Their foes grew more and more formidable the farther they progressed into the valley. They were about halfway through, according to her rough estimates, when Canon halted her advance.
“The vanguard squad will fall back. Nack, it’s up to you from here!”
“Got it.”
“What, already? Come on, Canon! I thought the Cainridges were meant to be a little more impressive!” another boy called out teasingly.
Noara, who’d been part of the vanguard group alongside Canon, frowned. “Honestly! Why do boys have to be so juvenile?” she sighed. “What should we do, Canon? I can keep going for at least a little while longer, but...”
Canon shook her head. “Nack can lead the charge now. We’ll fall back to the very rear.”
“The very rear? Behind the mages?” Noara repeated, obviously confused.
“That’s right,” Canon replied, nodding firmly. “Sorry, Noara... But the monsters here are a lot tougher than I thought they’d be, and they’re not getting any weaker. If they attack us from the rear, we’re done for. We don’t have the time or the man power to deal with a pincer attack, and we can’t afford to move our strongest fighters away from the front line—but someone’s still got to protect the rear,” she said, her brow knitting as she glanced over her shoulder.
Noara looked at her friend—who was chewing her lip again, just like she always did when she was frustrated—and smiled wryly, shaking her head. “Good grief... Very well. We’ll likely need to rely on our mages during the next two scenarios, so it wouldn’t serve us very well to let them fall now.” She sighed again. “I suppose there’s no helping it. Nack and Bleu and those other imbeciles can have the spotlight, and we’ll simply do what we can backstage!”
✦ ✦ ✦
While the entirety of Class D did eventually make it through the Valley of Singing Bones, not all of them did so by the deadline. In fact, only the mages—along with Bleu and Nack from the second squad—made it to the rendezvous point in time. When Canon and the remaining students finally arrived, two hours late and covered in (thankfully minor) wounds, Bleu greeted them with one of his usual arrogant smirks. “Took you long enough! You’re lucky we cleared a path for you while you took the scenic route, you know?!”
“Why of course, Bleu. We’re so grateful...” Noara replied in a tone dripping with sarcasm before lowering her voice. “Silly boys! They have no idea how hard we work. Scenic route indeed... Vesta should count himself lucky you even deign to look at him!”
Canon laughed. “Ves might seem stubborn, but on the inside, he’s actually really kind. Sure, he’s a little too serious sometimes—and unbelievably anxious all of the time—so it hasn’t been easy, and it probably never will be. But he always puts me and my well-being first instead of prioritizing what’s best for him, so I can overlook a few flaws.” She paused for a moment, lost in thought. “And that’s why I’ll always be there to put him first... No matter what.”
Canon would never forget that day—the day Vesta had asked her to break off their engagement.
Noara sighed dramatically. “I suppose you should both count yourselves lucky, then... I’m somewhat jealous.”
Nack chose that moment to approach the pair. “I just wanted to, er... Well, it was only because of you guys protecting our backs that we were able to get the mages here in time. So... Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it,” Noara replied offhandedly, though her scowl told a different story. Nack, unfazed, flashed them both a bright smile before returning to his friends.
“Ba-dum, ba-dum... And at that moment, Noara suddenly became aware of an unusual feeling in her chest, something she’d never felt before—”
“Oh, shut up,” Noara grumbled, elbowing her friend in the ribs.
Canon burst into laughter.