With the blast of the signal gun, the fourth exam officially began. Squad One fanned out according to plan and proceeded with our search for the flag.
"This is Number 1. I've tracked everyone's positions. Number 9, adjust course to the northeast."
"Number 9, roger."
Remaining at our initial staging area, I tracked everyone's movements with detection magic while coordinating through communication magic. The testing grounds stretched east to west, structured so Squad One pushed from the west and Squad Two from the east. The other nine members had scattered radially from our staging point to hunt down the flag.
"This is Number 31. Can you hear me, Number 1?"
"Number 1 here. Go ahead."
Number 31—namely, Hermann—was heading due east. He was practically guaranteed to run into Squad Two first.
"Have you locked onto their positions yet?"
"No, not yet. They're likely suppressing their mana to stay under my detection magic's radar."
"Understood. I'll proceed with caution."
Squad Two had Elena, and she was well aware of how my detection magic worked. Knowing that even a trace of magic would give away their location, she had undoubtedly warned her teammates to keep a low profile.
"To all squad members deployed to the east: based on walking speed, you may encounter Squad Two shortly. Stay sharp."
We were moving as lone scouts, but there was no telling how the opposing side planned to approach. It seemed doubtful all ten would stick together, but still... Either way, as long as they refrained from casting spells, there was no way for me to track them—
"This is Number 24! Hostile contact!"
An ear-splitting shout pierced the line. Checking with detection magic again, I sensed three mana signatures right by Number 24, who had been advancing northeast.
"What's your situation?!"
"Engaging three hostiles! I've been flanked!"
"Number 31, Number 19, move to back up Number 24!"
"No good, I can't break thro—"
The communication magic severed abruptly, and the glowing dot marking Number 24's position vanished. They had likely been overwhelmed by a simultaneous three-pronged assault. One against three was a losing battle after all.
"This is Number 56! Hostiles here too!"
"How many enemies?!"
"Three here as well! Falling back to regroup!"
Number 56 was supposed to be deployed to the southeast, meaning Squad Two was definitely pushing in from the east. So they were advancing in strike teams.
"This is Number 31. Need orders."
"Detection magic confirms they're moving in groups of three. If you engage them alone, you'll just get picked off."
"Then shouldn't we group up too?"
"No, not yet. Suppress your presence as much as possible and focus on dispersing the seeds."
Pulling them back to regroup was an option, of course, but that would defeat the whole purpose of scattering across the map. If we could blanket this forest with seeds, the field would be entirely ours.
"This is Number 9. I have eyes on three approaching enemies. They haven't spotted me yet."
"Roger. If you can, let them pass and keep heading east."
"Understood."
Numbers 24, 56, and 9 had all run into three-person cells....With ten people per side, that left one person unaccounted for. Even detection magic only showed nine enemies. Did they have a rogue operative?
"This is Number 1. One member of Squad Two remains undetected. They may be lying in ambush, so stay vigilant."
Though Number 24 had been taken down, Number 9 had successfully slipped past to the east. Hermann had likely evaded detection as well.
"To Number 5 and Number 13: once you finish scattering the seeds on the west side, pivot east."
"Roger!"
"Understood."
The two on the western side were far less likely to encounter the enemy, so redirecting them east would help widen our search grid. As of now, the flag was still nowhere to be found.
That single missing person continued to weigh on my mind. Were they lying in wait, or... directing the battle from the rear like me?
"Number 56, did you see Elena Arendt among the three you fought?"
"No, she wasn't with them."
"What about you, Number 9?"
"Didn't see her either."
...I see. Elena was undoubtedly the opposing squad's ace. While I couldn't be sure about the team that ambushed Number 24, there was a strong chance she was acting independently.
"Number 31, push east as fast as you can. Track down Elena."
"Roger. So the young lady's our primary threat, huh?"
"Exactly. If you spot her, do not engage. Break away immediately."
"Assuming I can outrun her."
Coming from Hermann, that meant even he wanted to avoid facing Elena one-on-one. Unlike me, she had proper combat training.
Elena still hadn't spent a drop of mana. Was she really in hiding? Maybe she had taken high ground to snipe our squad... Or perhaps she had left the skirmishing to the other nine so she could hunt for the flag alone.
She had boundless confidence in her magic. There was no predicting what she might pull. The last thing I wanted was to get blown away by a surprise burst of fire magic before I even realized what hit me.
"Number 31, status report."
"I've reached Squad Two's staging point, but... no sign of the young lady. She might be holed up somewhere."
"Understood. Keep searching for both the flag and Elena."
Something felt off. What was the point of drawing our focus with the other teams while she acted alone? What could she possibly be doing without casting a single spell—
"!"
A faint rustle of dry leaves caught my ear, and I spun around on instinct. Standing right behind me—her face smeared with mud—was Elena, already bringing her wand down in a vicious strike.