Chapter 51

This is the second chapter of today.

When Arlshein, who was holding me while I was holding the black cat, entered the dining hall, the young ladies' gazes pierced us all at once! While Arlshein and I were used to it, the black cat seemed uncomfortable and buried its face in my side.

Perhaps they thought the black cat was a stuffed animal, many of the young ladies were startled by its movements.

The black cat's movements also drew attention from others, not just the young ladies.

Since Arlshein continued without hesitation, I tried to block the noise with a sound barrier to at least shield the voices, and the black cat, surprised, raised its head but quickly lowered it again when the gazes remained.

Digrée, who had arrived earlier, was smiling wryly.

Yugram, who arrived late, seemed to understand the situation after looking around and seeing me, and instead of touching the black cat, he patted my head.

Once we were seated, I reinforced the barrier to make it harder for anyone except the waitstaff to notice us, and the black cat, seemingly reassured, slowly raised its head and came out of my arms.

When the waiter came to take our order, I thought he brought a child's chair as usual, but it had a flat platform attached to the side of the seat, allowing the kitten to sit and eat with us! I was surprised that they had prepared it so quickly, even though we had just arrived, and when I looked at Sheryl, who was sitting next to me, she gave me a thumbs up, indicating that it was her doing.

Of course, I thanked Sheryl and the waiter with a smile.

After placing our orders and discussing today's practice, there was a stir near the entrance of the dining hall.

From the outside, the barrier was not visible, but from the inside, it was clear that the area beyond the barrier, which did not block sound, was deathly silent.

Looking towards the entrance, I saw the usual two-timer, Cavendish, and the Student Council President, and I couldn't tell what they were surprised about, but upon closer inspection, there were two more people behind them.

The unfamiliar students were talking familiarly with the two-timer and were being glared at by Cavendish and the Student Council President.

The two were not as handsome as Cavendish or the Student Council President, but they were still quite good-looking, and the two-timer, sandwiched between them, seemed delighted to be conversing.

Although she was no longer as two-timing as before, she occasionally glanced back and sent meaningful looks to Cavendish and the Student Council President.

Their calculated and deliberate actions made me feel uneasy.

Out of curiosity, I lifted the sound barrier and listened to the surrounding conversations, and learned that the two with the two-timer were members of Cavendish's group and were the sons of earl families.

They seemed to be part of the prince's entourage, but I wondered if it was okay to leave Cavendish behind. However, my interest waned, so I re-erected the barrier and began eating.

The black cat was looking at the prepared food, but since it was for familiars, even the neatly arranged raw meat was inedible as it was.

After I quickly cast a purification spell, the black cat meowed happily and started eating.

When we finished our meal and were about to leave, a familiar figure appeared at the entrance. Director Tailsmya, despite the barrier, motioned for us to come over.

When we approached,

"Would you have a moment if you're not busy?"

he asked, so we all followed.

We entered a room not far from the dining hall, and Director Tailsmya began speaking while standing.

"We will execute the plan during tomorrow's practice."

"Did Father approve it?"

"Yes, their actions were constantly monitored and reported to the castle, so the approval came smoothly. However, it took a bit longer to adjust the magical devices, causing a two-day delay."

"I see. Since Father has approved it, there should be no problem. Just be cautious to avoid any mistakes."

"Understood. Thank you."

Tomorrow, it seems a trap will be set to verify the two-timer's enchantment magic.

Although there's nothing for us to do, as someone who knows the situation, I was informed.

If there's any evidence of enchantment magic being used, it will result in immediate expulsion and confinement by the church.

There's nothing I can do tomorrow, so I can only wait for the results.

I have a bad feeling about this.

Despite the unease, I lay down, and my child body, unable to resist, quickly fell asleep.

Good morning.

I'm the one who fell asleep as soon as I lay down!

Good morning! It's Keita.

Today's weather is cloudy.

After finishing breakfast, we rode in a carriage to the forest. Today, the assigned adventurer was already waiting at the starting point, and we started smoothly.

On the third day, a path was beginning to form in the forest, and it seemed darker than usual due to the clouds, giving me a bad feeling.

Still, we progressed as we did the first two days and reached the grassy rest area by mid-morning.

While eating the warm portable food, Nista said,

"Something feels off. We should move to the base a bit earlier in the afternoon."

"Something feels off?"

"Yeah, on days like this, based on my experience, we either encounter troublesome monsters or someone gets seriously injured by a minor monster. I can't explain it well, but as a senior, I advise you to be more cautious than usual!"

"Understood. We'll be more careful and cautious!"

"Good! That's what I like to hear."

It seems I wasn't the only one with a bad feeling.

This group always moves with barriers, but we decided to strengthen them even more.

We ended our break a bit earlier than usual and continued hunting monsters while being cautious.

When we were halfway to the base, we spotted another group ahead.

We usually avoid them, but this group seemed odd and caught our attention.

As we watched, Nista also noticed and tilted his head,

"Something's off. Should we check it out?"

Since the group's actions are generally left to the students, Nista confirmed with Arlshein and the others, and everyone nodded seriously.

We quietly approached, being cautious, and when we could clearly see the other group, we realized why they looked strange.

They were swaying as if they were standing and sleeping, and they didn't seem to be conscious.

We didn't know what was happening to them, but it was abnormal, as if they were being controlled by something.

We searched for an enemy but found none, and as we were confused, the black cat in my arms suddenly growled at something behind us.

As I turned around, an attack was deflected by the barrier.

The attack was bounced back, and a giant spider monster appeared, losing its balance.

"Damn, it's a Poison Spider! Be careful!"

The Poison Spider, as the name suggests, had venom. It had a black and purple body with spiky legs and a bright fluorescent yellow pattern on its back.

Yugram's face contorted in disgust as he cast spells repeatedly, but the monster's tough body made it difficult to inflict fatal damage.

Approaching it was dangerous, so Arlshein and Digrée were casting spells from within the barrier.

Nista was considering whether to join the fight, but after realizing the barrier's strength, he decided to observe for a moment.

I was casting antidote magic orbs at the other group, who seemed to be controlled.

As soon as they regained consciousness and saw us fighting, they screamed in terror and ran towards the base.

Well, it's not nice to leave without thanking us for helping, but now wasn't the time to worry about that, so we ignored them and joined the fight against the spider monster.

The spider monster, which kept attacking the same way despite being deflected, didn't seem very intelligent.

Thinking that its venomous legs were a hindrance, I created a thin, disc-shaped wind magic and added a spin.

The spinning disc of wind magic, similar to a circular saw blade, made a whirring sound.

I aimed it at the base of the spider's legs.

As expected, the joint was softer than the rest, and I successfully cut off one leg! When I tried to cut the second leg, a whirring sound came from beside me, and Yugram had created a similar wind magic disc and was aiming it at the spider.

With two of its legs cut off, the spider monster, now reduced to its body, tried to attack with its sharp fangs, but it was impossible to hit us, and Arlshein and Digrée finished it off by cutting off its head.

The spider monster, which had lost its black mist, seemed to become non-venomous after death, and Nista was touching it normally.

He put it in a magic bag and headed towards the base.

"Wow, you guys are strong! To take down a venomous monster so easily and without a scratch! If I were 20 years younger, I'd invite you to my party! Hahaha!"

Despite his cheerful laughter, he didn't let his guard down, which was impressive, but his voice was too loud!