A Convergence of Eccentrics (5)
“Huff… huff…”
Loto, a boy from a small rural village in the Spero Kingdom, ran blindly through the forest where he could no longer tell front from back. One thought consumed him: Where did it all go wrong?
Was it the moment he dreamed of a single life-changing jackpot and poured every last coin he had scraped together for independence in the city into the academy entrance exam fee?
Or when he mistook his paper-thin pass—achieved only because his mana happened to be decent while his body and knowledge scores were abysmal—for actual talent?
Maybe it was getting excited after finding extra rations on a different train seat and casually mentioning it to his friend from the same village?
Or refusing to give up even after being surrounded by those burly, thuggish-looking men who shook him down for his food, stubbornly pressing on with the challenge?
No matter how he looked at it, the answer was obvious.
I thought I could just hunt for food and somehow make it work? I must have lost my mind!
-Guoooooo!
Facing the wild boar charging at him with terrifying momentum, Loto screamed.
“Uwooooo! Damn it! Of all the things that could get caught in my trap, why did it have to be that?!”
When he first saw the creature thrashing in the snare he had set, Loto had cheered, thinking he had hit the jackpot. But the instant the boar ripped the trap apart with raw strength, the roles of hunter and hunted flipped completely.
As the fact that this human-boar chase was still somehow happening proved, the beast barreling toward Loto with fire in its eyes had injured its leg while breaking free, making it slower than others of its kind.
Yet an injured leg did not make those thick, powerful muscles disappear, and even its reduced speed matched Loto’s desperate, all-out sprint.
Damn it, isn’t there any high ground? Anywhere that thing can’t follow me?!
Loto racked his brain desperately, but the price of losing focus was brutal.
“Urk!”
His foot caught on a tree root and he tumbled hard across the ground. A sharp jolt of pain shot through the wrist he instinctively used to break his fall, and the burning sting of abrasions bloomed across his skin.
He knew he had to get up, but his shocked body refused to obey. Lying on his side with his vision tilted ninety degrees, the sight of the black beast charging straight at his helpless form was pure, bone-chilling terror.
Unable even to close his eyes, just as Loto uttered a silent scream—
Shaaaaak!
A white flash shot out from nowhere and sliced the boar clean in two.
Soft, flowing brown hair. Delicate, well-defined features. As Loto stared in a daze at the girl who had precisely severed only the charging boar’s neck with masterful skill, a clear, bell-like voice reached him.
“Are you okay? Oh dear, you’re covered in wounds. Hold on a moment.”
Unlike the brown-haired girl holding the sword, a girl with long silver hair that carried a bluish tint and a seductive figure extended an empty hand. A gentle light bloomed, and the pain that had wracked his wrist and body rapidly faded.
Healing magic. Though Loto knew it existed, he had never experienced its blessing. The sensation felt like something out of a dream.
“Where are the rest of your party? Are you alone?”
The third to appear was a blond boy who looked around the same age as him. His clothes were obviously made of expensive material, and he wore a stylish monocle. For someone walking through this harsh forest, his appearance was strangely immaculate—not a speck of dust on him. To this boy who had clearly been born into either nobility or wealth, Loto hesitated before blurting out the only thing on his mind.
“Um… well, could we talk after I visit the bathroom first?”
The silver-haired girl and the blond boy both looked down at Loto’s now-damp lower half. The silver-haired girl let out a soft “Ah,” as if realizing something, then smiled.
“Traumatic experiences can cause that. Don’t worry about it too much.”
Seeing Loto’s face twist in mortification, the blond boy spoke with eyes full of pity.
“…Fiore, just don’t say anything. You go on ahead and come back quickly.”
For a completely different reason than before, Loto felt his eyes growing wet.
It was the third day since the main exam had begun. While we ate the wild boar that Ligret had caught and dressed, we listened to the boy named Loto tell his story.
As expected, food scavenging broke out among the participants.
In a way, it was only natural. Limited supplies. A fixed time limit. One could obtain food through hunting like the boy in front of us had attempted, but the effort and time required were far from negligible.
Choosing a slow-yield method like traps and still managing to catch something quickly could even be called lucky. Though telling that to a boy who had been chased by a boar to the brink of death would probably fall on deaf ears.
After finishing his tale of everything he had endured, Loto spoke cautiously.
“Um… if it’s not too much trouble, could you take me with you? I can handle chores and things like that!”
“Hmm.”
