"Blusfia Empire base camp"
What is the meaning of this?!
According to Zest's intel,
the kingdom had its hands full putting down a massive outbreak of demons
"Emperor of the Blusfia Empire Herald von Blusfia"
and was in no position to send out any troops!
Why were the kingdom's troops waiting for us at the border?!
Our forces suffered extensive casualties in the ambush.
I believe we should pull back for now and regroup.
Forget about that--what happened to Zest? Where did he go?
The thing is,
ever since last night, he and the scouting party he was leading
have been missing.
So, that's what this is about!
Zest, you've pulled your grimy commoner wool over my eyes.
The next time we meet, I swear, I'll have you drawn and quartered!
I bring a message!
Huh? What is it?
M-Majesty, demons are... demons are appearing en masse in the capital!
Impossible! I thought there were fewer demons in the empire!
Y-Your Imperial Majesty, this is no mere war.
We must return to the capital with all haste!
Relay this to all our forces!
Fall back to the capital immediately and drive out the demons!
Yes, Majesty!
"Earlsheid Kingdom base camp"
The imperial forces have started falling back?
After foolhardily attacking repeatedly
and losing so many men, now they are retreating?
What do we do? Keep on pursuing them back to the empire?
Under the circumstances, giving them an out-and-out thrashing would be nice.
I have a report, sir!
While engaging the imperial army, our advance guard was attacked by demons!
What?!
The demons are blocking the way,
and it does not appear that we can continue our pursuit.
What's going on? Are the demons aiding the empire's retreat?
What do you think, Miria?
How does it feel to be a demonoid?
Well...
I'm becoming filled with more power than I've ever felt before.
Good to hear it.
Now, it will be two or three days before the troops that were sent out return.
Zest and the others will also return in the interim.
Shall we make ready to receive the imperial forces when they arrive?
Yes, Master Schtrom.
"Wise Man's Grandchild"
"Imperial castle, several days later"
Damn them! How dare those demons ravage the capital!
The forces that returned earlier have started putting down the demons.
This disturbance should be over soon.
Today!
Have it dealt with before the sun goes down!
A-At once, Majesty!
I have been waiting for you.
Your Imperial Majesty.
I-It's you-- Oliveira!
I wanted to be sure...
...that no matter what else happened, I finished you off personally.
"Three days later"
What the hell happened here?
According to our scouting parties,
they were attacked by a large number of demons.
But when the imperial forces got the report and hurriedly pulled back,
this is what happened to them.
Welcome!
I've been expecting you, gentlemen of the kingdom's army.
What is this?
Who are you? Identify yourself!
Oliver Schtrom.
You're the demonoid who disrupted the capital!
It took you quite a bit of time to arrive.
I see. So you're the one behind this!
Thanks to you trimming down the imperial forces' numbers,
I found it easy to wipe them all out.
You mean...
Are you telling me you're the one who instigated this entire war?!
Leave it to Lord Gastor, knight commander of the order,
and chief of the Bureau of Military affairs, to be so perceptive.
Wh-Who are they?
Are they all...
...demonoids?
"Earlsheid Castle, several days later"
Unbelievable. Schtrom is still alive?
There was no way we could have prevailed on our own,
and we had no choice but to retreat.
No, you made a wise decision.
I do not blame you.
Still, over a dozen demonoids?
Your Majesty, what shall we do?
As they have announced, Schtrom has been sighted in the imperial capital.
His objectives are unclear, so we cannot form any specific strategies,
but we'll need to bolster our fighting strength.
We've received notice that we must level up not just our soldiers,
but if it should come to it, our students, as well.
As of now, we will be doing joint training with the knight training school,
to ensure close coordination between knights and magicians.
What's the matter?
Why all the funny looks?
That's right. You don't know, do you, Shin?
The thing is, the magic academy mainly focuses on strengthening magic,
so we don't do much physical training.
That's apparent.
On the other hand, the knight training school's main thing is physical training.
You mean it's the complete opposite?
And students at the knight training school make fun of us
by calling us "sprouts."
Then again, the magic academy makes fun of knight training school students
by calling them "muscle-brains."
Hold on! So you do have sprouts in this world!
These are extreme circumstances, though. It's no time to bring this up.
Yeah, we know that, but where do they get off calling us sprouts?
