Chapter 54
Chapter 54
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 54
Chapter Title: Screams in the Forest
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54
4
What should you do if you hear a scream in the forest?
Common sense would say to report it first and then check out the situation.
But common sense doesn't apply in the Broken World, and during the practical exam, the only way to contact the outside is with a signal flare, which you can't just fire off willy-nilly.
In the end, reporting was off the table, and checking the situation was the best I could do.
If some incident broke out near the camp we'd finally found, it was sure to bring unwanted trouble our way.
Determined to identify any potential risks in advance, I hurried toward the source of the scream.
Tall underbrush got in the way.
Not wanting to leave traces, I pushed it aside by hand instead of slicing it with Deathwise.
Finally, I spotted the source of the screams.
“Argh! Gahhh! Kyaaah!!”
Ethan, with a shield on his back, was dancing around all by himself.
His footwork was light, but the way he twisted his body like a wind doll made it pretty comical.
...What the hell is this guy doing?
No, looking closer, he was fighting a yellow ladybug just a bit bigger than his fist.
Against a monster he could catch with a single punch, he was twisting his body every which way, making faces of disgust, and even letting out occasional screams...
Does he hate bugs?
For a guy his size to be grossed out by bugs.
I knew build didn't dictate preferences, but it just didn't suit him...
Thwack!
A yellow ladybug slammed into the back of Ethan, who was still doing his precarious dance.
An attack he could've shrugged off normally sent his off-balance body toppling over like a domino.
“Gaaah! S-stay away!!”
The yellow ladybugs swarmed toward the fallen Ethan.
The wriggling mass of them was repulsive on a visceral level.
No wonder Ethan hated them.
“Haa...”
I rubbed my face with my hand.
It was someone I knew, and I couldn't just leave him like this.
I drew Deathwise and lightly swept away the yellow ladybugs.
I hadn't even put much strength into it, but they dropped like flies.
“Huh...? W-where'd the ladybugs go...?”
“I got them all.”
I shook Deathwise to flick off the yellow ladybug fluids.
As the weakest monsters in the Forbidden Forest, they weren't any trouble to kill.
“...What are you doing?”
In the midst of it, Ethan grabbed my hand with his blue eyes sparkling brighter than ever.
Why are your eyes so wide? And don't hold it so reverently with both hands.
People might think you met your savior or something.
“Thanks...! You really do have to choose your friends wisely...! I take back what I said about you being sneaky!”
“No need for that...”
How much must he hate ladybugs to flip his attitude this hard?
I tried to pull my hand away, but Ethan wouldn't let go.
After flailing around for a while, I finally regained my freedom.
“Anyway, what are you doing out here? The exam started a good while ago.”
The sky wasn't visible, but it was already past noon.
We'd ported in, pitched the tent, and even eaten, so about four hours had passed.
“Ahaha, I was wandering around and a monster showed up, so I was dealing with it! Whoa, I didn't expect them to come at me in such numbers! This Forbidden Forest really is an amazing demon realm!”
Ethan laughed loudly, looking sheepish.
Monster, huh...
“Call it a monster if you want, but it's basically just a big bug.”
It didn't shoot poison, weave trap webs, or sneakily stalk from the shadows.
The yellow ladybug was really just a ladybug that happened to be big...
“Ahem, but when they swarm like that, it's dangerous. Ever heard of overwhelming odds?”
“You fought with your eyes half-closed.”
“Th-that's...”
Ethan's blue eyes spun from left to right, then right to left.
I just stared at him silently until he clutched his forehead and confessed in a grave tone.
“...Bugs are scary, okay?”
“Well, bugs that size would scare anyone.”
“Right!? You get it! My friend!!”
“Don't cling!”
Ethan's bear hug was powerful.
Even if I wanted to escape, I couldn't overpower him physically.
I ended up trapped in the solid-muscled arms of Ethan for a good while, wondering what the hell kind of training he did.
Jeez...
I was starting to doubt if this was really the cold, combat-machine Ethan.
It felt less like he was quirky and more like something was outright wrong with him...
“More importantly, the bugs in this forest? The yellow ladybugs are cute by comparison.”
Ethan froze.
“There are way bigger ones too. Like poison spiders that drop from overhead.”
“Eek!?”
“Aren't you overreacting...?”
“B-but dropping from above! You said something scary like that, Theo!”
Am I the bad guy here?
More importantly, ease up on the arms.
I can't... breathe...
Not just my breath—my words were cut off too.
In the world, the most dangerous thing in the Forbidden Forest wasn't monsters—it was definitely Ethan...
“Theo, can I tag along...?”
“Let go first, then talk...?”
“We're sticking together, right...?”
This guy doesn't listen to a word I say.
Must mean he's that scared of bugs.
If I left him alone, he might get taken out by yellow ladybugs at any moment.
A poison spider would make him scream himself to death.
There was a high chance he'd get seriously hurt too.
“Haa... Fine...”
“We're together!? Thanks!”
“Let go first... and talk...!”
I barely escaped the rib-cracking bear hug.
Catching my ragged breath, I dusted off my knees.
“But there's a condition.”
“A condition?”
“During the practical, you'll obediently follow what I say.”
I stuck out my right index finger straight.
At my one and only condition, Ethan tilted his head slightly.
Dirt was on his silver hair, so I brushed it off lightly.
“Just follow this.”
“Ooh, got it!”
His response felt a bit too casual, but...
For now, our three days of fun camping gained one more party member.
