help in making them feel relaxed, instead, it was the opposite. Lucas even threw a punch while still half-asleep. Then, after fully waking up and drinking some fresh water to get the brain running, the whole group sat around the still warm ashes of the dinner’s fire.

“Why’d you wake us up like that?-” Asked Lucas with a pissed-off tone. It would have been a surprise if I had heard him speak first in this kind of situation on another day. But here inside the woods, it didn’t. For the whole day, I didn’t even catch a whiff of his usual goofiness, instead, he seemed to be the most focused out of the four of us. When I looked at him like that, he really resembled his brother “-Isn’t still early to change shifts?”

“It’s not about that-” I promptly answered as I pointed towards the sky littered with the disappearing red columns of smoke with my thumb over my shoulder “-, that’s the reason I woke you up”

“What about it? Someone surrendered, big deal!” Continued Lucas as he poked the ashes with a stick.

“Look closely, Lucas-” Replied Sora “- It’s not just one, there are three…in three different directions but at the same time”

“She’s not joking!” Exclaimed Youm with an expression that was a mixture of surprise and worry.

“And?-” Kept on saying Lucas “- I really don’t get the issue here! Three students surrendered after not being able to withstand the night. You’re making it a bigger deal than it should be. Probably those three were just stuck-up nobles who have never set foot out of their mansion in their whole life!”

[You know that you are speaking with three nobles…right?!]

“That might be true-” I said “- But think about it for a second. If a group was to surrender, shouldn’t they all shoot their flare? Not to mention the fact that three flares were shot in three different positions at the almost exact same time. Doesn’t this feel like too much of a coincidence to be one?”

“If you put it like that…-” Answered Youm. His eyes bouncing from the sky to the ashes “-Honestly it could be both. I don’t feel like ruling out either options”

“The timing is way too strange for it to be a coincidence-” Replied Sora decisively “- I believe Danthe is right in getting worried about it”

All eyes were now pointed towards Lucas who kept playing with the ashes without raising his sight once.

“So,-” He said finally looking me in the eyes “- what do you think it means?”

“Honestly,-” Everyone’s eyes were turned at me, expecting something. Some ideas or information that I did not possess “-I don’t know. It’s just a feeling, like there’s something deeper to it. I don’t wanna sound like an alarmist but we are up against Gallher here, and he surely doesn’t play clean. I fear he’s behind this”

“What do you suggest?” Asked Sora with a face full of worry.

“Keeping our guard up tonight and gather as much information tomorrow. I can’t really think of anything else”

“Then it’s settled-” Replied Youm reaching for his sleeping place under the rock “-Let’s make sure to at least get some sleep, right?”

Before realizing it, between guard shifts and sleeping, the morning sun came greeting us with it’s welcoming warmth.

Part 2

- DELVIN GALLHER’S POV -

It was already late at night, so late that I could clearly see all the stars up in the clear sky, without the faintest trace of worldly light. The forest was silent. There wasn’t even the slightest sound, be it of animal or human…and I couldn’t have been angrier.

“It’s been already two fucking hours!-” I shouted as I kicked down the makeshift wooden chair “- What the hell’s taking him so long?!”

“Lord Gallher, please be patient-” Answered Arus in his usual calm and collected manner “- I believe that, with all the noises and fights that happened today, all animals must have left the forest or went into hiding already”

“So you’re saying that I won’t be able to eat meat for three whole days?!”

“It is likely so my lord-” Replied Arus now kneeling before me “-It’s an unfortunate situation but please rest assured that if the occasion arises, we’ll make sure to serve you meat. In the meantime, my lord should eat the fish we cooked. Just enough to fill the stomach so that tomorrow my lord may be in perfect condition if a fight with Bluescale or Hannes happens”

“Arus…” I sighed as I watched the man in front of me bow his head deeper.

“Yes, my lord?”

“You always know what words to use with me, eh…*Sigh* So be it. I will eat this fish. In the meantime prepare my bedding Arus” I said with a wave of my hand.

There was no need to reply. Arus promptly bowed and sprinted towards the group of three trunks, dried long grass and jackets in order to fix it to be a bit more comfortable. In the meantime, Thomas busied himself with serving me the fish. The last member of our Group, Simon, was still searching for game in the forest. I had patiently waited but now that it was this late, my stomach was making noises unbecoming of a noble.

