Eleeme Territory, Southern Rainana Kingdom
This place was the most monster-infested region in the Rainana Kingdom. After about half a day of being jostled around since leaving the academy, we finally arrived at the forest that was our destination, and the carriages carrying the students came to a halt one after another.
“We’re here… That was faster than I expected.”
The duke’s carriage was comfortable, so I felt like time passed quickly. But my expression was more stern than usual, and the surrounding students seemed intimidated.
“My lord, you’re making a scary face.”
“That’s just how I look. Ignore it.”
Maria, who was in the same carriage, pointed it out, and I realized I was tense, so I relaxed my shoulders a little.
We’re finally here, huh? I never get used to life-or-death situations, no matter how many times I experience them.
“Everyone, gather in the center!”
At the homeroom teacher’s command, the students gathered.
“As explained in advance, you will now hunt monsters in this monster-infested forest. The deadline is three days. If you determine that it’s impossible to continue the field training exercise due to injury or other reasons, use magic to send a signal into the sky. We teachers will be waiting at the headquarters here, so we will rush over at any time.
Also, I promise to give a special grade to the group that defeats a big monster. But don’t be reckless in your eagerness to succeed. The purpose of this exercise is, after all, practical combat in the forest and monster subjugation. If there are no questions, we will begin the field training exercise.
The teachers have decided on the routes into the forest in advance to avoid trouble. Proceed along the route assigned to each group. That’s all. Begin the field training exercise!”
As the homeroom teacher gave the command, the students scattered to head to their respective groups.
“Absolute, I apologize for the wait.”
After the teachers' explanation, Absolute waited for his group members to gather, just like the other groups, when Chris of the Ark House faction from class B came to him.
“No, it’s fine. Sorry to bother you so soon, Chris. Which route will you be taking into the forest?”
Absolute wanted to know the locations of his people so he could move immediately in case of a monster attack. Depending on the route, he might have to increase his speed, so it was important.
“We’re on Route F.”
“F, huh? We’re on D, so it’s not that far.”
He was relieved that they were only a few kilometers apart, but conversely, it meant there was a possibility they could be attacked together. He couldn’t let his guard down.
“Chris, just in case, if you sense anything unusual, immediately send magic into the sky. I’ll head over there in an instant.”
“Thank you very much. Then, I’ll be going now.”
As Chris left, Absolute secretly attached the spirit, Toa, to him. With this, he could know Chris’s location, and if he was in danger, Toa’s power could be used to hold out until Absolute arrived.
“Absolute, we’re ready too.”
“Ah, I see. Lady Cruel, if anything happens, you use magic to signal the sky to report it. You and I are the only ones proficient in magic. Maria, don’t leave Princess Leone’s side. Mist and Oriana, take the lead. Let’s go.”
And so, Absolute and the others stepped into the forest.
◆
The monsters in the world of Rainana Kingdom Story are broadly divided into two types.
Humanoid and non-humanoid. The closer a humanoid monster is to a human in appearance and size, the more dangerous it is. This is because humanoid monsters, such as ogres and dragonewts, are more intelligent. As their intelligence increases, humanoids seek power and attack not only humans but also other monsters. This is because they understand that fighting and eating is an efficient way for monsters to become stronger.
Conversely, for non-humanoid monsters, the larger the size, the more dangerous they are. Their intelligence is inferior to that of humanoids, but their sheer size makes them dangerous due to their power. In addition, they are driven by instinct, form packs, and are numerous, making them troublesome as well.
The most dangerous monsters in the forest that Absolute and the others entered had been subjugated in advance. However, even weak monsters can be harmful to humans.
One of the purposes of this field training exercise was to experience this firsthand.
Absolute and his group, who were proceeding along Route D under the guidance of the teachers, encountered monsters and repeated battles many times, and were currently fighting a pack of about twenty goblins.
“Lady Cruel, a monster went over there!”
Mist, with his proud knife skills, finished off a monster with a single thrust.
“Understood, Mist! Ice Lance!”
Lady Cruel sniped at a monster with a long-range attack.
“…This side is finished too.”
Oriana, making full use of her martial arts, reliably finished off monsters and guarded Lady Cruel, who was not good at close combat.
“I’m done too. There are quite a few monsters even though we haven’t gone far.”
Princess Leone, who recorded the highest number of subjugations with her overwhelming swordsmanship.
Honestly, I wondered if it was okay to let her, who seemed timid, participate in the battle, but it was an unnecessary worry.
Her refined sword technique, unimaginable for a princess, was that of a master.
After entering the forest, Absolute’s group was puzzled by the number of monsters but steadily advanced with their subjugation.
Except for Absolute.
*As expected, at this level, it’s easy no matter how many there are. But it seems the Church hasn’t released any monsters yet. If it were me, I’d release them at night and target them when they’re off guard. Will they be alright until then?
