Cleric (1)
Nothing particularly noteworthy happened after Kara joined us. Grace and Yeonju, who had barely slept, dozed off here and there, but there were no issues.
It was the same even on the evening when the safe zone had shrunk to its minimum size. There were hardly any survivors left anyway, and none of them wanted to fight.
"Are you going to fight? We don't mind either way."
"A peace treaty wouldn't be bad either."
Those words came from Elvin, who—like us—had survived all the way to the end. The moment he saw us, he immediately proposed a peace treaty. My presence alone was like a nuclear bomb, creating such a massive pressure that the treaty formed without resistance. Since we didn't have to expend any effort either, the training proceeded in its own peaceful way.
"Elvin, what did you eat to hold out?"
"Just water."
"......Aren't you hungry? Must've been tough."
"I'd rather starve than eat frogs or snakes."
Elvin had survived in a somewhat foolish manner. He'd endured without eating anything at all. He'd managed hydration with potions he'd brought in advance. Hunting was tough, and he couldn't stomach bugs—that was the result.
"This?"
"G-get rid of that thing quick! I'm not eating it!"
So when I offered him a nicely roasted grubworm, he freaked out. Why do they all hate bugs so much? I left the pale-faced Elvin with Kara and handed it over. She thanked me and popped it straight into her mouth.
"Mm. Mm. As expected, delicious. Why wouldn't you eat something this tasty?"
"Dunno."
"......"
Elvin watched us with an indescribable expression. No lie—it really was tasty.
Anyway, time passed, evening drew near, and the sun was just about to set.
"Everyone, good work. The survival training ends here."
We were chattering away excitedly in the safe zone when the professors came to find us. The tumultuous survival training was finally over. Now I could rest comfortably on a soft bed.
"It's best to leave the bracelets on as long as possible. They boost fatigue recovery and temporarily suppress physiological functions. So take them off back at the dorms and return them the next day."
"......Fatigue recovery makes sense, but why suppress physiological functions?"
Grace's question. The other survivors wore similar puzzled expressions.
Humans are bound to experience various bodily changes in unfamiliar environments. Especially menstrual cycles. And survival training involved extreme environmental shifts. No one had probably thought about what had changed.
"There are several reasons, but mainly to avoid embarrassing situations. We were watching over you, after all. Does that make sense now?"
"......Yes."
Grace nodded. Being quick on the uptake, she'd probably already guessed. That the professors were monitoring the students somehow. That way, everyone could focus solely on the training. There might be some discomfort, but no major backlash. Those who hadn't focused on survival and done pointless things instead were the ones at fault.
"Well, no need to worry too much. We don't pry into students' personal affairs. That's one of the academy's principles."
Malboro said this while glancing at me. Even the other professors subtly directed their gazes my way. I wondered why they were looking at me of all people—then it hit me.
Ah. Luna.
I'd momentarily forgotten about Luna. The professors had likely witnessed everything she said to me. She'd asked about the cave paintings where I lived, but to outsiders, it must've sounded like more than enough grounds for misunderstanding—a full-on confession. From the professors' perspective, watching it all in real-time, it was probably popcorn-worthy drama. I wondered how they'd score that.
They'll handle it appropriately.
Professors weren't the loose-lipped type. Unless they called the parties involved for advice, they wouldn't spread rumors. But rumors spread like wildfire without legs, growing bit by bit until they bordered on truth. That wasn't something professors could control. Rumors were just like that.
I didn't know how things would play out, but I'd just do what I had to.
"One more time: good work, everyone. Tomorrow's only afternoon self-training, so rest well until then. Dismissed!"
After following the professors out of the forest, we got the disband order. Students hesitated briefly, then headed back to their dorms. We were about to do the same—until Grace called out to me.
"Sivar."
"?"
I stopped walking and looked at her. Kara, who'd been heading out with me, did the same. Grace's face was etched with exhaustion. She hadn't eaten properly for two days or slept well. Yet her signature sharp, glamorous beauty couldn't be hidden. Even her sleek eyes had softened into a pitiful look.
"That......"
