The Snare Cerise Stepped On
The ground firmed up once they finally emerged from the swamp.
In exchange, the path grew narrower.
Damp moss blanketed the exposed tree roots, and low-hanging branches scraped against the cadets' shoulders.
Cerise walked at the very front.
Her scabbard was held firmly in her left hand.
As Lya glanced repeatedly at Ronan's wrist, Cerise spoke up curtly.
"Watch his back. I will watch the front."
Her words were not born of jealousy, but tactical positioning.
It meant that while Lya kept an eye on Ronan's hand, Cerise would watch the ground he trod upon.
Ronan let out a brief chuckle.
Both girls had their own distinct ways of choosing their positions.
Instead of replying, Lya tucked the cloth wrapping the Silverleaf Herb deeper into her shirt.
The leaves she had revived earlier were still damp.
Feeling as though that damp warmth extended all the way to Ronan's wrist, Lya kept wanting to reach out to him.
Cerise noticed her gaze but pretended not to.
Instead, she took another step forward.
Someone had to protect his wrist, and someone had to clear the path.
"Watch your step. The moss is slipperier than the swamp."
"I know."
Cerise replied, taking another stride forward.
At that exact moment, the tree root beneath her gave way.
Snap.
With a light snapping sound, a hidden wooden stake sprang up from beneath the soil.
A rope tied to the end of the stake whipped around Cerise's right ankle.
Her body lurched forward.
Cerise did not fall.
She jammed the tip of her scabbard into the ground to support herself.
However, her ankle was already caught in the rope.
The wooden stake hidden beneath the moss pulled sideways, half-binding her leg.
"Ha."
A burst of laughter erupted from behind them.
It was a different group from the team that had been covered in mud back in the swamp.
Marc stood at a distance, keeping his mouth shut, but the three cadets trailing behind him could not contain themselves.
"So much for a prestigious knightly family. Can't even spot a tree root."
"Are family crests and swordsmanship just decorations in the forest?"
"Puffed her chest out so proudly to take the lead, only to offer up her ankle first thing."
Dorman raised his shield.
Ben immediately looked down at the ground.
Lya tried to rush toward Cerise.
"Cerise, your ankle—"
"Don't come over."
Cerise cut her off instantly.
She bit her lip, refusing to raise her head.
"I haven't fallen. I can untangle this myself."
As if in response, the rope pulled even tighter.
An auxiliary stake buried under the dirt twisted her foot.
Her shoulders trembled slightly.
Lya's eyes turned cold.
"It's not about whether you can untangle it yourself. We need to check if you're hurt first."
"Lya,"
Cerise called out in a low voice.
There was more of a warning than a request in her tone.
Her face made it clear she did not want to be seen trapped and coddled by anyone.
Ronan observed her expression.
It wasn't just frustration; it was the face of someone who felt the sting of humiliation before anger could even set in.
He did not step forward to take over.
Instead, he dropped to one knee in front of Cerise.
Then, he spoke in a very quiet voice.
"Give the order."
Cerise looked up.
"What?"
"If I untangle this, it's a rescue. If you command it, it's leadership."
The snickering behind them quieted down a notch.
Ronan did not reach out his hand.
"Just tell me where to strike with the scabbard."
Cerise's eyes wavered.
In that brief moment, she had to transition from a fallen cadet back into the leader of the vanguard.
Lya caught on to his intention and knelt beside Cerise.
"Then I will only examine the commander's ankle."
Cerise grit her teeth.
"Permission granted."
Lya gently pressed the upper part of Cerise's boot.
"It's not sprained. The rope twisted and caught it. It'll be dangerous if it pulls any tighter."
Neris was already crouching in front of the stake.
Without touching the knot, she traced it with her eyes.
"This isn't an old training stake."
"Why?"
Ben asked.
"The outside looks mossy, but the inside of the knot is dry. It was tied just recently."
Neris pointed to the end of the rope.
"And the winding direction is reversed. The academy's training stakes loosen up to keep the person standing. This one was tightened to trip them."
One of the three cadets behind them cleared his throat.
"It's a forest path, so of course there could be traps. Isn't it the fault of the one who stepped on it without looking?"
At those words, several cadets exchanged glances.
Traps were indeed part of the curriculum in the Monster Forest practical training.
But the excuse of 'learning' could not cover up a malicious prank designed to break someone's ankle.
Cerise had no intention of letting that distinction slide.
Cerise raised her head.
The look in her eyes had completely changed.
"Who just spoke?"
There was no answer.
Cerise did not smile.
"Fine. Let's assume the trap is part of the forest, then."
She slowly lifted her scabbard.
The rope tugged at her ankle, but this time, she did not waver.
"Ronan."
"Yes."
"Do not cut it."
The corners of Ronan's mouth twitched upward slightly.
"I was waiting for you to say that."
"Don't pull the stake out, either. Just reverse the direction of the knot."
Neris's eyes sparkled.
"That's possible. The tension is still coiled."
"And Dorman."
"Yes!"
Dorman thrust his shield forward.
"If anyone tries to interfere while I turn the rope, block them."
"I will block them."
"Lya."
"I'll hold your ankle."
Lya did not press down on Cerise's boot.
Instead, she cupped the dirt beneath the ankle with her hands to support it.
Cerise took a very quiet breath to steady herself.
Ronan curled his fingers.
