Chapter 45

Good morning.

I lost consciousness at the castle and woke up in my room at the academy, which confused me for a moment, but I quickly understood.

It seems that the exercises start today.

According to Arshain, our group will start from the forest and gradually move closer to the town every week as the exercises progress.

I can't even imagine a forest with monsters.

While doing vocal exercises and warm-up stretches, I vaguely recalled the schedule when Shell came to my room a bit earlier than usual.

Shell won't be joining us for the exercises.

It's to prevent noble heirs and young ladies from being sent out without doing anything, leaving everything to their attendants.

Since even high-ranking nobles can't bring attendants when the royal family doesn't, they make marquises and above sign a pledge at enrollment, which is quite troublesome!

The clothes Shell prepared for me today are a black sleeveless undershirt, a khaki long-sleeved thick shirt, khaki half-pants with suspenders, black knee-high socks, and small boots made of a harder material than usual. I also have my backpack and a black raincoat with ears and a tail, which I'm supposed to wear in the forest.

Do I really need the ears and tail? I see.

Arshain is wearing a shirt and pants that seem to match mine, with chunky lace-up boots, a chest plate made of leather and metal, a sword and a magic bag on his belt, and a poncho-like raincoat.

He looks unnecessarily cool.

Wearing that, we headed to the dining hall, and as soon as we entered,

"AAAAHHHHH!"

came the high-pitched screams of the young ladies.

They were directed at Arshain.

He looks unnecessarily cool.

He seems used to it, as he walked to his usual seat without any reaction. Seeing Yegram and Digray smiling wryly, it seems the young ladies reacted the same way to them.

That's why, despite the higher population density, the servers don't seem as busy.

Their behavior is just like the girls waiting for idols in my previous life.

Yegram is wearing a long, dark blue thick coat, a large cross-body bag, dark brown pants, and chunky boots.

Digray is wearing a short, dark brown coat, a large backpack, dark green pants, chunky boots, and a short sword and a small box-shaped bag on his belt.

Both have the same raincoat as Arshain.

Both are carrying large leather bags that could fit three of me, which look very heavy.

Without a magic bag, you end up with so much luggage, huh?

When I told the two, who were surprised by Arshain's light load, about the magic bag, they were extremely envious.

Sorry, but I'm sure Director Tailsmya will spread it eventually!

After finishing breakfast and standing up,

"AAAAHHHHH!"

came the screams of the young ladies. Looking to see who it was, it was the rare sight of Cavendish alone.

He's wearing a shirt with unnecessary frills, strangely shiny pants, a neatly tailored coat, a red cape, and a sword with excessive decoration.

His face is good, so it suits him, but it's not a suitable outfit for fighting monsters.

He doesn't seem to have any luggage, so he must be starting the academy's program.

Standing in the center of the dining hall with his arms crossed, Cavendish glared at the entrance.

Then, again,

"AAAAHHHHH!"

came the screams of the young ladies.

This time, it was the Student Council President entering.

The Student Council President, dressed in all black, stood in front of Cavendish.

"Good for you to have made it this far without running away! I'll praise your courage, but from today's exercises, I will win! I'll win so perfectly that you won't even have a chance to interfere, and I'll make sure you can't touch Lina again! Be prepared!!"

"I'll return the same to you! Lina is a wonderful woman who doesn't judge people by their status! She will surely choose me! I ask you not to tear us apart by using your status when that happens!"

The tension between the two was palpable, but they were fighting over that two-timer.

Since their reputations have plummeted since getting involved with her, I have no interest.

If she joins, it will be even more annoying, so I'll leave early! I put up a barrier to make myself less noticeable and left the dining hall.

There was no class assembly; we immediately boarded the carriages the academy had prepared for each destination.

The carriage we boarded started immediately and was much bumpier than the royal family's carriage.

Even sitting on Arshain's lap, it's bumpy!

I might get sick!

It was still okay in the city, but as soon as we left, the bumps got even worse, making it difficult to sit!

I tied a rope to the ceiling beam, made holes in a board with magic, and threaded the rope through it.

