Raine was sleeping in the other page boys' dormitory.

Bushy Brow's scream woke him immediately. He had heard the words clearly—not only a cry for help, but a warning about a monster.

Raine shook George awake and told him to rouse everyone else, then hurried to the door and looked outside.

He was still wondering why there was no movement from the opposite dormitory when a five-man estate patrol sprinted toward it.

The next instant, Raine's heart clenched. His scalp prickled and his pupils contracted.

A massive shadow burst from the opposite dormitory. Pieces of the shattered door flew toward the patrol like a storm of arrows. As the guards raised their arms to protect themselves, two were struck and sent flying.

The enormous humanoid did not slow. Carrying a skinny, bare-chested page boy in one hand, it cleared the fence with terrifying speed—faster than the greatest hundred-meter sprinters of Raine's previous world.

In the moonlight, he caught a glimpse of a powerfully built body, an ugly hyena-like face, and thick arms covered in fur.

"What... what kind of monster is that?"

Shock rooted Raine in place, and an intense sense of danger flooded him.

His plan had always seemed straightforward. With the Class Panels, he could train steadily, advance step by step, and eventually reach the pinnacle of this world.

The scene before him shattered that comfortable assumption.

Even if he never went looking for danger, danger could come looking for him.

If the monster had chosen their dormitory instead, could he have done anything except sit there and trust to luck?

No.

Absolutely not.

He needed to work twice as hard.

Raine's expression remained grim and still, though turmoil raged inside him.

---

Habsburg Estate soon erupted into chaos. Guards converged from every direction, wearing nasal helms and chainmail and carrying either sword and shield or spear and shield.

Woof! Woof! Woof!

Some had brought Greyhound War Dogs. Using the scent and tracks on the ground, they quickly determined the monster's route of escape. Even so, they kept the dogs leashed, apparently waiting for someone.

Raine and the other page boys had already come outside. From a distance, they watched the opposite dormitory being cordoned off. Its surviving trainees were either vomiting or sobbing, their faces bloodless.

The sight chilled Raine and the others.

If the Goddess of Luck had not protected them—if the monster had chosen their dormitory instead...

George and the others shuddered at the thought.

Before long, a tall figure in thick plate armor and a black cloak strode onto the scene. The guards saluted one after another.

"Lord Lloyd."

This imposing middle-aged man was Lord Lloyd, Habsburg Estate's steward and resident Knight.

"Report."

Lloyd's arrival immediately brought order to the panicked scene. Such was the authority of a Knight and the reassurance inspired by transcendent strength.

"Two page boys are dead. One is missing and was most likely abducted."

"Judging by the patrol's account and the enormous footprints left behind, the attacker appears to be a wandering gnoll. It was exceptionally large and powerful—almost certainly no ordinary gnoll."

The speaker appeared to be a squad captain.

"Show me the scene."

Knight Lloyd, who had long golden hair and a neatly trimmed box beard, delivered the order in a low voice.

"As you command, my lord."

Two chainmail-clad guards led the way into the dormitory where Bushy Brow's group had been housed.

A gaping hole nearly three meters high and more than two meters wide had been smashed through the entrance. The surrounding boards ended in jagged splinters. According to the patrol, the gnoll had simply crashed straight through the door.

Such power...

Lloyd fell into thought.

"Lord Lloyd, this was almost certainly an extremely rare dire gnoll."

A deep male voice came from behind him. Lord Perez, the Knight instructor responsible for the noble children of Mayst County, approached the scene.

"Lord Perez."

The guards saluted.

"What do you recommend?" Lloyd asked.

"The forest at night is not our ground. I suggest placing the entire estate on high alert until dawn. Then we can contact Goldflash Town's new sheriff, Lord Hamilton, and organize a joint search."

Perez was tall and powerfully built, but his recommendation was prudent.

Fighting a dire gnoll in dense forest at night would trouble even a Knight who had entered the transcendent realm. More importantly, nighttime forests did not belong to humanity. The hunters might encounter creatures far more dangerous than a dire gnoll, turning the search into a bloody failure.

After a brief consideration, Lloyd nodded and turned to a messenger.

"Strengthen the guard, particularly around the servants' quarters, stables, and livestock pens."

"Send word to Goldflash Town immediately as well. Warn them that a dire gnoll has appeared. It may not return to the estate, but it could head to town in search of prey. Tell them to prepare."

"As you command, Lord Lloyd."

The messenger saluted, mounted a horse, and rode swiftly toward the estate gates.

Raine, George, and the other page boys listened from a distance as Lloyd and Perez spoke. Then Humbert hurried over in chainmail.

"Page-boy training is suspended," their swordsmanship instructor announced. "All of you will follow me back to Goldflash Town immediately."

George and the others exchanged uneasy looks.

After a moment's thought, Raine understood the decision. Until the dire gnoll was eliminated, keeping so many trainees on the estate only increased the burden on its defenses.

If more page boys were killed or injured, Lloyd, as the estate's chief administrator, would bear responsibility. Even as a Knight, he would be held accountable by higher-ranking nobles.

Sending the trainees home was the safest option. As for those who had died, the estate would need to compensate their families and limit the damage as best it could.

Escorted by Humbert and several guards, the page boys returned to Goldflash Town beneath the night sky.