Chapter 125

✦ Chapter 125 ✦

「Translator – Creator」

𒋝𒋝𒋝𒋝𒋝

“You’re allotted one week for this exercise. If an emergency arises or if you wish to withdraw, signal with the fireworks spell. Help will arrive immediately, but remember, doing so will disqualify your entire group, and you’ll face penalties in future evaluations.”

Professor Priscilla stood in the middle of the clearing, addressing the assembled students.

They were all dressed in practical field attire instead of their usual academy uniforms—thick, layered shirts made of tightly woven fabric, reinforced pants with extra padding around the joints, and sturdy boots with thick soles.

“I trust that none of you will be foolish enough to give up just because you encounter a few low-tier monsters. If you do, I’d have to question whether you even deserve to be here.”

—Hahahaha!

“That’s all for the briefing. You are free to leave whenever you’re ready, but be sure to reach the North Forest before nightfall. Any student found outside the designated perimeter after midnight will be disqualified, regardless of the reason.”

A few students chuckled at Priscilla’s warning. She checked her pocket watch and concluded her instructions.

The students, grouped into their respective teams, started heading towards the North Forest. Everyone here was a competitor. Each student had been assigned individual tasks to complete during this training exercise.

To further motivate them, Professor Priscilla had promised special rewards for the top ten teams — rewards that were normally beyond the reach of ordinary students.

The grand prize was to be presented by Principal Evangeline herself, which amplified the excitement even more. The students strategized, trying to find the optimal routes, avoiding areas known for their difficult monsters.

Our group decided to wait until about half the students had left before setting off.

The first wave was mostly composed of those aiming for the top prizes, eager to get a head start. My goal, however, was simply to complete the training without any incidents.

* * * * *

“…Ed, look at this. Isn’t it a marker stone? I think we’ve reached the edge of the forest…”

We had been walking north from the academy for about three hours when Ellie tugged at my arm.

She pointed towards a small stone inscribed with ancient runes.

The stone bore signs of having been scratched by something sharp in various places, as if someone or something had tried to deface it. It was a clear sign of desperate attempts to breach the boundary.

“Ugh… Maybe a monster got this far… That’s creepy…” Ellie muttered, frowning.

Selene and Hertie also looked uneasy after seeing the damage to the marker stone.

“They said monsters couldn’t harm these seals, right? Still, it’s unsettling…”

“It’s what the professors said, so it must be true. They mentioned we’d find our objectives once we reached the marker stone. Everyone, take out your task slips and check.”

The three of them retrieved small slips of paper from their pockets and channeled mana into them.

I followed suit, unfolding the slip I’d been given before our departure. Black ink slowly seeped onto the blank page, revealing my task—

[Four Lesser Wyrms]

Over centuries of careful management, the northern forest had formed a complex ecosystem teeming with various monsters. Among them, the Lesser Wyrms were at the top of the food chain.

There was a widely accepted hypothesis that wyrms were a degenerate form of dragons, lacking wings and the ability to breathe fire. It was certainly a challenging target.

“…What did you guys get?”

“Four Two-Striped Moth Larvae. No pupae or adults allowed.”

“Four Water Rippers, for me.”

“…Four Apopythes. Only those of adolescent size or larger.”

Ellie, Selene, and Hertie listed their tasks in turn. 

One was tasked with hunting giant predatory moth larvae used in potion-making, another with capturing winged horned frogs from the swamps, and the third with hunting large, child-sized, arthropod-like monsters.

While not as challenging as the Lesser Wyrm, their targets were all apex predators within the North Forest.

“…What about you, Edwin?”

“Four Lesser Wyrms.”

Selene glanced at me as she asked. And when they heard my task, a look of surprise marred their face.

“That’s… going to be tough.”

The slips we received from the professors were enchanted to assign monsters based on each student’s evaluated skill level.

We had to defeat the assigned monsters and provide proof within the week. Of course, completing the objective early meant we could return ahead of schedule.

Also, the number of monsters we had to hunt also corresponded to the number of members in our team. So, when forming a team, students had to consider their individual skills and abilities, rather than just personal connections.

A team with members of similar skill levels could complete the tasks smoothly. But if one person was significantly stronger than the others, it could create an imbalance, with the weaker members dragging the team down.

And the opposite scenario—a single weak link—could be just as detrimental.

Of course, the professors didn’t interfere with the team-forming process.

It was part of the evaluation.

Professor Priscilla merely took our roster with a stoic expression.

“It’ll be fine. As long as we follow what we’ve learned, we’ll be fine. After all, these are just lower-tier monsters.”

Our team, however, was a bit… unique. The fact that all of us had been assigned difficult monsters meant that we were all highly skilled individuals.

“Let’s head towards the swamp first. We can take care of the Water Rippers, then work our way north from there. What do you think?”

“Sounds good. It’s the closest to us anyway…”

“I agree.”

“Me too…”

I glanced at Ellie, Selene, and Hertie in turn. Everyone nodded, and we started moving.

Besides the swamp being nearby, I preferred to avoid an encounter with Eugene’s group.

After humiliating him in that duel, I had earned the ire of both Eugene and his heroines. Running into them now would be nothing but trouble.

By now, Eugene’s group was probably heading north. If my memory served correctly, nothing major should happen during this exercise. Perhaps just a few skirmishes if someone decided to pick fights when the professors weren’t watching.

Though the timing differed significantly, the overall dynamics shouldn’t be too far off from the original plan. The northern forest shouldn’t pose much of a challenge for him or his group.

— We’re here… Finally… Our…

“What did you say?”

“…Nothing? I didn’t say anything…”

We had just stepped past the marker stone into the forest when I thought I heard something. I turned to Selene, but she only looked confused.

