Chapter 146
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 146
Inside the Cube.
I was blissfully rolling around under a blanket, enjoying the cool breeze from the air conditioner.
“Hey, I brought the Cubes.”
Fwip—
Chepesi, back from her expedition, threw open the door and tossed the Cubes she’d collected at me. A dozen of them hit the bed all at once. I used my blanket to block the barrage, which seemed to be delivered with more than a hint of irritation.
“Hoh, you brought back quite a few. Good work. Get some rest.”
“You installed an air conditioner only in your room? Are you some kind of punk?”
Grumbling, Chepesi collapsed onto the floor to cool down. Even though she was only wearing a thin shirt, sweat was pouring down her face. I had to admit the jungle’s heat and humidity were brutal, so I let her attitude slide.
Lying in bed, I pulled the blanket over my head. “A punk? Didn’t I have it running for the entire lodging at first?”
Now, the base level had increased so much that the space had become too large, making it inefficient to cool the whole area. Consequently, I’d changed the setup to direct the cool air only to my room and Ciel’s.
“Anyway, you promised. Install an AC in my room, too.”
“I will,” I nodded readily.
I had promised to install air conditioning in Chepesi’s room if she brought back more than ten Cubes from this expedition. It would make my room and Ciel’s a little less cool since the cold air would be spread thinner, but it didn’t matter much since Ciel and I had our own temperature-regulating artifacts.
I asked Chepesi, who was still sitting on the floor cooling off, “How are things out there?”
“We’ve cleared out the nearby area. The number of small teams is dwindling. Most of them turned out to be scouts or detached units belonging to some faction.”
“I see.”
It had been about three days since the Faction War began. With the number of small, independent teams steadily decreasing, it seemed everyone was now flocking to the larger powers. In a way, everything up to this point had been the foundation-laying phase. The real Faction War was just beginning.
‘So, in the end, it’s a competition between the Four Great Academies.’
Currently, there were four major powers on this jungle island:
Elena’s team from Seintea.
The Noble Alliance from Eredor.
Teon’s team from Ishtal.
Silphiette’s team from Voltimir.
My own team, centered around me, could be considered an anomaly.
“The problem is Elena’s team,” I noted.
According to Hildegard’s reconnaissance using her [Observation] Trait, Elena’s team was the largest.
“Yeah, I don’t know what trick she pulled, but the place is swarming with people,” Chepesi added. “At a glance, it looked like over 400. How did she manage that?”
“Someone like Elena could easily expand her forces without fighting.”
Expanding one’s power without conflict was an advantage held by reputable leaders known for their tolerance and virtue. People would flock to join her without her even needing to flex her strength. In terms of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, she was in the Liu Bei position, and her faction was currently the largest in this jungle.
‘That’s actually a little scary when you think about it.’
She naturally drew people in with her benevolence, and on top of that, her faction was the biggest. How was anyone supposed to stand against that? In contrast, was I the Lu Bu of this story? A hot-tempered brute. The problem was, I wasn’t even as strong as Lu Bu.
At my explanation, Chepesi gritted her teeth. “A bunch of spineless bastards. Surrendering without a fight and crawling to her? If they were my subordinates, I’d have beaten them all to a pulp.”
“Well, I suppose that’s their way of surviving. On the other hand, you could be like someone I know—who fought, got her ass kicked, and now has to work for someone else.”
“What, you son of a bitch?!”
I ignored Chepesi’s outburst and spread out a map of the jungle island. It was a map Hildegard had created using her [Observation] Trait. There was a reason I’d put her in charge of the watchtower. In addition to her ability to read the stars, she possessed a skill similar to clairvoyance, allowing her to see farther and in greater detail than others.
I pointed to the western part of the island on the map, where Elena’s camp was located. “For now, we leave Elena’s side alone.”
They had already grown too large to handle. The quality and quantity of their forces were far superior to ours. Elena had likely gathered formidable individuals like Adler as her allies, so I couldn’t guarantee a victory if we fought them now.
“First, we need to build up our strength by either allying with or devouring other factions.”
“Who’s going to ally with us?”
“I think there’s at least one group that will.”
The team hosted by Silphiette, Kiriel’s aide. Silphiette owed me for saving her life, so if I asked for her help, she would surely go out of her way to provide it.
“On the other hand, there will be factions dead set on fighting me.”
A prime example was the Noble Alliance, which had set up camp in the central hills of the island. They were the second-largest power in this jungle after Elena’s faction. They had maintained a hostile stance toward me since the competitive exhibition, and it was likely they would do the same in this Faction War. It also seemed they held a personal grudge against me because of Roen.
