The officers who had been dispatched were missing.
Upon hearing this, Ian Volkanov felt a wave of dizziness wash over him.
‘How could this happen…?’
The disappearance of high-ranking officials was no trivial matter.
Being affiliated with the Ark meant they were key figures in the Empire, and the loss of even one could have significant repercussions in the future.
‘A number of platoon leaders, including Haley, have gone missing…’
Moreover, Haley was Ariel’s swordsmanship teacher.
In a situation where he needed to enhance her sword skills to take down Lucifer or Satan, the disappearance of her mentor created a troubling predicament.
‘If this were a simple case of missing persons, they wouldn’t have sent such a message. If it’s urgent enough to alert us, it implies their lives are in danger.’
His head throbbed as he pondered why such a problem had arisen.
However, what truly troubled Ian was something else entirely.
‘The platoon commander’s disappearance means…’
Kyan. His reputation had plummeted, and even though offering support could lead to trouble, Ian had still given him another chance without hesitation.
Now, the very person who had offered him countless assistance since his reincarnation was missing.
And he had no idea whether Kyan was alive or dead.
That was the real issue.
‘No matter how I think about it, this can’t be seen as just a simple disappearance… It’s likely related to the attack by the demons, but he’s not someone who wouldn’t be able to resolve such a problem.’
Even if he were temporarily untraceable due to a sudden assault, Kyan was practically a specialist in battles against demons.
As a member of the royal knight order, he had faced countless missions, and encountering ambushes from enemies was something he would have experienced innumerable times.
He would surely know how to handle it.
‘Yet, this squad leader has gone missing… and he’s still unaccounted for. The fact that this news has reached the platoon leaders means quite a bit of time has passed.’
Still, they had no idea of his whereabouts.
This indicated that those who had gone missing were facing a critical situation.
The attackers were likely not mere demons.
‘Perhaps the Demon Kings, cornered, devised a cunning plan…’
That was the thought that lingered.
‘It seems that practicing swordsmanship, which I had put off, was a wise decision after all.’
The reason he had spent the night swinging his sword with Alex and had resumed training in mock battles was that he anticipated facing formidable opponents and thought it best to hone his skills in preparation.
In the past, this would have been impossible due to time constraints, but special mock battles passed more slowly than reality, so he had managed to fit it in.
‘Now, what’s left is to find the missing professors in this vast expanse…’
Ian let out a hollow laugh as he gazed at the seemingly endless trees.
The originally planned training involved surviving in a maze-like forest, so the densely packed Zelos Forest could easily lead one to get lost if not careful.
‘If I were alone, I might have dashed around with my mana until I found them… but I can’t do that.’
He had summoned the platoon leaders to help search for the missing individuals, but he couldn’t afford to let them get lost too.
Thus, the command of the Ark decided to pair the squad leaders into teams of two for the search.
‘They mentioned requesting support from the royal knight order and the Holy Knights of Edenria nearby, so the involvement of the squad leaders indicates how urgent the situation is.’
It was a reasonable decision, but if he paired with someone clumsy, it would be like carrying a burden while searching.
Still, could he consider it fortunate?
Ian glanced at the woman cautiously following him.
‘If it’s Celia… it shouldn’t be too bad.’
Celia Wignoron. She was his partner for this search.
Ideally, he would have preferred to team up with Lia, the second Squad Commander, but Celia wasn’t a bad choice either.
‘As a noble of the famed Wignoron family, she excels in spear techniques… and above all, her combat style, charging into enemy lines, indicates she has considerable stamina and mana.’
She wouldn’t be held back by a lack of stamina.
It was far better to partner with Celia than to team up with third-year students who were subpar or first-year students he hadn’t even spoken to.
Of course, there was the discord that had existed between them…
“Are you doing okay?”
“Oh, no… I’m fine! Really…”
“Is that so?”
Celia followed behind him quietly, without a word.
Seeing her pitiful appearance, which was unfamiliar to him, Ian glanced at the Christmas Rose necklace hanging around his neck.
‘She wasn’t like this when I gave it to her… I wonder if her feelings have changed.’
Wasn’t she the one who had come all the way to the North in the middle of the night just to give him a birthday gift?
Of course, she had run away at the end. But considering her altered demeanor, Ian had thought her feelings had shifted.
However, from the look on her face, it seemed too early for that.
‘Well, it doesn’t matter.’
He hadn’t come here to reconcile with her; he was here to find the missing people.
As long as she didn’t get in the way, it shouldn’t be a problem.
Fiddling with the handle of Rebrion at his waist, Ian began to navigate through the forest.
Thud. Thud.
He continued to walk, stepping on the fallen leaves.
The densely grown trees obstructed his view, and the roots sticking out here and there often threatened to trip him, but Ian paid no heed as he walked.
In a situation where time was of the essence, stopping to rest due to fatigue was out of the question.
Thanks to this, Ian and Celia were able to traverse the forest more quickly.
Just as they were about to finish searching the designated area, it happened.
Swoosh!
“Uh! I-Ian… Celia?”
“Professor Evan?”
The familiar face began to emerge as the thick vines parted under the blade of his weapon.
Evan Peters, the first squad leader, was carrying a collapsed Haley on his back and stammered as he looked at Ian.
“How did you… how did you two get here?”
“We heard that the officers were missing, so we were searching. Are there others with you?”
