Noah kept a short distance away from the girls, watching them from where he stood while using his mana perception to look around the caravan.
The sounds around him were nothing unusual, as he had noticed before, but he noticed a quiet change at the edge of his hearing. It wasn’t just one source of mana, and it wasn’t a few scattered sources. Those ones disappeared behind the rocks and slopes, and then came back from the same places after some time.
"Just as I expected... They are getting closer."
Noah gradually moved away from the group, pretending to inspect the road surrounding the carriages.
He did not want to approach the sources of mana. He only wanted to determine their number, the direction of their advance, and the distance separating them from the caravan.
He looked toward the ground and found deep footprints embedded in the damp soil between the grass. They were much larger than human footprints. Broken branches and stones displaced from their original positions also appeared along the slope.
It did not take him long to determine what was approaching.
"Ogres again..."
They didn’t move in one direction. They had split into small groups, and a large group was coming from behind the mountain road. It looked like they were trying to surround the caravan before attacking.
As Noah, they were at least dozens of them. The ogres themselves weren’t a big problem for Noah, but he thought that if everyone died and he survived, people would investigate, and that could ruin his plans.
Facing a single ogre was difficult for an ordinary low-level mage. Facing this many was enough to turn the place into a massacre.
Noah’s expression did not change.
He didn’t want to warn the candidates. If he revealed that he could sense mana from a distance, he might attract the attention of the noble mages supervising the caravan.
Their presence was enough to prevent the caravan from being completely destroyed. As for how many candidates would die before they intervened, it meant nothing to him.
Charles’s voice rose from a distance:
"Noah! It is time to return to the carriages!"
"Alright."
Noah returned with natural steps, neither hurrying nor looking behind him. Wandering alone far from the caravan was not only dangerous, but would also attract attention to him.
Before he reached the carriage, a powerful wave of mana spread from the rear carriages.
Noah raised his head.
The voice of one of the noble mages supervising the caravan rang out, clearly reaching everyone present:
"A group of ogres is approaching! All candidates must return to the carriages immediately!"
Dong! Dong!
The alarm bell rang sharply, followed by the voice of a member of the escort party:
"Danger is approaching! Return to the carriages!"
The candidates scattered across the grass stopped for a moment before they all moved at the same time.
Some began running toward the carriages without looking at the others, while others froze in place because of fear.
Charles signaled with his hands, using the signals that the members of his alliance had agreed upon beforehand.
The nobles were surprised for a moment, but they quickly remembered what the signals meant. They moved in an orderly manner, pushing the girls and the younger candidates ahead of them toward the carriages.
A couple of the other candidates noticed what was going on and started chasing them as well. This happened just before the withdrawal turned into complete chaos.
The followers of the person Charles was allied with had a great chance because they were more organized than the others. They had just started moving through the crowd when the carriage almost hit them.
Noah moved naturally among them.
No one knew that he had discovered the ogres before the warning was issued.
A deep roar rose from among the mountains.
It was followed by several rough cries from the areas surrounding the caravan. The grass shook, and small stones fell from the slopes as the sound of heavy footsteps drew closer.
Once their ambush was discovered, the ogres no longer tried to conceal their presence.
Massive bodies appeared between the rocks and scattered trees. Most of them were over two and a half meters tall, and their rough gray skin stretched over bulging muscles. Some carried thick wooden clubs, while others held large rocks or fought with their bare hands.
Despite their size, they charged at a speed that most of the candidates had not expected.
A girl running at the rear of the group screamed:
"The ogres!"
One of the ogres turned its head toward her, then charged down from the top of the slope. The girl tried to continue running, but she stumbled and fell to the ground.
The ogre raised its club and brought it down.
Her screaming stopped immediately.
Several candidates turned after hearing the sound and froze when they saw her body beneath the club. Their screams then rose as they ran even faster toward the carriages.
Another girl was running with tears covering her face.
"How dare a lowly beast like you approach noble blood!"
Noah reached the carriages and looked at the scene before him.
Some of these nobles were already beginning to lose their composure.
Seven gunshots thundered in quick succession.
Seven figures rushed out from around the carriages. They were members of the escort party, and each of them carried a long rifle.
They targeted the advancing ogres, but most of the bullets that struck their chests and shoulders failed to penetrate their thick skin. Some left superficial wounds, while the force of other impacts merely forced some of the ogres back by a single step.
The rifles were capable of killing humans and knights, but they were not equally effective against low-grade magical beasts.
One of the ogres raised a rock and threw it toward the girl who had shouted arrogantly.
Before it could reach her, another gunshot thundered.
The bullet entered through the ogre’s open mouth while it was roaring. Blood burst from the back of its head, and its heavy body fell to the ground.
The escort quickly reloaded his rifle, then stepped in front of the girl.
"Thank you... Thank you!"
He did not turn toward her.
"Are nobles idiots? Get back to the carriages immediately!"
The girl looked as though she had finally awakened. She turned around and ran toward the caravan.
The voice of one of the escorts near the carriages rose:
"Arrange the carriages in a circle! Use them as a defensive barrier! Those unable to fight must remain inside, while the rest must prepare to defend themselves!"
The carriage drivers began moving them quickly. The horses and ropes became tangled for a few moments, but the carriages gradually formed an irregular circle.
Charles jumped onto one of the carriages and began directing the members of his alliance.
"Get the injured inside first! Do not leave any gaps between the carriages!"
The nobles followed his instructions, while those capable of using magic gathered behind the members of the escort party.