Way of the Knights

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The ten minute timer had begun, the classroom was extremely silent as they pondered about the scenario that Raven gave them.

Raven himself sat down and continued to read a book while the let the students ponder about his question. 

Without a doubt, each student was stumped by his question. The scenario was dire and nobody wants to die, but the sense of duty and their inner compassion to help was making it hard for them to pick a choice. 

Of course, it would be easier to just turn around and leave. But it's not hard to imagine the bloody end that will befall towards the client and his men should they decide to leave them to their own devices. 

Even though Raven wasn't actively looking at them, he could see that some of his students are pulling their hairs out already, most probably due to inner conflict. 

"Excuse me, Instructor." One of the students raise his hand to get his attention, Raven nodded to him then he asked a question. "Would are answers have any kind of implications on our profiles."

"Of course." Raven nodded, the students became even more stressed when they heard that. Fortunately, Raven explained by saying: "But you won't be judged academically according to your answers. If anything, I would just use this as a basis to see what kind of 'Leader' you guys will grow up to."

In a sense, some students didn't know whether that was a good thing or not. But the boy who asked this question sighed in relief and then said: "I already have my answer, Instructor."

"Oh?" Raven raised a brow, it didn't took him that long to decide, not even five minutes had passed. "Let's hear it then." He then closed his book and gave his attention to this student.

"I would retreat with my team." The boy answered in a straight forward manner which shocked most of his classmates. 

Raven remained unperturbed, instead he asked: "So, you would abandon the mission?" The boy nodded, thus he asked: "Why?"

"Because I believe that continuing further would be unwise. We will most likely be outnumbered, so even though we could take down some of the assassins who are terrorizing our client and his people, we would just end up as another casualty. I wouldn't want myself nor my team to have a meaningless deaths." 

After the boy said his piece, there was a moment of silence inside the room. Raven nodded softly and looked at the rest of the students, asking: "Do anyone else feel the same as her? Raise your hand if you do."

Out of the 29 students, 9 raised their hands. Meaning that in this class, 10 people would most likely going to do what the boy said if that situation occurred to them. 

Raven nodded and looked back to the boy, he then said: "Your reason to call for a retreat is alright."

The boy sighed in relief but unfortunately she didn't know that Raven isn't done yet.

"This means, that if you came across in a situation like this, you will choose to save six people at the cost of how many people there is on that place. Right?"

The boy staggered ever so slightly when Raven said this, he wanted to refute his words but what he said was basically the summarization of what he decided upon.

"I wonder how many people are in there. 10? 20? 50? 100? Who knows right? And aside from the client, none of you knows how many women are in there, are some of them pregnant? How many kids and elderly are in there? Well, you won't know since you retreated and they will most likely die the moment you leave."

The Raven talked, the more horrified his students get. But Raven is still not done.

"When you come back, you will undoubtedly be interrogated by your supervisors about what happened. As a Leader, it is your task to relay the truth. What do you think you supervisors would think about how you handled this mission? Would they punish you or understand your decision?"

"But no matter how much we ponder here, the result won't change. You and your team turned your back towards the people who needed you. This scene will forever brand you and will inevitably haunt you when you sleep."

"Which leads us to my question." Raven stated, "Will you be able to remain sleep at night knowing that you, as the 'Leader', caused all of this to happen?" 

There was a defeaning silence inside the classroom as soon as Raven finished his piece. The boy in question had his head down, silently imagining himself in that kind of situation. He had to admit that even just thinking about it makes him feel sick in the stomach. If it all boiled down to that, he thought that death might be a better option.

"I want you to reflect on what I said." Raven stated and said: "You may sit down."

He then looked at the rest of his students who hadn't given their answers yet and asked them one by one. 

In the end, even though some of the students told him that they will continue with the mission. Raven still managed to stump them with the possible outcomes of their actions. His attitude towards this lesson got the students wonder if there really is a correct answer at all. 

At the midst of this atmosphere, one student raiser her hand and asked him: "How about you, Instructor? What would you do in this situation?"

Raven smiled and said: "An interesting question. Hmm, let's see."

He deliberated for a while and said: "I will go on with the mission." He replied, which stunned most of his students, he then continued by saying: "But not with my full team, I guess."

"I will give an order to the fastest person on my team, which is most likely the assassin." He stated, "I will either ask him to infiltrate the enemy base to know how many assassins were dealing with or I will outright send him back to the headquarters to ask for reinforcements ASAP."

As the students listened to him, their eyes brightened. They started thinking 'Why didn't I think of that?' But then they realized that they were just students by now so it all makes sense.

"I will go the remaining people along with the client. Since a battle is inevitable anyway, I will ask someone in my team to scout for a spot for people to retreat during the battle, I will then ask the same person to retreat while taking as many as he/she could. While my teammate is leading the children, women and elderly away. We will proceed with the mission. If the client manage to fix the outpost, cool. If he couldn't and it's looking bad, I'll ask him to leave while we face a life and death battle with the assassins."

"I know that we could take down the first wave that they will send to us. If the reinforcements arrived? Sweet? But it they didn't, then the moment the assassins retreat, we will track them back to their base and I will detonate myself in there to make a huge explosion, I'll drag as many as I could before I die. If some of teammates managed to escape, good. If they couldn't, then I could only say that we tried our best. Either way, the explosion will mostly likely terrify the remaining assassins to retreat, so either the client will go back to fix the outpost or not, it's whatever at that point since I'm dead and couldn't do anything at point anyway. I did my best and what comes next depends on them."

"Yeah, my family would be sad that I died in the middle of the mission. But I died like a hero, alright. They will be sad but proud of what I did. My ego as a Knight of the Kingdom still burns brightly even after my death and who knows? I might be able to inspire others with my story."

After saying this, Raven paused and allowed the students to think about what he said. After a while he continued: "Do any of you remembered what I said about being a 'Leader' earlier?"

"Being a Leader is being responsible." His students replied.

"Very good." Raven smiled and nodded, "I'll tell you right now that your answers are neither right nor wrong. So does my answer for that matter."

"In the end, since I am the Leader of my team. I will try to seek the best outcome for both parties. Whether I could find it or not, whatever my decision is. I will become responsible for it."

"Being a Leader is being responsible not only with your team and your duty, it also applies for yourself. Whatever comes next, as the Leader you have to face it. Whether you get punished, be haunted by nightmares, or die. Remember that you reached a decision with your team, as the one 'Leading' the team, you shall be the one to 'Lead'. This will be your task, your duty and your Responsibility to do so."

"Am I understood by everyone?"

"Yes, Instructor."