Letis spoke while looking down at the ground.

“Did the kids from Squads Four and Five have a big fight with the ogres here like we did?”

Bernald shook his head.

“There’s no bloodstains defiling the earth.”

“I see. That’s good, then.”

From within, it was clear. None of the noble parties bore deep-seated malice toward the commoner parties. They had simply been dragged along by Ilga’s notion of ‘noble duty.’ After all, they were born as nobles, most likely with the mission to become true knights.

There no longer seemed to be any issues with regrouping, but even so, the idea of working together would not sit well with Ilga. Of course, the commoners, including Void, who were on the receiving end of noble protection, wouldn’t accept such an arrangement either. It was a complicated issue.

Ilga raised his gaze.

“We should pick up the pace. Whether I like it or not, it seems the commoners have gotten ahead of us again.”

Unaware of the situation, Oujin frowned.

Hastily, I added,

“Ilga, that just makes you sound petty and competitive.”

“I don’t really mind if that’s how it’s taken.”

Seriously. What a troublesome noble.

Why do I even have to cover for this guy?

With a sigh, I looked up at Oujin.

“Oujin, don’t worry about it. To put it simply, this guy is just saying that fighting is the duty of nobles, and there’s no way we should let good-hearted commoners stand on the front lines. Ah, well, just think of him as another twisted soul like Void.”

“……”

Oujin furrowed his brow and looked at Ilga.

“Is that true?”

“You talk too much.”

Ilga scratched his head roughly.

“Well, there’s no point in hiding it now.”

He straightened his back and declared with confidence.

“Nobles exist as a privileged class to protect and fight for the commoners. Those who abandon that duty and simply enjoy the benefits are not nobles in my eyes. That’s why Squads One and Two will fight for Squads Four and Five, but it would be wrong for them to risk their lives for us.”

It was a logical argument. But it lacked consideration of whether the commoners wanted that or not. Could they not simply wield swords together and fight side by side? That was what I believed. After all, Blythe had always done so.

Oujin, who had been wide-eyed for a while, finally spoke with a sigh.

“Then you should think a little more about how you phrase things.”

This time, Ilga placed both hands on his hips with an exasperated expression.

“Oh, come on, look who's talking, Ryoka. That grand speech you gave after the ogre battle nearly earned you the resentment of all of Squads One and Two. Honestly, I broke into a cold sweat. You should think about how you phrase things, too.”

“Ugh…”

“Well, that goes for both of us, I suppose.”

They both made bitter expressions before chuckling at the same time. Surprisingly, they seemed to get along well.

Thinking about it, it wasn’t that strange. In the beginning, Oujin had clashed with Void, who had a similar temperament to Ilga. Once their misunderstandings had cleared up, they had become trusted partners.

Bernald lightly patted my back for some reason.

“Hmm. Alright.”

Even though it was just a light tap, it knocked most of the air out of my lungs, making me stumble forward, coughing.

Damn this brute of a man.

“Well, for that reason, it’s better to take the right passage, Ilga.”

“Indeed.”

Ilga looked around at everyone and, with a mischievous grin, declared loudly,

“From here on, Squads One and Two shall gratefully make use of the messages left behind by the commoners. And on top of that, we’ll get ahead of them again. If they fall into danger, we’ll lend them a hand, but otherwise, we’ll take the lead. It’s we nobles who shall carve the way forward.”

“See, this is exactly what I mean about your phrasing…”

Oujin sighed, and a few chuckles spread through the group.

Bernald placed his large hand on my head.

“Hmm. This is fine.”

“Is it really?”

His reasoning was sound, but the way he put things was irritating. He really was like Void. The difference in skill, however, was undeniable.

The lord governing the port city of Elva should have been a noble like him. If that were the case, the slums suffering from poverty might never have existed.

Ilga gave his orders.

“Reform the column. We’re moving out, everyone.”

“Oh!”

Squads One and Two formed a column, and Ilga once again took the lead alongside Oujin.

As I watched their backs, I mused.

During the time I had died and been reincarnated, kids these days had become much more thoughtful.

Back in the day, Lili was different. She was straightforward and easy to understand.

Or so I thought.

Thinking about it, maybe I was just too slow to catch on, and that’s why she ended up following me onto the battlefield. Perhaps Lili had been thinking things through in her own way all along.

Maybe I should ask her directly sometime.

What did you think about the times you spent fighting alongside Blythe?

Ever since I reincarnated as Eremia, I felt like life had only become more inconvenient, but perhaps having more things to ponder meant that I still had room to grow.

At the very rear, Bernald looked down at me and asked,

“What’s wrong, Eremia? You’re smiling.”

“Hm? Oh. Nothing. I was just reminiscing a little.”

“You’re not old enough to be reminiscing about the past.”

Oops, that’s right. I was still only ten years old.

I brushed it off casually.

“Well, a lot’s happened.”

“You talk like an old man.”

But after living two lives, I couldn’t help but feel nostalgic. Watching these students, their youthful passion was infectious.

It wasn’t so bad.

“Hey, Bern.”

“What?”

“Youth is dazzling, isn’t it?”

Bernald’s expression clouded for once.

“…Don’t seek my agreement. I may look like this, but I’m still in my mid-teens.”

“Oh, now that you mention it.”

He was just unnecessarily large. Even Void looked small next to him. With his rugged face, it wouldn’t be strange if he had a beard.

“That kind of hurt.”

“Hahaha, my bad, my bad!”

Pounding his massive back with my small hands, we walked on into the darkness.