12 Camp in Chaos

[Your Killing Move just now was too exhausting. Maybe you overdid it a bit?] -Aralis said with a concerned tone.

'Don't worry, I planned to save some energy for self-protection. I simply could not pass on the opportunity to release the craving for violence in my heart... Oh, how I missed this... So addicting...' -Leylin had a dark grin beneath his mask of tiredness and grief over his dead friends.

[That's the Doctor Ming I know.]

'Now it's back to business as usual, unfortunately. Undue recklessness is counterproductive.' -Leylin thought with a hint of bitterness.

Leylin received a water bottle from a girl that did not forget to voice her eternal gratitude, and then he drank the fresh transparent liquid in big revitalizing gulps.

By drinking this water, he managed to conceal his eyes which were racing back and forth as he evaluated his options: 'I have killed the highest number of direwolves not counting the black robes, as expected. Next, I only have to regain my stamina for the upcoming last stand, and wait for the white robes to make their move...'

[As soon as they decide to get up their asses, I'll record every single detail.] -Aralis indicated with eagerness.

'Good; it is inevitable that they will act. The only question is why they haven't done so already.' -Leylin dipped a rag in some water basin.

[So now you're telling me your theory?]

'No point, since we'll find out soon enough... The black robes are too hard-pressed. Judging by your collected data, I calculate a 98.2% chance of a slip up by the black robes in the next 10 minutes. The direwolf pack will thus break into the perimeter, and casualties will skyrocket in a matter of seconds. Then, I'll have to support the other preparatory Knights in protecting the girls... At that point, no matter how much the Magi want to stay out of this, their hand will be forced.' -Leylin analyzed in a moment.

[Even when you're tired, your mind remains sharp as ever, Doctor.] -Aralis praised.

'Nonsense, you did all the work. I just put two and two together.' -Leylin told dismissively, as he cleaned himself from most of the blood and viscera he was covered with.

With the non-stop howling from the pack leader hidden amidst the darkness of the night, the direwolf pack's charge gradually became even more aggressive. The sightings of alpha direwolves had started to grow in number, and the black robes now had their backs against the carriages.

Suddenly, the throat of the frontmost black robe was torn out and he toppled over, lifeless.

"Shit! We can't wait any longer! Activate your Secret Skills!" -The black robe Angelo shouted.

At that moment, the remaining black robes released crackling sounds, as their muscles continuously expanded. At first glance, their overgrown muscles made them look like small giants.

'The Secret Skills of the Knights, huh? Let's see...' -Leylin's eyes didn't blink. He also did not need to voice his commands, since the ESP Matrix allowed him to directly use the A.I.'s systems.

//

-Knight Secret Skill (strength type): After activation, the user's vitality and strength increase; agility decreases. Data insufficient, unable to analyze further.

//

Looking at the holo screen in front of his eyes, Leylin felt some disappointment: 'I still can't fathom how this so-called 'inner life force' works. If I had a Knight-level guinea pig to dissect, I might just be able to understand... Alas, I am lightyears away from being able to set up a proper lab in this world...'

As for the black-robed Knights who had activated their Secret Skills, not only did their muscle strength and density increase, their defenses seemed to have improved as well. The giant alpha direwolves still needed to be kept at bay, but the Knights could manage using their giant swords to hack at the normal direwolves.

Nevertheless, with the increase in alpha direwolves, one of them had ultimately managed to slip through a gap and charge into the crowd of acolytes.

"Save me! Aaaaagh!" -A girl was cut in half by a set of claws.

"Daddy! Mummy!" -One boy ran into another girl and both had their heads bitten off like they were nothing.

"I don't want to die yet!!" -The direwolf pounced at a different boy, crushing him with its weight and thus killing him instantly.

The sound of various cries and screams resounded through the campsite, as the situation turned to complete chaos.

On the outside, Leylin had a stern expression and looked battle-ready once more. On the inside, though...

'Such a pitiful bunch these kids are. Should've stayed at home with their pompous aristocrat families. Oh well, at least they manage to get a smile out of me by dying like pathetic trashes.'

As if by chain reaction, another giant direwolf broke through the defensive perimeter, landing within the area occupied by the Furze Alliance.

"Leylin! Come, we need you at the rear!" -George's neck was wrapped up in gauze. Although not only was it thickly wrapped up, but it was also knotted in a girly bow. The sight was making Leylin want to do a facepalm.

"Give me the crossbow!" -Leylin ordered his 'best friend'.

"This?" -George took the big crossbow he had on his back and relinquished it to Leylin: "I'm afraid there's no use for it now! These mongrels have thick skin and flesh. If you can't hit their weak points, you'll only be wasting ammunition!"

'Aralis, let's show Blondie how the professionals do it.'

[Calculation of wind movement and firing angle complete. Trajectory ready!]

