Raid (1)

Alex's resistance was short-lived.

Alex had to know that he was finished the moment he revealed himself as a traitor in front of me.

Alex will soon be in front of the disciplinary committee.

From that point on, it is the teachers' turn.

...And it's my turn to fulfill my role.

"In the end, we need a vanguard."

After deliberating in the training room, Aten spoke as if she had come to a conclusion.

I nodded my head.

We checked each other's roles in the training room.

We simulated what position each of us would take when we fought as a party in the future.

Aten is one of the few people who has seen me fight in person.

Thanks to that, she can objectively review my fighting style.

As a result, we came to the conclusion that it is advantageous for me to fight from a distance.

When I fought against Slevb in the dungeon,

When I took down the golem,

When I fought Renzo,

I defeat the enemy up close when fighting them, so I give off the feeling of being a vanguard, but in reality, I'm more of a rear guard.

The last attack in most fights was close-range, but 'throwing' helped a lot in getting me there.

I wounded Slevb with throwing daggers, causing him to reveal himself,

From a distance, I restricted the golem's attacks by throwing weapons at it,

I consistently attacked Renzo from a distance, hiding my trump card until the end.

Now that I can use Khryselakatos, my role as a rear guard has become even more effective.

"The best choice to be a vanguard is..."

"Aster Evans."

Aten's face turned sour when I answered.

Well, Philly's magic is probably still working on her.

I heard from Philly that it is not a very powerful spell, and that it will naturally wear off the more time they spend together, but judging from her current state, that seems unlikely.

To be honest, I don't want Aster in my party either.

The ideal situation would be for me to build my own party without ruining Aster's.

And it would be best if both parties headed toward clearing the game.

So, I won't be touching the best members of Aster's party that I have in mind.

…Aten was originally one of those best members, but somehow it turned out this way.

"What about Aster's sister then?"

"His sister?"

Aten tilts her head.

She might not know.

"Ellen Evans. The best swordsman among the Constel students."

"If she's the strongest among the Constel swordsmen, wouldn't that surpass Mr. Aster?"

"…Ah, that's the thing."

Aten's question is perfectly understandable.

Aster uses a sword as well.

It's the trap of the phrase "the best skills."

"It doesn't mean she's the strongest among the swordsmen. It means her 'skills' are the best."

"…Ah, I see."

Ellen Evans.

The title of 'the best skilled swordsman' attached to her is certainly a compliment to her.

But at the same time, it also reveals her limitations.

Unlike Evans, Ellen lacks divine power.

Moreover, she doesn't have enough 'Qi.'

In the world of Etius, mana and aura are essentially the same substance called 'Qi.'

Ellen has already acquired aura and can use various techniques derived from that aura, but she lacks the mana for prolonged combat.

Her specialty, 'One Strike,' can be used once in a battle, twice if overdone.

In other words, a character who overcomes all her disadvantages with just one skill, so to speak.

'Her innate stamina probably isn't that great either. She must have learned to sleep while walking because of that.'

Ellen spends most of her time sleeping, except for training, classes, or combat.

Especially when she is moving silently, it's almost a hundred percent.

It seemed like just a gag element in the game, but looking into it after entering here, you can see her circumstances.

"Anyway, she's more than we could ask for in our party."

"Doesn't that make her hard to recruit?"

Hmm.

The truth always hurts.

"We have to at least talk to her."

The possibility isn't entirely zero.

After all, we have the camaraderie of having defeated a golem together.

…Right?

* * *

The disciplinary committee.

Alex was seated in the center, watched by all the teachers.

His arms were bound by restraints.

The seat once occupied by Edwin von Behetorio.

Alex, who had once cornered Edwin, now found the tables turned on him.

"What are we waiting for?"

Someone spoke up.

It was the history teacher, 'Isamaya'.

Isamaya looked at Alex with a displeased expression.

"This incident, where a teacher betrays Constel and puts the princess in danger, cannot be defended or supported. Immediate expulsion and prosecution are necessary. There's no need to even convene a committee."

"Mr. Isamaya, let's not be hasty."

"I just dislike wasting time."

Despite another teacher's attempt to calm him, Isamaya showed no signs of backing down.

"Didn't student Frondier catch the evidence? Miss Jane and Miss Malia confirmed it. There's no room for debate."

Jane was a bit surprised at Isamaya's words.

'Huh. I thought Mr. Isamaya would dislike Frondier.'

Isamaya had been embarrassed because of Frondier before.

When Frondier wasn't taking notes, Isamaya decided to test him with a question, only to have his own motives exposed and be laughed at by the students.

Being as famous as he is, rumors about Frondier spread quickly.

Jane said honestly.

"I'm surprised. I thought you would dislike student Frondier."

"Of course, that cheeky brat is annoying."

Isamaya nodded as if it were obvious. He even snorted.

"But that's my personal feeling, not an issue that distorts the facts."

Isamaya stated confidently.

Jane smiled and chuckled.

"However, this committee is not to question Teacher Alex's guilt. As Mr. Isamaya said, the accusations against Teacher Alex are solid."

"Is that so?"

"It's to understand the full story of the incident."

"The full story has been understood. We know Teacher Alex is a traitor."

Malia hadn't yet shared the story about Elysia with the other teachers.

She was waiting to do so at this disciplinary committee meeting.

The most important thing in Constel is the safety of its students.

Most of the people here are unaware that the royal palace is involved in this incident.

It’s all just a development of the Renzo case.

Renzo, who attacked Aten and Frondier, and a traitor in Constel who helped Renzo.

Now that we know it was Alex, there’s no need for further questions.

“That’s not it.”

Jane said.

The whole plan Frondier extracted from Alex.

She had heard it from Maria, but she was full of doubts.

Especially the mention of Princess ‘Elysia’.