30 Years Have Passed Since the Prologue

Oscar stood, leaning against the wall, with a knife stuck into the floor.

“It’s really unbelievable.”

He glanced around, casually wiping the blood flowing from his forehead. Nothing was in sight.

Forests are inherently dark, especially the forest of Frechenkaya, dark to a gloomy extent even in broad daylight.

So, it’s reasonable that finding a light source buried beneath the earth in this forest is challenging. However…

“Why are there caves underground in the forest? This crazy country.”

Oscar laughed mockingly, lifting the knife. One leg was broken, making walking while leaning against the wall difficult.

‘Should I wait until help arrives?’

He’s a student, so rescue teams should follow for such major accidents during class.

Plus, he has three beads in his possession, each with a location-tracking magical function.

Therefore, as long as there are no significant issues, staying still here seems the safest choice, but…

‘Did those guys manage to escape?’

That’s the problem. Having three beads implies, at least, robbing two guys of their beads.

He overpowered two fellow students and took their beads during the exam, unavoidable but now perplexing. Perhaps he snatched the location trackers.

If those guys are buried under this soil, they won’t be rescued.

Oscar sighed. The pain from his broken leg was terrible, but…

“I have to rescue them.”

He wiped away the blood and opened his eyes. Green eyes sparkled in the darkness.

I have to rescue them.

Because they’re classmates? Because he’s a noble? Because he’s the son of Jill Ber, a hero of the Knight’s Party?

No.

Because he’s a knight.

A knight of Tylesse doesn’t abandon the weak in the face of adversity.

He recalled what he learned from his father, a patriot since childhood.

“Ahh!! Help!! There’s no one here!!”

“Help!! We’re trapped here!!”

Noisy. Ivan clicked his tongue, walking through the tunnel.

In the confined space of the tunnel with extremely limited visibility, when one sensory organ is blocked, hearing naturally amplifies.

Therefore, shouting in the tunnel is prohibited. Especially if it’s the front line.

It serves as an excellent guide for enemies beyond the tunnel, and the screams echoing along the tunnel walls distort the sense of direction.

If you lose your way like that, fear increases. Humans are not designed to live in darkness.

Untrained humans panic in such situations. Shouting again, losing their sense of direction. The vicious cycle continues.

-Click.

Ivan listened to the screams, pulled out his gun, and walked with closed eyes.

One footstep. Another footstep.

Never in a hurry, yet not leisurely either.

With a stride that feels precisely measured, straight ahead.

Counting every step he has taken, his stride is exactly 86cm. Therefore, by counting the steps taken, he can mentally draw his path on a map from the point of entry.

A commander of the Cleanup Unit must master field triangulation along with land navigation.

Oscar’s last confirmed location, Isabelle’s position, and the spot where he leaped down.

By accurately plotting these three points without error, he can confidently navigate through the maze-like tunnels and always move with certainty.

“Help!!”

The scream is close. Holding a gun and aiming around waist level, he moves forward.

Considering the average height of a dwarf, the position he aims for is just about head height. Of course, shooting a dwarf in the head with a gun won’t kill them.

They’re tough bastards.

“Is anyone there?” (Dwarf)

“Here!! I’m here!!” (Student)

“State your name!” (Dwarf)

“I’m Patrick!! No, does it really matter who I am right now?”

Of course, it’s not important. In a disaster situation like this, you should normally save everyone without discrimination, regardless of who they are.

Ivan chuckled at the sound coming from the end of the tunnel.

That awkward way of speaking, dwarves. They are probably wandering through the tunnels looking for Oscar and Isabelle.

He felt them getting farther away as he heard the voices of the trapped individuals. Well, not every student seems to be their target.

“Lucky.”

Patrick survived because he revealed his name first. The dwarves in the tunnels are probably searching for Oscar and Isabelle.

Enrique is in this area. Therefore, they can’t spend much time. Fighting with Enrique in the tunnel is the worst way to commit suicide, as vampires have night vision, and fighting him in the tunnels would be disastrous.

So, those two students won’t die at least by the hands of dwarves.

“Where are you going! Where are you? Help!!”

“Hush. Quiet.”

Ivan approached the student who was shouting, covering the guy’s mouth. The sounds of breath and bodily fluids, sweaty and moist, were felt beneath his palm.

