Leave a comment

Michelle and Cloud came to greet us while acting like strangers, making Letina and I squint our eyes at them.

With the way they were acting, it was clear that they came here to surprise us.

“Hello, I’m Michelle. Let’s get along!”
“I’m Cloud. I’m in charge of defense. Best regards.”
“You guys are so barefaced.”

Cloud looked away at my words, while Michelle dodged it while scratching her head. Celica and Zanastia also witnessed that and stared wide-eyed. Incidentally, Sullivan had hearts in his eyes. I’ll murder him if he puts a hand on Michelle.

“Are you acquaintances?”
“Yeah, well… They are my former comrades.”
“Come on, Nicole! We’re still one!”
“I’m a student now, though.”

I answered back with an aloof attitude to get back at them for their prank. Michelle started explaining herself in a fluster at my attitude.

“Don’t get angry, Nicole. It’s like, Cloud said we had to talk to you anyway, so we could just meet you ourselves.”
“Huh, hey, Michelle! Don’t make it my fault now, will you?!”
“I’m not angry or anything. But I’m not sure you should’ve shown your face so carelessly.”

This could be called the enemy territory. If it got known that they were my and Letina’s acquaintances, they could attempt something.

If possible, I wanted them to have kept their distance.

But admonishing them for that now could be dangerous instead. After all, the teacher’s eyes were on us.

“Anyway, act like we’re meeting for the first time for now.”
“Huh… Okay, got it.”

Michelle didn’t object after seeing my complex expression and agreed to it.

She trusted me so she would accept my words even when she lacked an explanation. I was thankful for her response now.

“Okay, did you finish your introductions with the Adventurers? Then head out to the forest now. You have to combat the monsters three times until noon.”

I looked around at those words and found that there were already seven teams formed.

That’s how nearly thirty students divided themselves. And one or two Adventurers joined each group.

Taking the traveling time in mind, we had a bit over two hours until the noon break. Three battles in that time was quite a harsh quota to meet.

Our party who had high searching ability aside, the other parties would have trouble just finding the enemy.

I thought about that while we followed behind the teacher who took the lead.

“Then, you two have been Adventuring since the elementary year?”
“Yeah, Nicole being with us was a huge help, you know?”
“She’s my master too. She was different from your everyday brats.”
“Yeah, Nicole’s so pretty too. No wonder she attracts attention.”

While moving, Michelle and Cloud chatted with Celica and the rest. Also, Cloud was looking at Sullivan, who was buttering up to the girls, with a complex face.

He was perhaps not very compatible with cajoling types like him. Still, I wish they stopped speaking in exaggeration in regards to my past.

“So you are from Berith, Selica? Then have you seen the World Tree?”
“Of course, it’s my homeplace. That’s why I was interested in Miss Nicole.”
“Ah, she did save the Pope. Is she treated there like a hero or something?”
“They were even discussing whether to build her a statue.”
“Oof.”
“Please don’t…”

I didn’t know that Celica was from Forneus’s capital, Berith. But knowing the situation there, I was at my wit’s end.

“By the way, it’s Lady Ashella herself who is intent on it.”
“I have to stop her!”

I have to warn her not to the next time we meet. I pumped my first with such determination.

“Speaking of which, there are rumors that the World Tree has started to ring ever since.”
“The World Tree is… ringing?”
“Yeah. It goes creak creak at midnight.”

For a moment I wondered if Kufar who snuck inside did something. But no matter how mutated a Slime he was, interfering with the World Tree would require a tremendous amount of strength. You would need to be on the level of God of Destruction, who broke the World Tree. I didn’t think Kufar had that strength, so it was probably something else.

We continued doing the idle chatter even after that, and also discussed our party roles. Lyell and the rest taught us how important it was to prepare in advance when acting as a group.

Raum’s characteristic was that there was a forest right as you left the cities, and this city was also covered in deep forest right as you stepped out of the gate.

“Okay, time to start. Make absolutely sure you follow the Adventurers’ instructions.”

With the teacher’s words, every group started to move into action. Until now, they talked out and the students who were anxious at first also started to open up. But that also meant that the prideful noble boys would reveal their true nature too.

At that stage, there would be students who’d not lend an ear to the words of Adventurers, who, forget commoners, were even of unknown origin. That’s why the teacher kept insisting to listen to the Adventurers.

“Oh dear, for me to abide by the words of some Adventurers.”
“Having said that, we have to finish this assignment or we will fail to earn the credit. What a painful situation.”

As proof of that, I heard dissatisfied voices from here and there.

They naturally also reached the teacher’s ears, but he let it pass, perhaps being the usual thing.

“Now, I suppose we should go too.”
“Okay, but where to?”
“We have to leave that to the great Adventurers right?”
“Huuh, aren’t you going to search the enemy for us, Nicole?”
“That was not part of the homework.”

Michelle was at a loss at my words.

She had sharp senses, but not anywhere near mine. But well, I guess I should put an end to teasing her already. I didn’t want to drop our credit for no reason.

“Come, this way.”

I pointed to one side of the forest and took the lead.

It was a particularly thick-leaved place, with no animal trails either. It was different from the animal trails that most of the other parties followed.

“Miss Nicole, there are no trails there.”
“What she said.”

Celica asked in doubt, and Zanastia also nodded in agreement. Their doubts were valid, but our assignment this time was to fight three times. There was no need to aim for a big game that would leave a trail. Even fighting some wild birds would count as one battle.

“I saw Raum Peasant earlier.”
“Really?! That bird is really delicious.”

Raum Peasant was a large peasant that inhabited Raum’s forest regions. It had a body over two meters wide if it spread its wings, but it was a herbivore by nature and didn’t attack humans.

But if it was attacked, it would attack with its claws that supported its giant body, so it would still be a bit too much for amateurs.

“Ignoring Michelle’s comment, it’s still a monster, so let’s start with that one, alright?”
“O-Okay.”

Celica nodded with a tense expression. Zanastia was the same.

However, Cloud and Letina were already used to this, so they just put their hands on their respective weapons.

Then with my words, Michelle proudly pulled her bow.