Chapter 98
Chapter 98
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>Translator: Lord First
>Chapter: 98
>Chapter Title: Summer Break Events are Basically Real Combat (3)
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*
Irtysh Station was a rural stop in the southern region of Krasilov. There was a mine nearby, but it was insignificant, and what little was there had been thoroughly excavated during the war before being abandoned.
The surrounding territory consisted of unremarkable country villages that survived on trade. The only large estate was Yelavinsk, and this station wasn't even on its main trade route.
In other words, literally.
It was a country train station straight out of a painting.
The platform had only two tracks, one for each direction. Beyond the ticket gate, a single station agent dozed off in the waiting room. It was a remote place, a good twenty-minute carriage ride from the nearest town.
“I’m literally speechless.”
Isabelle stood on the platform, pressing a hand to her forehead.
“All of you? Really? Are you serious?”
“I’m trying very hard to hold it in right now, so please be quiet.”
“There’s something I don’t get, though.”
Esidis clutched her steel rod tightly as she scanned her surroundings.
Isabelle, fine. They’d interacted a few times, so she was within the realm of understanding.
Elfihera? That elf wench must have pulled something again. There was no way her kind uncle would associate with pointy-eared creatures like elves.
But Oskar? What was he doing here?
“But including a guy in the mix? That's crossing the line. At this point, I don’t even know where to begin fixing this…”
Isabelle quietly nodded. *Alright, let’s just ignore that idiot.*
“First of all, this means the Mister didn’t actually call us here for a vacation.”
“I figured that out immediately.”
Oskar gave a subtle smile and pulled an [Invitation] from his coat. The moment Isabelle saw the envelope, she gritted her teeth.
*I’m so pissed off.*
“Miss Isabelle, Miss Esidis, Miss Elfihera. Don’t you see the common thread?”
“Thieves?”
“…That’s a very novel interpretation, but considering I’m here, I doubt that’s it. No, more importantly, what on earth have you all been doing to make that the first thing that comes to mind… Never mind. Right.”
Oskar quietly affirmed his decision. *Okay, let’s just ignore these morons.*
“We’re the sons and daughters of the Hero’s Party! And this is a deserted countryside. Can’t you see it at a glance?”
“Lucia isn’t here.”
“Well, Lucia’s a disciple, not a daughter, so she wasn’t included. And Professor Enrique is infertile and couldn’t have a daughter, isn’t that just cruel!”
“I’m starting to get scared of you all.”
Oskar lamented the cognitive impairment of two of the four party members. He could understand Esidis, being Einar’s daughter, but what in the world had happened to Isabelle?
Wasn’t she famous in the Tilles palace as a child prodigy?
It was so absurd that the only explanation was that Krasilov had poisoned her to weaken an enemy nation’s military potential.
Fortunately, there was one other person among them with whom he could have a reasonable conversation. He didn’t exactly want to classify her as a person, but she was, at the very least, an intelligent being capable of dialogue.
Elfihera, who had been listening to Oskar, tilted her head and asked.
“So, you’re saying Sir Yeremov gathered us here to assassinate us?”
“Of course not. There have been plenty of better opportunities for that.”
How many attacks had occurred in Fritzenkaya recently? Civil unrest within a city inevitably creates a vacuum in security.
An attack during such a time would have been a much cleaner job. For instance, during the field training raid, if Ivan hadn’t intervened, Oskar and Isabelle would have certainly been dead.
So, killing them wasn’t the objective. This was more like…
“He must have something to show only to us, or something to teach us. Isn’t that the kind of summons this is? Sir Yeremov was an acquaintance of the Hero’s Party, a close friend of Professor Enrique, and he showed overwhelming results in the tournament.”
If your dad’s friend is a knight, isn’t it common sense that he’d help you train in a situation like this?
At Oskar’s words, Elfihera flashed a sly smile.
“Humans are so cute.”
“Excuse me?”
“Let’s say you’re right. Then what about me? It’s true Sir Yeremov is quite skilled with a sword, but is he proficient in magic? What could he possibly teach me?”
If Ivan had been skilled in magic, he wouldn’t have taken her to explore the underground ruins. And that meant she alone was more suited to filling Ivan’s deficiencies than everyone else here combined.
Elfihera was an enlightened elf, so she didn’t question why Oskar was here. After all, gender wasn’t necessarily important when it came to sexual desire. Neither was race or age. (The latter was more important.)
Therefore, this was it.
This was a plan to gather the humans interested in him, and with an elf present, politely reject them by showing they weren’t needed. *Huhu, he’s quite clever. How adorable.*
Reading the look in Elfihera’s eyes, Oskar despaired.
*Is there no sane person here?*
*It’s not just one person who’s crazy, but everyone except one?*
*This is the legacy of the Hero’s Party…?*
Fortunately, Oskar’s despair didn't last long. Just as the clock in the station’s waiting room began to chime five o’clock in the afternoon, the sound of heavy footsteps approached.
