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"Think it's all over?"
"Some of them escaped."
"So how many did we catch?"
Davian raised a finger and pointed to the sky.
A magic cube was buzzing overhead.
"That thing must have recorded everything."
"Ah, right."
Oliver Axel approached and asked.
"You are... Elton Academy students?"
Vellum, with maxed-out human affinity, stepped forward.
"Yes. We're from Elton Academy. We're second-year students, and we're here for a practical assessment. The theme of the practical assessment is to subdue the Red Sand Privateers."
"Red Sand Privateers?"
"Those guys who attacked this merchant group."
Vellum took a step closer and whispered in Oliver Axel's ear.
"Secret, but those guys are from the Dizerd Continent."
"Dizerd Continent? That desert continent south of our continent?"
"Yes. That's why they can move so freely under the sand."
"Ah..."
Oliver finally understood the movements of those mole-like humans.
He remembered hearing that people from the Dizerd Continent could move freely in the sand.
It was said that they carried tridents and nets, hunting as if underwater.
He was too preoccupied with the sudden attack to slowly deduce their identity.
'They were Dizerd people.'
As one question was answered, another followed.
"But why are Dizerd people causing trouble on our continent?"
"We don't know either."
Vellum pointed to Davian and continued.
"According to him, more and more are coming over, and they're going to form a large force here. We have to subdue them all before that happens."
"I see... I've heard that Elton Academy students dedicate themselves to the kingdom, but this is the first time I've seen them doing external activities like this. It's impressive."
"It's nothing. If you're born with mana affinity, you have to serve the country and its people. That's why Elton Academy exists."
Oliver nodded slowly.
Oliver looked up at the sky for a moment.
'I was a frog in a well...'
That's exactly what it was.
He thought he was quite skilled now.
He thought he was ahead of the other old warriors in the merchant group.
He was confident that he could hold his own against any warrior on the continent, not just the merchant group's warriors.
Of course, excluding superhuman masters of the 8th or 9th star.
But.
The four students he met today.
Just.
Just second-year students.
Eighteen years old.
The merchant caravan was on the verge of annihilation, but the four of them came running and instead annihilated the Dizerd people.
'No. One of them didn't run, he slid down on his butt.'
Anyway.
They were regretting that a few had escaped, but Oliver thought that no more than five had fled.
The red-haired girl who drew an unbelievable sword path had cut down almost ten.
The monster... no, the large student had thrown or slammed about four or five with his shield.
The girl who freely controlled... no, mocked the monster had taken care of three.
And all of this was possible because of.
The chic-looking boy who froze the ground and blew away the sand.
He had heard rumors.
The strongest genius ever to appear at Elton Academy.
He majored in both swordsmanship and magic, using them freely.
'What was his name...'
The red-haired girl asked.
"What are you going to do now, Davian?"
That's right.
His name was Davian something.
What came after Davian...?
Davian suddenly looked at Oliver.
"You need a force to escort the merchant group, right?"
He did.
The mercenaries were all dead.
The merchant group's warriors had also been reduced by half.
He was already worried about what to do.
But why was he suddenly asking this?
"Perhaps...?"
"We'll escort you."
Vellum asked in surprise.
"Davian? We're in the middle of a practical assessment, right?"
"So?"
"Before we left, we said we'd crush the practical assessment as a group. We've only cleared one nest, so how can you suddenly volunteer to escort the merchant group? Of course, I'm worried about this merchant group, but..."
"Vellum. Do you know the location of all the oases scattered in this vast desert?"
"How would I know that? The academy doesn't know either, that's why they told us to scatter and find them."
"How many times will this merchant group be attacked by the privateers before it crosses the desert and heads west?"
"They'll be attacked a lot. I understand the situation, but we don't have time to help anyone right now... Ah?"
Davian nodded.
"If we move with this merchant group, the Red Sand Privateers will flock to us."
"Oh!"
Bonita also nodded.
"Good idea."
"If we're lucky..."
"If we're lucky, what?"
"We deliberately let a few go, so they might all come this way for revenge."
Nubes asked in surprise.
"Deliberately let them go? You deliberately let those guys escape?"
Davian nodded.
"Of course."
Oliver's mind began to get complicated as he listened to Davian's group's conversation.
At first, he was worried about how to cross the desert.
He was grateful and relieved that the Academy students were helping.
But as he listened to the conversation...
'It seems like our merchant group has become bait. Huge, living bait.'
"There they come!"
Davian, who was sitting on the cargo wagon, began to spread water element magic widely.
Oliver Axel also stopped the merchant group and drew his sword.
Already the third time.
The number of times they had encountered the Dizerd Continent guys, whether they were privateers or whatever.
It was hard to shake off the uneasy feeling that they had become bait.
But there was no way to cross the desert with the remaining merchant group's forces.
Nor could they turn back.
If they did, all the career he had built up in the merchant group would collapse.
He was almost there.
He just needed to finish this one well.
He couldn't let everything go to waste.
In the end, Oliver had no choice but to choose to move with Davian's group.
Dududududu.
