Chapter 54
Chapter 54
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 54
Chapter Title: Heart-Pounding Camping Club Plus!
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"Pardon?"
Sylvia Evergreen Grove.
Messenger of Yggdrasil and Eve's guardian knight. Vice-top of the fourth-year Knight Division.
Her signature silver ponytail and her exceptional affinity with the great forces of nature had earned her the title of Spirit Knight.
At her lord's command, she widened her eyes in a reaction unbecoming of a vassal sworn to the imperial family.
But Eve's order had been so utterly unexpected that Sylvia had no choice but to ask again.
"What did you just say?"
"Wolfram will be joining the Black Flag expedition this time."
"P-Please wait a moment, my lady. Why have you made such a decision?"
"Well... you see..."
Eve's response trailed off awkwardly.
Questioning her lord and making her hesitate like this? As a vassal, this was grounds for seppuku.
Before waiting for her lady's answer, Sylvia reasoned it out and came to her own conclusion.
"Ah. I understand completely."
"Y-You do? How?"
"Because I am your sword, my lady."
"...?"
Sylvia had grown up in the evergreen forests.
The opposite of what her name suggested.
Born to nobility and raised in the city, she saw right through to the truth.
Why Wolfram, demoted to a regular student, had to accompany Eve.
She realized the filthy imperial intrigue hidden within!
Imperial Bloodline.
The difference between Eve von Loengrin and Wolfram.
And the tangled politics.
"No helping it, then. Pressure from the imperial family?"
"Y-Yes?"
"It's unavoidable. But we must engrave this humiliation in our hearts and press forward."
"?"
Eve floated question marks over her head, but Sylvia nodded with tears welling in her eyes.
"I swear on the name of Sylvia Evergreen Grove. I will chew on this humiliation and walk the path of glory with you, my lady. Until the day you seize the world."
"...Ah, um. Thank you, Sylvia."
She didn't quite get it, but it seemed like Sylvia was convinced.
"Ah. So, we'll form the expedition including just Wolfram von Loengrin?"
"Right?"
Sylvia responded with a troubled expression.
"As you know, this is our first expedition, my lady."
"Yes. We've handled crackdowns inside the academy before, but this is the first time we've learned of an off-campus hideout."
"And yet we have to include an unstable element like Wolfram... His status is downright abysmal, isn't it?"
"Aha."
In a way, Sylvia was right.
Wolfram von Loengrin's status was不安定 to the extreme.
F-grade would be putting it kindly.
But that didn't necessarily define his limits.
"That part should be fine."
"I-Is that... so?"
"Yes. Wolfram von Loengrin's addition won't be a big issue."
"Understood."
Sylvia nodded at Eve's words.
There could be no mistake in the path chosen by her lady.
Even if her lady was human and prone to error, a vassal's duty was to support her to the fullest after any slip-up.
Sylvia intended to respect Eve's choice.
As long as it wasn't a colossal blunder.
As she left the student council room, Sylvia murmured softly.
"Please don't burden Lady Eve any more than this, Wolfram von Loengrin."
She sincerely hoped it wouldn't be a massive mistake.
Heart-pounding expedition day with the very people who exiled me!
Wow! We've even brought along Wolfram von Loengrin, whom we exiled with our own hands today!
"...Hm."
And then a sudden surprise: no execution party for Wolfram von Loengrin, right?
No way Eve would do something that cruel. Brother trusts his little sister.
But what if the Black Flag claims they killed Wolfram, and they put out an ending where they sadly recovered his body from the hands of the culprit, making the entire student council accomplices!
"...No. That's a question without an answer. I'll know once it happens."
I was anxious, but Eve was innately incapable of lying. If she said she'd prop me up, she'd do it for real.
"Besides, I remember this expedition. No losses there."
I'd done it from Kelters' perspective, but it was the 2-1 event, and it dropped a pretty symbolic item.
An item I absolutely had to get to accomplish this great task as Wolfram von Loengrin.
Plus, in the main story, skipping this episode made it hard to obtain.
"Hm."
This really was shaping up to be a heart-pounding camping event.
The students under Eve who hated Wolfram; my only ally was my blood-related Eve. And then...
"Come to think of it."
Originally, Act 2 was called "Heart-Pounding Academy" or "Crush Academy" among players.
"It applies to me in a whole different way."
Whatever.
If my heart's gonna pound anyway,
Wouldn't the thrill of life-or-death crisis beat romance or crushes?
And the next day.
I finally visited the forest district streets run by Yggdrasil's elves after so long.
Last time was to sell clothes, right? Nostalgic.
"...Wolfram? Oh, damn it."
"Eeee!! Wolfram! Wolfram, why?!"
Wow, what a warm welcome. Thanks. And you at the end—what's with hiding?
Tsk.
I ignored their sidelong glances and walked the forest streets anyway.
On one side, new-style buildings built with recent techniques. On the other, classic wooden structures.
City elves and forest elves. Past and present coexisting in a place that was complex yet harmonious, chaotic yet orderly.
Novels would wax poetic about it, but to sum up my impression in one word:
"A mess."
That about nailed it.
How to put it—like Dongdaemun market with construction in full swing next door...
Anyway. I had stuff to buy today, so I hurried along, and spotted a familiar figure.
"Hey, you! Lunchtime! Grab a snack and get back to work!"
"Yes, sir!"
...Why is she here?
Nefti dropped the H-beam she was carrying with a thud, then stretched her waist and arms high.
Sweat glistening in the sunlight, steam practically rising from her in this spring weather. She looked like the epitome of a hardworking youth, but I pretended not to notice.
We'd been running into each other too much lately. Meeting you means trouble. Don't barge into the convenience store at midnight arguing over profit splits.
"Oh, Senior!"
"Hm."
Damn. Busted.
