NOVEL NEXT Chapter 31
<31 - The Value of Outdoor Cooking>
My comrades touched the Oknodie wearing a hat one by one.
Only Yui was getting anxious.
“Don’t do it!”
[Examinee [Jezel] has escaped the Game of Tag.]
“I’ll give you as much money as you want!”
[Examinee [Son Ohchun] has escaped the Game of Tag.]
“Please don’t leave me behind!”
[Examinee [Isabel] has escaped the Game of Tag.]
One by one, my comrades escaped.
Next to me, Rockbell, the NTR fool, lowered his head and lightly touched my shoulder.
[Examinee [Rockbell] has escaped the Game of Tag.]
Yui, freed from paralysis, was running late.
I touched myself while sneering at her.
[Examinee [Oknodie] has escaped the Game of Tag.]
“Wait!”
“No way~”
[Removed the black hat.]
[Lost black hat instructor qualification (one-time use).]
Crunch!
The hat scattered into the air.
Yui’s nasty intentions and dreams of passing scattered along with it.
“This is Dorothy’s revenge.”
“Why are you doing this? I haven’t caused you any trouble! A simple countryside bumpkin could have just closed their eyes and taken the money!”
“As long as I’m entering the Academy, I’d rather have a kind classmate than a bad one.”
In short, it was about executing justice.
[Completed the Betrayer Event.]
[Did not get bribed by Yui.]
[As a reward, Rockbell’s Favorability increases.]
I roughly expected this kind of reward.
But what would a 19-year-old little girl do with a guy’s Favorability?
Above all, I’m a guy.
No matter how much my body is that of a girl, having Favorability with a guy and doing those kinds of things…
Even imagining it is horrendous!
“Thanks for your help. But I…”
“Are you going to save Dorothy?”
Rockbell lowered his head.
“I know I don’t have the right to say this since I’ve been helped. I know it sounds shameless, but could you postpone my debt for a bit…”
“It’s fine.”
“…Are you serious? If it were my help when they called me [The Gale Beast] Rockwell back in my hometown forest…”
“What nonsense are you talking about? You couldn’t even protect your own girl, and you’re going on about strength here?”
“…I see. It would mean nothing if I talk about strength when I can’t even protect my friends.”
“If you understand, let’s go already.”
“Thank you. I won’t forget this kindness.”
Not knowing where Dorothy is, there’s a chance we could get attacked by other examinees on the way.
It’s uncertain whether Rockbell will safely pass the test and repay the favor.
“Hey, little mouse. Are you being too ambitious?”
“It’s okay. In any case, it’s Dorothy who decides whether to forgive or not.”
Rockbell would just bury himself in the ground and fall into despair if left alone.
If I could make Yui suffer just a bit more by using Rockbell instead of her, then I’d let it slide.
It feels like I’m riding the Rockbell NTR route, but if I don’t give him my Favorability, that’s that, right?
‘Neither I nor Dorothy would ever think of accepting a guy like that.’
There’s another reason.
“In any case, we have plenty of points, right?”
[Ticket Clock Points]
[Oknodie 82 points]
[Jezel 72 points]
[Son Ohchun 72 points]
[Isabel 72 points]
Everyone surpassed the minimum passing score of 50 points.
All restrictions of the Game of Tag have been escaped.
There’s no need to wrestle with criminals!
“What are we having for dinner?”
“Grilled mushrooms.”
“With butter on the side.”
Jezel took out some butter from her magical backpack.
I’ve made up my mind.
If I were to date a guy, Jezel would be my number one choice.
*
Northern Grand Duchess Irene.
She’s on a different level compared to the countless noble ladies out there.
“Ouch, that hurts. Hic, the thorns on the ground are too sharp.”
“Don’t lean against the tree. The bark is sharp, and my clothes might tear!”
“Ugh, I don’t want to go to the Upper Class. Can’t I forfeit and go to the Lower Class?”
Walking, running, resting, breathing.
Even just that little bit made the noble ladies whine.
Sighs escaped me at their foolishness.
No wonder every year there are conspiracy theories about having a female quota.
Did they even buy tickets from their families?
I started to feel like that money could have been better spent on providing furs for the soldiers shivering in the cold north instead of this worn-out old sword.
“Ah, Princess Irene. Aren’t you hungry?”
“…Don’t mind me.”
At least one lady with some perception spread a blanket on a rock to mimic Irene, trying to rest and talk.