But honestly, I was worried about Princess Leone, but she’s pretty strong. It’s not about her level, but her technique and high level of training. She’s probably been training seriously since she was a child. …I’m bored. When I tried to fight, Mist and the others told me to take it easy in the back because they wanted to gain experience, so I’ve been watching the whole time, but if I don’t do anything, I’ll honestly feel bad. Monster extermination doesn’t hurt my conscience as much as killing people, but I feel a sense of aversion like when I kill a cockroach, so at first I was honestly grateful for the offer, but I didn’t expect to be this much of dead weight. Princess Leone is also making a face like she wants to say something.*
Absolute, who was told to wait in the back by Mist and the others, felt a sense of isolation and was very uncomfortable watching his companions, who were fighting together and building good relationships.
“Absolute, how about you go next time? It must be boring just watching.”
(I can’t help but feel like you’re telling me to fight too, and it’s not just my imagination, is it? From the side, I look like a bad guy who’s just making his subordinates fight.)
“That’s right, I’ll go next time too…”
“No, no, these monsters are nothing. Please let us shine for a while, Absolute. If you do it, it’ll be over in an instant, so it won’t be a field training exercise. Please leave it to us.”
(Are these guys bloodthirsty? When did my guys become so warlike?)
“Is that so? But aren’t you guys tired? I’ll take over when the next monster appears.”
“We’re fine. Please stand firm, Absolute. We’ll handle the small fries. Oh, are you thirsty? Lady Cruel, would you like some water?”
Perhaps thinking that Absolute was being considerate, they were being considerate to him instead.
Lady Cruel received the water and took a breather. She was happy with the consideration of being given room temperature water.
“Oh, Princess, would you like some too?”
“Thank you. …Oh? This water is very delicious. It has a refreshing taste like it’s been filtered many times in nature and had all the impurities removed. Where is this water from?”
“Lady Cruel water.”
“Lady Cruel water?”
“Yes, it’s water that comes from me (with water magic), so it’s Lady Cruel water.”
Princess Leone’s face turned blue.
When someone says water that came from someone else, there’s only one thing that comes to mind.
(Lady Cruel is intentionally speaking vaguely. She’s cute on the outside, but she’s also into dirty jokes, so no wonder she’s popular.)
The members of the same faction felt a sense of déjà vu in the exchange that was probably intentional.
They were preparing to make a retort.
“You… ? Came out? Could this water be, pee–!”
“Don’t say it!”
After that, Princess Leone’s misunderstanding was cleared up, and everyone took a breather.
After resting, Absolute’s group continued to move forward and repeat battles. However, there were too many monsters, so even though they had originally planned to go a little deeper into the forest, the first day ended without much progress.
Several hours had passed since entering the forest, and the sky was darkening, so they decided it would be dangerous to explore any further, and Absolute and the others began preparing for camp at the planned campsite that they had found while it was still bright.
Lady Cruel and Oriana were in charge of firewood and water replenishment.
Maria was on guard around the area.
Leone and the maids were setting up the tents.
Absolute used magic to mow down the surrounding trees to secure space.
Mist was using the Browser House’s unique magic, 【Barrier】, to set up a monster repelling barrier.
“…! …! …!”
After finishing setting up the tents, an emergency signal was sent from the spirit, Toa. This signal meant that a large number of monsters were attacking Chris and the others.
A little later, magic rose into the sky from the direction of Chris and the others.
(They finally made their move, huh? They haven’t come to us yet, and if Mist’s barrier is up, we should be able to buy 15 minutes. The distance isn’t that far, so if I go at full speed, I should make it in time.)
“Mist, I’ll be away for about fifteen minutes. And make sure the barrier is up tight. If anything happens, have Lady Cruel send magic into the sky as planned!”
“Eh? Absolute!”
Leaving only those words behind, Absolute disappeared from the spot in an instant.
Mist, the maids who were setting up the tents, and Princess Leone were left behind.
♢
“He’s gone, huh? He’s just a helpless person…”
Mist said with a wry smile.
For him, who had been with Absolute for a long time, these kinds of situations were common.
(Absolute went towards the magic signal. If he’s leaving the group at this time, he’s probably going to rescue them. If it’s a situation so dangerous that Absolute has to go, then I can understand that it’s quite dangerous, and since he moved without any hesitation, Absolute probably had some information about the anomaly?)
Mist and the others hadn’t been informed of anything by Absolute. He might not want to cause unnecessary confusion, or maybe he doesn’t trust us.
He felt a little lonely that he hadn’t consulted with them, who had been with him for so long.
“Um, Browser-san. Can I talk to you for a bit?”
Princess Leone, who had finished her work, called out to Mist.
“What is it, Princess?”
“It’s about Ark-san, but what do you guys think of him?”
“Hmm? What do you mean?”
“Honestly, I don’t have a good impression of him.
I acknowledge his strength, enough to defeat the Hero. But until just now, he didn’t fight himself and had you guys fight, right? I’m honestly disappointed. That he would make you guys shields while he just sits back even though he has that power!”
“……”
Mist listened to Princess Leone’s story to the end without saying anything.
“If you’re being tormented by him, I’ll help you. After fighting together today, I don’t think you’re bad people. Although it’s another country, I’m a princess. I may be able to help save you.”
Princess Leone must have been thinking of Mist and the others in her own way.
