Chapter 410: Conclusion

Supervisor Jacob had gathered everyone in one hall to announce the decision of the five countries.

"Okay. First of all, I would like to thank everyone for doing their best in the beast wave. All of you have done a great job surviving.

"Unfortunately, a lot of us have fallen. As the head instructor, words cannot express how much regret I feel over the loss of those fine men.

"On the bright side, the beast wave has been repelled and the rescue team has gone to recover all the bodies that have been left behind.

"To rank in order the merits of our students and instructors in this incident would be an exceedingly difficult task. Hence, apart from one student, the others shall all equally receive the same award."

"Special Grand Award..."

"Apart from one student?"

The students were confused. They would definitely receive a commendation or other types of reward once they returned to the country.

However, the instructors all knew there was one person whose contribution couldn’t be measured by normal means.

"The reason I exclude one of the students is because even amongst all students from the five countries, there is one student whose achievements are strikingly remarkable. And to this man shall go the number one award for this beast wave incident."

The atmosphere became tense for the students.

Supervisor Jacob turned solemn. "Well, then. The first and greatest award! Student Auric Elfe, come forward!"

Katarina, Ellia, and Vera just smiled while closing their eyes as if it was a given. Other students wondered if he was really the one who was worth it.

Supervisor Jacob had finished recording all his achievements, so it was time for everyone who might not know about them to hear them.

"Student Auric Elfe decided to act as a buffer line when the students were attacked by the smaller beast wave. He took charge of several students to pinpoint all the exact spots that required reinforcement, all the while attacking the beasts in other spots by himself. Thanks to his timely and precise support, the students managed to hold out against the smaller beast wave until reinforcements came.

"And that wasn’t his only role during the battle. While giving precious support to all students, he also removed the poison from all those students so that they could keep fighting.

"Furthermore, while retreating to the city, he was in charge of finding and rescuing four survivors from the plane without losing any time.

"Last but not least, he helped defend the wall and even went out of his way to kill the beasts that had infiltrated the city. If they weren’t killed, the soldiers whose homes were being ravaged by those beasts wouldn’t be able to focus on the battlefield.

"His efforts deserve nothing less than the greatest award of them all. Even as a former general myself, I give my thanks."

Auric just looked at him without saying anything. He was merely doing his job.

Of course, there were other things that Auric had done. For example, he was the man who made the alliance possible.

If Esfrata and the UK hadn’t formed an alliance, all five countries might have had to retreat separately. They wouldn’t be strong enough to face the smaller beast wave.

Other countries wouldn’t even consider making an alliance. Instead, they would focus on their respective students, even if it meant retreating completely.

In addition, his existence ended up piquing Lady Merlin’s interest, who had helped them prevent another ambush from the enemy.

He also acted as bait to draw out the enemy.

Therefore, Auric definitely deserved the award.

Supervisor Jacob knew Auric wasn’t in the military, so he announced, "Auric Elfe shall receive one magic item imbued with a Rank 6 power. He will receive a set of equipment made from Rank 5 beasts as well as various artifacts and materials."

Supervisor Jacob only gave him a badge, but this was more than enough as a symbol until they returned to Esfrata.

A lot of students were surprised, as they had never witnessed Auric fighting directly. They were simply too focused on the beasts in front of them because they didn’t want to die. Still, they remembered a few people going back and forth to give them some breathing room.

"So, those people were directed by him?"

"He did all that?"

Auric didn’t actually need all of them, but it was true that having another magic item might be quite useful for him.

This was probably the biggest reward, since a magic item was hard to make, especially a high-rank one. Just one of them alone would probably cost tens of billions at an auction.

Other equipment wasn’t necessary since he fought differently, not to mention materials and artifacts.

Auric returned to his position as Supervisor Jacob continued, "All right. Now that the beast wave has been repelled, our training program has accomplished its objective.

"As such, the training program is over. For the next three days, you may stay here to relax. You can go here and there, buy some stuff, and do other things. It’s your free time while you recover.

"On Sunday, we will have the closing ceremony, both to honor the fallen comrades and to officially end this training program. Please dress appropriately.

"We will return to Esfrata in the morning. Any questions?"

No one raised their hands, so Supervisor Jacob nodded and declared, "In that case, you are dismissed. Please enjoy your time here. Thank you for your hard work."

"Wooo!"

The students were celebrating since the danger had passed.

"This place is still a mess, but we can definitely see a lot of things here, right?" Vera smiled.

"Of course." Auric nodded. "How about we take this time to finally relax?"

"No objections."

They roamed the streets, helping people clean up the mess after the battle while trying some new foods or buying new clothes.

They were walking around without having to worry about anything else.

In the meantime, the soldiers from all five countries were coming to this city. Dermania had no choice but to allow each country to take its fallen soldiers home.

Of course, that also meant that many more people would come to investigate Natalia. They came not just from this base but from the other two bases, trying to find out anything they could about her.

The next day, the procession began. They escorted all the soldiers, students, and instructors who had fallen in battle, preparing to fly their bodies back to their respective countries.

It looked like they wanted to keep the students here instead of letting them return for the ceremony. There were a lot of debates about this matter, so in the end, they decided to stay first and finish the training program to its completion. They would then return to the country and visit the memorial first before going back to their respective homes.

Storms started brewing. A lot of people praised all the students, soldiers, and instructors who had fought bravely against the beast wave.

Still, some students had also fallen into despair and been captured on camera. Even if those scenes had been deleted, many other clips were still circulating online.

Some people could understand the situation. They were just students who had been ambushed with no backup. The situation was pretty much hopeless since they would go down from just a single scratch.

Some people condemned them for being cowards. Their harsh words would definitely haunt the students forever.

Maya finally checked up on them after two whole days, showing them her phone straight away.

[Dermania didn’t send their Rank 7 human, Ultias?]

[Dermania was abandoning the students they were supposed to protect?]

[Where is the Seven Star Ultias? Is he still worthy to hold the title of one of the Seven Stars?]

"Are you seeing this?" Maya asked.

"Yeah. They’re flaming Dermania right now. Dermania is currently under fire because they can’t get in touch with Ultias right now. According to the report, Ultias chose to go into seclusion before the beast wave." Katarina nodded calmly. She had a lot of ears, not just in Esfrata.

"It’s really ridiculous. There are a lot of conspiracy theories out there." Vera nodded.

"I’ve been buying some good stocks over there. I might get a quick 10% or 20% return?" Ellia shrugged. "The situation is a bit volatile, but I can still make some money from it."

Auric paused for a moment before asking, "By the way, what are they going to do with that instructor?"

"That instructor? Oh, you mean the former head instructor?" Maya looked up before scratching the back of her head. "Yeah... about that..."

Auric narrowed his eyes. "What’s wrong?"

"There are a few instructors from our respective countries as well. In the end, the country decided to reach a settlement with Dermania. Dermania would send you compensation in exchange for silence."

Auric’s eyes turned cold. "So, you mean... they want to seal my mouth?"

"Yeah. They were warning me to shut my mouth, or things would turn ugly." Maya nodded. "I was still trying to figure out if it could turn out differently."

Auric crossed his arms. "I would say I’m not pleased. What’s next? Are they going to send some agents who will be watching me now?"

Maya raised both hands. "I don’t know. It’s already beyond me."

It might have been because he was still affected by his mother’s death. Despite not showing much emotion on his face, he was pretty pissed.

Auric didn’t know whether he would regret it sooner or later, but while he was thankful that the country was sending Mr. Green and Supervisor Jacob to protect him, he knew he could actually protect himself. He just needed a different plan and wouldn’t have contributed as much.

That was why he understood what he should do next.