NOVEL NEXT Chapter 53
Hellhound Appearance Incident.
A cliché that must appear at least once in any game or novel featuring an academy.
The common pattern of a monster suddenly bursting out in a supposedly safe school, with the protagonist either defeating or enduring it.
An event that highlights the protagonist, so cliché it’s laughably predictable, but when it actually happens, my head spins.
That event surely had Karina healing everyone at the end, so there shouldn’t have been any casualties, right?
So what is happening now?
There are priests in the Theology Department, so it’s not like healing is impossible, but compared to Karina, the human elixir shower, the seminarian’s healing potions are barely effective at preventing severe injuries, let alone tending to them.
Thinking about how spiraled the situation at the academy has become gives me a headache.
This is just unfair.
It’s totally unfair!
Just give me one thing!
If both sides are tangled up like this, what am I supposed to do? If it’s going to be like this, shouldn’t I at least have some outrageous skills? Or maybe a legendary artifact or something?
I swallowed my complaints, which I couldn’t dare spit out, and took a bite of the steak in front of me. When things get rough, meat is the best. It’s even better if it’s quality meat. Of course, finding that kind of quality here would be tough, but it was decent enough to eat.
“Johann, let me have a bite too.”
“…Here.”
“Ah~”
I handed over a piece of steak cut into a proper size for Millia. She looked around like a naughty child about to do something bad and then grabbed the steak stuck on the fork with both hands before sticking her head back on her neck.
…No one saw that, right?
I glanced around, feeling like an accomplice. Thankfully, it seemed like people were too busy talking among themselves to notice Millia’s antics. It also helped that we were seated in a secluded spot.
“…You could just ask me to extend my arm.”
“Hehe. It’s delicious.”
She really eats with gusto. I scooped some soup I ordered with my steak and drank it. It felt like a weight had lifted from my chest as I moved away from the salty preserved food to something light.
“No one is going to steal it, so take your time eating.”
“But it’s just so tasty…”
If she makes a gloomy face, I look like the bad guy. I stuffed a piece of steak into Millia’s mouth, who had turned somber, maybe thinking of the past. No matter how down she got, she couldn’t resist the meat, eagerly opening her mouth to take it.
“I want to eat steak next time too!”
“Sure. Just don’t make that face.”
“Understood.”
“Swallow your food before you speak.”
“Mhm!”
…I think I understand the feeling of a parent raising a child.
I turned my gaze away from Millia, who was earnestly eating, and looked out the window. Countless people passing by on the street. But my purpose wasn’t just window shopping. I stared blankly outside while listening to the ambient sounds around me.
“…I heard Timmy isn’t getting along with Madeleine lately.”
“Can’t blame him. Someone said they saw Madeleine with Henry…”
“That bastard Henry, I knew he would pull something like that…”
…I definitely didn’t come here to eavesdrop on love and war, but I couldn’t help but listen a bit longer.
As I focused on the trivial conversations in the cafeteria, that’s when I saw them.
Suspicious guys caught my eye. The same attire I’d seen occasionally with the expedition teams. People avoided them like they were poison. But, well, if you’ve got that much suspicious energy radiating off you, it’s only natural. Are the guards even working? Why are those guys still in town…
…Could it be the guards couldn’t stop them?
“Damn those bastards…”
“Hey, why? What’s wrong?”
Millia turned her head, looking in the direction I was staring. Then, as if trying to hide her face, she covered it with her hair and pressed against the wall.
“D-do they see us?”
Those tenacious leeches. I stood up. It seemed like we didn’t have time to rest.
—————————————-
Arrive at Kalon Academy.
Distance: 50km
Reward: Trait Point 1
Without getting any real rest, we started to move closer to the academy. Perhaps thanks to our quick decision-making, we hadn’t encountered any suspicious-looking members of the Harpas Cult yet. If we had hesitated, we’d probably be fighting for our lives right about now. Just thinking about it is horrifying.
“Ugh, I’m tired.”
“Just a little longer. We’re almost there.”
“Renny, hang in there!”
“Yeah, yeah. And my name is Renny.”
