The next morning, when the team assignnts were announced, Lambert returned to his tent with a stern expression, while Kurtos, hiding his tension beneath a calm deanor, went back to his own.
Perhaps due to their overwhelming victory the day before, Lambert’s team had suffered significant losses.
Starting with Elliott’s squad, many of the prominent third-years were reassigned from Lambert’s team to Kurtos’s, leaving only Felix as the remaining competent force.
The only silver lining was that the second-years had a balanced level of strength.
Lambert was put in a difficult position, but Kurtos must also be feeling the pressure.
If they didn’t create such a disparity, it would an the instructors had assessed Lambert’s team as capable of struggling. If they lost, Kurtos would have no ground to stand on.
And as the instructors intended, both teams would end up fighting desperately.
I received permission to move closer to Lambert’s main camp.
The weaker Lambert team couldn’t expand their front lines. They would be taken out one by one.
The main battlefield would likely be near Lambert’s main camp.
All preparations were complete, and the camp bell echoed through the forest.
Thus began the second day of the joint training exercise.
As Kurtos’s team moved out, Lambert ford a circular formation centered around their main camp.
Though it was a thorough defensive stance, only Felix stepped forward from the front line of the circle.
It seed he intended to confront Kurtos’s vanguard alone.
Felix was being reckless.
In any case, now that their defenses were so solid, half-hearted attacks would be repelled.
They could either aim for a breakthrough at one point or encircle and launch a full-scale attack.
It would be interesting to see how last year’s experience influenced the situation.
Kurtos had been part of the ambush unit, so he could anticipate that Lambert would use the sa tactics.
Even if the likelihood of an ambush was low, Kurtos wasn’t the type to gamble.
In that case—would they launch a half-hearted attack?
If it were Lambert, he would probably see through that.
While scouting, Kurtos’s attacking force reached the front of the main camp and began to deploy to surround the circular formation.
As expected, the rear guard halted at the midpoint between the two camps.
They likely planned to be cautious of an ambush while attacking only with the vanguard, switching to a full-scale assault once they assessed the situation.
Once they encircled, the ambush unit wouldn’t be able to move freely. They would lose troops unnecessarily, but it was a reliable strategy.
It all depended on that guy.
Facing Felix was Siguras’s squad, commanding the attacking forces, with Elliott’s squad also standing by nearby.
They had deployed two of the strongest third-year squads to keep the troubleso Felix in check, but Elliott’s expression was grim.
He seed dissatisfied with their deploynt.
“Charge!”
Once the encirclent was complete, Siguras’s command initiated the attack.
The trendous clash of swords and shouts shattered the silence as nearly a hundred students beca embroiled in battle.
The Lambert team’s circular formation was strong.
Allies fought nearby, and they had reinforcents and mages at their back.
In contrast, the attacking forces, due to the encirclent, had to stretch their front lines.
Since they weren’t moving the rear guard, they were also outnumbered.
Kurtos’s team attacked vigorously to break the circle, but the Lambert team communicated and repelled the assaults.
Although so of the attacking forces fired arrows into the center of the circle, the reinforcents raised shields to block them completely.
The difficulties they faced weren’t just due to morale or numbers.
The injured Lambert team mbers were swapped out for reinforcents, receiving first aid while reapplying support magic before returning to the circle.
It was a feat made possible by having mages inside.
On the other hand, Kurtos’s team was advancing towards the enemy’s main camp, so very few who could use support magic were in the rear guard or at their own main camp.
It was only a matter of ti before their support magic ran out.
Though the attacking forces likely weren’t overly optimistic, they had underestimated the situation.
However, cooperation among comrades and magical support has its limits.
First aid couldn’t heal everything, and their magic was running out.
The circle gradually beca chaotic, and the number of dropouts increased.
Among them, Felix fought valiantly.
Undeterred by the attacking forces, he took them down one after another.
Nils struggled against a superior opponent but was knocked away, crashing into a tree and losing consciousness.
The overwhelming force made the second-years hesitate.
Felix wouldn’t let such an opportunity slip by.
In an instant, he shifted from defense to offense and charged into Siguras’s squad.
Elliott, in a panic, tried to slash at him but fell to Felix’s fierce onslaught.
“Don’t falter! Hold him down—”
As Felix closed in, Siguras shouted, but before he could finish, he was struck directly by a wooden sword and collapsed.
With the commander and the capable Elliott gone, the attacking forces wavered.
If they lost now, the bla would fall on Siguras.
Felix could defend but couldn’t move forward.
If they only needed to hold him down, they could have had Elliott’s squad fortify their defenses until the full-scale attack.
They had lost Elliott and Nils due to unnecessary aggression.
In the first place, the commander shouldn’t have put himself in such a dangerous position, and he dared to give commands right in front of Felix.
It was as if he was asking to be attacked.
Well, if Kurtos had given the orders, it would have been harsh to bla Siguras.
“Go, Felix!”
Breaking through the clamor, a commanding voice rang out like a thunderous shout.
Receiving his lord’s command, Felix dashed out as if propelled forward.
Then, six mbers surged out from the center of the circle, following behind him.
The frontal forces hurriedly tried to contain him, but the front of the circle shifted to the offensive and obstructed their efforts.
“My na is Lambert Alois Ketten! If you want my head, co and take it!”
Moreover, the captain himself rushed to fill the gap left by Felix.
Should they seize the flag or take down the captain?
With two objectives, the attacking forces, now without a commander, fell into confusion.
To report the situation, a ssenger from Kurtos’s team rushed, but he wouldn’t make it in ti.
They were right in front of the enemy’s main camp.
Though it might have been a coincidence, things were progressing exactly as Lambert intended.
He had read Kurtos’s character, solidified their defenses, and baited the enemy’s vanguard.
Then, he took down the strongest mbers and imdiately sent Felix to charge.
Eliminating the commanding figures of the attacking forces was fortunate.
Well, it seed Elliott had been wary of this situation.
However, despite differences in magnitude, I think they ended up with a similar result.
Felix was devoting his life to Lambert.
He had beco the cornerstone of the defense, a wedge for counterattack.
Given such a significant role, it would be strange if he didn’t rise to the occasion.
Watching the fighting Lambert, I couldn’t help but smirk secretly.
I thought it was just Felix, but it seems everyone here is fired up.
Moreover, he jumped into the danger zone and even declared his na.
What he was doing was the sa as Siguras, but the aning and effect are different between coincidence and deliberate action.
And—did he leave the flag’s defense to the second-years?
Even in such circumstances, he was letting the juniors learn.
Truly, a model senior.
I exchanged glances with the other judges and left the scene.
Now, I will witness Felix’s battle.
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