Gathering Eccentrics (4)
I was stunned.
‘……If this were the second or third year, maybe. But ten points at this stage?’
Purely in terms of raw talent, the members of the Template certainly possessed the potential to reach ten points—that is, the level of geniuses or monsters—in both physical ability and magical power. Even Ligret only scored that high because I had supported her by focusing on raising her overall stats. If she had devoted herself solely to physical enhancement from the start, it wouldn’t have been impossible. Still, the fact that a Template holder had already reached that level without any intervention from me was, honestly… how should I put it?
‘It stings my pride a little.’
It felt like I had worked hard tutoring my younger sibling or a friend, only to be outdone in grades by a top student who casually claimed they had only studied from the textbook. Whoever this person was and whatever their template might be, I resolved to clearly demonstrate my own abilities if we ever met. I turned to the other two.
“First, gather your luggage and get off. And just in case, check the other compartments too.”
“Other compartments? No matter how sloppy they are, there’s no way…”
Clunk! Rattle.
The moment Ligret casually opened the empty seat’s luggage rack, another backpack containing a compass and rations tumbled out.
Fiore covered her mouth with her hand and muttered, “As expected. So that’s why it said ‘get off within ten minutes.’ I thought that was rather long just for grabbing your own luggage and disembarking.”
I took out only the food from the newly acquired backpack and transferred it into my original one as I spoke.
“Each of you take one extra compass as a spare. Hand over all the food to me.”
Four days’ worth of rations. The time limit to reach the destination was one week. I had no idea how far we would actually have to travel, but more food was never a bad thing.
‘It’s a shame this is a route I’ve never personally experienced.’
I focused on organizing our gear, thinking that it would have been better if I had reincarnated after thoroughly mastering every route instead of at this awkward halfway point after clearing the game three times.
The massive iron mass let out a shrill whistle as it exited the forest. The moment its rapidly receding silhouette completely vanished from sight, the people’s reactions split into three distinct groups.
“All we have to do is reach the destination? Simple enough!”
“I’ve hunted in forests until I was sick of them. I’m going to be the first one there!”
The first group burned with ambition and fighting spirit, rushing into the forest as if afraid of falling behind. These were mostly former hunters or mercenaries, or those confident in their own abilities. Familiar with harsh labor in rugged environments or convinced they could handle most situations alone, they charged forward. In a sense, they were the most proactive participants in the test, but they formed a minority overall.
“W-wait, they’re really just leaving like that? Dumping us in the middle of a forest?”
“What do we do if we want to withdraw? Who knows what could happen on the way!”
“I-I didn’t grab my backpack…!”
The second group stood frozen in bewilderment and hesitation. They had scrambled off the train after hearing the announcement that staying aboard would count as withdrawal, but now that they were abandoned in the middle of the woods, they had no idea what to do. Some hadn’t even properly heard the broadcast because they had been chatting with other applicants or dozing off, and thus failed to secure their food or compass. They couldn’t bring themselves to boldly plunge into the forest like the first group, nor could they retrace their steps along the tracks. They simply wandered about in confusion. It was a pitiful sight that could easily be judged as lacking resolve, yet unfortunately, the majority of the participants fell into this category.
And the last group was the one adapting to the current situation faster than anyone else and seeking to exploit it.
“Everyone, listen! Do not panic—gather over here! If we cooperate, we can all pass together!”
The loud voice ringing out from the center of the clearing drew every participant’s gaze. Standing at its source was a handsome young man clad in knight’s armor. With golden hair like grains of sand, blue eyes, a height exceeding 180 centimeters, and a sculpted physique, he was the very picture of a noble beauty. One of the participants stepped forward and asked,
“W-who are you to be ordering us around?”
Whether intimidated by the young man’s build and distinctive aura, the question came out in a slightly trembling voice. The one who answered, however, was not the young man himself but one of the two knights standing beside him.
“Insolent fool! This is Lord Alphons Betuart, heir to the Betuart Marquis family! Show proper respect!”
The knight’s menacing aura, as if ready to draw his sword at any moment, made the man who had asked shrink back. But Alphons stopped him.
“Hold on, Nicolaus. There is no need to be so harsh. He simply did not know—it cannot be helped.”
“Yes! My apologies.”
“I understand it is difficult to believe. You must be quite flustered as well. But think carefully. The examiner only said, ‘Reach the destination within one week.’ He never once mentioned that only a set number of people would pass on a first-come, first-served basis, or that we must eliminate other participants.”
With the participants now silent, Alphons continued.