Suddenly, the loud noise of a flare being shot rung fairly close to us. All our heads turned towards the source of the sound and noticed the pillar of red smoke rising from around four hundred meters away from our position. Upon reaching it’s maximum height, the flare generating the smoke exploded to create a circular-shaped cloud in the sky.

“My lord-” Said Arus now rapidly moving from his previous position to kneeling by my side “- Should we investigate?”

“Why?-” I asked “- Someone just surrendered, weaklings couldn’t withstand the night!”

“My lord, I hate to correct you, but please look behind you”

With a click of my tongue, I did as suggested and, to my surprise, two other pillars were rising in two other points of the forest, virtually creating a triangle. Their bangs must have been covered by the echo of the first one because, other than Arus, who had his head turned at that time, none of us heard the two other flares.

“What’s the meaning of this, Arus?”

“My lord, I believe it’s not a coincidence that the three flares were shot at the same time, hence why I suggested we investigate”

“Do you think this is his doing?” I asked unconsciously biting on my thumb’s nail.

“Yes, my lord. I believe Raphael could be behind this” Sais Arus as he looked at me with a worried expression.

“Then we shall look where the first flare was shot” I replied grabbing my jacket and leading my two companions towards the trees.

It took us more than fifteen minutes to reach the position where the flare was shot. The red smoke was still lingering around the air so it was rather easy to figure out we were in the right place. In a stroke of luck, we found out that another group of three students was already standing where the supposed surrenderer was last situated.

By hiding behind the nearby thick trees and listening to the other group speaking we began gathering information. At first, what they discussed was totally composed of small talk about the flares and the harsh night. Two of them expressed with fervor the fear of being attacked at night after seeing three flares being shot this late into the night. The third one also seemed to feel fear but tried to hide it behind a smile and a laugh.

The three of them tried to come up with theories on how it happened and the most credible seemed to be that a group separated and hunted lonely members of other groups, hence the three separated flares. As I listened to them, the possibility that such a thing happened seemed plausible yet the way too perfect timing of the flares was still able to instill doubt inside my head. It would have been a too fortuitous coincidence that they simply happened at the same time. Finally, after more than five minutes of chit-chatting, their conversation started to take an interesting turn.

“I think I know who’s group is behind this” Said the short blonde boy.

“Oh really? Do you now have some kind of fortune teller’s ability!?” Jokingly said the one that looked the leader of the group. A lowly beastman that only had his height and muscles on his side.

“Tch, laugh all you want asshole but it’s nothing like that!-” Kept on the blonde boy “- Remember while we were hiding from that group while coming here? I heard them talking and they said the guy who shot the flare had a collar around his neck and seemed as if he had just run away from a ghost!”

“Really?-” Asked the third guy “- Why a collar though?”

“I don’t know. They said he said he was forced to wear it. Maybe he was being tortured!”

“Don’t joke around with stuff like that!-” Said the tall beastman “- You and your humorism give me the creeps sometime!”

“No, no, I’m not joking! That group said so, I’m just relaying what I heard!”

“Oh really?-” Smuggly said the third guy “- And who would be the one who tortured him Mr.’ I know who’s behind it’?”

“I heard them saying that, when they asked the guy who the culprit was, he replied with “Delving Gallher” before fainting”

[Me!? What!? How is it that I’m involved in this mess?... Fuck, if this is someone from the other groups I swear I’ll have them sleep together with the pigs in some god-forgotten farm!]

“D-don’t shoot names like that!-” Stuttered the beastman “- Gallher’s not someone to tort…”

“Yeah I thought so too-” Said the third member with a face full of grief and worry “- Gallher IS the type of guy who’d do something like that…Maybe what Sam said is really true…”

[You peasant fuckers! It wasn’t me but if you really wish, I could start torturing you tight now!] I thought as I grinned my teeth.

“My lord-” Whispered Arus as he quietly approached me “-It seems my worries were sound”

“What do you mean?! Some fucker is saying I’m the one who did it while it’s clear as day I’m not!”

“Yes my lord, it is clear that it wasn’t you. But tell me, who would benefit from slandering your name?”

In that instant, one single name came to mind and with it also came the face connected to that name. Those cursed black hair, those unworthy blue eyes, that mature face and, most of all, that smug look of superiority that still burned my guts with rage ever since the first day I saw it.

“RAPHAEL BLUESCALE!”

Part 3

- CONSTANTINE GILDOOR’S POV -

“I honestly thought *munch* this whole event would get boring soon-” I said as I snacked on the sandwich I brought from home “-*munch* turns out that it’s actually quite funny to watch HaHaHa!”