Following the holographic calculated trajectory with the iron sight of the crossbow, Leylin pulled the trigger with confidence.

The powerful steel bolt flew out, and although this high-quality weapon had a considerably hard kick, Leylin's arm kept steady. He looked the part of an expert crossbowman.

The bolt hit the furry beast from the side, it entered through the left eye and exited out of its right eye. The direwolf howled twice before crumpling to the ground.

'Unlike a regular bow, all you have to do with a crossbow is aim and pull the trigger. Convenient.'

Leylin weighed the differences between him swinging around the cross blade, and using the crossbow: 'The ESP Matrix is extremely effective with ranged weapons thanks to the high-accuracy targeting, and it is very suitable for quick kills also. Not to mention, it is much safer than doing melee combat... Aralis, make a note for me to research more about the ranged weapons from this world.'

[It is done, Doctor.]

'And who knows when I'll get access to actual magical spells, so in the meantime I shall keep this reliable crossbow with me at all times. Since I have yet to become a true Knight who can spam Killing Moves, it is definitely more useful than an archaic blade.'

[Good call... See? Even if you're not at Viscount John's level right now, you're still making progress at a steady pace.]

'Working both smart and hard, no matter what the end goal is, I shall steadily achieve my objectives. Activating my inner life force will be no different. Eventually, that power will be part of my arsenal.' -The Farlier heir determined.

"Leylin, excellent job! You can keep the crossbow, it's yours now." -George only now reacted to his friend's deed, as he patted Leylin on the shoulder.

'It was always mine to begin with, you potato bag.'

"Thank you, dear George." -Leylin nodded.

"Lord Leylin! He is the slayer of direwolves! Please, Lord Leylin! Quickly, save us!"

At this point, more direwolves charged into the campsite, and a certain group of students cried out in desperation as they were picked off one by one. They called for the only person they could think that was capable of defending them in such a dire situation.

'Do these wimps actually believe I will save them?! Oh, these are the kind of moments life is worth living for...! Die! Die, and show me your expressions filled with terror! Hahaha!'

"Huu!" -On the opposite area of the camp, Ourin sucked in huge breaths as he used a sword to block a normal direwolf that was leaping forward. A huge impact force was transmitted over to him, causing the sword in his hands to fly away.

"I am the successor of House Dorlan! I still haven't enjoyed a lot of things! How could I die here?!" -Ourin roared. Out of the acolytes close to him, two had already died. Among the remaining people, if they weren't already dead, then they had escaped to the Furze side of the camp.

At this moment, increasingly frequent shouts of 'Lord Leylin!' could be heard, causing the Farlier's eyes to shine with a sadistic glimmer.

"That's right! The Furze Alliance still has strength, and Leylin was so impressive just now... Even with what he did to me... He will definitely save me! He wouldn't let a fellow acolyte be slaughtered by mere wolves!"

With the advantage of Leylin's prior preparations put into place by George, the losses for the Furze Alliance had been the least across the board. With both of these two authorities who were peak preparatory Knights, the Furze side of the camp was considered the safest place right now. Apart from the area around the white robes, of course.

Ourin didn't hesitate any more and began to run in Leylin's direction.

[Doctor, there's someone coming straight at you and it's not a direwolf!] -Aralis detected the trajectory and intention of a particular acolyte.

'Well, well, well...' -Leylin reloaded the crossbow in flash, heeding his assistant's warning and taking a look: 'If it isn't Ourin, the chemically-castrated gibbon! This day continues getting better and better for me!'

"Leylin...! Lord Leylin, please! Save me, I beg you! I have more crystals! They're yours if you save me!" -He cried for protection.

Ourin looked embarrassing and stripped of all the decorum he once had before he met the new Leylin. Not only did he lack the armor and weapon a true noble would carry into battle, but his whole body also displayed numerous wounds and he was even being closely pursued by a direwolf.

[It's a pity. You came to the wrong person, Ourin. Did he really think you would be so magnanimous?] -Aralis mocked.

Leylin's mouth formed a grin: 'He is not thinking clearly. Running for his life, trying to cling to any sliver of hope that he can escape his demise... I assure you though; he will not.'

Leylin looked at Ourin, showing a brilliant smile that carried all the compassion in the world. Anyone would think he was glad the redhead had asked for his help.

"He'll save me! Definitely..." -Ourin saw Leylin's face, and his heart relaxed. He continuously encouraged himself, increasing his running speed.

"W-What?! Noooooo!" -At that moment, Ourin despairingly saw how Leylin had shot the crossbow bolt, but instead dealing with a direwolf just behind the one that was chasing him.

Ourin's mind went blank at that instant and he tripped with a rock, falling onto the ground.

The direwolf behind him shot forward. The creature's razor-sharp fangs bit down on the Dorlan heir, and blood began to flow non-stop. Ourin was no more.