There would be no benefit for her to help Mist and the others.
After listening to the story, Mist finally opened his mouth.
“Um, Princess? Are you planning to tell that to Lady Cruel and Oriana too?”
“Yes, I was thinking of asking after hearing your opinion.”
“Hmm…. I think you should stop that. The girls in the Ark House faction are all blindly devoted to Absolute, so they might go wild if you say bad things about him.”
Mist’s prediction was correct. If Princess Leone had told Lady Cruel the story instead of Mist, it would have definitely turned into a bloodbath.
“I don’t understand. I wonder why they like him so much after being treated like that. So, Browser-san, will you answer my question?”
“Hmm…”
He was troubled about how to answer.
What do I think of Absolute? It felt like a simple yet difficult question.
Princess Leone only had a bad impression of Absolute because of his 【Absolute Evil】 skill. Mist didn’t think he could easily clear up her misunderstanding of Absolute now.
Mist wasn’t very good with words, so he tried to speak his honest feelings.
“…A hero, I guess?”
“A hero?”
“No, it’s nothing. Everyone in the Ark faction likes Absolute. Of course, that includes me. We volunteered to fight.”
Of course, this was his true feeling.
Maybe it was different when we were kids, but at this age, there’s no one in the faction who would say bad things about Absolute.
“Why are you defending him? Maybe your current treatment will improve at least a little?”
“You might not believe me, but I’m being sincere. Princess Leone, Absolute hates fighting.”
“Huh?”
It was a bolt from the blue for Princess Leone.
She couldn’t understand what he was saying because it was like a joke.
“Eh? No, what are you saying? It’s a lie to say that someone with the strength to defeat the Hero hates fighting.”
It couldn’t be helped if she said it was a lie.
Who would think that the infamous successor of the Ark House hates fighting?
Mist answered Princess Leone’s question with a wry smile.
“There are people who hate fighting even if they have power. Absolute is exactly that type of person. He’s forced to use his power for the sake of his people and his house.
Well, he wouldn’t admit it himself, and it’s just my speculation.”
“I’ll tell you a little about myself. We in the Ark faction are all nobles who do shady work in this country. This country has a harsh attitude towards that kind of work, so we’re hated among the nobles. When I went to the royal capital’s party for the first time, the sons of high-ranking nobles surrounded us and said we were filthy and lynched us. It was terrible….”
“Even though you’re nobles in the same country… That’s terrible.”
Princess Leone sympathized and her face showed sadness.
(This country is like that. And, Absolute was the one who helped us. At first, we were scared and honestly didn’t like Absolute. He’s the same age as us, but his pressure was amazing, and he was scary, and he gave off a bad vibe, so no one approached him.)
Mist spoke as if confessing a sin.
Even now, he might regret keeping Absolute at arm’s length.
“But—Absolute protected us from the many sons of nobles. He protected us, who had isolated Absolute. He even said, ‘Don’t leave my side from now on,’ and even now, he’s protecting us with himself as a shield for our sake….”
“…I understand that you admire Ark-san. Even so, I think it’s wrong to make you fight. Even if, as you say, he hates fighting.”
Mist made a troubled face, scratched his cheek, and continued to speak.
“To continue the story from earlier, we’ve been interacting a lot more since Absolute protected us. Since then, I’ve been spending more time by Absolute’s side due to my family’s circumstances, and I’ve been watching him up close. I’ve been watching Absolute’s appearance, always frowning and fighting for the sake of the people around him with a look of disgust. It’s only when he’s fighting… that he shows his emotions like that. That’s why we all talked it over and decided that we would do as much of the fighting as we could, so that Absolute wouldn’t feel bad even a little bit.”
Mist had watched Absolute more than anyone else.
He’s scary, unfriendly, and often makes Mist take the blame for troublesome things, but even so… he’s kind.
Mist likes that about Absolute.
“…Why did you tell me so much?”
“Absolute might get angry if I say this, but I hate that such a kind person is still hated. I want Absolute to be happy. That’s all.”
“…You really admire him, huh? Honestly, it’s surprising. Browser-san, you’re unexpectedly loyal.”
The main reason why Princess Leone called out to Mist first was because he had a look and demeanor that were far from loyal.
Nevertheless, she greatly changed her evaluation of Mist, who had an unexpected loyalty.
“I’m often told that I look like I’ll betray someone. But Absolute is the type of person who judges people by their character, so he doesn’t judge them by their appearance and treats them.”
“It’s true that it’s not good to judge people with prejudice like I did just now. When Ark-san comes back, I’ll try to talk to him more.
I’m sorry for saying bad things about your master.”
“I’d be happy if you d–”
Thudddddddddddddddddd!
A mysterious sound echoed near Mist and the others.
It sounded like something heavy had fallen from the sky.
“W-What is this sound!”
As Princess Leone panicked, a figure came towards them from beyond the trees.
“Hah, hah…, Mist! The barrier was broken! A dangerous monster is heading this way!”
What came back in a hurry was Oriana, whose usual easygoing tone had changed and showed signs of panic, and Lady Cruel, who had fainted and was being carried by Oriana.
