The Wolves' Howl
The moment we stepped into the training grounds, the air itself seemed to change. A wave of hot, stifling wind rushed over us, carrying the heat of a battlefield, and I found myself gripping the hilt of my sword without thinking.
"Helena and I will take the front."
The training grounds, now overlaid with illusion magic, no longer resembled a practice field. They had become a battlefield. The uneven hills looked as though they had been reshaped by magic, and at the edge of the wide plain stretched a dense forest. Even the faint metallic scent of blood lingered in the air. The scene was so vivid that if I hadn't known this was still the Academy, I might have mistaken it for a real battlefield.
Clutching my sword, I glanced around and spoke quietly. No one answered. Everyone was too tense; the only sound was the occasional dry swallow.
After that, we moved forward in silence, scanning our surroundings. When communication was necessary, we used the hand signals we had learned at the Academy.
……Halt.
I raised my open hand behind me. At the signal, the soft footsteps behind me stopped. I stared ahead and let out a long breath. There had been no explosions or sounds of combat yet, which meant the other groups that had entered with us hadn't encountered any magic beasts either. That made the pale shapes visible in the distance ahead of us very likely to be magic beasts.
Enemy spotted.
I gripped my right forearm with my left hand to signal the others, then lowered my stance. Feeling everyone else drop into position behind me, I exhaled slowly.
Fang Wolf. Its black fur gleamed under the light, its form unmistakably that of a wolf—the most basic type of magic beast. Once I confirmed its appearance, I raised my sword. Only one was visible, but Fang Wolves were pack animals by nature. The training grounds faithfully reproduced their habits, so I had to assume more were nearby.
"……It's a Fang Wolf," Conan muttered as he approached.
I nodded at his words and began moving forward carefully. The purpose of magic beast combat training wasn't to avoid fights. It was to engage the beasts, subjugate them, and learn their characteristics and gain real combat experience in the process. In other words, retreating wasn't an option.
"Once we get close enough to signal, fire from range. If possible……"
"I'll aim for the eyes."
Conan's weapon was a longbow. Its effective range made it ideal for sniping from a distance. Of course, knowing there could be more beasts nearby meant we couldn't risk shooting from too far away. Since our group was small, we had to account for every possibility. Above all else, protecting Silvia, our healer, was the top priority. Battles never went according to plan, and even if we somehow defeated all the Fang Wolves, heavy injuries would leave us unable to continue.
That was why healers were always treated with the utmost care on any battlefield.
After nodding at Conan's words, Helena and I exchanged glances before slowly advancing toward the Fang Wolf. We moved into position against the wind, and the hot gusts blurred my vision, but I never took my eyes off the beast. Out of habit, I tightened my grip on the sword and channeled strength into my legs.
The moment I settled into my stance……
Thwip!
Conan's arrow marked the beginning of the battle.
At first, when we were only facing a single beast, I had been full of confidence. My body moved so fluidly and lightly that all the training I'd done no longer felt like wasted effort. The attacks from a magic beast twice my size didn't feel heavy, and even the Fang Wolf's renowned agility wasn't fast enough to keep up with me. That realization filled me with confidence. If there had only been one, I might have even thought I could handle it alone.
Clang!
I deflected the Fang Wolf's claws with my blade and began a calm, methodical assault. Helena fought beside me, drawing its attention with quick strikes, while arrows flew in at perfect intervals to restrict its movements. Our coordination was so seamless that it was hard to believe this was our first time fighting together. Conan's timid personality belied his exceptional skill as an archer—enough to earn him a place at the Academy as a commoner. Helena and I were also far more capable than average, which made this level of teamwork possible.
This was how magic beast subjugation was meant to work: multiple people working together to methodically take down a single powerful creature. Magic beasts were simply too large and strong for humans to face alone. Of course, Sword Masters or Archmages were exceptions.
"……Switch!"
Instead of deflecting the Fang Wolf's powerful strike, I blocked it head-on with my sword, then thrust upward to break its balance. Before I even spoke, Helena seized the opening and landed a clean hit. As the beast's next attack came, I blocked it once more. The flow of our assault was smooth—almost too smooth. If things continued like this, we might finish our first battle without a single casualty.
Of course, life was never that easy.
"Awooooo!!"
Even seasoned mercenaries and Academy students who had undergone countless drills could die on the battlefield. The mortality rate for those experiencing their first real battle was especially high.
The Fang Wolf, its chest slashed open, retreated and let out a long, piercing howl. In that instant, a fragment of memory surfaced in my mind.
When facing beast-type magic beasts, never give them the chance to howl.
It wasn't a memory from the original novel—it was a fragment from Felice's own past. A cold sweat trickled down my back.
Gripping my sword, I poured all my strength into my legs and kicked off the ground. The impact left a deep dent in the earth as I launched myself forward, driving my blade straight into the howling Fang Wolf's throat. With a wet thud, the sword pierced through its brain. The long howl cut off abruptly, signaling the end of its life, but I didn't stop moving.
"Helena!"
Landing lightly, I called her name and kicked off again. Helena, having also realized the danger, was already following me. Seeing Conan and Silvia running toward us as well, I exhaled deeply.
……Thud!!
"Awooooo!!"
Long, echoing howls rang out from every direction. At the same time, the ground began to tremble with heavy footsteps.
Beast-type magic beasts typically use their howls to summon their packs.
I pushed the memory aside, bit my lower lip, and forced more strength into my legs. We regrouped with the rear guard in an instant and looked around with tense expressions.
"……We need to find a better position."
"Let's head back the way we came."
Hearing the howls of approaching Fang Wolves from all sides, I nodded at Helena's strained voice.
"The place we came from was a plain, though."
"It's fine. That direction is still better."
Though the area was described as an uneven plain, there were no hills or walls to use as cover. Facing enemies from all sides in an open field would be suicide. Even if this was just training, none of us wanted to die meaninglessly, so we decided to move. Of course, it wouldn't be that simple.
"……You're not wrong, but can we even make it there?" Silvia asked, biting her lip uncharacteristically as she scanned the surroundings. Following her gaze, I saw Fang Wolves emerging from every direction. The moment we realized we were surrounded, we all raised our weapons and exhaled.
"Doesn't look like it."
I muttered with a self-deprecating smile. Arrogance, overconfidence—there was no other way to describe our situation. Even so, I couldn't let go of my sword. This was still a training ground; we wouldn't actually die. That didn't mean we could give up easily, either. We would fight until the very end. That was the whole point of taking this class.
"Awooo!!"
The Fang Wolves spotted us and began growling.
"Silvia, cast a healing spell."
We were all on high alert, staring down the beasts, when—
"……Silvia!!"
A voice I never wanted to hear, yet was oddly relieved to hear now, rang out. Following the sound, I turned to see Leonhardt standing there.