'Aaah, everything falls into place.' -Leylin was happy with Ourin's fate.

"Thank you, my Lord!" -On the other side, the girl who had been saved by Leylin's bolt ran at him to acknowledge her hero.

"No need for thanks. I couldn't allow such a pretty lass to get hurt." -Leylin charmingly told. The lady named Lilith stared at her savior with a flushed look, and then lowered her head.

There was a whistling sound, and George looked at Lilith, directing a 'you understand' gaze towards Leylin.

"The situation is already like this, but your personality hasn't changed, George!" -Leylin inwardly rolled his eyes.

"Even if I fall into the abyss of death, you can't stop the yearning I have for beautiful romances!" -George used the tone of a martyr, speaking as if he was unafraid of death.

[Oh dear...] -Leylin could almost hear his A.I. doing a facepalm herself this time.

'The white robes should be about to make their move. Focus, Aralis!' -Leylin ordered hastily.

[I'm ready!]

Even though the field was in chaos, the giant direwolves seemed to have an amazing sixth sense. They had never bothered the three white-robed Magi, as they had formed a strange circle around them.

And amidst the noise, Leylin could still use his Matrix-improved hearing to eavesdrop on the conversation between the white-robed Magi. Perhaps they themselves had not even concealed it with their magic.

"Crow! Are we still not making our move? The acolytes have suffered too many casualties, and that will lower our rating!" -A woman's voice sounded.

"Relax! Relax! I've been counting... Up until now, ten have died so far. The limit hasn't been passed yet." -A slightly cynical voice traveled over; it was a man's voice.

"But it's still reaching the limit. We must act quickly! And I still need to determine the stability model for this technique... Dammit! The negative energy here is simply too high. It's impossible to complete the construction of the 'Tokerwuree!'"

"Then I'll do it!" -The white-robed man who hadn't spoken before stood up.

'The mysterious Magi. Allegedly capable of manipulating the forces of nature... Show me what you're capable of...' -Leylin's eyes scrutinized the white-robed man.

"All of you stupid and lowly beasts, you actually dare to disturb the silence of the venerated Magi Lords! Face the consequences!"

"Mazzerda — Karachi!"

With the chanting sounds of the white-robed man, Leylin's mind ringed with his assistant's voice sounding out.

[Doctor! That Magus just became a radiation source! There's also a negative energy field encompassing him!]

Those were big words, but Leylin wasn't deterred at all. He solely went over the chanting of the white-robed man, as his mind was on overclock trying to discern anything hidden in the Magus' actions.

'This is obviously not the common tongue used on the continent... Perhaps an ancient one instead? It appears Magi need to use this kind of language to chant their spells. Interesting... Perhaps different spells require different variations. Or the language could be a factor that operates with the type of energy used to fuel the spell...? Huh...'

More questions began popping inside the Farlier's head, as his urge to learn magic erupted inside him stronger than ever.

Just then and as the white-robed man stood up, the surrounding direwolves fled in disarray. It was as if they had met some kind of natural predator.

"Secondary Fireball!"

After the chant was completed, a floating fireball appeared in the man's hand out of nowhere. According to the ESP Matrix calculations, this fireball was at least one thousand degrees Celsius and was even causing the surrounding space to distort faintly.

The fireball left a blazing trail and landed at the heart of the direwolf pack, beyond the camp.

"Not good! Everyone crouch down!" -George shouted loudly. Unfortunately, it was already too late. It didn't matter whether it was the black robes or the direwolves in the surroundings; everyone was sent toppling over.

A loud explosion reverberated across the region, bringing with it a wave of intense heat.

Leylin got up from the ground before the rest of the acolytes, hurriedly spitting out the smoky flavor in his mouth as he composed himself.

He then climbed onto the horse carriage to gain a better view of the aftermath.

[According to my long-range scans, that area should have been where the direwolf pack leader was positioned.] -Informed the A.I. providing with a visual prompt in the holo-screen.

Her Master looked in the direction of the area struck by the Magus and he could not help but chuckle a bit.

It could only be seen that the fireball had left an enormous pit of fire where it landed. Three meters in diameter and two meters deep, the area had been devastated. As for the direwolves caught in the blast, they had become red-hot ashes.

The few surviving direwolves whimpered and howled, before quickly escaping for the nearest underground cave where they made their lairs.

'I have much to look forward to...' -Leylin looked at the white-robed Magus, eyes flaring with ambition: 'The magnificent power of a Magus. It too shall be mine to wield one day!'

"Quickly! Clean up the battlefield!" -The white-robed man said, ignoring the fervent gazes of the surrounding acolytes. He returned to his original place, where the two other Magi were.

When he passed by Ourin's corpse, he stopped. He discreetly took a small pouch from the teen's bosom and placed it inside his robe. Yet, despite his efforts to remain inconspicuous, Leylin had noticed.