I can't stand it when they call us sprouts!
She's right. It's definitely aggravating.
It is tough to be called that. After all, up until recently,
I was on their side, too.
So was I.
That's right. Tony and Julius come from knight family lines.
In terms of combat strength, magicians are definitely better!
And yet those guys have the attitude that they're the stronger ones!
E-Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses, right?
So let's just complement each other...
Yeah, but Shin, you can use both magic and the sword, can't you?!
Well, yeah, but...
By any chance, did you get trained by a knight?
Yeah. His name was Mr. Michel, and his training was pretty strict...
Huh? Have I said something unusual again?
Mr. Michel? Are you talking about Michel Colling?!
Yes, that's right.
You mean Michel, the former knight commander of the order?!
Y-Yeah, he did mention something like that.
You were taught magic by the wise man,
then taught item enchanting by the guru,
and then taught the sword by the swordsaint?!
The swordsaint?
Shin, didn't you know?
No one is better with the sword than Michel Colling.
He's known as the swordsaint.
To me, he was just a tough drill instructor.
Still, if you've been taught swordsmanship by the swordsaint,
the students from the knight training school can't say anything about Shin.
Don't be too sure. "You're supposed to be a magician,
so how dare you get trained by the swordsaint?"
They might be jealous of him.
Hey, now...
Look, either way, I think we could use a little joint training.
We have the same objective, so we don't have to worry about what they call us.
--Hmph! Not a chance! --Hmph! Not a chance!
This... looks like it's going to be a problem...
"Outside the gateway to the capital"
Four students from each school in teams of eight,
exterminating demons in the forest.
It serves as both population control for the demons and as combat training.
I'm apprehensive about fighting demons,
but being with you will be reassuring.
Oh, no. This is training, Sizilien, so you have to step up, too.
Oh, you're right.
So that's the hero grandchild, is it?
He's just a magician.
He's still a sprout. A sprout.
I just hope he doesn't slow us down.
See? A bunch of jerks, right?
Nyah!
"Top seat: Kreis Lloyd"
I'm Kreis Lloyd, first-year top seat of the Knight Military Institute.
"Second seat: Miranda Wallace"
I'm second seat Miranda Wallace.
"Neun Curtis"
Neun Curtis.
Kent McGregor.
"Kent McGregor"
It would be the same group as earlier.
Say, can I ask you something before we start training?
What is it?
Have any of you ever fought a demon before?
What? Are you trying to brag just because you defeated a demonoid?
No, it's not that! We're about to go take down some demons.
If we get hung up on nonsense like magicians are such and such,
and knights are such and such...
What if we do?!
You'll die.
You can cram it! The fact is, the knight training school
is all we'll really need to put down these demons!
Miranda is right. Do your best not to slow us down, will you?
You guys...
Is this really how you view this training?
Oh, no! We didn't mean to imply that you would hamper us, Your Highness.
That's not what I was talking about.
This training is meant to strengthen the connection
between the magic academy and the knight training school.
Y-Yes, but...
You understand that, but you're not convinced of it.
Then there's little choice.
Shin, we won't need you to bring down any demons during this exercise.
Huh?
Go ahead and try to defeat a demon without backup from a magician.
You'll learn the significance of this training.
If you say so, Your Highness.
Hmph!
We're pretty deep into the forest.
We did end up training in an area of greater risk, based on our abilities.
Which means there's a higher chance that stronger demons will appear.
I thought there was supposed to be an advisor accompanying each team.
Yo, Shin!
We look forward to working with you today.
Big Brother Sieg and Big Sister Chris?
You two are our advisors? I'm begging you, don't start bickering.
--As long as he doesn't start anything. --As long as she doesn't start anything.
I just asked you not to do this!
I'm Shin's classmate, Maria. Lord Siegfried, c-could I shake your hand?
H-Hey, no fair! C-Could I do the same?
And me! I mean, my name is Kreis Lloyd!
I'm Neun! I'd appreciate it if you watched my heroics today!
I-I'm Kent!
What is this?
Both of them are quite popular at both schools.
Huh?
They are, after all, a magician and knight entrusted with my father's safety.
Oh, right.
Big Brother Sieg is a real swashbuckler,
so it makes sense that he'd be popular,
but Big Sister Chris comes as a surprise.
What do you mean, a surprise?! How rude!
