Chapter 2 : The Fate of the Three: The Taking of the Northern Wall

With the groups divided, the children were separated for a time.

Isz was assigned to the scouts' team, where he would be trained by the Butcher and a young knight named Harpya.

Helena joined the Shield of Vein, where she would provide ranged support to the scouts. She would be trained by Anna and work alongside Alphonse and the alchemists.

In the scouts' training grounds, Isz met Hyogo, a boy one year older who was already training with his relic. Hyogo was already a knight.His relic, the Daggerbow, was a bow that could transform into a dagger. Some claimed it could even fire small fireballs, though Hyogo had yet to master that ability.

Isz approached him, asking to train together using a practice spear. Hyogo was impressed by how naturally Isz handled the weapon and asked if he had trained before. Isz simply answered that he hadn't.

The Butcher liked the way the two worked together and decided to head out on a reconnaissance patrol.

Butcher: "I heard reports that goblins are trying to raid a farm. How about we put this training to the test?"

The boys agreed, and they headed out with a small squad to investigate.

When they arrived, the first sight was horrifying:a goblin had just killed one of the farm's residents and was moments away from causing even more destruction.

The stench was overwhelming, but Isz killed the goblin with ease. The others checked for more victims who might have suffered abuse. Fortunately, the warriors had arrived quickly enough to stop the goblins in time.

Hyogo said, "I never imagined goblins were this dangerous. I heard that in a village near the southern wall, they violated the women and then killed everyone in the settlement."

"Bastards... We're lucky the alchemists created a protection spell that kills them the moment they get close," the Butcher replied.

Isz simply stared at the terrified yet relieved faces of the people. He wasn't a knight yet, and he didn't even have his own relic, but he felt it was his duty to keep things like this from ever happening again.

At the squires' academy, Helena quickly stood out for her perfect balance and her speed in throwing knives. A girl from the same orphanage, Mary, asked to train with her, and the two soon became close friends.

Alphonse was already teaching classes and engaging in hand-to-hand combat drills. Of the three, he was the most advanced and already possessed an A-rank relic. The only reason he hadn't been fully promoted yet was because Princess Zhofia, the temporary ruler of Vein, was still hesitant due to the boy's young age.

Despite her concerns, Alphonse and Kana Boom were promoted to knights, now allowed to join pacification missions and even command their own squads.

Kana traveled to the eastern city to visit his friend Edward, a merchant pirate, to arrange the next caravan escorts. Alphonse thought,"It's been four years since we last saw each other. How's Helena doing, I wonder? I still keep her handkerchief."

Kana Boom suddenly appeared behind him and said,"Man, you're really weird, hahaha. Let's go, the master gave us the mission to escort the goods and supplies. Looks like the scouts really are going to try to take back the northern wall. Your friend will be there, right?"

Alphonse: "I believe so... if he's still alive."

The most important mission for the aspiring scout-knights would be the retaking of the Northern Wall, a defensive stronghold lost during the invasions of demons and goblins, not to mention attacks from neighboring lands."The king has authorized the operation to reclaim the territory," said Harpya.

Years had passed since the goblin mission, yet Isz couldn't erase that image from his mind. He knew goblins were merciless, but he feared the Undeads even more. His grip on the spear was firm, until suddenly, his hand trembled.

Hyogo asked,"You alright, Isz? You look nervous. We've done so many missions, but I never thought they'd start a large-scale campaign like this."

"I'm fine... just thinking about this endless rain. Once they give the signal, we'll charge at the wall with everything we've got."

"That's the spirit," Harpya said, adjusting the flute at his belt.

The adult guards even questioned whether it was right to take children into battle, let alone be commanded by them.A soldier whispered, "These kids are either insane or cursed. I've noticed they barely live past twenty-one before they vanish. I've never seen an old knight."

Isz ignored the comment and thought about his old friends. He didn't know if they were safe, but he had no time to dwell on it, he gripped his spear, and the order to attack was given.

"Harpya looks like he's playing on the battlefield," one of the king's commanders said. "Those boys are incredible too. We'll bring peace to this kingdom soon."

The children's first large-scale mission was this one, a war that lasted the entire night. Around 500 goblins were slain, 100 soldiers fell, and all the undead on the battlefield were defeated.But a few still refused to give up.

Harpya said, "The red eyes... they're being possessed by some kind of entity. Where are the alchemists now? Didn't they come with the reinforcements we requested?"

The undead advanced, but were cut down by young Isz's spear."I'll hold them off for as long as I can," he said. "The rest of you, pull back the wounded and head toward the riverbank. You should be able to see whether the alchemists are arriving."

Harpya was impressed by the boy's determination and stayed behind to help hold the line.Isz was struck in the leg by an arrow, but continued fighting until Harpya played his symphony,its sound bursting the undeads' heads.

The shield-bearers soon arrived with the medics, along with the Butcher, who had acted as an informant."Harpya, we've been betrayed!!" he shouted.

"What do you mean?" Harpya asked.The Butcher replied, "Someone inside the squad intercepted our call for help and allowed the undead into this battlefield. This is necromancer magic,something only alchemists with high knowledge could perform. And if I hadn't run into more undead in the forest, I wouldn't have reached the shield-bearers in time. Someone planned this ambush to wipe out the scouts."

"What matters is that the medics and shields are here. They retreated,we won, Butcher."

The medics began treating the wounded.Isz found Helena in the camp; she hugged him tightly, tears in her eyes, saying she had missed him so much.Isz told her not to worry, since his injuries had mysteriously healed.

Anna formed a reconnaissance group to hunt down the remaining undead, and they discovered a pact symbol,one linked to the entity known as the "Voice of the Abyss," used to empower the undead army.