Eventually, Godolphen chuckled. “I see. Your mettle is commendable, Rovene. Tell me then—how large a force do you believe you can withstand?”
He just doesn’t get it... I shook my head again, smiling patronizingly. “Are you still half asleep, Godolphen? I’m not asking for you to pad your numbers a little. I’m telling you to gather every last soldier you can muster and attack with everything you’ve got, right from the start! Otherwise, we’re gonna crush your forces before that old brain of yours has even realized what’s happening,” I sneered, with my latest dose of provocation leading several of my classmates (all of whom were still refusing to look my way) to cover their faces with their hands.
Tim shot me a patient, slightly bemused smile, like a parent would use when placating a sulking child. “You don’t know what you’re asking for, Allen. You kids probably don’t know this, but the northwest command has dispatched an entire division to the Vanquish Domain for the length of your school camp, just in case anything goes wrong. There’s three battalions within an hour’s journey from here, so about fifteen hundred soldiers. Not many of them are as talented as you bunch, but if we’re also counting the porters, the messengers, and all the other support units, you’re looking at a force about a hundred times larger than your own. There’s strength in numbers, kids. You might be skilled, but you can’t overcome a difference like that with skill alone—especially not when you’ve only done a few perfunctory reinforcements.”
It’s going in one ear and out the other...
I cleared my throat. “Vesta, give them the rough sketch.”
For a moment, Vesta simply stared at me blankly. I stared right back, unwavering. Once he realized I wasn’t going to change my mind, he handed over the basic layout of our mountain fortress with a deep sigh. As Godolphen and Tim unfurled the plan, they both froze, their expressions turning blanker than Vesta’s had a moment earlier.
“What you’ve got right there is the mountain fortress designed for us by Vesta von Stocklode, the beloved Bulwark of Class A. Obviously, that’s just the basic plan, not the full version.” I smirked. “Now, I’m gonna say it one last time... Give us all you’ve got!”
I was expecting Godolphen to be at least a little cross by this point, if not outright fuming. However, instead of anger, my goading was met with gleeful laughter and a broad smile. “Oh, how marvelous! Don’t you agree, Tim? I assumed the rather haphazard placement of the fortifications they built during the previous scenario was merely on account of the stress impairing their judgment... Those fortifications were never intended to hinder the spies from escaping, but to hinder us from advancing. We’ve been well and truly hoodwinked, Tim. Send a spellbird. Muster every last troop in the nearby vicinity.”
“Sage, you can’t be serious! Surely you know that quadrupling the size of the enemy forces won’t make the scenario four times harder! We’re looking at an eight- to tenfold jump in difficulty!” Tim spluttered in response. “What about the rest of you kids?! Surely you’re not okay with this?! If you keep letting Allen do whatever he likes, you’re the ones who will suffer for it! Aren’t you already at your limits?!” he asked, clearly expecting them to protest.
My classmates looked at each other and grinned.
“It’s fine by me,” Fey replied with a giggle. “It’s always more fun if we just let Allen have his way, you know?”
Jewel let out a dainty laugh of her own. “I agree. I’d never allow myself to stand in the way of one of Allen’s bold ideas.”
“I’m here to challenge myself. The increased difficulty isn’t a problem—if anything, I welcome it.” Leo smirked.
“Yeah, bring it on!”
“Personally, I’m curious to see how Vesta’s plan holds up in practice.”
“Besides, even if we tried to disagree, Allen would just use some weirdly persuasive argument about the definition of youth or something to bully us into it anyway.”
“That’s for sure.”
Vesta was the last to respond, and the only dissenter. “Wait... A hundred-to-one disadvantage?! Allen, let’s think this over again, okay? What about the hot springs?! Wouldn’t it be better to finish this as quickly as possible?!”
I’d already noticed that Vesta hadn’t been anywhere near as excited as the others; I just hadn’t expected it to be because he was worrying about whether I’d have enough time to scratch my onsen itch. Classic Vesta.
I shrugged. “Well, that’s the plan, obviously. All we have to do is wipe out the enemy, and then it’s off to the hot springs for us. You get to ‘teach the old geezer a lesson’ just like you wanted, and I get to soak away my worries in the hot springs! It’s perfect!” I said, making sure to sneer at Godolphen while I summarized Vesta’s innermost thoughts, since my classmate didn’t seem capable of doing it himself.
Vesta seemed to appreciate my initiative, judging by the way he was now staring at me with wide, teary eyes. “Allen, you...”
I decided to wrap things up quickly for his sake, before he could get too emotional. “Well, that’s our request. We’re not afraid of a challenge, Godolphen. No one’s gonna enjoy this camping trip more than Class A!”
“You want to teach me a lesson, Vesta...?” Godolphen replied, his tone icy. “It seems you’ve all gotten a little too big for your boots... Very well. I will accept your request. The leader for the fifth scenario shall be...” He paused for a moment, glaring at Vesta pointedly. “Hmph. It shall be Vesta von Stocklode. The scenario will now commence at noon, to allow us time to assemble the necessary forces. And finally, children, a word of warning—you will come to regret this.”
With that, Godolphen turned and stomped away, his face contorted with rage. Tim, standing beside him, was the only one who saw that rage then soften, the Sage’s grimace quickly giving way to an ecstatic grin.