“Gil, you are a teacher *sigh*-” Said Ekisona with the fed-up expression of an overworked mother “-please behave like one!”

“Tch…no need to ruin my fun, Eki…By the way, what’s he up to?”

“Same as always. He hasn’t moved from that hill other than fishing and gathering wood. Does he even plan on participating? If he keeps going on like this he’ll certainly lose!”

“Do you really think that someone who caused that whole mess is just gonna sit down and lose? HaHaHa, nah believe me, I’m ready to bet he’s gonna show us something real awesome!” I said, chuckling in anticipation.

“Awsome for you or for everyone who’s normal?” Tauntingly replied Ekisona with a chuckle.

“Tch always so stingy!” I said as I munched down the entirety of my remaining sandwich.

“Come on, you know what I mea- Oh look-” Rapidly changed the topic Ekisora as she pointed at the changing image projected onto the wall “- Hannes’ group is fighting yet again!”

“HaHaHa, it seems like he doesn’t want to lose to Raphael!”

It was past launch already, of the second day that is. Everything changed since the events of the first night. Once everyone inside the forest took notice of the flares, rumors and chaos started spreading. Those groups who came into contact with the students with the collars were all informed who their torturer was. It was clear after that that various groups started taking sides, especially those who were in league with Gallher. Though in their midst the seeds of chaos had already sprouted.

Some believed that Gallher was the one who put on the collars in order to provoke Raphael while others stated that it was just a way to slander Gallher’s name. In the end, just as the second morning came, Gallher’s net of information had stopped functioning as it should have. I found it funny how furious he looked as he tried to communicate with the other groups but few, scattered responses came. Even Ekisora had to hand it to Raphael, if his plan was really to create chaos throughout the groups, it was working to perfection.

Of course, not only Gallher’s group came across some issues but Hannes’ and Raphael’s too. Though they both made use of those issues, turning them into gold mines of opportunity.

Hannes’s group, for example, began to be targeted by the faction of Gallher’s group who believed that their leader was responsible for the collars and by other groups who wanted to claim “justice”. Hypocrisy, I thought. As If justice exists on a battlefield. In fact, most of those who intoxicated themselves with justice for their friends unjustly being tortured, ended up wither joining their friends with red smoke or being stripped of all their possessions and left wandering the forest. It was such a pain to watch Hannes’ group effortlessly wipe out groups upon groups of literal monkeys jumping at the first opportunity without even a plan. It didn’t strange me that, once midday of the second day came, Hannes’ group had already collected 24 badges, theirs included.

They faced strong groups and troublesome ones, such as a group composed only of beastmen armed with sharpened sticks or another group who tried to keep a safe distance at all times. Though the matchups were not always in their favor, unsurprisingly, Hannes and the others managed to always come out on top. The reason? Their teamwork improved with every single fight.

It was a splendid way to fight that made active use of everyone’s strong points. The two Evergards had the role of attacking from the distance. Sora’s long-range wind magic was especially troublesome for their opponents. While Youm’s mid-range fire magic felt like a wall constantly changing shape. The two of them were able to actively attack and defend the two main attackers of the group. Lucas who brutally rushed into the enemy’s space and forced them on a close and personal fight, and Danthe who acted as a jack-of-all-trades.

None of them used particularly flashy spells, rather they all kept them minimal. Especially Lucas who only conjured a stone stick that he used as a sword and some low-level water magic to destabilize the enemy. Same went for the others except for Danthe, who seemed to have wider mana reserves than the rest.

Raphael seemed to revel in the chaos he gave birth to. With the bird Ekisora assigned especially to him, I kept on spying on him at almost all times. I always thought he wasn’t one to smile much, even when he was with his friends. Only recently he began smiling more often, yet he still felt somewhat aloof…detached, as if he was purposely keeping his distance. It really gave me the idea that he was somewhat scared of attachment. But whenever I was looking at him alone in the event, he wore a slight grin. Especially whenever a flare was being shot in the sky.

Throughout the whole time, he did nothing but scout the zone with his groupmate or fish and gather wood for the fire. This painfully boring routine was sometimes interrupted by the attacks of groups searching for a peaceful place to stay or those especially looking for him around the zones where the flares were shot. Useless to say that none of them succeded in even putting a scratch on his clothes. The most achieving group was only able to make him move from his initial position. And, as I expected, with a plain face he reenacted the same scene of the first night with every single one of his victims. Flares upon flares were shot from his side of the forest, though smartly he made sure that none of them came remotely close to his base.

