Chapter 59

"Hey there, Coral, it's been a while~"

"Kena? Are you joining this too? It might suddenly become a safe zone here."

"No, even with dozens of people moving around separately, it's hard to protect a single person."

Two days after the attack on her son and daughter, early in the morning, people began to gather outside the eastern gate of the capital. Most of them were thirty students wearing blue or green robes as their uniforms. A few others in brown robes or cloaks were the teachers. Six knights, the four-member team 'Swift Steeds' and the five-member team 'Triumphant Armor' of adventurers, and Kena alone. The church had sent a priest with military experience and four monks. This group of over sixty people was to participate in the survival training. The principal, who was staying behind, was also present to give a few words before departure. After greeting Kena, he was gathering the teachers for the final confirmation.

In the crowd, Kena found Coral's team, with whom she had interacted several times, and greeted them first. She bowed to the other members, and as the time until departure was still some time away, Kena and Coral chatted away. The students were lined up, listening to the morning assembly with various instructions and encouragement from Maymay.

"Are you entering the Combat Festival? Including Coral, the team event, that's such a cheat..."

"Of course, we'll try to hold back as much as possible."

The conversation turned to the upcoming Combat Festival. Coral, who was experiencing this season for the first time, was teaching Kena about the enjoyable spots, like the delicious food stalls and the official betting at the Combat Festival. The talk naturally shifted to the team event of the Combat Festival, which Coral's team 'Triumphant Armor' was participating in this year. Their leader, who believed they were strong enough, was quite enthusiastic. Coral, swayed by his passion, eventually withdrew her objections.

"Your objections must have looked unnatural. It's tough when one person's level is so much higher, right?"

"You understand..."

Kena chuckled, and Coral slumped her shoulders. His team's average level was around fifty, while Coral alone was level 392, far surpassing the others. Coral sighed, as if to say he had struggled to fit in with the group. Kena patted his shoulder in sympathy. Neither of them knew that an even greater threat, far beyond any fix, was among the participants.

The principal's speech ended, and a knight and a teacher in charge gave the command, and the group began to move. Maymay, running up to Kena, said, "Take care of me, Mother," and bowed.

"Sure, as long as I can see you. Even if it comes to using resurrection magic."

"Stop it!" "Don't use it, you fool!"

When Kena hinted at using a lost magic technique, Maymay and Coral shouted in unison. Maymay glared at her mother, who chuckled and said, "Just kidding."

The group marching down the road was somewhat scattered. The destination, a campsite used every year, was over half a day's walk from the capital. Since it was a road, the alertness to the surroundings was minimal. However, there had been instances of encountering dangerous monsters in the past, so the knights and adventurers were securing the perimeter. Kena alone was the only one relaxed, whistling carefree. She had the luxury of being informed of the approach of any hostile entities from the forest. The students, unaware of this, looked at her with suspicion, wondering, "Is that adventurer okay?" However, the knights knew that she, the leader of the knights, was not an ordinary person, and her skills were recognized by other adventurers, so no one was concerned. On the contrary, they trusted her, thinking, "The real test will begin when she starts to panic." Kena, however, was completely unaware of this.

"Long time no see, Kena!"

"Good morning, Kena!"

Another person who knew Kena was not an ordinary person came out of the line of students and ran over.

"Good morning, Ronti. It's been a while, May."

Ronti, who was a viscount's daughter, was wearing the same robe and staff as before but was carrying a large backpack today. Maylene, the princess, was dressed in light leather armor, a short sword at her waist, and a backpack on her back. Kena thought, "Aren't their roles supposed to be reversed?" but accepted that everyone had their strengths. The other students were surprised to see the princess chatting with the adventurer without using formal language. Some of them, who had witnessed the 'Noble Threatening Incident' in the past, whispered to their friends that the adventurer was the principal's mother. As a result, everyone knew about Kena's position even before they left the capital. "The great priest and the principal's mother, a powerful adventurer recognized by the royal family"... It wasn't wrong, but it was a bit embarrassing for Kena.

Kena shivered, suddenly feeling a chill. She looked around, feeling a bad omen, and checked her intuition skill and Key's perimeter alert. The wind spirits she had summoned in advance and sent ahead had not returned. She had ordered them to return if they detected any abnormalities, so she wondered if the chill was just her imagination.

"What's wrong, Kena?"

"Nothing, just a bad feeling. But there doesn't seem to be anything wrong around here..."

"A cold, maybe?"

Kena waved her hand to reassure the worried Ronti and Maylene, pretending to be fine. She decided to blame it on Ops, who was probably up to something, and stored the number of times she would hit him. Meanwhile, Ops, far away, felt a similar chill but was not related to this situation, so it is omitted.

The journey proceeded without any major problems, and they finally arrived at the planned campsite after noon. After moving about an hour into the forest from the road, they reached an open space, eighty meters square, covered with grass as tall as a person. First, the adventurers, including Kena, secured the area's safety, and the students observed the process to learn from it. However, Kena, having listened to the surrounding trees, confirmed that there were no monsters or other dangers. The students, feeling let down, were divided into three teams by the teachers. One team started cutting the grass to prepare for the night's bedding, another team, including the teachers and Coral's team 'Triumphant Armor,' went to fetch water from a nearby stream, and the remaining team went hunting with the four-member team 'Swift Steeds.'

While the grass was being cut, the teachers and students specializing in magic set up a curse barrier around the campsite. Maylene and Ronti, being the princess and a noble, were not allowed to go on the outside team and stayed at the campsite. Kena, being treated as the "last line of defense" by Maymay, naturally stayed at the campsite. While a few knights kept watch, Kena used wind spirits to block the cries of the grass. The 'voice' of the grass, unlike that of the trees, conveyed a sad feeling, which was not pleasant to hear. Although the feeling could not be blocked by the wind, the spirits' playful noise provided some comfort.

