Rest had entered the site as rescue staff, but… this was a region where monsters inhabited. Naturally, monsters attacked.
"Grrrrrr…!"
Appearing before their eyes and posturing aggressively was a wolf-type monster.
There were three of them. They had already noticed Rest's group and bared their fangs in intimidation.
"Alright, I'll be watching. Danila, Thomas, Rest — you three take one each. Nakua, hold in the rear."
Yugloot, the squad leader, issued his orders.
Thomas was a student from the Knight Department, and Nakua was a student from the Clergy Department.
Both were members of the student council enforcement, but they had barely spoken beyond introductions.
"Alright! I'm killing the middle one. Thomas, you take the left — Rest, you take the right."
"Understood."
He didn't know why Danila was calling the shots, but there was no real reason to object, so Rest agreed.
The monsters before them were wolves. Their strength was probably not much different from what Rest had taken down during training.
"Guess I'll just finish this quickly…[Wind Blade]."
"Yaaaah…!"
Rest cast his magic before the enemy could even move.
The flying blade of wind cleaved the wolf on the right vertically through the head, dispatching it effortlessly.
"Oraaah!"
"Yaaigh!"
Danila lunged at the central wolf.
A wolf lunged to bite, but the fangs were deftly dodged and a sword was swung in return.
The keen blade cleaved deep through the wolf's neck, killing it on the spot.
"Kuh, yah, taaah!"
"Gyau gyauu!"
The third one… Thomas, a student of the Knight Department, may not have had it as easy as Rest or Danila, but he still took down his wolf without taking a hit.
"Good, looks like there's no problem."
Yugloot gave a light round of applause to the three, who had dispatched the monsters without breaking a sweat.
"Looks like you can handle the basics at least. By the way… Rest. How many more shots do you have left in that spell of yours?"
"Why would you ask me that?"
"Don't ask questions — just answer. That's an order from your captain."
Yugloot said flatly.
Rest let out a small sigh and answered.
"I don't know the exact number, but… with this spell, I could fire a hundred shots and still not run out of mana."
"Oh, that's reassuring… Good, let's press on."
Rest and the others advanced across the plains and took up their pre-assigned positions.
"We hold here. The moment a distress signal goes up, we move to rescue."
"Understood."
Rest and the others were, above all else, rescue staff.
They would fight off any monsters that attacked, but they wouldn't go actively hunting.
While keeping watch on their surroundings, they kept their eyes on the sky, watching for any distress signals.
"Ah...!"
Thirty minutes of waiting had passed.
Red smoke rose into the sky to the east.
It was a magic item used as a distress flare to signal for help.
"Right, let's move! Hurry!"
Yugloot broke into a run.
Rest and the others followed close behind. Yugloot appeared to be using body reinforcement, sprinting at a considerable speed.
(I could probably overtake him if I used Super Acceleration... but we're operating as a squad right now. Even in an emergency, acting on my own wouldn't be ideal) Rest matched pace with his companions as they raced across the plains... and before long, they arrived at the location where the distress signal had been fired.
"GAAAAAAARGH!"
"Ugh... nnn..."
"Damn it... you monster...!"
Four humans and two monsters were there.
Of the four humans, two were facing off against the monsters, one had collapsed, and the last one was tending to the fallen person.
The two who appeared to be fighting the monsters were also injured, covered in wounds from head to toe.
Facing the two standing humans was a black lion-type monster the size of a bear.
"We're saving them. I'll take the right, you three take the left! Nakua, patch up the injured!"
Yugloot issued a concise order, then drew his sword and charged toward the black lion on the left.
"Thomas and I will take the front! Rest, we need cover from the back!"
Danila stepped forward alongside Thomas, moving to confront the black lion.
When a knight and a magician fight together, the standard formation is for the knight to take the front line while the magician covers the rear. Danila's judgment was correct.
(Not that I'd have any problem going to the front myself... but hey, I'll let the two from the Knight Department take the lead here) Rest positioned himself behind his two Knight Department companions and observed the black lion.
The black lion was a monster of moderate strength. Anyone with little experience fighting monsters would likely fall within minutes.
(That said... it doesn't seem to be some absurdly powerful monster. As long as I stay on guard, there shouldn't be any risk of losing) "[Wind Blade]"
Rest fired off two spells simultaneously.
Both of the black lion's front legs, each as thick as a bear's, were slashed open at the same time.
"Ggyaaaah!?"
The cuts weren't deep enough to sever the legs completely, but the black lion lost its balance badly.
"Nice!"
"G-Good...!"
Danila and Thomas seized the opening and launched themselves off the ground.
The two closed in from either side, raining sword strikes on the black lion over and over.
"Ggyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
The black lion endured cut after cut across its body, yet it still fought back with the blood-soaked claws on both front legs.
"[Ice Lance]"
"Gyauh!?"
Rest then cast another spell.
Two ice lances pierced into both eyes of the black lion, robbing it of its vision.
"After the front legs, now the eyes? You really don't hold back, huh!"
Danila shouted as she thrust forward with a sharp stab.
The strike, delivered by dodging the wildly flailing claws, sank into the black lion's torso and pierced straight through its heart.
"Gaa... aah..."
The black lion collapsed to the ground and stopped moving.
Dark red blood slowly spread across the plains, and the battle came to an end.