“Do you see that vast forest? Rather than venturing alone into those savage wilds relying on nothing but a single compass, our chances of success will be far higher if everyone here works together! What do you say? Will you join me?”
“Please take me with you!”
“Me too!”
“U-um… can I still participate even if I don’t have a backpack…?”
Excluding the few who had charged into the forest at the very beginning, more than half of those left behind were now flocking around the young man named Alphons. Fiore asked,
“By the way, Brother, what should we do?”
I asked in return, “Do you want to join them?”
“It would be efficient, that’s true.”
Fiore continued with her usual bright, cheerful smile.
“Numbers are power, and the fact that they’re here means they all passed the preliminary exam, so most of them should at least possess the minimum required ability. With the easily understood authority of nobility and the charisma that comes from his appearance, he should be able to maintain decent control as well.”
“Is that your type?”
“About sixty out of a hundred?”
“That’s a pretty low score.”
“His naturally condescending attitude is a turn-off.”
“Honestly, same here.”
Even as we conversed, Alphons Betuart’s team continued to grow in size. Before long, only our group of three and a handful of other participants remained.
One of the two knights who appeared to be Alphons’s close aides—the one called Nicolaus—shouted at us.
“Hey, you! If you’re going to join us, hurry up!”
I replied, “We plan to go separately, so there’s no need to concern yourselves with us.”
“What?”
Nicolaus’s expression twisted slightly. Among those who had joined Alphons’s team, several began murmuring as if they had recognized us.
Ligret spoke up.
“‘Those guys are the ones who got weird scores in the preliminaries!’ ‘Even I, who spent my life hunting in the mountains, only got five points. How does a scrawny kid like that get six in physical ability? And what about the brown-haired one next to him!’ ‘They said they’re from the Midas family, right? Maybe they bribed the examiner?’ ‘Wow, that’s dirty.’ ‘Looks like they’re going off on their own. Must be pretty confident.’ ‘Who knows? Maybe they found some hidden path prepared in advance with bribes.’”
Fiore asked, looking flustered, “You can hear them murmuring over there? And you can distinguish every single thing in that jumbled mess of voices?”
Ligret simply shrugged. It didn’t seem particularly difficult to her.
Nicolaus, having realized who we were as well, sneered and said,
“Midas scum who know neither honor nor shame, gilding their vulgar, street-pebble natures with gold plating. I don’t know if you pulled strings with bribes during the preliminary exam, but don’t think that will work here.”
“Huh? We bribed someone?”
“Are you going to deny it? You really have the nerve to—”
“No, that’s not what I meant.”
I widened my eyes and deliberately raised my voice so that everyone around could hear clearly.
“You’re saying that the empire’s fair and upright examiners accepted bribes from our house and gave us biased judgments?”
Nicolaus was momentarily taken aback, but realizing that only participants were present, he quickly regained his menacing expression and snarled at me.
“You cowardly bastard, grasping at straws!”
“Besides, this is supposed to be the main exam. Isn’t it strange that there isn’t a single examiner’s eye watching nearby? They might be observing from somewhere.”
“You bastard!”
Nicolaus drew his sword in fury.
Or rather, he tried to.
If Alphons’s voice had not stopped him.
“That is enough, Nicolaus!”
“Lord Alphons.”
“Stand down.”
Though Nicolaus shot me a glare that clearly said this isn’t over, he did not disobey the order.
Alphons spoke.
“I apologize for my subordinate’s rudeness. Just so there is no misunderstanding, I have no intention of discriminating against you simply because you are from the Midas family. If that is why you wish to move separately, please reconsider. This forest is dangerous.”
I shook my head.
“Thank you for the concern, but I would rather not move while constantly on edge.”
“I see.”
As if he had expected that answer, Alphons did not press the matter further. Instead, he asked,
“You seemed to disembark quite late from the train. Did something happen?”
“I tend to sleep very deeply and have trouble waking up. It took me a while to grasp the situation. Why do you ask?”
I didn’t miss the way Alphons’s gaze briefly flicked toward the backpacks carried by me and the other two.
“No, if nothing happened then it is fine. I wish you good fortune.”
As I watched his retreating back, I thought,
‘He seems to have guessed that we grabbed extra supplies, but he doesn’t want to clash with us right away. Makes sense. If it’s just “spares,” he probably secured plenty himself already.’
I gazed at the participants flocking around Alphons. I wondered how many among them would be able to protect their own food until the end when faced with the “leader’s rational decision for the greater good.”