Sword, Magic and Academic Society

The outdoor classes would be past half their one-week duration by the time our classmates returned from their Dark Ferret subjugation mission, even though I\'ve been looking forward to it before. So for now, I ought to do what I must and keep my eyes on the goal which is the hot springs.

I fetched some paper and a pencil from the supplies and placed them on the top of a stone underneath the sun.

While I was setting my stuff up, Bester, the sole person left with me in this second scenario, asked with a puzzled expression.

"............Why me, Allen? Frankly, we\'re hardly more than simple acquaintances. Neither do I have experience on handling base defense, you know."

Well, I guess so...... I mean, there was no way either of us had experience with such stuff.

"Well, good that you ask. Because, as the leader of the 2nd scenario, I concluded that you\'re the best pick for bolstering the defense of this post."

I candidly replied, though Bester shook his head.

"......It doesn\'t explain anything. I’m second in academics after Leo, so if Leo is required for another mission, I would be the next pick. I know that well, but we have yet to learn how to set up fortifications. In fact, it\'s what second year and above grade students learn in the knight course. I’ve personally peeked into it as I was a bit curious, but I\'m from the civil servant course so what I’ve read is just the very basics."

I couldn\'t help but chuckle wryly at Bester\'s reply which was so much like what you would hear from a top achiever. Though props to him for trying out the second year knight course curriculum while being a civil servant course student just due to curiosity.

I guess he must be quite a study nerd. Well, it barely had anything to do with why I picked him, however.

"My decision isn\'t based on your academic grade or course. And you’re right, we\'re acquaintances at the level of nodding to each other when we meet at most. Besides, the knowledge you\'ve learned from textbooks becomes almost useless when it comes to actual practice.

You need to be in sync with your body and mind while actually trying things out. Only then will you gain a significant amount of experience. And these outdoor classes are exactly for accumulating this kind of experience."

The more I spoke, the more confused Bester looked.

"I will rephrase my words: you would have still been my pick even if Leo hadn\'t been needed there. It\'s just a simple reason, honestly. I hypothesized what would happen if the base was attacked and then who would be the best pick for protecting it. The answer I arrived at was… you, Bester. You\'re the guy for this job."

A surprised expression appeared on Bester\'s face once I explained it again.

"Are you for real, Allen...? Frankly, I can\'t think outside the box like you, nor am I capable of instantly analyzing the situation and courageously taking risks like Dan. And there\'s also the fact that I\'m rock bottom in firepower in contrast to Leo.

If you really want to classify me...... I\'m more of a steady guy. Even Stella is far better than me in combat."

I firmly nodded to Bester at his analysis.

"Ahaha, and that\'s what I exactly mean. You\'ve laid it out clearly. First, when would we need bizarre ideas when we\'re in a defense post?"

Bester fell silent at my question. Though I bet he should have realized where I was going.

"Right, it\'s when we\'re on the verge of losing. Taking risks is no different. You have to choose the least objectionable option when cornered.

Also, Leo and Stella\'s abilities are only a part of their character. If things were left to Leo, he would just come up with the most basic ideas that would be full of openings. Well, he himself has come to realize that as well while acting as the vice-president of the Hill Road Club, and I think he would rather pass the duty over to a more fitting person than to shoulder everything by himself.

A steady person isn\'t as bad as you think. They will think of all the possible scenarios and try to minimize the risk variables as much as possible. And a base under such a character is what raiders hate most. Well, when it comes to offense, you also need to disrupt the enemy\'s rhythm rather than just holding down the fort."

I candidly shared my unfiltered thoughts with Bester. For some reason, his face looked like he was about to cry, and he took a deep breath.

"......I honestly thought you found it tough to deal with me."

I asked him, "Why?"

"I mean...... you\'re the type who would happily jump into a fire and retrieve the chestnuts without a second thought. On the other hand, I\'m the type who would carefully inspect a stone bridge three times before even considering whether to cross it. It shouldn\'t be possible for contrasting personalities like us to be compatible, no?”

Both Bester and I then burst out in laughter at his analogy.

"Sheesh, you really have a sharp tongue. I’m not the kind of guy who would recklessly jump into a fire...... yeah. I would only do it when I know it\'s safe and the chestnuts are really wafting out a delicious scent. And in case it isn’t— I’m sure it should be something I’m doing against my will. Don\'t you think life is more interesting with different types of people? Besides, I used to be quite similar to you.”

"Heh~, you were? What kind of childhood did you have?"

I squinted my eyes as I took a trip down memory lane, about the past which wasn\'t about the childhood of \'Allen\'.

"......I didn\'t study because I liked it like you, I wasn\'t really interested in anything. I just believed the words of those around me who said it would be advantageous for my future employment to do so. Because of that, I studied like a machine. A child with no merit other than being serious and diligent."

"Tell a more convincing lie next time," Bester remarked after a pause and playfully punched me on the shoulder.

