Chapter 123.3


    I run alongside Felix at a distance, careful not to get in his way.


    The six other participants who deployed with us for some reason don’t chase him. Instead, they scatter, running through the forest.


    They pop out in front of Kurtos’s messengers and scouts—not to fight, but only to vanish back into the woods.


    Curious, I sneak a peek and notice all six have their faces covered with cloth.


    So, their goal is disruption.


    Covering their faces... I see, it’s to mess with our ability to judge them.


    Even if the third-years lack strength, the second-years are competent enough.


    But if we can’t see their faces, we won’t know who we need to watch out for.


    It’s likely the disruption squad is made up mostly of commoners.


    Most nobles or knights’ sons hate covering their faces.


    And those willing to do so tend to have high morale—especially the commoners.


    This disruption squad from Lambert’s group has even managed to throw off the entire alert network.


    In different parts of the forest, rear units have been moving in the wrong direction, standing still for no reason,


    or giving up and retreating back to Kurtos’s main camp.


    Retreating isn’t the worst option.


    A clear analysis would show that most of these threats aren’t all that dangerous.


    The real threat, though, is racing through the forest at full speed.


    Felix suddenly appears, wiping out a rear unit in the blink of an eye.


    The confusion only grows worse.


    Felix tears through the center, making his way toward Kurtos’s main camp.


    Then, he suddenly stops in his tracks.


    “I figured you’d come charging straight through.”


    Standing in his way were Kamal and Nejikane.


    They must’ve pieced together from fragments of information that Felix was on the attack and gathered a team to ambush him.


    “Still more trouble, huh?”


    Catching his breath, Felix raises his wooden sword.


    These two won’t be easy to get past unscathed.


    Even if the regrouping doesn’t work,


    if things stay like this, Kurtos will lose all his commanders.


    With Rastean back at camp, they might still have a chance.


    But—this won’t buy them much time.


    Kamal swings his sword awkwardly, trying to make up for his lack of skill in martial arts.


    Yet the gap in raw power is too great.


    Felix steadily pushes him back until Kamal takes a clean hit to the upper body and falls unconscious.


    With him down, the rest fall apart.


    Felix and his reinforcements tear through the ambush team, forcing some members to retreat to the main camp.


    With this, the final obstacle is gone.


    Hearing Rastean’s report, Kurtos prepares to face Felix’s counterattack squad at the camp.


    Then, something catches my attention.


    I sense a group from the disruption squad converging and heading toward the main camp.


    So that was part of the plan, too.


    Felix, joined by the reinforcements, takes off running.


    But—once again, he halts abruptly.


    I turn back, ears straining in disbelief.


    The sound of a camp bell echoes through the forest.


    Felix, the second-years, and I all stand frozen in shock.


    Neither the counterattack squad nor the disruption squad had reached Kurtos’s camp.


    The flag—


    It must have fallen.


    “That’s the end of the exercise. Return to the camp.”


    At my announcement, Felix turns toward me with a dazed expression.


    The second-years hang their heads, stifling quiet sobs.


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