-Thud, thud, thud.
Elfihera’s ears perked up. As everyone turned their gaze, a man was standing at the station entrance, silhouetted against the sun.
“You’re on time.”
“Mister!”
“Uncle!”
Isabelle and Esidis shrieked and ran toward Ivan. As they charged, ready to draw their swords, a bag was tossed to each of them. Thud.
“Ack? What’s this? It’s so heavy!”
“Each of you, carry one and follow me. I’ve packed what you need.”
Ivan gestured with his chin toward a black carriage parked in front of the station. It had armored plates, firing ports, and windows covered with iron mesh. It looked exactly like a prisoner transport carriage.
“We’re not being kidnapped or anything, are we?”
“No.”
Ivan nodded and beckoned.
At his gesture, the station agent dozing in the waiting room, the beggar panhandling in the corner, the merchant selling dried greens, and the farmer waiting for the next train all shot to their feet.
Before they could even react, black cloths were thrown over the students’ heads.
With expert skill, the agents from the Counter-Intelligence Command swiftly and perfectly bound them, then looked at Ivan with sparkling eyes.
“Excellent work. Load them up.”
“Yes, Captain!”
Flushed with excitement from the legendary agent’s praise, the agents picked up the students like sacks of luggage and tossed them into the carriage.
Ivan stepped into the carriage, now piled with students, found an empty spot, sat down, and leaned back slowly.
“It’s not *like* a kidnapping. It *is* a kidnapping.”
“Are you crazy, Mister? Untie me! When I get out of here, I’m going to kill you first!”
“Uncle, marriage by abduction is illegal in Droan. Let’s talk about this.”
“I told you I’m allergic to human dander!”
Ivan ignored the squawking luggage and unfolded a map.
Soon, the carriage set off.
*
How does one train students on their vacation?
Unless the students have status windows or quests, no student with a normal thought process would voluntarily participate in training during their break.
That’s because being a student isn’t a profession dedicated solely to academic pursuits. This was a ‘fact’ that Ivan, who had spent his entire life as a student under the highly structured educational system of the 21st century, knew better than anyone.
Without a ‘motive’—such as taking revenge on a rogue ninja brother or fighting a British celestial demon allied with the government who commits terrorism for fun—a student will never willingly attend class.
So, what kind of ‘motive’ should he instill in these university students of a peaceful era to make them train, and to do so at a training camp during their vacation?
Money was not the answer. Isabelle, Esidis, Elfihera, and Oskar were all wealthy enough that their personal assets alone could cover the annual operating costs of Ivan’s orphanage.
Honor, wealth, goods, and rare artifacts should be given as ‘rewards’ after completing a trial, not as the ‘motive’ itself. A motive should be simpler and more powerful.
Kim Seon-woo, the number one motivational instructor from his time on Earth, a ‘Sergeant,’ already knew the answer.
The answer was ‘survival.’
*
When one’s vision is obscured, it’s easy to lose track of time. The repetitive stimuli of the carriage traversing a rough road, the sound of the wind, the breathing that confused the ears, and the blocked sight all made the passage of time fade away.
Therefore, Isabelle found it difficult to gauge how long she had been kidnapped and confined in the carriage.
“Mister, this is really starting to get unfunny. Do you want me to get really mad?”
“We’re here.”
Ivan glanced between the scenery outside the window and the markings on his map, then continued.
“The backpacks I gave you contain simple meals and camping supplies to last for two days.”
“This is absolutely ridiculous.”
“And two days from here, there’s a mountain lodge fully equipped with food and accommodations.”
Ivan gripped an axe and swung his arm. He precisely sliced through the ropes binding the four’s hands and arms, then stood up.
“What if we just go back to the station!”
“That could be one way.”
With those final words, Ivan stepped out of the carriage. The moment they were freed, the four of them threw off the cloths and jumped out.
The sun was already setting. Night comes earlier in the mountains than elsewhere, and the surroundings were rapidly growing dark.
And the path the carriage must have taken…
“Wow, seriously. I… I’m speechless. What do I do? I want to kill the Mister.”
“Is there anything I can do to help?”
“Thanks for the kind words, Essie.”
Burly men dressed in black were erasing the path at the mountain entrance.
Literally erasing it. Their work was so clean that the wide mountain path, large enough for a carriage, was now covered with dirt and fallen leaves, making it indistinguishable from the rest of the forest floor.
“What are you all doing over there! Hey, you! I’ve seen you before! At the Command! When I went to see the Mister!”
Isabelle shrieked, and one of the men engrossed in his work grinned brightly, waved, and then vanished from sight in an instant.
“The horses?”
“Gone. Looks like they rode off on them.”
“Wow. Seriously.”
He tricked a girl ten years younger than him into thinking they were going on a trip (false), abandoned her on a remote mountain (true), threw a survival kit at her, and then disappeared?
*Isn’t this guy a complete lunatic?* (That was an accurate assessment.)
*