Chapter 32
Translator: True Detective
Chapter 32: Group Projects Are Luck-Based (3)
A few days after the final exam groups were announced, we set out to perform a commission together with the group members.
It was an assignment meant to coordinate teamwork before the exam; we could choose any commission we wanted, and it was a structure giving different points according to difficulty.
Since only the commission with the highest score would be reflected in the grade even if we performed several, we decided to perform an easy difficulty commission first for the purpose of coordinating.
We first took a goblin subjugation commission.
It was a commission to subjugate goblins settled in a cave not too far from the academy.
“Yes, commission registration is complete. Please take this badge.”
“What is this?”
“It's insurance in case students fail the commission. Several magics like protection, recovery, location tracking, and distress signal transmission are imbued in it.”
“Oh, that's good. Thank you.”
It's not that goblin subjugation is dangerous, but since we will take on several missions in the future, it was good to have minimum insurance.
This must be the reason they can send students who are only 1st years outside.
I conjecture there must have been an episode where the protagonist survives a trial that seemed impossible to return from with this badge.
If a Male Lead Candidate appears tada at a critical moment of crisis and saves Alicia, progress with Alicia who felt heart pounding due to the suspension bridge effect would have advanced significantly.
'Surely this final exam right after the first terror isn't that time, right?'
The author isn't stupid either, so they wouldn't have done something like scattering bait and retrieving it immediately.
Since it seems this badge must be worn unconditionally when doing external activities, isn't it rather better for dramatic narrative if it comes out later saying 'Ah, there was this thing!'?
Anyway, after wearing the badges, we rode a carriage out of the academy and headed to the cave written on the commission sheet.
“It seems to be here.”
“Brother, do you have a plan in mind?”
“Wh... What should we do?”
The two people's gazes headed toward me.
Silent Tauric and timid Estelle.
Since neither of them was the type to lead people, I naturally became the group leader.
I'm also comfortable alone, but if it's teammates like that, I could do about a group leader.
“First, let's check if there are any scouting individuals. Since we don't know how many there are, we will prioritize defeating them individually.”
“Understood.”
“Yes...!”
In the case of a group with some scale, it was common to operate scouting parties frequently to secure their territory.
We went around near the cave and checked if there were goblins scouting the surroundings.
“Mr. Ethan... Look there...”
While observing the bushes carefully, Estelle pulled my clothes and said.
Turning my head at her words, I saw two goblins walking around holding crude weapons one by one.
“Mr. Tauric. Let's take one each...?”
“Oh Goddess, I will send one heretic to hell today as well!”
“Kyaak!?”
Tauric rushing toward the scout with momentum like a tank emitting tremendous force.
At the thumping footsteps and shaking bush sounds, the two goblins were startled and stared this way.
“What is this....”
I was absurd, but intending to handle the situation for now, I lifted my spear and followed behind Tauric.
“Uoooooh!”
Kwajik-!
Tauric smashed the head of one goblin scout.
The scout surprised by his overwhelming momentum died without even being able to resist.
The situation of the other one wasn't much different.
Just how surprised it was, the goblin looked up at Tauric with trembling eyes while collapsed helplessly as its legs gave out.
Of course, Tauric didn't show a shred of sympathy.
Kwajik-!
He dealt with two goblin scouts in an instant.
I heard Tauric is a priest specialized in Holy Magic, but he fought better than I thought and had warrior-like aspects too.
....
...........
‘Ah, this won't do.’
I tried running the positive circuit diligently, but it was unreasonable.
Enduring the question trying to pierce through my throat, I asked calmly.
“Mr. Tauric?”
“Yes, Brother..”
“Why did you do that?”
“I apologize.”
The fortunate thing was that Tauric also felt sorry knowing he did wrong.
After apologizing to us, he explained his circumstances.
Summarizing briefly, it was like this.
Tauric lost his parents to monsters right before his eyes in the past and entered the Goddess Church's orphanage.
His trauma regarding monsters was so extreme that he couldn't live a proper daily life.
The orphanage director, pitying this, sent him to the Holy Knights Order so he could overcome the trauma with the power of faith.
As a result of living with them, receiving training, and tempering his body and mind with faith, he succeeded in overcoming the trauma.
