334 Chapter 334: Narrow Victory (2/2)
”Yes, Captain!”
”Bye~” Anastasia waved as she hopped back a couple of steps, smiling mischievously. ”I'm only here to deal with outside threats…such as the Dark Church and Assassins. I am not allowed to intervene or assist you in tournament stuff. So you're on your own, unless you get attacked by the Dark Church or Assassins again.”
”So we'll have to deal with monsters and the weather on our own.” Theodore nodded thoughtfully. ”That makes sense.”
”That's right. So…good luck!” Ana gave me a wink. ”I'll be watching you from the shadows, but I'd appreciate it if you treat me as if I'm not there! Don't worry, I'm not the only one watching over you, so if anything happens, you're in good hands.”
Right. The tournament staff and the Federation were probably keeping their eyes on the students participating in it. Of course they had to. We were the best and brightest of our generation, and it would be a waste to just leave us to die in the wilderness. Safety first, and all that. Even almost a thousand years ago, during the military, we had safety officers watching over the soldiers who were out on exercises in forests, deserts and other ”real” environments. With magic and technology that was slightly more advanced, the Federation should have an easier time monitoring the students running through the qualifiers.
Even more so, I believed that segments of the qualifers were being broadcasted and streamed online, for people to watch as entertainment. Apparently a lot of Federation citizens viewed the tournaments as a kind of sport, and watched videos of it for fun.
Then Ana was gone, disappearing into the shadows of the forest. Even with my hi-tech glasses, I was aware that I wouldn't be able to find her no matter how hard I looked, so I didn't bother trying. Instead, I turned my attention back to my friends.
”We'll rest for about an hour,” Harrison was suggesting. ”Heal up our wounds, take stock of our current condition, and then we'll move out.”
”You should rest too,” Pearl ordered when she saw him conjuring a holographic map to plan for our next route. ”Your injuries are no less worse than the others.”
”Don't worry, I'm just looking at the map. I won't be doing anything strenuous or physical.” Harrison offered the worried Pearl a reassuring smile. I was suddenly reminded of rumors that the two of them dated in the past. The two of them had some history, and seeing their interaction right now I could tell that it was somewhat true.
”I'll keep watch.”
”No, you rest too!”
Pearl seized me by the collar and dragged me to a log where the others were sitting, just before I could walk to the edge of the clearing and keep an eye out.
”You spent quite a bit of mana, and you have a few injuries. They may be shallow, but I'll treat them later.”
”Prioritize the others first,” I told her. She nodded, already moving on to Craig and the others. They certainly seemed to be in worse shape than me. That was why they needed healing magic a lot more than I did.
Harrison exchanged a look with me, and I nodded before approaching and taking a seat next to him. He conjured a holographic screen, which conveniently showed a green icon that marked out our position.
”This battle has delayed us for a bit,” he said with a sigh. Using a gloved finger, he traced a blue path through the snowy terrain. ”Fortunately, we have quite a buffer, and nine days left, so I'm not concerned about our pace. I think we'll still make it. But what I'm worried about is this….”
I raised an eyebrow when I saw the blue path cross over a place marked out as a red zone. That was one of the dangerous areas.
”Doesn't this cut across the Den of Dragons?” I frowned when I saw the name labeling the valley. Harrison nodded.
”I honestly would prefer avoiding this place, but if we skirt across the Den of Dragons, it'll take us another day or two of trekking.” He sighed and rubbed his forehead. ”We'll be cutting it close, especially if we take into account today's delay.”
”Safety first,” I told him. ”Passing the qualifiers is just the second priority. Our first priority is to ensure everyone makes it back safe and sound.”
”Yeah.” Harrison nodded. He glanced at the gray sky thoughtfully. ”If anything happens to me, Richard, you have to take over the team and lead them safely. Don't worry about me. Since the Federation is keeping an eye on us, they'll dispatch a team to rescue me. You are to ensure everyone reaches Olympus City safely.”
”Gotcha. Same. If anything happens to me, don't worry about me. I'll survive somehow. Just bring the team back to the city.” I grinned. ”I'll just nuke the Den of Dragons to oblivion if I have to.”
Harrison laughed out loud at that, drawing a couple of stares from the others. ”Yeah, that certainly sounds like what you would do.” He then turned serious. ”Regardless, don't do anything too reckless. The dragons there…they are not to be underestimated.”
”You too. Don't go raising a flag in the middle of a journey.” For some reason, I was getting some sort of premonition. ”Everyone is depending on you to lead them to safety…and victory. Don't get yourself killed.”
”You're one to talk!” Harrison chuckled. I shrugged.
”Well, I have plot armor, so nothing will happen to me unless the author gets sick of writing the story and decides to end it abruptly.”
”There you go with that kind of incomprehensible talk again.” Harrison shook his head. ”Well, I certainly hope nothing untoward will happen.” He glanced at the trees again. ”It's also possible that those Assassins or Dark Church agents aren't the only ones in the Aurora City district. We need to stay vigilant for them.”
”Agreed.”
”What should we do about those bodies?” Yue Chu asked as he stumbled over, still feeling the effects of Pearl's healing spells. He cocked his head toward the corpses of the Assassins, and the Dark Church agents above the ridge.
”Leave them,” Harrison replied coldly. ”Let the beasts of the forests have them.”
I smiled at the thought of the monsters having a feast tonight, long after we left this godforsaken place. ”Knowing the Dark Church, I think they'll be pretty happy and honored to continue serving their beloved monsters after death...as food.”