Grace mumbled, trying to speak, then faltered. I waited silently for her to open up. Finally, she glanced at Kara beside me and gave a wry smile. An unusual expression for her usual confident self.
"......Never mind. Let's keep getting along well from now on."
"Yeah."
"You too, Yeonju. Let's keep it up."
"Y-yes...!"
Grace spoke to Yeonju with a kind smile. I instinctively knew that wasn't what she really wanted to say. It felt awkwardly off for no reason. Getting closer to Grace could only be good—nothing to lose. I didn't know exactly what she wanted to say, but ending it here would make it hard to build goodwill. My instincts told me so. Don't cut it off—keep going.
"Grace."
"Eh? M-me?"
Maybe from fatigue, Grace pointed at herself with a dumbfounded face at my call. It was worlds apart from her usual elegant noble demeanor. One of her true faces hidden behind the mask. I told her what I wanted to say, her eyes wide.
"Cake."
"......Cake? You mean cake?"
"Yeah. Promise."
I'd promised before. If she did well in survival, I'd buy her cake. Thanks to me, she'd escaped crises and completed the training without issues. Time to keep my word. Grace realized it late with an "Ah," then looked stunned before chuckling softly.
"Sorry. I forgot. When should we meet?"
When would be good? I had prior plans with Luna, and upcoming episodes to consider. It might take a while to schedule. Weekends were for training with Ellie and Lord.
"Sorry to butt in, but what promise did you make with Sivar?"
As I pondered, Kara cut in. Natural curiosity for her, since it was new info. Grace explained casually, as if it were nothing.
"I promised that if Sivar cooperated actively, I'd buy him cake. And he upheld it perfectly. That's all."
"Cake? That sweet, fluffy stuff?"
"Yes. That's the one."
"Hm......"
Kara turned to me after hearing. Concern flickered in her glowing green eyes. Not negative, whatever it was.
"......Got it. A promise is a promise. But not now—later. You're tired, we're tired. Plenty of time, right?"
"Sounds good. Yeonju, wanna join?"
"N-no, I'm good."
Yeonju waved her hands vigorously in refusal. An obvious no. Grace had just asked politely anyway, so we brushed it off.
When was the Yeonju-related episode again?
I recalled it was the Hwan Empire visitors event. Some high-ranking person shows up, recognizes Yeonju right away, and causes all sorts of incidents. Lucky they were a decent sort, or it'd be chaos.
"Once more, good work everyone. Tomorrow...... I probably won't wake up, so see you in two days."
With Grace's words, we headed back to our dorms. Naturally, Kara came with me.
Man, I hope that guy doesn't show up.
Survival training over—next episode was definitely that one. The cleric-related arc. In Soul World, you could get cleric jobs through that route. But faith needed to be somewhat high. Not a concern for me with rock-bottom faith.
Problem was, I was a follower of Chaos.
"Sivar."
"?"
As I mulled over whether that guy would really come, Kara called me. I snapped out of it and looked at her. For some reason, she looked annoyed. Wondering if I'd done something wrong—
"Not sure if Ellie taught you, but you can't just follow anyone who offers you tasty food, got it?"
"......Huh?"
Her words came out of nowhere. To me, it was advice bordering on absurd. As I blinked in confusion, Kara scratched her head and gave an excuse-like reason.
"Grace, right? She seems nice enough...... but still, don't follow strangers. Especially if they offer food or promise something good. Got it?"
Who does she think I am, a kid? I stared at her in disbelief. Misreading my face, Kara lectured again.
"Okay, repeat after me. A stranger says they'll buy you cake if you follow. What do you do?"
"Yeah."
Cake's the key—snag it and bolt. But Kara wasn't satisfied.
"No! Say 'No!' Next: stranger offers money for fun stuff. What then?"
"Sure."
"No! 'No!' Geez, you were this close to big trouble. Good thing you're learning now."
I can protect myself—why react like that? Whatever. Kara muttered sincerely.
"Scary thinking someone might lure away our cute Sivar. Gotta keep a close eye from now on."
"?"
Who's luring who? If forced, I'd bite my way free.