Ryusousha – 64
Chapter 64
“I know you just got here, but I have some news for you.”
“You don’t waste any time, Christan.”
His face was really close.
I was about to take a step back, but then realized it would be bad if someone overheard us, and so I stopped.
“It’s better to let you know quickly. Three days ago, I received the message that the Makoku magicians had crossed the border.”
“Where did that information come from?”
“From the Royal Capital. So quite some time would have passed already. There was still a small chance that you students could have been attacked while out on the field. So I’m quite relieved to see you are all safe.”
“There was no ambush. And I didn’t sense anything suspicious.”
Though, we did meet some Moon Beasts.
“It was due to a suggestion from Her Majesty, that they chose a different location this time. An open area that offered a clear view of your surroundings. On the other hand, it apparently meant being closer to the Shadow Moon Road.”
Now that I think about it, I had heard that they camped in an area with more trees last year… So, we were closer to the Shadow Moon Road. It was no wonder we encountered them twice.
“So, is there more information about these magicians?”
“There have been no witnesses since they entered Makoku. They must be traveling down the Shadow Moon Road. They’ve got guts, I’ll give them that.”
There were always Shadows lurking by border towns.
And they were good at catching any unusual activity.
But the Shadow Moon Road was perfect for traveling if you wanted to remain hidden.
One might wonder if it’s not better to just avoid towns while traveling, but you would stick out even more if you traveled while avoiding towns and roads.
That’s why information about people’s whereabouts tended to leak.
“If they can travel down the Shadow Moon Road, they must be confident in their ability to deal with Moon Beasts.”
“Exactly. Makoku has long put a lot of resources into perfecting their attack magic. And I hear that nearly ten of them have been sent here.”
Even though Makoku was the country of magic, they didn’t have that many magicians.
And so the magicians that were strong enough to beat Moon Beasts would be very valuable.
“It almost seems like overkill, since we’re just students.”
“Either it means they take the threat very seriously, or they’re expecting you all to be heavily protected. The worst-case scenario would be a one-sided battle where all of the First and Second-Years are killed. Losing two years’ worth of Dragon Masters would be a great loss.”
The queen was expecting war with Makoku.
And maybe the Great Shift wasn’t the only reason for it.
Regardless, these were magicians.
Once it was revealed that they had come here to kill us, it could very well lead to war.
Was Makoku ready for that?
If they were, then it was no wonder that they weren’t holding back in this attack.
“As for our schedule, we’ll be staying here for five days. And then we’ll return to the field for five days and then the exercise will be finished.”
“It seems that Her Majesty wants to lure the enemy here. If they are going to attack anyway, it would be much easier to defend ourselves in a place like this, won’t it?”
As this place had been used for lodging for a long time, there were a lot of supplies. On top of that, they had purposely increased the flow of goods and personnel recently, so as to attract the enemy’s attention.
“So, they might be very close already?”
“You’re sharp. A patrolling Dragon Master discovered someone camping near a rocky area that is dozens of kilometers away from here. Apparently, a part of their tent was visible.”
“Uh, that’s surprisingly stupid of them, isn’t it?”
“They wouldn’t be used to being spied on from above, so perhaps they found it difficult to disguise their camp completely.”
Ryusousha ha Shizukani Kurashitai