Ignoring the curious looks from those around me, I completed the swing and sat on it.

"Wow!"

"Ah! So cute!"

The cheers of the boys and girls overlapped.

Sitting on the swing, the bumps were less severe.

Now I can relax.

So I spent the time to the destination being watched by people.

It took about two hours to arrive.

The length of time is about the same as in my previous life, but without an accurate clock, it's around 9:00.

Led by a few teachers, we waited at the starting point for each group.

At around 10:00, the bell signaled the start.

The goal of the exercise is to see how many monsters we can defeat by 4:00 PM when we reach the academy's prepared base.

Each monster has a score, and the group decides whether to defeat many weak monsters or go for the big ones.

In case of an emergency, we can send a signal with a magic item and ask for help from a teacher.

In that case, the day's score will be invalidated.

We can use the base's infirmary, but it will cost us the points of three weak monsters.

Our group's strategy is to aim for the big ones while heading to the base.

We will hunt smaller monsters that get in the way but won't chase them.

Riiing Riiing

The bell, which doesn't fit the forest, rang.

It's the start signal.

Since I can't be carried in a forest with monsters, I flew near Arshain's right shoulder.

Maybe it's a racial trait, but I can fly for a long time without my magic power decreasing much, so it's not tiring.

I usually travel by being carried to avoid causing a commotion.

It's not because it's easier, I think.

The dim forest, unlike the city, reminds me of the mountains I spent my childhood in.

Feeling nostalgic, I looked around and noticed a giant beetle wrapped in black mist to the right front.

The beetle, about my size, hasn't noticed us yet, but such a beetle would ruin a boy's dreams.

I nudged Arshain's shoulder to let him know, and the others got ready for battle.

Yegram, who is afraid of bugs, made a face for the first time and fired a wind spell, cutting the beetle in half.

The black mist dissipated as soon as it died.

I couldn't see it because of the mist, but it had many horns on its head! And its mouth was full of meat! Is it a carnivore?!

I was surprised, but I was told that all monsters are carnivores.

I see, monsters are carnivores and carry black mist, I thought, and quickly collected the remains.

With a magic bag, we have a significant advantage over other groups, but we can't complain since carrying items is our responsibility.

My magic bag is filled with various items Shell gave me, so it's very convenient.

There's still plenty of room, so I can even store monsters.

There are quite a few monsters with black mist, but if we only catch bugs, Yegram's face will get more and more twisted, so we decided to stop at a reasonable level.

After that, we found a few rabbit-type and fox-type monsters. All the monsters had many horns on their heads and were huge! Rabbits the size of tigers.

Not cute at all! It makes it easier to kill them without hesitation.

We made good progress by ignoring the bug monsters.

I was wondering if this was okay when I spotted a particularly large clump of black mist! I informed Arshain, and everyone tensed up.

"ROOOAAARRR!"

The monster, noticing our presence, stood up and let out a roar that shook the air.

Why don't I feel much fear even hearing that roar?

The bear-type monster, at least four meters tall, drooled, glared at us with bloodshot eyes, and was on all fours, kicking the ground with its hind legs, a sign of an impending charge?

The bear I saw from a distance with my grandfather in the mountains was much smaller and a hundred times scarier.

The monster bear, causing an earthquake and raising dust, charged at us at a speed that seemed to be accelerating.

Arshain and the others were ready to face the charging monster bear.

Hmm, I've been noticing this, but the monster bear's gaze seems fixed on me.

I tried moving to the side, and it changed its direction.

I see, as a monster, it targets the one with the most magic power? I hypothesized and moved a bit away from the others, and the monster bear ignored Arshain and the others and charged at me.

Hey, hey, hey, you're coming at me? If so, I'll do it too!

The monster bear, at top speed, charged at me with all its might. I used earth magic to create a sturdy wall in front of the monster bear.

BOOM

Unable to stop, the monster bear crashed into the wall, breaking its neck and dying instantly.

Arshain and the others, still in battle stances, were taken aback by the quick resolution.

I laughed, and

"Phewwwww"

the three of them let out a sigh.

The monster bear, now without the mist, was stored in my magic bag.