He also saw the black-robed Knights gather the acolyte corpses together. They took out several magic crystals and passed them to the white-robed Magi, before immediately going to help with setting up the carriages to resume the trip.

No one but Leylin recognized what had transpired. The Farlier had been able to, simply because he had commanded the Matrix to concentrate on any action the Magi took.

[So that's what their apathy was all about. They just wanted to loot the magic crystals from the dead. The black robes are aiding them since they are their underlings... It all makes sense...] -Aralis deduced.

Leylin pupils shrank: 'I partially disagree. Magi are mysterious and dreadful existences. They would not be driven by the simplistic greed of stealing a few magic crystals. If anything, I suspect that was only an added bonus. In that conversation previous to the fireball, one of them talked about negative energy and the model for a technique... It is safe to assume their assigned task was to escort the caravan, but that they nonetheless gave priority to their own agenda.'

[It also seemed like there was a death count limit that would've lowered their evaluation and consequently, their potential rewards had they gone beyond it.] -Aralis now understood her Master's point.

'Be that as it may, I don't have any particular interest in figuring out their agenda. For now, it is good enough that I got as much intel as I envisioned... And it is also nice to know that Magi are as cruel and selfish as Viscount John and George's father made them out to be... I'll fit right in amongst their society, hahaha...'

[And now that the Magi have reached the casualties threshold already, they should actively protect you from here on out.]

'Indeed. Whatever way you look at it, so far it has been a remarkably enjoyable and profitable day.'

"Everyone, quickly pack up so we can continue our journey. The smell of blood here will surely attract other predators!" -Said the Knight Angelo.

He had taken off his outer robes that had been torn due to the activation of his Secret Skill. On his face, perspiration flowed nonstop, and he was gasping for air. He was visibly weakened.

[It looks like the price to activate the Secret Skill for Knights is similar to yours with the ESP Matrix; albeit more accentuated.]

'Speaking of which, the moment you disengage the Matrix I'll probably faint from exhaustion. Be sure not to do it until I'm seated.'

[I got you, Doctor. This isn't our first rodeo.] -Aralis told with an amused tone.

'Just making sure.' -Leylin scratched the back of his neck.

"Hey, Leylin... look...!" -Just as he was about to enter the carriage, George snuck over to him and surreptitiously pointed to the side.

On another nearby carriage, Bessita was hugging her legs as she sat. Her shoulder had bloody marks on it, and she looked like she had just gone through a crying session.

"Ourin had always been Bessita's number one 'Flower Guardian'. Now that her group is almost completely wiped out, Bessita's situation isn't looking very good!" -George said next to Leylin's ear, with an expression that implied that Leylin's chance had come.

[Serves her right for messing with you, Doctor. Hopefully, she will choke on her own tears.]

'Is that even possible?' -Leylin inwardly raised an eyebrow.

[Dunno, but I sure as hell would like it if she died.] -Aralis 'hmphed'.

'Hahaha, I hear you.'

Leylin now replied to the blond teen: "I've already lost interest in her. Anyway, we're in such danger, can't you control your lower half a little?" -He said, letting his exasperation creep through his words as he pointed to George's collar.

On the surface of his clothes were marks from a girl's lipstick. He really didn't know when this animal had been able to fool around.

"My brother... It's only in this kind of dangerous moment that we preparatory Knights can show our might! And girls will always show goodwill towards the man who saved them. This is the most basic of seducing methods!"

George took out something that was similar to a handkerchief from his bosom, smugly showing his yield: "See? I've already won the goodwill of three ladies..."

"Yeah..." -Leylin had nothing to say.

[Is he next on your to-kill list? Please tell me he is.]

'Regrettably, he is not. Blondie has proved himself to be a valuable tool for the duration of the journey. It is always advantageous to surround oneself with assets, not just enemies.' -Leylin explained calmly.

[What?! You told me you were going to kill him off in good time!] -The A.I. complained.

'I did, and I meant it. Whether it is by my hand or an enemy's, he shall die for me. I can guarantee it. His destiny is to serve my purposes, just as any other 'ally' I make along the way... Bear in mind, dear Aralis, that today's events have put things into perspective for me. I will rarely fend off all of this world's threats by myself. It seems my puppeteer skills ought to be my second greatest weapon.'

[Just when I think I've got you figured out, you come up with another way to perplex me.]

'That's the idea.' -Leylin smirked as he got inside the carriage, however, it disappeared as soon as he lay on his usual corner seat.

[Disengaging ESP Matrix. Combat protocols offline. Sweet dreams, Doctor...] -The slightly digitized voice of the A.I. told him.

'I want you to record everything that goes on in the caravan. The white robes might try to-- '

And just like that, Leylin Farlier had fallen into a deep slumber. His organism was heavily taxed by the prolonged use of the Matrix, on top of the base stamina use from fighting.