"What brings you all the way out here?!"
"Nothing much. Working hard, I see. Keep it up."
"No, no. You've been working hard too, Senior!"
"...".
What did I even do to deserve that?
As I tilted my head, Nefti grinned.
"Profit split. Thanks."
"...Ah, right. You handled sales, after all."
So I'd given her an extra 100,000 rin. Nefti got 400,000, Rudika and I split 300,000.
Rudika said take it all, but no way.
"100,000 rin is my daily wage. Thanks to you, my day's gotten longer, Senior?"
"Uh, yeah... I guess."
"Yep!"
Nefti giggled as she said it.
I stared at her and tilted my head.
"Was your hair always like that?"
"Pardon? Oh... It's comfy, so I've been wearing it like this temporarily."
"I see."
Nefti with her short hair tied back in a tight ponytail. Not her usual wavy bob, but sleek and sharp. Old man Wolfram here's jealous of that youth.
"So, where are you headed, Senior?"
"Hm. Looking for a workshop. Somewhere selling cheap, sturdy blankets or sleeping bags."
"...Ah! I know a place!"
"How? ...Can I trust it?"
"It's where we order all our site uniforms! My work gloves, undershirt—everything's from there?"
"Oh."
Then it's reliable.
***
After buying sturdy, durable tents, sleeping bags, blanket pillows, and heating tools galore from Yggdrasil's site supplier fabric shop, I requested delivery and returned to the convenience store.
I glared at Patrasche, who was yawning lazily at home.
She scratched her belly with her foot like, "What're you gonna do about it?" What the heck.
I explained the upcoming mountain trip, and she made no secret of her disgust, but I offered half a day of freedom in exchange, opening the door to a labor-management compromise.
"I see. Tomorrow you're heading out somewhere else."
"Yeah. This time it could get really dangerous."
"...I don't know the Sleeping Mountains well, but I've never sensed any strong auras from there?"
"It's about the students coming with me possibly killing me."
"Got it. What then?"
"Put me in the cart and run. No looking back."
"...Understood. Simple enough."
With our escape plan squared away, I set up the crafting kit and activated my skill.
"What to make?"
"Hot packs that last all night."
"That's a lot."
"They might all need them."
"...? Didn't you say you're bedding down with people who hate you?"
"I did."
"Indeed. Even if they hate you, you'll wrap them in affection?"
Patrasche bared her teeth in a grin, and I grinned back.
"Gotta sell 'em to the ones trying to suck up to me."
"...I see. Clever."
What?
Ever seen a convenience store give stuff away for free instead of tossing it?
And so, heart-pounding camping mountain trek morning dawned.
The meeting spot was at the academy entrance toward the Sleeping Mountains, set for early afternoon, so I arrived around noon.
There were Eve and one familiar Knight Division student.
"You're here."
"Yeah. Did I keep you waiting?"
"No. It's fine. Th-That... um."
"What?"
Eve hemmed and hawed, then sighed deeply and spat it out like swallowing bitter medicine in one go.
"You got here early. Good work. So diligent. Impressive."
"...".
First time for praise this devoid of emotion.
Is this your way of propping me up?
Fine. You're an idiot, as expected.
"Enough. Don't do things that don't suit you."
"...Ugh."
"I'll handle myself. Just protect me if things look irreversible."
"Got it."
Good.
Even if everyone turns hostile, Eve won't attack me.
Escape viable.
"...What does that mean, Wolfram von Loengrin."
"What does what mean?"
"Irreversible events—what do you mean by that."
The silver-haired Knight Division student glared at me, hair whipping in the wind.
Sylvia Evergreen Grove.
Eve's sword, who picked fights with me when Eve's rebellion succeeded.
She'd threatened that I couldn't survive alone. I'd shot back, "What if I do?"
Just from the atmosphere, she was green with hostility toward me.
Honestly, she's strong, and her attribute sword enchanted with wind spirits is fast and sharp—scary. One you don't mess with.
Yeah, don't mess with her. Don't.
"What are you gonna do about it?"
"...What?"
"Know your place, elf. You have no right to interject in a conversation between imperial blood."
"Kuh."
Don't mess with her? What am I supposed to do?
My gut's telling me to roast you. The little Wolfram inside me's yelling, "Eat shit! Haha!"
"...Sigh."
Eve sighed helplessly too. She wanted to side with Sylvia but had promised to prop me up, so no choice.
Anyway, to break the awkward air, Wolfram von Loengrin spoke first. Wolfram's so nice. He knows when to change a shitty mood.
"Speaking of which, everyone's late. Isn't this a mountain trek? Better to start early."
"...Is it?"
Eve tilted her head.
?
No way you're questioning that?
"From here to the Sleeping Mountains... wherever exactly, but even to mid-mountain takes at least two hours."
"Yeah. We're camping anyway."
"Did you prepare properly for camping?"
"Of course. Told everyone to bring tents and bedding."
"Meals are prepared too."
...
Something felt ominously off.
"One more thing. Night watch set? Campfire? Patrol aids or body-warmth tools for hypothermia prevention?"
"...?"
Eve tilted her head.
"Hmph. It's just the Sleeping Mountains. How strong could any monsters be? And it's spring. Nights might cool, but how cold?"
"...Eve, what do you think?"
"...Ah."
Sylvia fully endorsed my words, but Eve's face finally paled a bit. Her words and destination clicked.
"One question, Eve. First external expedition?"
"...We've done some under professor supervision."
"Those were... not external, but simulated environments, right?"
"..............".
Of course.
They'd never been outside.
Just experienced simulated setups provided by professors.
Like the difference between boot camp and actual Marines.
Indoor climbing and real rock climbing.
They underestimated the real monster-filled battlefield ahead.
"Don't come crying to me later."
No telling what'll happen.
These idiots.