"Alright, looks like you guys took yours down too."
Yugloot called out as the black lion collapsed.
Looking over, the black lion Yugloot had been fighting was already sprawled on the ground. He'd defeated the monster—which should have been reasonably powerful—all by himself.
(So second-year upperclassmen aren't just for show… At the very least, he's stronger than Danila.)
Rest could take one down solo too if he put his mind to it, but setting that aside, he checked on the people who had been attacked.
"Hey, you three. You alright?"
"…Yugloot. Thanks for coming to help."
It seemed the group attacked by two black lions was a Knight Department second-year team. Rest had never met them, but they apparently knew Yugloot by sight since they were in the same year.
"We were ambushed while fighting another monster… A little longer and we'd have been done for."
"I see. Once you've patched yourselves up, I'll escort you back to the starting point where the treatment team is."
"No… We're fine. There's no need for that."
The battered students pushed themselves to their feet. Even those who had been injured and knocked down had finished basic first aid and looked able to move.
"We don't plan to impose on you any further. You have our thanks for saving us."
"Hmph… Do as you like. Just make sure you don't die."
Yugloot didn't press the matter and watched the injured classmates retreat.
With wounded people among them, was it really okay not to escort them back to the entrance?
"Is that really alright? You're sure you don't need to send them back?"
"Doesn't matter."
Yugloot gave a curt reply to Rest's question.
"They're Knight Department students. Knights exist to protect others, not to be protected. Being rescued by us and then running away to safety like helpless children—that would be shameful to them. I understand how they feel."
A knight commander from the Order was present at the entrance as a guest. If word got out that they had fled under the protection of a rescue team, it could hurt their future prospects of joining the Order.
"Well, they are knights. I get it."
Danila agreed with Yugloot's words.
The Knight Department students had their own pride and sense of dignity.
"Still, it's not exactly admirable to throw your life away so carelessly…"
"I feel the same way…"
A Clergy Department student nodded in agreement with Rest's murmur.
"Well, enough about that… More importantly, you three."
Yugloot fixed Rest and the others with a hard stare.
"That fight just now… Impressive. Not bad for first-years."
"Ah, thank you…"
"Keep up that kind of effort going forward."
Unexpectedly… he was praised. Despite his rough manner of speaking, Yugloot might actually be more broad-minded than he seemed.
〇 〇 〇 Three hours had passed since Rest and the others began working as part of the rescue team.
During that time, distress signals had gone up twice more. One turned out to be a false alarm—an accidental launch. The other was a rather pathetic situation where a reckless first-year, lacking both the skill and experience to participate, had been chased around by a monster that wasn't even all that strong.
After that, there had been no calls, and they spent more time waiting than anything else.
However… once again, smoke signals for distress flared up in the sky. Two locations simultaneously.
"…The pace is faster than last year. Rest, can you use healing magic?"
"Yes, I can."
"Good… Nakua and I will handle the east side. Danila, Thomas, and Rest take the west. As soon as you finish, head to the other location."
"Understood."
Being allowed to split up meant Yugloot was recognizing their capabilities more than before.
Rest set off toward the distress signal's location, accompanied by the two Knight Department students.
"Rest, Thomas! Let's see who gets there first!"
Danila used magic to enhance his physical abilities and took off running, leaving the other two behind.
"Hey, Danila!"
Thomas shouted in a panic, but Danila didn't slow down.
"That guy is hopeless…"
Rest sighed.
If he went off alone, Yugloot would probably chew him out—but Danila showed no sign of easing up.
"…Well, I guess I can play along."
A foot race? They had just practiced this recently enough.
Might as well show them what he could do with a bit of a warm-up.
"Sorry, Thomas… Take your time catching up."
"Huh…?"
"[Super Acceleration]"
Rest burst forward in an instant. He caught up to Danila within seconds, blew past him, and kept going.
"Whoa— wait, damn it—!"
Danila was shouting from behind, but he was the one who started it.
Rest left his two companions behind and dashed straight to the distress signal's location.
"Honestly, sometimes it's easier doing this alone…"
When he reached the target point, he found a group of three—two men and a woman—being attacked by a large bear with dark fur and a single horn protruding from its forehead.
"Help us!"
"Of course."
The female student who was under attack screamed, and Rest responded with a single word before launching magic at the horned bear.