Student To King: The Transportation To A New World

Chapter 18: A Sudden Call For War

Tensions were high throughout the dorm building. There were barely any smiles amongst the crowd of students who sat idly by the table. There was some chatter here and there but everyone had looked serious and anxious as they talked about their future.

A knock broke the quiet chatter as Alan was the first to stand up to tend to the door.

"Ancel... why are you here at this time?" Then, the sudden realization hit Alan, knowing why Ancel was at their door. "Wait... does that mean..."

"By your reaction, it seems you already know why I'm here. I'm sure everyone has heard the rumors of war coming our way. Unfortunately, that's true. The King has given orders for you to cease your training in the Dungeons and to participate in the war. Both Cromor and Alinia have attacked us early today, and starting tomorrow afternoon, you will be mobilized to secure defensive positions near the border," Ancel explained.

"Does that mean... we're finally being dispatched...?" Alan asked, his voice filled with dread.

"Indeed. Make sure you're ready by the afternoon, gear up and prepare whatever you need. We'll explain more details tomorrow..." Ancel left, giving a sympathetic look to the class.

After he left, Alan turned around to notice the expressions on everyone's face. Everyone looked dejected, contemplating their chances of survival. They knew that any of them could die, with Ace's death still leaving a stigma in the class's memory. One of the girls began having a panic attack, breathing heavily, as Lucia and Vella, the healers of the group, rushed to aid her.

"Emilia...?! Come on, we'll be okay," Vella said, trying to reassure her.

"This might help. [Heart of Bravery]," Lucia chanted one of her supportive light spells which protects against mind-affecting spells and boosts fear resistance.

After receiving the spell, Emilia gradually started breathing normally. The girls rushed to cheer her up whilst Freya and Aria watched from a distance.

"Honestly, I knew of the situation beforehand," Freya said.

The two of them kept to themselves, knowing that their conversation would only cause more anxiety towards their class. Freya was much more comfortable speaking to Aria regarding the bad news that would come to their class.

"If you knew, why did you keep it to yourself until now?" Aria asked.

"Because the same thing would happen just now, except the only difference is that everyone's concerns would start earlier. I didn't want to break everyone's spirits until later... more like I didn't have it in me," Freya admitted, feeling guilty for not speaking up sooner.

While everyone looked distressed about the future that awaited them, Alan began to bring everyone's attention by banging his shield with his sword that he summoned just then.

"Everyone, calm down! I know we're going to a huge battle soon, but we have to remember, we won't survive with this kind of attitude. If we're going to survive, we have to watch each other's backs, make sure we cover for each other," Alan shouted, trying to rally the group.

"I... don't know... we did that back in the dungeon and Ace was an example of that failure," Mia spoke up, still haunted by the recent event.

"Even still... we can't waste his sacrifice. That's why we have to follow the formations he devised, he made them so that it can increase our survivability," Alan said, determined to honour his friend's memory.

"The memories of us failing to that enemy, it still haunts me, Alan. It's not as easy as working together," Ryu added.

"Sigh I guess I'll go and help mediate the situation," Freya said before leaving Aria on her own.