Classroom of the Elite: Amnesia Haven

Arc 2 - 5: Before the Real One

Soon, we start hearing howls.

"Awooo...!"

At first, it was only one. Like a sequence, others joined in.

"Awoooo...!"

"Awooooo...!"

"Awoooo...!"

"Awooooo...!"

I shrugged them off and drove my feet forward. A few tens of meters away from me would be the site where Kei and Kanji must have fallen. We could escape through one of the vertical holes after assembling ourselves.

"...Can we get away?" Chiaki surveyed the surroundings with a frown.

"Depends."

From various directions, the patrolling kobolds had their eyes on us. Not all of them. Some were in the direction where I spotted Kanji just standing from between the fences. I couldn't see Kei.

The patrolling kobolds were foremen. They patrolled at a long distance from each other, so Kanji and I didn't have to worry about the risk of being encircled for the moment. There were no ranged attackers either. There is only one foreman who is close to Kanji. That said, I doubt he can fight him properly.

He doesn't seem to be hurt. Or maybe he was before Kei cured him. If so, Kei has to be taking her time to heal herself. Light magic takes time to cast. My guess was reinforced by the bright display of light coming from Kanji's position.

"Oh, fuck you...!"

Kanji shot several arrows before switching to a machete. His posture suggested he was afraid, but he didn't seem like he was about to flee from the battle. I should hurry to his location.

"I'll put you down, Chiaki."

"Okay."

She knew why. Two foremen approached, the third some distance away from them. I won't be able to properly fight with Chiaki in my arms.

"Stick close with me."

"...Of course."

Chiaki assumed a crouching stance, drawing her used dagger with her left hand. Her right hand was out of commission. Her left hand was no better. Her grip was noticeably weak, and I didn't think Chiaki was a left-handed person either.

"I don't think I need to say this, but don't force yourself unless the situation calls for one."

Chiaki nodded silently. She had a cold sweat, straining herself to hold the pain.

I looked back. The Death Spots will catch up quickly.

When I turned back to the front, Kei had risen, and was proceeding to help Kanji. Her staff was hard enough to be used as a weapon, and she had been taught self-defense. They could hold the foreman for a while.

"We'll rejoin them. You go first, I'll adjust to your pace."

"...Okay."

Chiaki sprinted off wordlessly. One of the foreman had arrived. He was equipped with iron plate, and armed with a whip. The foreman shot his whip outside of my attack range. As I parried it, I stepped forward and disremembered its face.

The Death Spots were still some distance away, so I decided to walk away from Chiaki to the other kobold. I didn't let the foreman charge before I took him down like the previous foreman. I ignored the third one.

Kei noticed us approaching. Well, she only gave us a glance before focusing back on the foreman before her. Understandable. They could get badly hurt if they were careless against a foreman.

"Kanji, Kei, get back as soon as I attack." I ordered.

"Sure!"

"..." Kei was silent.

I advanced rapidly. While the foreman quickly drawn to me, Kanji and Kei retreated in unison.

Kei dashed to Chiaki right after that while Kanji escorting her in case anything went wrong. I finished off the foreman quickly.

"O Light, may Lumiaris' divine protection be upon you!"

Kei treated Chiaki's right arm. Cure required three seconds before it fully took effect. They also only concentrated on one point, so Kei had to recite another spell for Chiaki's left arm.

"You're finished, aren't you?! Help me, Kiyotaka!"

"I'm coming."

I sliced down the foreman aiming for Kanji in one stroke. '...oh.' Death Spots were getting too close now. Kei should hurry.

"-okay, it's over!" Kei exclaimed.

Chiaki bore a relieved expression on her face. "Thank you, Kei."

"If that's the case, then quickly run. There should be a vertical hole to the third floor around there."

"That tunnel?"

"Yeah, you can see it from here."

"Then let's go!"

All three of them went for it at once. Chiaki, in the rear, slowed down when she realized I was staying in place. "H-How about you, Kiyotaka-kun?!"

"I'll hold him back. There's no possible chance we can leave together without having someone die in the process. The foremen are far away from the location of the vertical hole, so use that opportunity to your advantage- Don't stop. If you wish to help, pave a way to escape with Suzune's side for me to use. Instead of worrying about me, worry about the Death Spots."

"Ugh, just don't die, okay?!"

Unwillingly, Chiaki turned her back to me.

The foremen were fixing their attention on my fleeing comrades. None of them approached me and Death Spots. Well, even if there were those who tried to interfere with me, I had a way to deal with them.

Come at me.

"Graaaahr...!"

-he's ignoring me.

Death Spots tagged along to chase after my comrades who ran away.

Yeah, no. You don't. Of course, I wouldn't let it. Jumping over the fence of the wormrats' enclosure while mowing them down, I went after the Death Spots. The Death Spots glanced back as he made a sudden swinging motion with his massive butcher's knife. The velocity and force behind it were impressive.

I skipped over the blade, rolled, and slammed into his calf. Death Spots' flank tilted instantly, and though he didn't fall, it made it easy for me to target its head.

It went without saying that engaging him head-on and aggressively like Ken wasn't precisely clever given my arsenal. Kobolds were, in some ways, superior to humans. Death Spots are primarily several orders of magnitude higher than foreman. Not many humans can face them one-on-one. It'd be great in its own right if I had the gear to fight it head to toe, but with what I currently own, the means are drastically reduced. I had to take him down with the utmost precaution, bide my time where necessary, and efficiently wear him down before delivering the finishing blow.

Death Spots twisted his head out of the attack path. My longsword only grazed his cheek. His instinct was superb.

I didn't hesitate to back off.

If I'm not mistaken, there's a prize for Death Spots' head, isn't there? it occurred to me. Our party had seen it at the volunteer soldier's office yesterday. The prize for whoever kills the Death Spots is a whole thirty gold coins. Golds.

I can use many things with that.

Alright, I'll kill this guy.