"Ben, what the f**k are we doing here? We need to kill those bastards-"
"Shush, Evan."
Two male students were cloaked in the shadows of the male dormitory halls. After the male students and teachers were rounded up and taken away, Evan and Benjamin still stayed hidden in case of a patrol. The enemy was simply too powerful for them to handle.
"You are damn lucky that you are a prince, otherwise I would have gladly given you up for what you did to my sister." Ben glared.
"What level are you?" Evan asked, biting into his thumb with a worried expression painting over his face.
"[Wizard 1]."
"Second ascension?! Ben, what have you been doing to become this strong? I am only at [Warrior 4]." Evan questioned enviously, banging onto Benjamin's shoulders.
"Shush, knights incoming, hide in the closet with me."
The two of them quickly made their way towards their dorm room and hid in the closet.
As cramped as it was, the closet was the safest bet for now. The dark wood was cloaked in the darkness and very much unnoticeable from the naked eye. Benjamin and Evan did well to choose it as their hiding spot.
"Ah… watch where you put your hands, Ben." Evan felt a palm rubbing against his thigh.
"There is nowhere near enough space to worry about where my hands are located. Just deal with it, or are you crooked?" Benjamin chuckled ever so faintly.
"..."
"I f**king knew it. You never liked Yuri."
Meanwhile, Tanya, Penelope, and Erina were traversing their way towards a vantage point on the second floor of the female dorms. If they could get a good view of where their classmates and teachers were being held, they could better formulate a rescue plan. Otherwise, they would be blind. Tanya very much hated to be blind in the midst of possible danger.
"Tanya, the stairs are just up ahead. How should we go about this?" Erina asked, preparing her sword with a determined expression.
"We will quickly make our way upstairs and check corners like we have been doing on this floor. The strategy remains the same. Just remember to lie low when we find a possible balcony vantage point, I don't want to get shot at before we have a chance to inspect what we are up against." Tanya instructed.
"Tan, Be careful. Since you are in front, I don't want you to get hurt, okay?" Penelope gently latched herself onto Tanya and gave a warm kiss on the latter's cheek.
"Of course." Tanya briefly kissed Penelope on the lips before departing upstairs.
"Clear."
Now on the second floor of the female dormitory, Tanya quickly moved towards a door not too far from the stairs but also not too close. She quickly opened the unlocked door and went into the room with Penelope and Erina right behind her.
The room was not stained with much blood but contained some signs of fighting. The inhabitants of the room must have been forced out in a hurry.
"Tanya, there's a balcony nearby the beds. It is covered by some thick blinds. We can set up our observation post from here by leaving a small opening between the blinds and the glass sliding door." Penelope politely suggested as she began walking over to the blinds.
"Fine idea, Penny. I will be sure to reward you greatly when we are done." Tanya licked her lips and helped prepare the post.
"Erina, you keep watch of the door. We cannot afford to have knights sneaking up on us from behind."
"I will watch the door with my life." Erina enthusiastically responded, grabbing her sword and sitting on a box nearby the door.
"And the post is done."
Thank you Penny~" Tanya warmly smiled before peeking through the gap in the blinds.
In the centre of the wide square grass, Tanya instantly saw the faces of many students and teachers. All of the survivors were bound and herded together in a circular cluster while surrounded by a large group of knights. The knights seemed to be numbering around 60, meaning that Tanya's group only had to worry about perhap 3-4 more knights in their building.
'Where are you, Yuri?!" Tanya scanned through the cluster, desperately searching for any sign of her sweet Yuri. She also hoped to find Rosellia and Diana as well as Yuna. Those four were her only priorities right now.
"I see them, near the centre of the circle." Penelope announced.
'You are alive!' Tanya let out a smile before bobbing her head back and letting out a deep breath.
"I found a broken window at the centre building. With this crossbow and a little flame, I will set the middle building on fire and hopefully draw the knights' attention." Tanya explained, aiming her crossbow towards her target.
"Wait, how do you know that the fire won't spread to us and the hostages?" Penelope asked, concerned.
"Marble structure. The fire will not spread far in a building like that." Tanya responded instantly with a feasible reply, stunning her maid with the simple logic.
"You are indeed thinking well, Tanya. I am proud of you."
"That makes me very happy." Tanya warmly smiled and casted [Ember] on her loaded crossbow bolt.
"[Snipe]."
TWANG
The bolt swiftly and quietly zoomed through the air and landed directly on target. Without so much as a whistle or a crackle, the bolt travelled and began spreading the flame it bore.
"That was amazing." Penelope smiled.
On the grass, the knights began smelling smoke from the centre building. After a brief moment of pause, they all turned towards the building to see a window alight.
"FIRE!!! QUICKLY SEND A TEAM TO TAKE CARE OF IT BEFORE IT SPREADS!! AND SEND ANOTHER TEAM TO INVESTIGATE!!! NOW! NOW! NOW!" A knight in golden regalia ordered with his hand waving around their air like a tornado.
"The plan is working, now there should only be 40 of them on the grass." Tanya smirked.
'Only?!' Erina almost fainted.