Instead, he became unable to control his anger when seeing monsters or heretics.
“..............”
This is really... a topic hard to say anything about.
He lost his parents to monsters and overcame the trauma obtained there, but instead obtained anger management issues toward monsters and heretics; what can I say.
Since I realized it wasn't intentional trolling at least, I could accept it.
By the way, Alicia, knowing this but not telling me..
Although they say not to talk carelessly about others, isn't this a bit important part.
Of course, Tauric's fault for not telling this important part first was big.
“I apologize for not telling you in advance. I tried to hold back a bit with this group activity as an opportunity, but when I came to my senses, it was after I already killed the goblins.”
“It's okay! I think Mr. Tauric overcoming trauma is amazing enough!”
“...Thank you, Sister.”
“Hmm... Then we have to change the strategy a bit.”
Fortunately, Estelle stepped up well and the atmosphere alleviated a lot.
I thought she was only timid, but to even relax the atmosphere when necessary, she was indeed an excellent group member.
“Let's do this. I will take the middle. I will protect Ms. Estelle and support Mr. Tauric, so Mr. Tauric can fight as much as you want.”
Although my and Tauric's roles changed, there wasn't a big difference.
Tauric's specialized field is recovery and buffs.
If it's his physique and recovery Holy Magic, he will sufficiently be able to perform the role of the vanguard.
“Understood, Brother. Thank you.”
“Since we became a group, shouldn't we adjust to each other.”
“Th.. That's right!”
The group atmosphere became harmonious again.
It didn't take long for that to collapse.
“Uoooo!”
Tauric sweeping away goblins like a tank right after entering the cave.
I examined the situation between him and Estelle, and Estelle prepared magic.
“Since we'll likely be swarmed soon thanks to Mr. Tauric, please see an opportunity and shoot. I'll go help Mr. Tauric for a moment.”
“Yes!”
I ran to Tauric and detached goblins trying to surround him.
Since this battle was intended to check allies' abilities and coordinate teamwork rather than completing the commission, I didn't put much strength into it.
As we killed goblins moderately so Tauric wouldn't get injured, goblins inside the cave started flocking hearing the disturbance of battle.
“Ms. Estelle, magic!”
“Yes!”
Estelle activating magic at my signal.
I saw light flashing from behind my back.
“Uh...Uh-huh!? E... Mr. Ethan, dodgeeeee!”
“!?”
Before my head understood what her words meant, my body moved first.
Magic bullets seen when turning my head slightly.
The place they were heading was none other than me.
I threw my body to dodge the magic.
As I dodged Estelle's magic, that magic hit the goblins around me.
Kwajik-!
Estelle's magic killing goblins instantly as if nothing happened, fitting for the Star-attribute series despite being simple magic.
However... since there were many goblins besides around me, it seemed necessary to watch accuracy a bit more.
Afterward, I checked Estelle and Tauric's abilities a few more times.
Goblin subjugation completed after twists and turns.
As a result, I realized.
“......Ms. Estelle?”
“I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm soooooorry!!”
I was the only normal person in this group.
Tauric becomes a berserker when he sees monsters.
This point was a disadvantage that could be alleviated to some extent if employing him as a tanker.
Although dangerous against opponents stronger than us, we can solve it by adjusting the level of commissions.
But Estelle was a bit more serious than this; the precision of magic was the problem.
The Star-attribute magic she handles is a school where destructive power stands out, but as power becomes stronger, control also becomes difficult as a disadvantage.
“So you rose to 4th Circle a while ago, but because the power of magic suddenly became stronger, it became difficult to control, right?”
“Yes, I... I think so. Since I was organizing my enlightenment for a few days, I couldn't use magic properly...”
I held back a sigh trying to burst out inside.
The hopeful version of the group project I thought of was a priest capable of dealing, tanking, and healing, and a mage with overwhelming firepower, but...
The reality was only an uncontrollable berserker and a time bomb mage who doesn't know when she might target my back.
But my conscience pricked to abandon them since both bad reasons for being so.
What can be done.
Both have good character...
I was used to accepting irrational reality.
Although I hated that familiarity, this was also the daily life of a Romance Fantasy world.