I scanned the surroundings. Apart from us, there wasn’t a single ant in sight.

* * * * *

To reach the swamp, we had to traverse a stretch of primeval forest.

And as we went deeper into the North Forest, its true nature was revealed…

…towering trees, so massive that it would take three grown men to encircle them with their arms, stretched endlessly towards the sky.

…their thick branches blocked out the sun, casting the forest floor in perpetual twilight, even at midday.

…spirits and strange, iridescent butterflies flitted through the air, their wings catching the faint glimmers of sunlight that managed to penetrate the canopy.

The pale green and gray spirits bound to Selene and me were also busy at work, scouting the area, appearing and disappearing intermittently. Invisible to the naked eye, these spirits were invaluable as scouts.

“…Are you okay?”

“Hehe… I’m fine… This is nothing…”

“Are you sure it’s not too heavy? If it’s too much, I can…“

“Sheesh. I already cast the lightweight spell on it… but it’s nice to be worried about… hehe…”

Ellie whispered in my ear. She was surprisingly experienced in field operations. She’d even snuck into a few royal hunting expeditions, apparently.

“”Why is it so chilly all of a sudden…? Is it just because we’re in a forest?”

She suddenly hugged her shoulders, pretending to shiver. I doubted it was merely the forest. It reminded me eerily of a familiar, chilling sensation I’d felt on several occasions.

“There’s another one…”

Hertie, walking behind us, muttered as he noticed something. A welcome diversion.

At the end of his gaze was a rock etched with a human face. The features were blurred, with grotesquely twisted eyes and mouth.

The darkness of the ancient forest only intensified the eerie feeling of the expression. We had already encountered such carvings three times today.

“I really can’t understand the aesthetic sense of ancient people… Why would they carve something like that?”

“I know, right…”

Ellie grumbled softly as she inspected the carving, and Hertie agreed. While Ellie and Selene didn’t talk much to each other, Hertie was easy to converse with.

Perhaps others also found the same comfort in Hertie that I did. In retrospect, bringing Hertie into our party was a smart decision.

She did have her moments of quiet contemplation, her expression becoming unreadable, almost cold, but no one could be expected to be cheerful all the time.

The carvings and murals etched onto the rocks and trees were remnants of the ancient people who’d once inhabited this forest. I’d learned in class that this area, rich in mana, had been populated since time immemorial.

I vaguely remembered that somewhere in the northern forest, there was supposed to be an ancient burial mound still intact…

— Take me… back to my home…

— Where the river flows…

I was about to turn away from the carving when I heard it again—a disembodied voice, filled with a mournful longing, like a sorrowful melody…

“…Did anyone else hear that?”

“Hear what…?”

“…A song.”

I looked around at my companions, but they all seemed bewildered. The forest remained eerily silent.

“What song…? Ed, did you get enough sleep…?”

“I’m serious…”

..Edwin… that’s not funny… Don’t joke around…”

Selene moved closer and grabbed my arm tightly. Her rabbit-like eyes were filled with fear, brimming with clear tears. Maybe she’s more easily scared than I thought…

“……..…”

Ellie’s gaze turned cold for a moment as she looked at Selene. Watching this, I felt an urgent need to wrap things up quickly.

But what was that sound?

I wondered if there was a banshee nearby, but if there were, I wouldn’t be the only one hearing its song.

And there was no way a mid-tiermonster like a banshee would be in the North Forest. Maybe the unsettling atmosphere was getting to me, making me hear things?

“…Sorry. I must’ve misheard…”

Only after my apology did Selene release her grip. We hurriedly continued walking to leave the ancient forest zone behind us.

We finally emerged at the forest’s edge, but the sun was already dipping below the horizon. We set up tents and lit a fire in two separate spots. Having our meal of dried jerky and pieces of bread, darkness swiftly closed in around us.

“Ed, you looked pretty tired earlier. Get some rest. We’ll take the first watch.”

“I’m not that tired… It’s fine, you guys should rest first…”

“…Yeah… I agree… You seemed exhausted… Get some sleep…”

“…Alright. But wake me up when it’s my turn. Hertie, let’s head to the tent.”

“Huh? What…?”

Hertie seemed startled by my suggestion.

“Um… No, it’s okay. I’ll take the first watch… You guys should get some sleep…”

“…Okay. Thanks, Hertie. Good night.”

“Good night…”

I settled into the tent and lay down. Unlike the mansion, the hard ground greeted me, but surprisingly, it wasn’t overly uncomfortable. Sleep began to overtake me, suggesting I really was more exhausted than I had realized.

…Or maybe I was just on edge from constantly having to play referee between Ellie and Selene…

* * * * *

Selene, having taken over from Hertie, was on watch duty. Meanwhile, within the tent, two sets of breaths alternated — Hertie’s, uneven and heavy with sleep, and Edwin’s, steady and deep.

That should’ve been me, beside him…

The regret weighed heavily on her; the sense of loss only grew.

Ever since Ellie’s return, she felt as if she’d lost her claim on Edwin

She threw a twig onto the campfire, the crackling sound barely masking the soft footsteps behind her.

Turning around, she saw two emerald-green eyes shining in the darkness.

“…What is it…?” Selene asked, looking at Ellie.

There was no reason for Ellie to be out here since it wasn’t her watch yet.

There was no love lost between them. After a tense silence, Ellie finally spoke.

“You’re terrible at it.”

Selene couldn’t discern any meaning from Ellie’s words.

“…At what…”

“Acting.”

“…….…”

Selene finally understood Ellie’s blunt words.

It was such a blatant statement that failing to grasp it would have been peculiar.

— End of Chapter —

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