A single silver blade of his Phantom Sword slid beneath the moss.
The blade did not slice the stake.
Nor did it cut the rope.
It simply slipped into the gap remaining inside the knot and nudged the coiled direction by half an inch.
Cerise struck the head of the stake with the pommel of her sword.
Thack.
The sound was quiet.
Yet, it felt as though the entire forest path froze at the sound.
The stake spun once in place.
The rope went slack.
The loop binding Cerise's ankle unraveled.
At the same time, the remaining rope hidden beneath the dirt snapped backward.
Whoosh!
Moss exploded from beneath the feet of the three laughing cadets.
"Huh?"
The bootlace of the first cadet whipped around the ankle of the person next to him.
The second cadet tried to step back, only to end up bound together in a single line with the third.
The rope dragged out the small wooden wedge they had hidden.
Fresh knife marks were clearly visible on the tip of the wedge.
It was undeniable proof of their tampering.
"Wait, this is—"
The sentence was cut short.
All three lost their balance at once.
Splat!
Moss and mud splattered everywhere.
Yellowish muddy water soaked into the backs of the cloaks of the three cadets who had fallen flat on their backsides.
Every single cadet they had just been mocking witnessed the scene.
One cadet stood with his mouth agape, clutching his team's flag strap tightly.
Another cadet looked at the wedge dragged out onto the ground before even checking Cerise's ankle.
There was no need for verbal explanations of who had set the trap.
The evidence of human tampering, rather than a natural forest hazard, lay exposed right between their boots.
Someone couldn't hold back and snickered.
This time, the laughter was not directed at Cerise.
Ben picked up the wedge from the ground.
"The knife marks are awfully fresh for a trap made by the forest."
Neris added.
"And the same leather grease is smeared on the handle of the wedge. It's on those bootlaces, too."
Lya spoke up as she let go of Cerise's ankle.
"Fortunately, it's not swollen. Though those who just fell are going to have sore backsides."
Dorman tried to suppress a laugh but failed.
Cerise slowly stood up.
She tested her weight on her ankle.
There was pain.
But she didn't tilt her chin up to hide it this time.
She gave Lya a very brief nod, letting her see.
"Look at it again later."
Lya looked surprised for a moment, then smiled.
"I would have checked it even if you hadn't asked."
Cerise walked over to the three cadets.
They still hadn't managed to untangle their bound boots.
One of them pulled at the rope with his hands, only to tangle it further.
Cerise pressed down on the rope with the spine of her sword.
"Did you say a prestigious knightly family is just decoration in the forest?"
There was no reply.
"Then you can carry the fact that you were tripped by a decoration with you."
Cerise did not go out of her way to kick them.
She didn't draw her blade, either.
Their pathetic flailing while bound was more than enough.
The humiliation they had intended for Cerise was already doing its work around their own ankles.
One of the three flushed red.
"We just—"
"Just waited to laugh at me, I suppose."
Cerise's voice wasn't loud.
Which made it carry all the more clearly.
"But the hand that rigged the trap cannot hide in the forest."
She raised her scabbard and pointed between the three men's boots.
Ronan's Phantom Sword moved one last time.
The binding rope did not unravel.
Instead, a second stake and a short knife they had hidden were dragged up onto the dirt.
The gazes of the surrounding cadets locked onto them instantly.
Marc turned his head away once again.
Cain took a step back, perhaps remembering the wet cloth at his waist.
Cerise paid them no further attention.
She turned around and stood before Ronan.
"Good support."
Ronan bowed his head.
"Good command."
Cerise's brow arched slightly.
"Flattery?"
"I'm learning how to survive."
Lya chimed in immediately.
"Then start by saving your wrist."
Neris added.
"Also, that knot rotation just now is worth recording."
"No."
Cerise and Ronan spoke in unison.
Neris stared at the two of them for a moment.
"The phenomenon of both of you refusing simultaneously is also worth recording."
Dorman finally burst into a hearty laugh.
The tension on the forest path eased slightly.
Cerise brushed off the moss clinging to the hem of her cloak.
Some mud remained on the back of her shoulder, just out of her reach.
Ronan raised his hand, then paused.
"May I?"
Cerise remained silent for a moment.
She looked down at the ankle that had been bound just moments ago.
Then, she adjusted the scabbard over her shoulder.
"Permission granted."
Ronan gently flicked away only the moss stuck to her cloak with his fingertips.
His touch was brief and careful.
Cerise did not pull away.
Lya watched the scene, her lips pressing into a thin line.
Neris reached for her wooden board again, but stopped upon catching Lya's look.
Cerise looked ahead.
"From now on, I am in command."
No one laughed this time.
The three bound cadets were still on the dirt floor trying to untangle their boots, with the freshly carved wedge and stake lying right beside them.
Cerise's first mistake remained on the forest path.
But it did not remain as a humiliation.
Instead, it became the evidence that exposed who had dirtied the path.
Ronan's team set off once more.
Cerise stood at the front.
Lya walked a step behind, keeping an eye on both Cerise's ankle and Ronan's wrist.
Dorman guarded the left, while Ben read the soil tracks beneath the moss.
Neris memorized the direction of the knot in her mind.
Ronan walked in their midst, his fingers relaxed.
The silver blade had already vanished.
Instead, a single line remained on the forest path.
The rope that someone had set to bind their feet was now, under Cerise's command, pulling the team forward.