You could see the desire to gather food, but unfortunately, Irene had already prepared her provisions.
[Type A Military Ration]
A culinary weapon designed to cram maximum calories into a small size, with literally no taste to speak of.
It looks unappetizing, and you smash it into pieces when you can’t take it anymore.
“Gah! I’ll give you my emergency rations, so please don’t eat that awful meal!”
“I’ll just accept your kindness.”
“Please, I beg you! The look on your face while eating for survival is painful to watch from the side!”
Who knows if she’s pretending to be kind while trying to poison me?
Irene didn’t easily trust others.
The trauma of being served food by the villagers in the cursed land known as Northland, who turned out to be unscrupulous cult minions, left a mark.
She was lucky to save her life but lost half of her subordinates in the process, so she couldn’t carelessly trust the kindness of others anymore.
She personally learned that a tasteless Type A military ration is better than a delicious feast laced with poison.
Of course, I didn’t believe these naive noble ladies could be that clever, but since it had become a sort of trauma, she couldn’t eat food given by others without hesitation.
‘I’m used to bad food anyway. Other people aren’t eating anything delicious either.’
The noble offspring probably had at least some family-inspired culinary rations, but they wouldn’t have eaten all those precious items already.
They’d prefer to nibble on some random greenery or fruits they found clumsily in the forest.
Bitter dandelion leaves.
Nettle leaves with sharp thorns.
Fruit from a dogwood that causes diarrhea.
Overly astringent nutmeg seeds.
Each and every one of them is known for being notoriously unpalatable.
Seeing them pick and share these infamous foods was absolutely ridiculous.
Even the species not found in the north felt commendable for something they had memorized in case they came across it.
I wished those ladies had spent their time studying how to identify tasty leaves and fruits instead of this month’s spring fashion or the trending dances at social gatherings.
‘At this point, the military ration held up well.’
As Irene took solace in that thought, a strong odor hit her nostrils.
Sniff, sniff!
As she quietly took in the smell, she heard the sizzling sound.
Fssssss!
Mushrooms.
But these were mushrooms with a savory butter aroma added.
‘This is cheating!’
Some people are eating tasteless military rations, while others are savoring the delicious aroma of grilled mushrooms!
Tears nearly welled up in my eyes out of unfairness, but I steeled myself, determined not to show weakness.
As a Northern Grand Duchess, I couldn’t beg for food.
“Princess Irene…? Did you come over because you wanted some mushrooms?”
One noble lady, observing Irene’s every move, asked in disbelief.
I didn’t care what others thought, but suddenly feeling embarrassed at being caught in such a condition, I feigned ignorance.
“I was just trying to find out which competitor succeeded in securing food.”
“Ah… As expected, the princess is amazing. Everyone else just came here hungry. It’s truly a contrast between the idle ones and the rational princess!”
Does this girl possess some treacherous qualities?
She has a knack for saying pleasing things.
“Well, then, you won’t need to eat!”
“…What do you mean?”
“Those over there are paying to buy grilled mushrooms.”
“!!”
“The noble lady on that team wouldn’t be trying to sell just because she doesn’t have money, but more likely out of consideration for fellow noble examinees to avoid giving the impression of charity, right?”
“What?!”
“Anyway, it doesn’t concern you, since you won’t eat!”
“…Here, take this.”
Irene pulled another Type A military ration from her magical backpack and handed it over.
“Y-Your Highness…! You’ve even prepared food for me, I’m really touched!”
I simply wanted to let that mean girl who cut me off from eating grilled mushrooms know the same pain.
Of course, the noble lady, who saw how poorly Irene enjoyed the military ration, had no intention of opening it.
She’d only dare to try eating it after being lost and starving for a week, if things are that blurred.
“Oh? Here comes the kid from the team that’s grilling mushrooms.”
If you haven’t served in the military, you might not have heard of the infamous Type A military rations.
For some reason, the youngest examinee, the Oknodie, approached with a look on her face like she couldn’t comprehend how anyone could eat something so awful.
The cute blonde child pulled out a candy from her pocket.
Snatch!
Then, a girl who looked like part of her group and a Monkey Humanoid came rushing over, pale, and quickly dragged the Oknodie away by her hands and mouth.
“Unfair… The kid was just trying to give candy…”
‘That’s really low.’
Irene felt a sense of injustice.
Though she never ate food given by others, she felt inappropriate taking something only to have it taken away.