An Ominous Vow
"I'll make a promise. Even if it means turning all of Shareltea and Europe into hell itself."
"Huh?"
"If anything happens, I absolutely will not let you die."
It was rather rough for a promise. No, more than that, what the hell was this nonsense? From the word choice all the way to the content, it could not have been more ominous. The way it casually assumed I would somehow meet my end sent chills down my spine.
"Doesn't that sound like a curse?"
"No, this isn't a curse. It's me promising that you will never die."
Immortality? That was obvious. With such thick elf blood flowing through my veins, how could any concept of a limited lifespan even exist? Naturally, I was meant to live on without ever dying. Even if I grew old and ugly, continuing to live while maintaining this appearance was simply my fate.
Of course, there was a slight gap between what I thought internally and what I actually said out loud. Brazenly declaring it might make me seem pathetic from a young age, so I needed to season the words a little to avoid sounding too unlucky.
"Forever? When I get old, I'm planning to die in some suitable place through Goryeojang."
That was the answer that slipped out. At the word Goryeojang, a term dripping with filial piety, Cheon Mari's eyes widened.
"No, that's not what I meant..."
"Huh? Then what?"
I had even prepared a line about living fifty thousand years before ascending through Goryeojang, but she said that wasn't it? Then what on earth was she trying to say?
"Tsk... It meant I would make sure you never die at the hands of the World Tree and its underlings."
"Ah, that's obvious."
We hadn't even properly begun yet. How could we talk about dying? It was only right to discuss death after at least attempting something. That's why I deeply regretted not bringing my phone. If I had, I might have been able to record Cheon Mari updating her dark history. Showing this scene to the person who would one day be her husband would probably elicit a very interesting reaction. It was truly a shame. Such a shame.
"Ha, I thought I said it in a cool way, but tsk."
"Other people might not know, but trying to look cool in front of me doesn't work at all."
A sharp jab. In response, Cheon Mari gently stroked my stomach as if giving it a light pinch.
"You fucking bastard, at least play along. I barely mustered the courage to say it and you're refuting everything."
"Yep, fuck off."
At that, Cheon Mari seemed angry and used her strength to flip my body over. I, who had been on top of her, was pinned down in an instant, the positions completely reversed. Me lying face-down on the floor. Cheon Mari straddling me. Unlike when fooling around on the bed, the floor was hard, so the overall sensation wasn't great. Even while being tickled, the only pleasant thing was the feeling of being battered by the rain.
And after who knows how long of our bodies precariously rubbing against each other on that slanted rooftop, I wrapped one arm around Cheon Mari and recalled the story I had momentarily forgotten.
"Right. Mari, are you thinking of participating in the competition?"
"Competition? What competition?"
"The hunting competition. The student council is hosting a one-day event where everyone competes to see who catches the finest prey."
"Oh..."
Cheon Mari brought a hand to her chin, looking intrigued.
"What are the prizes? Do they give something even if you don't rank?"
"Yes. They give rewards based on the ranking you achieve by participating, and first through fifth place get separate winning prizes on top of that."
"Oh, that's pretty nice. It seems like it could make for a good memory even if I join just to kill time."
"Right?"
But there was a problem. The moment Cheon Mari joined, the chances of taking first place would skyrocket. Instead of third place, which held the desired prize, it might become first place, where the hands of all the furballs would swarm. No, not might. She would exert her full ability and utmost will to secure first place without fail.
Cheon Mari was essentially a double-edged sword. The reason I made this suggestion to her was simple.
"Kang Sian, then are we entering as the same team?"
"No, we'll enter in separate teams."
"Why?"
"If we go separately, we can duplicate the winning prizes."
There was no limit on participants. Therefore, cramming multiple people into one team was inefficient. We needed to spread personnel as much as possible. If manageable, one person per team was the correct approach.
"Uh... Since it's hunting, won't it be dangerous?"
"Not at all."
Could it possibly be dangerous? As long as one had basic abilities, there was no risk of death. After traveling back and forth across the Shareltea campus that served as the hunting ground multiple times, I had concluded that even going alone carried no risk of death. Unless a wild Sword Master appeared, it could be handled with either combat or escape.
"Of course, that doesn't mean we should go completely separately. Since Shannon has to join too, we'll split the teams on paper but actually move together."
"Shannon too?"
"The more people there are, the more prey we can submit."
If the three of us coordinated, we could comfortably sweep the top ranks. Cheon Mari first, me second, Shannon third. Then we could simply take Shannon's winning prize. Even if it didn't work out exactly that way, this was the safest option. In any case, it increased submission counts, which slightly raised our chances of obtaining prizes. Likewise, even if Shannon got third place alone, we could take her prize. If we persuaded her properly, she would understand, so there was nothing to worry about.