By neglecting my teaching duties, I stayed by Ekisora’s side from morning to night as I mostly made fun of the students and crushed the collars of the poor fools who kept searching for me after being beaten by Raphael. In less than a day, around ten students came looking for me inside the tent.

“He’s such a savage! I LOVE IT HaHaHA!” Was what I kept saying to Ekisora every time a new batch of beaten students came shouting my name.

Before I could realize it, between making fun of students, enjoying the various groups fighting and eating snacks brought by my cute female students, dinner time was already long gone. To repay Ekisora, I prepared her something like a dinner, though I never was much as a cook. I was soo used to simply hunting for prey and roasting it on a campfire that cooking using a real kitchen became almost taboo for me.

“Well-” Said Ekisora as she tried to hide her laugh with coughs “- at least you tried. I appreciate the *cough* effort Gil. Really!”

“Yeah, yeah, you can laugh all you want, Eki. I know I suck as a cook…*sigh* Guess I’ll have to learn how to”

“*Gasp* YOU learning how to cook?! What’s next? Are you going to wear a cute apron? Finally find yourself a wife?” Replied Ekisora now unable to contain her laugh.

“A wife? ME?! No, no, no…I’m still too young to settle down!”

“Gil…you are 32 next year…” Said the girl in front of me with the “you’re pathetic” signature look.

“So, what? I’m still young!” I exclaimed exasperatedly.

“You know, normal people are already married at that age…if only you weren’t soo scared of commitme-”

“Ok, ok, enough of that-” I firmly said as I forced a new topic to be brought on the table “-How’re the scores?”

“Mmhhh-” Said the lady as she gently tapped her chin with her slender fingers and lightly tilted her neck “- Keep in mind that those numbers cannot be revealed until midnight, so I’m really doing you a big favor…Starting with Hannes’ group, they now hold 28 badges. They just ended a fight. Gallher’s main group, you know, the one with the guy called Arus who you are interested in, is sitting at the top with 31 badges”

“Let me guess-” I said with a deep unsatisfied sigh “-they’ve been ‘casually’ finding badges on the ground, right?”

“*sigh* It is as you say, but we cannot act against them since gathering badges like this isn’t against the rules, even though it’s all a farce. But, without solid proof, we can do nothing about it” Said Ekisora wearing a vaguely desolated look on her face.

“*sigh* And the others?” I said as I let myself fall onto a pile of small cushions.

“Your beloved Raphael only holds 9 badges, which is a sum very common at this point of the event. Other than those three groups there are a couple worth mentioning. There’s the group led by the student with the bowl cut and blonde hair…what’s his name?”

“Oh, you mean that guy who keeps following Gallher around school?”

“Exactly!”

“Than it’s Loyd, or was it Floyd? Oh, well something like that. Is his group doing well?” I asked surprised.

“Well, they are the most active group out there. They are all in very bad conditions since it’s clear they haven't been sleeping enough. But they were able to gather quite the noteworthy sum, 14 badges”

“Uhhhh, not that bad! Will he last until the final day though?... And the last one?” I curiously inquired.

“It’s a group of third-year students. They seem to be doing fine, both with resources and health. Their fights have been somewhat lacking in terms of actions. They just crush their opponents with strong spells and steal their badges while they are unconscious. It’s not the best-looking way to fight but it’s still proving to be optimal. They currently have 16 badges”

“Mhhh, I see…And the number of remaining participants?” I asked as I played with a toothpick between my lips.

“Ehmm…22…35…61 participants” She said as she silently, with her eyes closed, counted the students through the view of her birds.

“Damn, it’s still a lot! With all the fights that happened, I thought the numbers would have been between the thirties!”

“Yes, but most of those 61 are without a badge, not even theirs. I guess they are all looking to redeem themselves on the last day” Said Ekisora as she looked at the moon half-hidden by a soft grey cloud. I followed the line of her sight and for a moment silence fell on the tent. We simply stood in silence as we appreciated the night’s sky.

“It’s just a couple hours until midnight” I softly said with a tone I could only use with the girl I spent most of my days outside camping.

“Indeed” Answered the girl in the same tone.

“The third day is about to begin-” I chuckled “- I have the feeling that tonight something will stir up the forest once again!”

“...Unfortunately, I feel the same…especially after the announcement the headmaster is going to make” Grimly answered Ekisora as she observed the image of Raphael reflected onto the wall of the academy. He, too, was observing the moon like us.