After laughing together for a while, we each got back to our respective work.

◆◆◆

I had Bester go over everything about the defense plan, while I went out to procure the food and supplies we’d need in case of a siege. When I returned to the base at around 3 PM, Bester had finished preparing the groundwork for solidifying the defenses, which included the various risks we needed to address.

The list he had written out, covering the risks against both monster and human attacks, was so thorough that it was almost exasperating how he had managed to think of such meticulous and negative scenarios.

"I followed your advice and wrote down the risks categorized in a tree diagram."

I wielded my leader\'s authority and passed on the systematic cause analysis method known as FTA (Fault Tree Analysis) from my previous life to Bester. It was a method typically used to determine the possible causes after an incident has occurred, but we were applying it to possible scenarios instead.

"Impressive, Bester. I truly hadn\'t expected that you’d put out that much in such a short time."

Bester snorted and adjusted his glasses when he heard what I said.

"I know it\'s impossible to formulate a plan against all possible scenarios in just 72 hours, but you did say to write down as much as I could. Now we need to prioritize and select which ones to focus on, right?"

"Yup...... I guess, let\'s temporarily take out the monsters from the scenarios. If we prepare for human threats, we should be able to handle a lot. After all, this is a \'border defense post’. There\'s hardly any reason to protect this base at any cost from something like a stampede. I’ll ask Coco and Stella if there are any monsters around here that we should be careful of once they return."

Well, some would ask, wasn\'t it better to keep the monsters out of the equation from the get go? But it was precisely due to that, we had to have the complete details about the possibilities before we could act.

It was easier to get a full picture when you could see everything in a single glance.

When he heard me, Bester nodded without showing any dissatisfaction.

"Roger. In that case, a plan that would do well against human enemies with feasibly fewer risks within a given time frame.... would look something like this."

Bester quickly sketched a simple design. It involved surrounding the base with three layers of wooden fences, each with staggered entrance directions to hinder large-scale attacks, and constructing an emergency escape route underground along with building a watchtower overlooking the ruins.

It would indeed take little time to get it ready once everyone was back. However...... seeing that plan was treading too much on the safe side, I immediately rejected it.

"This won’t work. It lacks an adventurous spirit."

Hearing my clear rejection, the creases on Bester\'s expression deepened.

"A-Adventuruous spirit? I think that’s the last thing—"

"Listen well, Bester! We’ve been stranded in this place by that smelly geezer, depriving us of the chance to make those precious, colorful memories of our youth! Do you not feel the urge to get back at that old geezer at least once?"

"What? But you\'re the one who picked me, Allen. I don’t—"

"I knew you’d understand! If something bothers you, just make your homeroom teacher cry! This is why Bester Von Stocklaud is the Royal Academy Class 1-A\'s <Overseer Guardian>!

That\'s why I can\'t believe you cooked up such a lame plan after pointing out the plethora of risks. What are you, a mother-in-law who is content with just finding faults with her daughter-in-law?”

I said while running my finger on the stone pedestal\'s surface, akin to removing the accumulated dust on a TV stand, and blowing away the dust that had gotten on my fingertip.

"W-What\'s with that guardian nonsense? Didn\'t I just explain that I have no experience with constructing bases?! Besides, this building is nothing more than a ruin, and I doubt it hardly has any connection with the border defense. It\'s also not suitable for defense. Frankly, I would really suggest the earlier plan given the limited time and human resources—”

I clapped my hands at Bester\'s idea.

"So that\'s the gist of it! You\'re really amazing, Bester!

You\'re right. We really don\'t need to limit ourselves to this ruin. Let\'s do this: we’ll build the watchtower from your earlier plan, and use this mountain terrain to our advantage, turning it into our stronghold. I think I’ve found a way to drag that old geezer down to our level!"

Bester, however, protested with a pale face.

"Woah, woah, stop right there. What the heck are you thinking, Allen?! Why are we even challenging Godorfun-sensei!? Also, it\'s just impossible to turn this mountain into our stronghold in a mere 72 hours!!"

"What? No, we don\'t need to complete it. The scenario given to us was to \'bolster the defenses of the re-captured outpost in anticipation of an enemy attack as much as possible within 72 hours’.

With such a vague goal, there\'s no problem thinking about what\'s necessary to defend the border and expanding the outpost accordingly. If anything, Godorfun would rejoice at our work.

We\'re going to have the 4th scenario after the 36 hours mark for sure, and the 5th scenario will definitely be a defensive battle. We don\'t need to take every scenario of that geezer too seriously. It’ll only pressure our side in this war of attrition! Anyway, we\'re going to proceed with my plan no matter what!"

Bester\'s expression tethered on the edge of horror— or using the analogy from a manga, it was like his soul had slipped out of his mouth, as he came to a complete standstill when I conclusively announced the roadmap for the second scenario as its leader.