Ivan gently patted the kid’s shoulder and whispered.

“The guys who just asked for your name are the ones who control this burrow.”

“…Ugh?!”

“Yeah. You almost died. So be quiet.”

“Ugh…! Um, who are you?”

“Rescue team member. Now, be quiet. Do you have a bead?”

“Oscar took it from me!”

Well, it won’t be easy.

Ivan clicked his tongue and asked.

“Is Oscar nearby?”

“Yes, after we lost to Oscar, the ground collapsed almost immediately…”

“Can you walk?”

“Yes, yes!”

“Take this.”

Ivan took out a bead from his belt and handed it to the student.

“Go in that direction for 10m… at least you should see the sky if you walk that far. Go up there and wait for rescue. Enrique will find you soon.”

“T-Thank you!”

“Quiet. Enemies are still nearby.”

Ivan patted the guy’s shoulder a couple of times and moved on.

**Oscar’s POV**

“State your name!”

“I’m Patrick!! No, does it really matter who I am right now?”

Okay. A rescue team member.

Good. If I escape with them, it’ll be fine.

Fortunately, both of them seem to be alive. That’s a relief.

Oscar sighed and staggered, shifting his steps. He had opened his mouth to shout for rescue but suddenly closed it.

Something’s strange…?

‘Asking for a name… and then silence.’

There’s no reason to whisper. If there were other students nearby, it would be better to make a loud noise to alert the rescue team.

So, the sudden silence is suspicious. Oscar’s instincts sounded an alarm.

“Again! Is there anyone else! Any other survivors?!”

“…”

Oscar swallowed saliva, listening intently.

After that guy’s shout, the voices of the two students stopped abruptly.

One assumption came to Oscar’s mind.

– If having such caves underground in the Frechenkaya Forest is not normal.

Come to think of it, the walls are too neatly carved for a cave. If this is not normal, what if someone dug tunnels and prepared traps?

Then, the guy loudly shouting as if rescuing students…

‘Enemy.’

Oscar gritted his teeth. Fighting an unknown enemy in the deep darkness where nothing is visible is foolish.

Especially with one leg broken.

‘Just waiting might be better.’

Anyway, he has a location-tracking magical device. As long as Enrique is around, the rescue team will arrive soon, so he just needs to wait until then.

Oscar gritted his teeth and tightened his grip on the knife.

“Hey!! Help!!”

“Student there, what’s your name!?”

From far in the cave, another scream echoed.

Another survivor was screaming.

Damn it.

Oscar stood up. Taking a deep breath, closing his eyes, and after a few hesitations.

He opened his eyes and shouted, “Oscar, the patriot of Tylles, son of Jill Ber, is here!”

Predictable. If these guys are cunning enough to set up such traps, they would naturally aim for high-value targets. And in the Frechenkaya Forest, the most valuable target is none other than himself.

Of course, there’s Isabelle, but it’s difficult to argue that she holds a higher value. Her father is missing, and her current father is a duke of Tylesse.

Naturally, if they were to kidnap someone, it’s better to go for the duke’s son. Even if the opponent is not a kidnapper, the hatred against him is much greater than that of Maximilian, the Hero.

So, the possibility of him being the target is very high. Asking for the names of students all along was suspicious from the start.

“Found you.”

A low voice echoed. Oscar clenched his teeth and raised the knife.

Is this the right thing to do?

Well, who knows if someone will recognize the sacrifice made at the risk of life. Who will appreciate it?

“I will appreciate it myself.”

Good deeds should only be their own torch.

The highest virtue of good deeds is self-sacrifice unrelated to the recognition of others.

The knights of Tylles never abandon the weak in the face of adversity.

Oscar bit down on this thought, holding the sword upright.

“Jill Ber has a good son well.”

Ivan chuckled at the sight.

He slowly moved forward, raising his gun.

One step at a time. Not rushing but not leisurely either. Counting each step with precise strides.

Holding the gun, adjusting the sight to about waist level.

Listening to the heavy footsteps, calculating the stride to estimate the height, adjusting the sight again.

Waiting for the audible footsteps to reach effective shooting range.

Identifying Oscar’s position and adjusting the line of fire. Directly in front.

Aim, hold breath, and…

Fires.

*BANG!*