Kena had summoned three wind spirits at level 110, which appeared as greenish, semi-transparent, four-foot-tall beautiful young girls. They danced around Kena, making playful noises and occasionally using her hair and clothes to play hide-and-seek or tag. This was something the students discovered, as normally summoned spirits could not be seen so clearly. Moreover, those without knowledge of magic could not even hear their whispers. In the game, they were visible, so Kena and Coral found it normal. However, the students and teachers perceived her as "using powerful spirits beyond the norm." Kena, seeing her reputation growing, looked up with a distant gaze.

When the group fetching water returned, they worked together with the students who had finished cutting the grass to set up the tents for the night. The tents were triangular in shape, large enough for four to five people to sleep in. They were made by constructing a frame with sturdy thin wood and covering it with patched animal hides in white and brown. The students were responsible for the construction and perimeter security. The knights, whose duty was to protect the princess, and Kena, who was instructed by an elderly male teacher to refrain from using wind spirits, adapted to the situation.

"Hey, Kena, what are you doing?"

"Just setting up a bed?"

"What?"

Coral hurriedly asked Kena, who had dismissed the wind spirits and was now unfolding a large white magic circle. Kena, responding with incomprehensible words, activated a summoning spell. White light burst from the circle, and a large white beast appeared in front of Kena. Everyone, except for three, gaped in shock.

The creature was a weasel, about six meters long, covered in pure white fur. It had an additional pair of eyes above its normal ones. It bowed to Kena, saying "Kyu," and wrapped its fluffy tail, which made up a third of its length, around her, standing on its hind legs next to her. The people, looking up at the red eyes from a height equivalent to a house roof, shrank back in fear. Coral, unaffected by the beast's presence, confronted Kena.

"Hey, what are you doing, summoning something without any explanation? Look, everyone's scared!"

"Huh?"

"Don't act so surprised! What is that thing, anyway? I can't even see its level or remember seeing it before!"

Kena waved her hand above her head, and the large weasel, narrowing its four eyes, bent down and rubbed its head against Kena. Seeing Kena pet the soft-looking fur, Maylene and Ronti blushed, perhaps remembering the feel of a white dragon's skin.

"This is a rare monster from the Immortal Realm. It's the Great Weasel of Happiness."

"Sounds suspicious..."

Kena herself chuckled at the name, which sounded like something a dubious religion would sell to bring happiness. "Happiness" was a nickname given by players, and its official name was "Immortal Beast Izuna," level 450. As the name suggests, it appeared in the Immortal Realm. Strictly speaking, it was not a rare monster but simply difficult to defeat. Its special abilities were "Speed" and "Luck," so it always ran away. It would escape before players could encounter it, run away when seen from a distance, and even run away if it managed to engage in combat. The developers might have complained about what an "active monster" was. It was said to have escaped even from guild members who specialized in speed growth. This made it rare to encounter in the Immortal Realm, and it was extremely difficult to bring into a combat situation. Kena and her team had defeated it using a human wave tactic, setting up multiple barriers over a wide area and carpet-bombing it with magic. It took a whole night, with thirty-five participants, thirteen of whom were skill masters, to finally defeat it.

When used as a summon, its special abilities were applied to the team and the summoner. "Speed" was rarely used, but "Luck" increased the drop rate of items, resistance to abnormal statuses, and the effectiveness of special attacks (poison, paralysis) and critical hit rates. However, Izuna's attacks, which were limited to biting and scratching, were a hindrance to Kena and her team in their usual hunting grounds. Most of the time, it just stuck to the team like a goldfish's poop.

Kena had summoned Izuna this time for its white, soft fur. She had summoned it as a living, natural blanket.

The students' tents were set up densely in the center of the square, surrounded by fires. The adventurers were to arrange their own accommodations, but the four-member team and Coral's team planned to sleep around the campfire. Kena also set up her camp near the fire on the outer edge of the square. This was because Izuna's super senses would detect any danger, and Kena had the highest defense among them. Additionally, if Kena did not notice an enemy approaching, the anti-groping summon would activate on its own.

However, this was only for emergencies. The main focus of the survival training was the students, so they, along with the teachers and adventurers, took turns standing guard. Kena's role was to be a bodyguard, as instructed by Maymay. The teachers were informed of this beforehand, so no one questioned it.

The students, including the princess, prepared the meal with the rabbits and wild birds brought back by the hunting team. The teachers and team leaders were discussing the rotation for the night's camp. Kena, not included in the discussion, used her "Cooking Skill: Witch's Cauldron" to process the meat, vegetables, and smoked fish she had brought with water. This skill combined three or more ingredients to create a soup that restored 10% of HP and MP. The base values for the restoration were the creator's HP and MP. After a flash of light, the soup was ready. For some reason, it appeared as a pot of suspicious purple, bubbling liquid with chopped ingredients floating in it. Everyone who saw it was taken aback by the strange object. The creator, who had expected something like this from the game's graphics, was sweating profusely.

"So, the Witch's Cauldron really looks like this in real life..."

"Yeah, I'm a bit taken aback too..."

"Since the students are watching, you have to eat it properly."

"...Okay, I'll try."

Coral, the only one who knew the situation, delivered the final blow to Kena, who was carrying a sense of resignation and sadness. The Great Weasel of Happiness turned its face away from the purple steam and placed a hand on Kena's shoulder. Kena, a bit teary-eyed, plunged a spoon into the purple liquid.