“Most of them are following behind me. We were ambushed while moving, and the wagon fell off a cliff. Instructor Haley collapsed while helping others in my place…”
As expected, it was an accident. Ian nodded, thinking this.
“I understand. I sent a signal through the device, so people will be coming here. I’ll gather the patients.”
“No! This isn’t the time for that! Ian, your squad leader is in danger!”
“…What do you mean?”
Learning that someone who was like a mentor to him was still in danger was unbelievable news, causing Ian’s pupils to tremble. Evan cautiously shared what had happened.
The mastermind behind the ambush was Satan, and while Kyan was stalling for time, Haley was moving the injured to safety alongside him.
Moreover, Haley had jumped back into battle to assist Kyan once more.
The moment Evan finished speaking, Ian immediately shifted his gaze to the path Evan had come from.
“Stay here and rest.”
“I-Ian, I’m coming too! Squad Leader! People will arrive soon, so wait!”
Before he could finish speaking, Ian darted off like an arrow.
Celia followed closely behind, pounding the ground with her feet.
“Uh….”
Just as they turned to look back.
“Ugh…”
“Ha-Haley? Are you alright?”
In the instant that Haley, who had just been unconscious, opened her eyes, she was the one who had single-handedly moved almost all the faculty members to safety, taking Evan’s place.
Furthermore, having done such an arduous task in her injured state, Evan was worried about what might happen to her.
Yet, with Haley awakening, he sighed in relief as he lowered her gently to the ground.
“I-I’ll go as well… Please look after the others, Squad Commander.”
“W-What? You can’t go anywhere in your condition…”
“I’m sorry. Then….”
Bowing her head slightly, Haley began to draw on her mana and move her body.
“Ugh. I can’t keep up with you…”
Watching her retreating figure and the professors lying down next to him, Evan scratched his head.
***
He first realized the harshness of a commoner’s life around the age of thirteen.
At first, he never held resentment toward his birth.
“Ah… you’re here? Our son?”
His father, a hunter from a small village in the mountains, always greeted him with a smile despite his hard work.
Whenever he returned from hunting and saw the meat laid out on the table, he felt no envy toward anyone.
With a proud father and a loving mother, he had no desire for a noble life.
He only wished that this happiness would last a long, long time… forever.
He didn’t need the power to protect someone. All he wanted was to enjoy a happy life with his loved ones.
Yet for Kyan, it was on the day he turned fourteen and the first snow fell that he first craved strength.
“W-What do you mean, my father has… passed away?”
Just like any other day, his father had gone hunting with his companions in the mountains, but he was caught off guard by a sudden heavy snowfall. When the assault by the beasts began, he cruelly lost his life.
They couldn’t even find his body. The last thing Kyan had seen was the beasts tearing at his father’s corpse.
With barely any strength left, Kyan’s father’s companion delivered the heartbreaking news, and Kyan clenched his fists tightly.
‘I was filled with resentment.’
Even after hearing of his father’s death, the cause of it was still alive and well…
He felt utterly humiliated for being powerless to do anything.
But the suffering of a commoner didn’t end there.
“Cough! Cough!”
“Mother!”
“I-I’m fine, my son… Just don’t move… go inside and rest…”
After losing his father, Kyan’s mother worked tirelessly to take care of them, only to fall ill.
Pneumonia. For nobles with money who could call for priests, it was a trivial illness like a cold.
But for the powerless, penniless commoners, it was a death sentence.
Having lost her source of income after his father’s death, Kyan could only watch as his mother was drawn closer to his father.
It was another moment of anger toward the world.
‘The night I buried my mother, I howled at the moon.’
Kyan wanted to become a hero.
If only he had been chosen by God as a Hero.
If he had the strength to cut down the beasts… his father wouldn’t have had to venture into the treacherous mountains to earn money.
If there had been money, they could have called a priest to easily deal with the illness tormenting his mother.
And if he had had honor.
‘Then I could have repaid the sacrifices his parents made for him…’
He could have provided a life of happiness for them, not in a forest surrounded by trees but in a developed city.
That was why he wanted to become a hero.
He wanted to protect those he cherished. That was the whole reason.
How long had it been since he harbored such endless wishes in his heart?
Living while avoiding difficult jobs just to survive, he eventually gained recognition for his talent and was able to enroll in the Academy.
There, he met new companions.
‘Helen, Bruno, Meiris, Zickfeld…’
Just like Kyan, they were commoners who had gained recognition for their abilities and had been admitted to the imperial educational institution through special selection.
Of course, life there was not easy.
Though it was different now, back then, the discrimination between nobles and commoners was rampant, and simply being seen often invited scorn.
But because of this, Kyan maintained a close bond with his fellow commoners.
His companions looked up to Kyan as their leader, the one with the greatest skill, and he worked tirelessly to protect those who believed in him.
‘Because of that… I was even called by such a nickname. The Hero of the Commoners…’
No matter how much they wanted to belittle him due to his status, there were limits to what they could conceal.
Kyan’s leadership and extraordinary abilities couldn’t be overshadowed by disdain.
Even a few nobles, though a minority, began to whisper Kyan’s name among themselves.
It was around that time.
“Are you Kyan? Nice to meet you. I’m Killain Volkanov.”
‘That arrogant fool…’
The moment he came face to face with Killain Volkanov, the eldest son of a prestigious family renowned for its swordsmanship and known as the Empire’s Shield.