"Deepest part of the forest"
Huh? Let the knight training school students fight the demons alone at first?
Yeah, at their request.
They don't realize the significance of this training from words alone.
That happens a lot with knights and magicians when they first enlist.
People who can fight on their own and don't need any help?
Once they experience combat firsthand, they soon realize their mistake.
I hope they learn that lesson during this exercise.
If they get knocked down a peg while they're still in school,
it saves a lot of trouble later.
I can't say the same for you guys, though.
There is one of us who remains unconvinced, however.
Wh-What do you mean?
Oh, Messina, I do think you understand the meaning of this exercise.
Yes I do. I've seen Shin fighting a demonoid twice now,
and I could never do what he does.
With my strength, I couldn't fight a powerful foe
without a knight or a swordsman's help.
Maria, wasn't it?
Y-Yes?
It's good that you recognize where your current level of ability is.
You'll get stronger.
How could Lord Siegfried say that to her? I'm so bummed out!
Why are they so on guard?
I'm not picking up anything on search magic.
They aren't so much on guard as they are tense.
Can't really fault them, though. This is their first time hunting demons.
Big Brother Sieg...
Got it. Okay, knight training school students,
a demon is just about to appear. Prepare for battle!
A boar?!
Aw, it would have been so tasty if it hadn't demonized!
Dude...
Don't freak out! Let's show this guy
what the top performers at the knight training school can do!
--Right! --Right!
He's fast!
This is what...
...a demon is...?
O-One blow...?
How did he...?
That was a poor showing.
This demon was a weaker one, even among the medium-sized variety.
And yet look what happened to you.
You were boasting that you were the top of the knight training school,
but really, you're just students who know nothing of the battlefield.
You all are weak. Take that to heart, and join in with the rest of the exercise.
Yes, ma'am.
U-Um,
I'm going to perform some restoration magic,
so please hold still.
Thanks.
And after we looked down on you, too.
That doesn't bother me at all.
Right now, we're in the same party.
It's a given that I'd do this.
"Neun" "Kreis" "Kent"
Now, now...
Sizilien, watch yourself.
Here, Sizilien, give me your hand.
Sizilien, are you tired?
Um... not really.
Don't get too upset.
Oh, I'm not upset.
Yes you are.
If you're that upset, what if you said "Sizilien is my woman! Hands off!"
You-- What are you talking about?!
Now, now, guys of that nature easily fall for women who are kind to them.
There's another delicate magic academy girl, right here, too!
They've never once treated me the way they're treating her, either.
Hey, you guys!
There's another demon on the way. Stop messing around and get ready.
Big Brother Sieg, isn't this an awful lot of them?
Yeah, there are quite a few, aren't there?
Plus, one of them has a really high reading.
Ah, Sieg!
You have to run!
There's a huge herd of demons heading this way!
--How many? --There's at least a hundred of them!
A hundred?!
No way!
Big Brother Sieg...
Hmm? What is it?
Can I take care of this?
I suppose. Would you mind?
You mean, Shin, by himself?!
This is something we can leave to Shin.
Everyone, we'll just be in the way, so stand behind him.
It's been a while, but time for some of the explosive stuff.
First, generate some hydrogen and compress it to a high concentration...
...then add some oxygen, too...
A tiger demon?!
That's a catastrophic category, isn't it?
Which means...
...the other demons are running away from it!
I hate to do this,
but I'm a little upset, and I need to blow off some steam!
Perish!
That feels better!
This is who Shin Wolford is...?
That's the power of the wise man's grandson... and our new hero...?
Shin, are you hurt?
I'm fine.
E-Excuse me, Wolford...?
I'm, um, terribly sorry for all the rude things I said.
Huh?
Wolford, I envy you for being in such an incredibly blessed environment,
and I didn't want to be outdone by you.
She envies me, huh?
But seeing this now, I finally realize how different our levels are.
Miranda...
And also, Sizilien...
Yes?
I'm, um, terribly sorry I lashed out at your boyfriend.
Huh?! B-B-Boyfriend?!
Is that not the way it is between you two?
N-N-No, we're just...
W-We haven't yet...
Yet...?
Judging by their reaction...
Any way you look at it...
He was trying to knock them off their high horse...
...but it looks like that's not the only thing that got knocked around.