They had about 200 members, with around 50 capable of combat. Moreover, since their costs would recover over time, their forces would only continue to grow if we delayed. In fact, after recruiting Chepesi on the first day, I had recovered my costs overnight and recruited Hildegard and Karon as well.
“Let’s take this opportunity to crush the Noble Alliance. What do you think?”
“You want to wage an all-out war against the Noble Alliance? Are you crazy? They outnumber us several times over.”
“I’m not crazy. In fact, it’s better to deal with them now.”
They were perfectly ripe for the picking. If we hesitated now, Elena would snatch them up. Now was the time to strike. We would swallow them whole and use their strength to face Elena’s forces.
“Of course, it’ll be difficult to take them on by ourselves, so we’ll ally with Silphiette. Ciel, arrange a time and place for a meeting and contact them.”
At my command, Ciel opened the window between our rooms and poked her head in. “Understood.”
“Wh-what? When did you get here?” Chepesi asked, startled.
Ciel replied calmly, “I was on standby in the next room from the beginning. I heard the entire conversation.”
“…Your maid is quite loyal.”
“This must all be due to my master’s great virtue.”
“…”
“In any case,” I interrupted, “this negotiation must not be discovered by outsiders. Proceed with the utmost secrecy.”
*
The next day.
A seaside cave on the eastern side of the jungle island.
Swoosh—
The sound of waves crashing into the cave drowned out all other noises. Ciel and I had arrived at the cave in secret, avoiding prying eyes. Inside, Silphiette was already waiting for us, accompanied by one of her team members.
Upon seeing me, Silphiette bowed her head. “Roen-nim, you’ve arrived.”
“It’s been a while. I never thought we’d meet in a place like this. It feels… new.”
“Indeed.”
Meeting an acquaintance I usually only saw in Spiritology class in such a remote location, and in this clandestine manner, felt novel. It was like a scene from a survival drama where groups of survivors on a deserted island join forces.
“I asked to see you to propose an alliance. I need your cooperation in taking down the Noble Alliance.”
“The timing is quite coincidental. Just yesterday, the Noble Alliance proposed an alliance with us.”
“Hoh, and your answer?”
Silphiette adjusted her glasses. “I told them I would think about it for now.”
“The situation is perfect. For now, accept their proposal. And then…”
“You mean we should betray them and strike when their guard is down?”
“Well, that’s a rough way of putting it, but yes,” I said with an awkward expression.
There was no blow more devastating than being betrayed by an ally you trusted.
“I will launch an all-out attack on the Noble Alliance in the near future. While we draw their attention from the front, you can strike them from behind and inflict heavy damage.”
“It’s not the most honorable plan, but… yes, if you’re asking, Roen-nim, I will do it.”
Silphiette readily accepted my proposal. She was a bit straight-laced, but it seemed she couldn’t refuse a request from her benefactor.
“Thank you for agreeing to this difficult request. By the way, seeing you here alone, I assume Kiriel ended up somewhere else?”
“Yes, Kiriel-nim seems to have landed on a different island. She’s teamed up with Rinarun.”
“I see.”
It seemed they had sent Elena, Kiriel, Beatrice, and Freya to different islands to balance things out. Although, if they were concerned about balance, it might have been better to pair them up. Placing one on each island seemed like a recipe for creating an ecosystem destroyer.
“Well, anyway, I understand. I’ll now relay the detailed plan.”
“A plan… you say?”
At Silphiette’s question, I nodded with a smirk. “Yes. A more… interesting plan that will truly catch them off guard.”
*
The next day.
“An envoy?”
In the Ishtal camp, centered around Freya’s aide, Teon Fleber, an envoy from Roen’s side had arrived. The team was composed mainly of swordsmen.
“Yes, it’s a student named Hildegard from Roen’s team.”
Hearing his subordinate’s report, Teon crossed his arms, lost in thought. His faction had already joined hands with Eredor’s Noble Alliance to stand against Elena’s forces in the future. Roen sending an envoy probably meant he wanted to propose an alliance…
‘But the Noble Alliance is grinding their teeth, wanting to attack Roen’s team.’
He couldn’t form an alliance while caught between two hostile forces, so it would be best to refuse Roen’s offer. He could try to use this offer to his advantage, but that wouldn’t be an honorable method.
While Teon was deep in thought, a figure dispatched from the Noble Alliance spoke up.
“Hey, how about we use this offer against them?”
Esetra Lorebaker. With her vibrant pink hair, she was a member of the Noble Alliance and the direct heir of the Lorebaker family of summoners. The pink sparrow perched calmly on her shoulder was a clear sign of her profession.
Esetra, who was also the current host of the Noble Alliance, continued, “We pretend to accept Roen’s alliance and then stab him in the back at a critical moment. How about it?”
