"I won't say much because it's not yet time for us to go out. But starting today and for the duration of these tests, our two groups will be united. We will make sure you guys pass these tests, so don't worry; this time, you guys have been lucky because we were the group that got the information about these devourers; we have fought them before, so we have experience."

"From today, I will be the main leader of the group, and I will help you, so I expect you to behave yourselves. That will be all for today. Tomorrow, I will watch you train because right now, we have to meet with the seniors to find out their plans. So, until tomorrow, rest well." Matt said, and without waiting for those guys' reaction, he turned around and left with Isla.

It's not that I was in a hurry. Actually, it's because he didn't know what else to say. If, for some reason, he was asked questions, what the hell would he say?

He can answer what he knows, but how should he respond if they ask him for motivational words? He has never before given words of that style to anyone.

'Really, I wish Charlotte was here... She always did all the talking and understood me so well that she could tell what I was thinking just by a look.' He thought with some pity.

A while later, they arrived at the tent where the seniors were and waited patiently until the rest of the team leaders arrived.

Then, the leader of the kingdom raid stood up and looked at them. He was a senior man in the army.

His demeanor, aura, and body were made to reflect a significant presence wherever he was so no one could ignore him when he was in combat.

Many here would know him, but others would not, as is the case with Matt and Isla.

Still, they paid attention to what he had to say.

He looked at them one by one from side to side, and after etching their faces in his memory, he nodded slightly.

"I am not trained to tell you motivational words, so I will just tell you the reality. There are a lot of devourers out there who use different powers to attack. Their tricks, perhaps, are endless; just as they might attack you with swords, the next moment, they might attack you with an arrow, and then they might appear at your side to murder you with a dagger.

Therefore, if any of you are afraid of dying or getting severely hurt, I will tell you that this is not your place. You can go back to the academy right now." The man said and stood there watching these little students' reactions.

Seeing that no one left, he finally smiled.

"Well, guts make the vampire. So, I hope to see that your guts are not arrogance but good training." He said and pulled out a map.

"We have done a survey of all the nearby mountains and have an approximate of the power levels of these devourers that are now attacking us. We don't know why they are doing it, but that doesn't matter; the important thing is that they are at our gates and want to kill us."

"Because we know how many devourers there are and how they plan to attack us, in addition to the academy's request, we decided to send you students in the vanguard of the group to attack this entire region. The rest will go behind to attack from these sides to achieve complete extermination."

"Still, you must keep one thing in mind. You are not experts at fighting in mountains or forests, so be sure to fight in the easiest way for you and thus avoid death."

The man explained the whole plan of attack to them, the way they would do it when they would do it, and finally went on to explain who would make up the front line.

He looked at Matt, Isla, and Caspian.

"According to the academy, you guys belong in the same room, right?" he asked, and they nodded back.

"Well, then surely you know each other better than the rest, and according to the academy, you are among the most powerful in your year, as well as being subordinates of Heirs. Therefore, the three of you, with your respective groups, will be part of the vanguard." He said and then looked at three more.

"You, you, and you too. You will all go in the vanguard, so prepare well. You will attack the first devourer camps tomorrow."

In all, six teams were chosen to go in the vanguard. Some of those chosen had slightly somber faces, and others, like Matt, were calmer. This was the best thing for him, so he smiled a little.

After that, he chose the rest of the teams, and they spent part of the evening talking about strategy. They were preparing well for the battle ahead.

.

"Matt, do you think everything will go well?" asked Isla as she sat beside him outside the tent given to her.

Everyone was asleep except for the two of them, as they were training just now.

Matt could tell she was a little nervous about things.

Still, he didn't want to ask about her traumas right now.

"I'm sure everything will be fine. And if it doesn't, we'll figure out how to make it work out." He replied, smiling.

She nodded upon hearing this.

"You're right..." She said and looked up at the night sky with a calm smile on her pretty face.

A few minutes of silence later, she spoke again.

"You know... I used to live in some mountains in this kingdom. Devourer attacks through mountains are kind of normal here. But that night, they seemed to have different information, as if the vampires were telling them what to do because they managed to sneak into our lands and torture us."

"My family wasn't rich, but we weren't poor either. My father was a government official, and my mother a vampire of renown in the guilds, so they had strength, as did the rest of our family. Still, on that night, there were none of us left."

"After the devourers reach 5,000 power, they become as hard as a rock, but when they exceed 15,000 power, they become even more terrifying; I don't understand what they gain, but they are so strong that they are scary. That night... They tortured and killed every single member of my family in front of me. I... I could only see the way they tortured them...

Even me, I couldn't save myself." She said and trembled a little after remembering this, so she lowered her head a little.

"...Thanks to the Lord and the Lady, I am fine now. But... My family wasn't so lucky." She said and paused as she lightly hugged her legs.

Her nervousness made her recount things from her past, and although she didn't do it in detail, Matt could get an idea of what she had been through, so he sighed.