"Tsk, it feels like we'll get caught for foul play."
"No, it'll be fine. After all, it's difficult to monitor anyone in Shareltea."
Even if caught, we could just claim we happened to meet while walking and helped each other briefly. If they insisted it was cheating, we could nitpick their wording, make it as annoying as possible, and force them to give up. The only thing we truly needed to watch was the similarity of the prey. If three close friends caught similar monsters, it could serve as physical evidence.
"However, since we'll be hunting the boss anyway, our catches won't overlap."
Bosses were usually singular, so we could catch one and then go catch another. That way, there would be zero chance of getting caught.
Cheon Mari listened to my explanation and nodded.
"But if it's just for fun, is there a need to go to these lengths—"
"Then you'd let a prize slip away from a table that's already fully set?"
"...You have a point."
Go as far as possible and catch the strongest monster. If you could do just that, even a fully prepared feast was acceptable.
In that way, I obtained Cheon Mari's confirmation.
Having received Cheon Mari's confirmation, next was Shannon's turn. As soon as the sun rose, I headed straight to Shannon's house. Shortly after the doorbell rang, a loud clattering sound came from inside. Soon, a woman's pained groan leaked through the door.
"Huk, Sian-ssi?"
"Um... Are you alright?"
The words came out because Shannon's appearance was a complete mess. Her sleeveless top and dolphin shorts were disheveled, and her tail was bent at a sharp, unnatural angle as if she had slammed into something hard.
"Yes? Ah, yes! I'm fine!"
Shannon looked at her tail and snapped it back with a loud crack. It looked extremely dangerous, but the effect was surprisingly immediate as the stiffened tail began to move again.
"It often gets stiff like this when I wake up. You don't have to worry."
She wagged her tail as usual and guided me into the house. The interior looked clean but gave off the distinct feeling that it had just been messed up.
"Ah, you don't have to clean that. I'll take care of it later. Hehe."
Even as she said that, her tail knocked over another item, making it perfectly reasonable to call her a fool who couldn't even manage her own body. I wanted to advise her to lift her tail a little, but that wasn't the important matter right now. As soon as I sat down, I opened my mouth.
"Shannon-ssi, do you have any free time the week after next?"
"Time? I always have time. Why do you ask?"
"Oh, there's going to be a hunting competition soon. I was wondering if you'd like to participate together."
Three-man party Only When You Come It's Good (2/3). The exams were over anyway, so weren't we bored? The prizes were quite good too, so how about trying it together? I had even planned everything out to win. At the very least, we should be able to snag one winning prize. Even if we failed, it would make for a good memory, wouldn't it? If revealing our identities was a concern, we could just go together in disguise. Honestly, weren't we in the upper ranks within the academy? It could even be an opportunity to pull off some sneaky maneuvers.
"Wow..."
"So, what do you think?"
"It seems like you live much more proactively than the other students, Sian-ssi."
"Do I? I wouldn't say I'm that proactive—"
"Meanwhile, I live barely scraping by, only accepting what others tell me and spoon-feed me..."
Her tail drooped as if she had suddenly become depressed. She even let out a sigh as if the world was falling apart. Then, words that were either self-praise or self-deprecation flowed out rapidly.
"I don't know how someone like me could be in the upper ranks... Not to mention, I think I completely bombed the midterms this time..."
"Honestly, if it weren't for you, Sian-ssi, I would have slept in until lunch today as well. I'm a totally hopeless woman, aren't I...?"
"But I'm not sure if I'll be able to do well in the competition. Huh? You don't have to risk your life in the hunting? That's fortunate then..."
Argh. The timidity I sensed at the end of her sentences made it feel like my breath was getting stuck in my throat. Just what did she eat before sleeping last night to suddenly act like this? At this rate, it felt like I'd be swallowed up by her endless self-doubt.
In the end, I firmly cut off Shannon's words. Instead, I asked repeatedly if she would participate in the competition.
"I'd like to hear your honest opinion, Shannon-ssi."
"Honestly, I don't have the confidence..."
A subtle intent to decline. This wouldn't do. I had to pull her in no matter what. To turn this around, I brought out something Shannon usually enjoyed.
"Is your tail still uncomfortable? Would you like me to rub it for you a bit?"
Precisely—tail massage. I wasn't sure if it was a lizard characteristic, but Shannon really liked this. It was such a pathetic preference that it probably wouldn't help much in negotiations, but—
"...Uh, ahem! Yes. Then I'll participate."
She was simpler than expected. Immediate happiness took priority over gloomy self-confidence.
"Hehehe."
It seemed Shannon's pathetic nature remained unchanged today as well.