Teon frowned slightly. “Even if this is just a test, I’m not keen on using such a despicable tactic.”
“Hey, our opponent is Roen. It’s only natural to respond to a despicable guy with despicable methods. Don’t you agree?” Esetra argued, her pink eyes sparkling.
“…”
Seeing Teon’s hesitation, she pressed on. “Besides, Teon, you don’t like Roen much either, do you? Since he keeps hitting on Freya.”
“…I have never said such a thing.”
He might think it privately, but that was a personal feeling. He had never shown it outwardly. And since President Freya didn’t seem to dislike Roen either, he wasn’t particularly concerned. He was, after all, Freya’s aide, and his duty was to assist her in whatever she wished.
Of course, he had been a little angry when he heard that Roen had won the date ticket with President Freya and had taken all the cookies she had personally baked, but that was the extent of it. Teon had no idea that by taking the cookies, Roen had actually saved his life.
“Don’t act all high and mighty. You think you’re the only one who has to be clean? You have to think about your teammates’ and subordinates’ scores too. Are you going to let such a good opportunity slip by?”
“…”
Esetra had a point. Teon was the host of this faction, but the team wasn’t his alone. The scores of the students under him were also on the line in this test.
“Hah, very well. I will follow your suggestion. For now, please step back. If you’re present at the meeting, our opponent will become suspicious.”
“Right, right. I’ll just hide somewhere and watch Hildegard suffer on Roen’s team, hehe.”
Esetra gently stroked the pink sparrow on her shoulder and disappeared. After confirming Esetra was gone, Teon summoned Roen’s envoy.
“Show Miss Hildegard in.”
*
“How did it go?”
The day passed without any particular incident. Hildegard, having returned from Teon’s camp, spoke in a weary voice.
“It was a success. Teon’s side has agreed to an alliance with us.”
“Hmm, is that so?”
I tilted my head at the unexpected result. I had expected Teon’s side to refuse the offer, but for them to accept it so readily… I had only sent Hildegard to scout their camp, but this was an unexpected gain. Did this mean a structure was now in place where my, Silphiette’s, and Teon’s factions were aligned against the Noble Alliance?
I thought for a moment, then nodded. “Good work. You must be tired.”
“Then…” Hildegard asked in a hopeful tone.
I agreed to install the promised air conditioning. “Yes, starting today, your room will have air conditioning as well. You’ll be able to live comfortably.”
“Heehee, thank you, Roen. It was tough maintaining the freezing magic all the time. This is great.”
In this jungle, air conditioning was a godsend. I was using it to reward my subordinates, and it was proving to be as effective as I’d thought.
“By the way, were there any members of the Noble Alliance in Teon’s camp?”
I was still suspicious of Teon’s ready acceptance. I asked Hildegard, just in case.
“Umm, I didn’t see any when I visited.”
“Any signs of animals or barrier magic?”
“Are you suggesting that Teon and the Noble Alliance have joined forces?”
“Yes. Three is better than two. They’d have less to worry about regarding an attack from the rear.”
The Noble Alliance had already allied with Silphiette’s faction, but it was highly probable they hadn’t stopped there and had also roped in Teon. If Teon’s side were to intervene during our battle, it could create unforeseen variables, so they would try to bring them to their side to prevent that. Geographically, the Noble Alliance’s base was in a position vulnerable to an attack from Teon’s side.
As I pressed her, Hildegard thought for a moment before something seemed to click. “Wait, now that I think about it…”
“What is it?”
“I think there was a pink feather on the ground near Teon’s camp. It couldn’t fool my eyes.”
“A pink feather. The pet of the Lorebaker family’s daughter, perhaps.”
“Probably. It’s an unusual feather color. It must be the sparrow Esetra always has with her. Then… is it highly likely that Teon’s acceptance of my alliance proposal was a bluff?”
“I’d say so. Just like how I persuaded Silphiette to backstab the Noble Alliance.”
“…”
Hildegard bit her lip, seemingly furious at being deceived. I offered her some comfort.
“Don’t be too angry. You’ve fulfilled your role perfectly. Just bringing back this information is a great contribution.”
Who other than Hildegard, with her [Observation] Trait, would notice and remember a single feather on the ground? Thanks to her, I had learned a crucial fact, and that was enough.
I stroked my chin, lost in thought.
‘The Noble Alliance, Teon, Silphiette, and our faction.’
Using this tangled web of relationships, it seemed I could clean up the situation without much difficulty.
“The picture is starting to come into focus.”
A plan to turn the tide of this Faction War in one fell swoop… its outline was taking shape.
*
The next day.
A figure appeared before our camp.
“Roen~ are you there?”
It was Elena Sion Celestia. Her visit was completely unexpected.