I thought it over. In terms of combat strength, bringing this boy along held little value. Even for chores, only a few days remained, and Ligret’s past experience made her quite capable in that area—she could handle most things alone. He would not be much help.
But—
Well, there’s no real downside either.
It wasn’t as if we would have to look after Loto indefinitely or protect him at all costs. Simply taking him along our route was no great burden.
Just as a neighborhood bully occasionally helping a stray cat mysteriously improves their image, even our family—cursed as a pack of wicked nouveau riche—might gain something from performing a few good deeds.
“Then let’s go together.”
“Th-thank you!”
The boy bowed his head repeatedly in gratitude.
“Allow me to introduce myself properly. My name is Loto, from Black Mountain Village in the Spero Kingdom.”
“Chrome Midas.”
“I’m Fiore Midas. Nice to meet you, Loto.”
“Ligret.”
“Aha, I see. It’s a pleasure to— …wait, what?”
The boy’s previously bright face gradually drained of all color. Only then did I realize.
Oh, right. He didn’t know our family name.
Whether the gratitude he felt for being saved outweighed the infamous reputation he had heard in rumors, or whether survival took priority over any reputation at all, Loto did not go back on his word about joining us.
When we shared food besides the first boar we had hunted, he looked incredibly moved—but sorry, there was still a mountain of it left inside Thoth’s Bag. Honestly, giving a portion to one person barely made a dent.
I had planned to hand out spare food to anyone who seemed friendly or neutral, creating favors or debts, but we’ve encountered far fewer other participants than I expected.
It was proof that the starting points were farther apart than anticipated, or that contestants were being eliminated at a rapid pace. Or perhaps both.
“—Everyone, wait.”
Ligret, walking at the front, suddenly stopped in her tracks.
“Huh?”
Loto looked confused. Fiore seemed to have caught on and was already gathering mana around her hands. I asked Ligret directly.
“Want to handle it yourself?”
“Only if it’s fine for me to go all out.”
“That would be wasteful.”
There were still tests left. We could not afford to reveal the full extent of Ligret’s abilities yet.
Thud.
Something dropped to the ground. I readied myself to pull whatever I needed from Thoth’s Bag and called out.
“You lot hiding in the bushes! If you have something to say, come out already!”
A brief silence followed, but they soon decided it was pointless. Five figures emerged from various patches of undergrowth.
Most appeared to be young men in their mid-to-late twenties. The one who looked the oldest spoke.
“Hand over everything you’re carrying.”
I answered calmly.
“If it’s enough for all of you to reach your destinations, I suppose I could spare some?”
“…You fool. Do you not understand you’re in no position to negotiate? Shut up and give us everything!”
“Now that’s just rude. If the goal is simply to pass the exam, wouldn’t it be better to avoid unnecessary conflict?”
I continued.
“—Though if the luggage is merely an excuse and you’re actually after us, that’s another story.”
I didn’t miss the way the man’s eyes widened for a split second.
He shouted.
“All units! Deliver retribution to the kingdom’s traitors!”
The five participants in front drew their weapons and charged at once. At the same time, I sensed another group that had remained hidden rushing in from both flanks, but I ignored them.
A throwing spear flew from Ligret’s hand in a flash, followed by a gruesome tearing sound. Using the screams that filled my ears as background noise, I pulled a specially crafted crossbow from the bag and fired.
Designed for accuracy and rapid fire at close range rather than distance, it unleashed a continuous volley of arrows. One man took a direct hit to the leg and collapsed.
The remaining four proved they had the skill to roam around ambushing others; they either dodged the arrows or suffered only grazing wounds. Yet even that was enough to make their entire bodies stiffen as if turned to stone, rendering them immobile.
Two left. No arrows remained loaded.
The two rushing toward me wore expressions twisted with a mix of ecstasy and rage. I quietly closed my eyes—and stomped hard on what I had already scattered across the ground the moment I first spoke to them.
Screeeeech!
An intense flash erupted from beneath my feet, bright enough to feel even with my eyes shut. The two who took the direct blast staggered, unable to keep their balance.
I immediately pulled out a poison-coated arrow and stabbed them with it. Soon both were foaming at the mouth and collapsing.
When I looked back, Ligret had already finished dealing with the five ambushers in short order.
I spoke to the fallen men.
“If you’re going to call others villains while swinging your weapons around, you came prepared to suffer whatever a real villain might do to you, right?”
It really is a name that attracts aggro in the most annoyingly effective way. Come to think of it, Theo Midas should be sending the next profit summary soon. I wonder if I’ll be able to receive it at the academy?