The sand heaved as the guys approached from all sides.
Of course, from under the sand.
Soon, they would be blocked by the ice rink that Davian had spread out and would reveal themselves above the sand.
Their weapons were not just tridents and nets.
Some of them even created small golems out of sand.
Even if you cut them down, the golems would maintain their form and swing their fists again.
Some of them would gather sand and launch it for ranged attacks.
Only after one warrior, who had underestimated the flying sand attacks, had hundreds and thousands of holes pierced through his body did they realize how terrifying their ranged attacks were.
But.
No attacks worked against the Academy's four.
Nubes, who was hit by the terrifying sand ranged attacks.
"Ow! That hurts!"
He would just jump up and down.
Bonita would nonchalantly cut through the sand with her sword.
The nonchalant, natural movement might seem like nothing, but.
This was almost like cutting water with a knife.
Vellum, at least, seemed to fear the attacks.
But Davian would set up ice barriers in front of Vellum from time to time.
The most difficult opponent.
The golem that would maintain its form even if you cut it down and swing its fists again.
Was hit by Davian's fireball and burst apart.
Even in the midst of that, he scattered the sand with continuous whirlwind magic to prevent it from sticking together again and returning to its form.
"Heave-ho!"
Bang!
Nubes slammed his shield down on a guy who had dodged Vellum's sword by leaping away.
That concluded this attack as well.
Oliver put his sword back into its sheath.
He had only been guarding the most important cargo wagon.
In fact, he hadn't done much except draw his sword.
'They're really amazing guys. But I have a bad feeling...'
Davian's group was deliberately letting a few of the privateers go alive.
But if they hadn't been there, they would have all been killed in the first attack, so it was awkward to tell them not to.
It was the time when the sun was half-hanging on the western sand dunes.
Thanks to these guys, they were able to safely reach the center of the desert.
But in a corner of Oliver's mind, an unknown anxiety continued to arise.
It was probably because of the privateers they kept letting go.
'They're probably doing that because they're confident.'
But then again.
He couldn't shake off the worry that something big would happen.
It was a warning from the sharpened senses of a bodyguard who had followed the merchant group for a long time.
But.
She no longer had any say or choice.
They were already in the central desert area.
Unless they were going to abandon all the cargo wagons and run away.
Now, all she could do was trust these kids.
Vellum, who was looking at the twinkling stars and the bonfire, opened his mouth.
As expected, he couldn't stand even a moment of silence.
"But the privateers, the people from the Dizerd Continent. Aren't they humans like us anyway? But how can they swim in the sand and breathe in it?"
"They must have evolved while living in a continent with nothing but desert for tens of thousands of years. To survive among the countless beasts and monsters living in that continent."
The more barren it is for humans.
The better the environment for monsters to live in.
He had never been there, but the Dizerd Continent was probably swarming with monsters that had escaped from dungeons.
"Evolution? What's that, Davian?"
Ah.
There are no disciplines like evolution or creationism here.
"Changing to suit the environment?"
"So it's like they became like that because they lived in the desert for a long time?"
"Something like that."
This time, Bonita opened her mouth.
"Moving and breathing in the sand is because of that evolution or whatever. Anyway, it's not a movement that an ordinary human can make. That means they've cultivated internal energy in some way."
Vellum nodded.
"That's right. They're really fast."
"But they also create monsters with sand and launch ranged attacks. Is this also a type of magic?"
This time, Davian also nodded.
Vellum mimicked swinging a sword with his right hand and emitting magic with his left.
"That's right. Although they're much weaker, it seems like each privateer cultivated both internal and magical power like Davian."
Davian shook his head.
"Maybe not."
"What do you mean, not?"
"That dividing magic, internal power, and external force. That might just be a cultivation method that exists on our continent. Maybe they gather mana in completely different ways on other continents."
"Really?"
"Maybe everyone in Alancia is caught up in a big prejudice."
"Cultivating magic, internal power, and external force separately is a prejudice of our continent?"
"I'm just saying that might be the case."
"That's difficult..."
Meanwhile.
Nubes, who had left to receive the evening meal, returned.
He was holding a large tray full of grilled meat, bread, and soup in one hand.
"Dinner has arrived."
"Wow, that's a lot of food? I thought we were going to have to eat the dried meat we brought and go to bed."
Nubes smiled brightly as he put down the tray.
"I know, right? I think it was a good idea to follow the merchant group, like Davian said. There's plenty of food, and that big tent over there is ours. It's much more comfortable than camping by ourselves."
That wasn't the reason they followed the merchant group.
But anyway, the merchant group, which was pulling cargo wagons, was much better off than Davian's group, who had each carried a backpack.
One of the cargo wagons was always loaded with food and supplies needed during the journey.
"I heard that you can shower and sleep if you really want to. I asked."
"Ooh."
"You're not going to wash and sleep, are you, big guy?"
"How did you know?"
While Nubes and Vellum were giggling about how it was a good idea to follow the merchant group.
Davian turned his head and looked over the hill.
Bonita turned her head, following Davian's gaze, and asked.
"Davian, what is it?"
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