Renny chuckled and tugged Karina’s arm, which was starting to droop. Karina’s slightly tilted body stuck right back to Renny. It looked uncomfortable for Renny with Karina’s ample bosom pressing against her armor, but in such a confined space, what could anyone do? I glanced away, trying not to stare at Renny’s sharp gaze locked onto me.
“Johann, it’s not really appropriate to look at Lady Karina that way…”
“…Sorry.”
“It’s fine. I get where you’re coming from.”
That tone of hers, like she knows a lot about guys, feels weird. Didn’t she spend the whole game as a virgin? Did my thoughts show on my face? Renny cleared her throat and, with a strange expression, looked at me, ready to speak.
“Just don’t look at me like that.”
“What kind of look is that?”
“Well, you look like you’re feeling sorry for me. I just wanted to send a supportive glance.”
“Then I’ll do the same!”
On the swaying saddle, Millia stared at Renny with wide eyes. Renny was dumbfounded by her antics but couldn’t help but laugh and turned her head away. Successfully diffusing what could have become an awkward atmosphere, Millia tilted her head back and looked up at me. In a bizarre twist reminiscent of an old cartoon, Millia shouted at me.
“You’ve had a hard time too, Johann!”
“Save that for after we get through this.”
“Okay!”
Millia smiled bashfully and tilted her head forward. I rested my chin on her head, staring at the endless road ahead. This was the pattern established over our long journey: running cautiously while chatting a bit to ease our weary bodies, then charging down another long stretch of road.
It’s a pretty boring cycle, but it’s better than nothing.
Occasionally breaking the tension like this was the only way I could dull the sharp nerves built up from our grueling trek.
Nothing’s more dangerous than having a party wound tight like a spring. A single wrong word could crack the bond among us. In that regard, Millia played her role excellently as a buffer. To put it simply, she was acting like a human capybara. You could visibly see the tension dissipating from those talking with Millia.
“Johann, Johann, what do you want to do when we get to the academy?”
“First thing I want is a job.”
Even my status window is warning me that I’m supposed to be 19 to enter the academy. Am I crazy? Me, enroll there? I have no desire to relive my school days. To put it bluntly, I’d probably be stronger than most graduates from combat departments. What’s the point of classes? Well, maybe the Liberal Arts Department would be okay.
I lacked knowledge about this world.
So many things I’ve forgotten over ten years, I want to attend a few classes just to refresh those memories. Maybe I should even try tutoring later? Sounds doable.
“What kind of work?”
“…I don’t know.”
Maybe I’ll build a workshop with the remaining money and make something. But I doubt my haphazard item crafting will have any competitive edge. Thinking about how to make a living gives me a headache.
Ugh, I don’t want to feel the pains of job hunting even here.
Around the time those bitter thoughts crossed my mind.
“…Renny.”
“Those tenacious bastards.”
“Tenacious!”
Did they really follow us all the way here? I glared at a group of cultists rushing toward us in the distance.
One, two, three, four… about ten of them, I guess.
But I couldn’t be sure they were just ten.
Who knows how they managed this, but they had monsters with them. So, realistically, we could be facing three or four times that number. Just as the thought crossed my mind, massive creatures were soaring through the sky.
A wyvern?!
Shit.
Looks like they’re serious this time.
With the speed they’re chasing us and the suspicious appearance of those creatures, I felt like we’d soon be embroiled in a chase. I handed the reins to Millia, who was gripping my clothes tightly.
“Johann? What’s with the reins?”
“Remember how Renny taught you to ride? Don’t panic, grip the reins. And keep your legs pressed against the saddle. If you’re really scared, lean forward and hold on tight.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I need to fend them off, which means you have to handle the horse.”
“M-me?”
“You can do it. You’ve seen me ride.”
“That’s true, but…”
“You can do it. Don’t be scared.”
“…Okay!”
I pulled my feet from the stirrups and turned to face the enemies approaching from behind.
Cultists charging at us with crossbows.
Wyverns with flames dancing at their jaws.
I could feel their intent to burn the plains just to kill us.
…Alright, let’s see this through, you bastards.
“Crafting.”
Thus began what could be the final chase.