A Perfectly Ordinary Group Assignment (8)
"I thought I was dead." The honest sentiment slipped out without any exaggeration. I'd poured everything I had into that operation—unleashing the 'Flame Fragments' I'd crafted during alchemy class and the 'Wind Crystals' I'd bought separately because my skills weren't up to making them yet. I'd been confident I could handle anyone who showed up, but of course the one team that fell outside that "anyone" had to come straight for us.
Given that the Pendevig siblings were among the top-ranked in magic even back in Planetarium, things could've gone much worse if the gears had slipped even slightly. Hell, even fighting Crow would've been less damaging than this.
"By the way, they're seriously monsters. Are all Morian nobles like that?"
While the rest of the team nursed their wounds with potions, Pino—who'd avoided getting hit at all—asked the question. Ligret had only splashed a bit on her ankle before climbing a tree to keep watch, and Loto, who'd been trembling and refusing potions earlier, was now gargling one straight from the bottle. Humans really were creatures of adaptation.
"Morian Kingdom's magic developed early because of its mana-rich environment. Nobles there are judged more on their skill as mages than on manners or scholarship."
In truth, most of the 'secrets' passed down in Morian families were either unique spells or methods to artificially strengthen a child's mana. They learned spellcasting from childhood, trained relentlessly, and even adjusted their diets to match—resulting in finished products like the siblings.
"Ah, I see. I heard that in the Nahat Grand Duchy, even kids are taught how to hold a sword or shield as basics. Is it similar?"
"That place has its own problems—monsters and magical beasts coming down from the mountains. With the Ivestan Empire right there, they can't even do large-scale extermination campaigns."
"But could their high noses and arrogant personalities also be because of the environment?"
"……Who knows?"
While we chatted about trivial things, Fiore signaled from where she'd been treating the captured team that the Pendevig siblings had woken up. Time to wrap things up.
Unlike the muscle-bound sextet we'd captured on the first day, the Pendevig siblings and their group weren't tied up like dried fish. Since they could fire tactical-level spell shells even barehanded, we'd added simple restraints plus Loto aiming weapons at them from nearby—but honestly, this was already generous treatment.
Eagle Pendevig seemed to understand that, judging by his clean acceptance of defeat—
"Damn it. To think I'd lose to some nouveau riche's cheap tricks."
Whoa, that wasn't the reaction I'd expected. Before I could even react to his blunt, full-throttle straight line, Hau Pendevig sighed quietly beside him and drove the pointed tip of her shoe into her brother's thigh.
"Ack!"
"Mind your dignity, dear brother. What kind of unsightly display is this in front of opponents who even healed our injuries?"
"W-wait. You're the one kicking people in front of others while lecturing me about dignity……"
"What did you say?"
"N-nothing. Forget it."
The hierarchy between the siblings was crystal clear.
'Were these two always like this?'
It was a side of them I'd never seen in Planetarium, so I found it both surprising and fascinating. With Crow or the Academy's three professors, what I'd seen on screen had matched their real personalities pretty closely.
"Ahem, well, whether it was a nouveau riche or cheap tricks, a win is a win. There's barely any time left until midnight, so I'd appreciate it if you didn't waste energy struggling and just stayed put until the end."
I didn't bother saying the part about using harsh measures if they resisted. These weren't idiots who'd need that spelled out.
At my words, Eagle Pendevig made a strange face.
"Is that all you wanted to say?"
"And?"
As far as I was concerned, avoiding giving these siblings a bad impression and sending them out cleanly would've been enough. I'd checked their hands while they were down, but neither they nor their group had any markers proving they held treasures, and there wasn't much else to ask. Even if they had treasures, grabbing them wasn't urgent.
"……So you'll just let us go like this? You, of all people—the nouveau riche… Midas?"
He'd been about to call me "nouveau riche brat" but quickly changed his words when his sister shot him a glare.
"What else am I supposed to do? If you're eliminated, that's the end of it."
Eagle Pendevig still looked unconvinced. What was his deal?
Then Fiore, who'd been watching the situation, whispered beside me.
"Could it be because of Caspar last time?"
"Why that boar?"
"You beat him until dust flew on a rainy day, Oraboni."
Ah—so he felt uneasy that the guy who'd provoked us got wrecked while he himself was left alone? I turned my gaze to Eagle Pendevig.
"Just to clear up any misunderstanding, I don't go around smashing every opponent I consider hostile. This is a competition hosted by the Academy in the first place."
It was true that his attitude toward me hadn't been particularly friendly, but among nobles, few treated commoners any better. My goal wasn't some social revolution, so I couldn't harvest every stalk of corn whenever it happened. Caspar or whatever that boar was called? If I hadn't beaten him, I'd have been treated like a pushover, and he'd crossed the line plenty of times. Mistakes were one thing, but three strikes and you're out—your head flying off with a baseball bat would be natural causes.
"That's right. If it's about Caspar, he threatened that he wouldn't leave me alone either if I didn't help, so I had no choice."
"What? That guy went that far?"
At Fiore's words, Eagle openly frowned, and Fiore nodded vigorously.
"If Oraboni hadn't stepped in, I might've been in serious trouble. Our family has a bad reputation, and besides, the opponent was an imperial noble."
"Hmph. Nobility isn't something you become just by being born with the blood. It requires the proper decorum and conduct. Now that I think about it, that guy was a shameless wretch who didn't even deserve to call himself a noble."
"You wouldn't have stayed quiet if something like that happened to you either, would you, Eagle?"
"Of course not! I'd have smashed him so thoroughly he'd regret being born!"
"Kyaa, Hau must feel so secure. Having such a reliable older brother~"
"Ahem, ahem."
"Reliable, my foot. He can't go five minutes without saying something violent. If something bothers him, his first instinct is to smash it. Having him around gives me such a headache."
"Hey, hold on!"
"Haha, you two really do get along well."
After that, Fiore skillfully played the siblings like a fiddle, and by the time midnight approached, the atmosphere between the initially prickly pair had noticeably softened—like a dog and cat meeting a strange guest.
"Chrome Midas. It seems I misunderstood you somewhat. Your methods leave something to be desired, but results can't be denied. Take pride in having defeated this Eagle Pendevig and make sure to achieve the best possible outcome."
"Fiore Midas. If we get the chance, let's have tea together sometime."
After a swarm of black butterflies carried away the Pendevig siblings and their group, Fiore smiled brightly.
"They seem a bit prickly on the surface, but they're actually kind and gentle at heart."
"Y-yeah."
'I thought these guys wouldn't drop their prickly attitudes and show their gentle sides until at least the mid-game……'
Maybe my little sister had been born with talents that didn't belong in a merchant family. After listening to her talk for five minutes, I felt like even my internal organs might get sold off.
The voice of Professor Istal, sounding more energetic than usual, echoed through the area, and sighs of relief escaped from among the team members. Constantly staying alert while surviving in the forest was more exhausting than imagined, and the realization that it was finally over made our shoulders unconsciously relax.
But as if that reaction had come too soon, Professor Istal's announcement continued.
……Huh?
I was taken aback. The list of participants was fine. Crow and the princess's skills went without saying, and while Alphons hadn't appeared in the original work, his actions alone showed he was no amateur.
But—
'The game name is different?'
The moment my attempt to leverage my game knowledge for an advantage began to unravel right from the start.