5
Night falls quickly in the forest.
Even the sunlight filtering through the trees vanished, and the Forbidden Forest area was completely swallowed by darkness.
Without a light source, you couldn't see an inch ahead.
And lighting a campfire would just attract all sorts of bugs.
Any activity at night was impossible.
So, we decided to turn in early.
Finishing a simple meal before sunset and entering the tent was fine, but...
“...Scoot over a bit more.”
“This is already the wall. Can't go farther.”
“Damn it, this is why one-person tents...”
As you'd expect, a one-person tent is made for one person.
It was in no way suitable for two—especially with a muscle-bound classmate pushing two meters tall.
Two people crammed into a one-person tent.
It was cramped as hell, but sleeping outside on the dirt floor wasn't an option.
In the end, I was squeezed into the one-person tent with Ethan.
His breathing was close.
Even leaning back against the tent wall, we were close enough to feel each other's breath.
We compromised by pressing backs together and sleeping.
“Being crammed like this feels like we're on a trip.”
Ethan wriggled to adjust his position and chuckled.
“Isn't it fun?”
“My comfy tent's all cramped because of you, so not fun.”
“Ahaha, that's my friend. It is fun.”
Was he treating me like a comedian?
I said it with full sincerity, but he clearly didn't buy it.
Good thing it was dark and he couldn't see my face.
“By the way, have you always been scared of bugs?”
I changed the subject and voiced my question.
The original Broken World Ethan didn't have any such hang-ups.
He'd smash all kinds of monsters—even bugs—barehanded.
“Actually, since I was little...”
Ethan started gravely.
The quiet surroundings made his voice come through clearly.
“...I've hated them.”
“...What?”
“Bugs have always been...”
“If that's all you had to say, why build up the mood? I thought you had some tragic backstory.”
This guy...
Making my heart race for nothing.
“What backstory? More people hate bugs than not, right? I'm not weird—most people...”
“Just shut up and sleep.”
His self-justification droned on for a bit, but I just plugged my ears and closed my eyes.
6
“If only we had potatoes, it'd be perfect...!”
Practical exam day two morning.
We settled on simple hot dogs.
Sausages bursting with juices in hot dog buns, with pickles, chopped onions, lettuce, and even sweet pickled corn like from a can.
Sauces were ketchup and mustard, naturally.
Even I thought it was a pretty perfect breakfast.
As I assembled the hot dogs to my satisfaction, Ethan suddenly started hunting for potatoes.
His hair was a bird's nest from just waking up, but... somehow it suited his image.
“Potatoes even now...?”
“Potatoes are filling!”
“Yeah... Next time something like this comes up, definitely pack potatoes...”
“I'm even thinking of carrying emergency potatoes around.”
What the hell are emergency potatoes?
Who combines those two words?
I won't butt into things I can't comprehend.
We sat side by side, munching hot dogs.
“Got any plans going forward?”
Ethan, his head finally settling down, licked ketchup off his finger and asked.
I had plans thoroughly prepared.
“Lunch is shrimp pilaf.”
“Huh?”
“Dinner's cheese dakgalbi.”
“Cheese dak—what? No, not today's menu!”
“You're not gonna eat?”
“Of course I'll gratefully eat it!”
Jeez, complaining so much when you're gonna eat anyway.
“Not food—the practical exam. The practical.”
“Oh, that? Well... The portal keys show up tomorrow anyway. No need to move today, so let's just eat.”
“Still, shouldn't we scout the surroundings?”
“Too much hassle. You think someone's gonna come specifically to attack us?”
Hahaha, as if.
...The moment I said that, a dagger whizzed between me and Ethan before embedding in a tree.
“......”
Damn it, I just raised a flag without thinking...!
Rustle rustle. Three students emerged parting the underbrush.
All unfamiliar faces.
But Ethan seemed to know them; he shot to his feet, grinding his teeth.
“Gino, Pio, Kito...!”
“You know them?”
“Infamous delinquents from first year.”
Delinquents who somehow stuck around Esterro Academy.
The type who buttered up professors to their faces and did nasty stuff behind their backs, no doubt.
“Gonna have to share some food, huh?”
One of the trio—Gino or Pio or Kito or whatever—said it cockily.
His tone and voice screamed clichéd villain.
“Throwing weapons out of nowhere and demanding food? Cowards!”
“Whoa whoa, cool it. Ethan Mertezacker. Remember what they said? Cooperate or compete as you like. This isn't cowardly—it's strategy.”
“You call that strategy...?!”
“Well, he's got a point.”
I chimed in from beside Ethan, who was about to snap back, while munching my hot dog.
Ken Schultz wanted to see how students handled extreme situations in the first place.
He'd be more interested in the trio deliberately trying to raid others than my leisurely camping.
“Theo...!”
“Ethan, don't look so betrayed. Think about it. If their threats are 'legal,' then using force to defend our supplies is justified self-defense, right?”
Defense is part of competition too.
Ethan finally got it, his lips curling.
His blue eyes passed over me and fixed on the trio.
“Show 'em what you've got, Ethan. Gotta earn your keep.”
“Ooh!”
Ethan grabbed his shield and stepped forward.
The trio, planning to fight from the start, drew their weapons.
Not that they were any match for Ethan, so I leisurely poured some coffee.
Thud thud. The lively sounds didn't last long.
Just as the perfect coffee aroma wafted up, Ethan returned with a refreshed expression, flipping up his clothes to wipe sweat from his forehead.
His muscles stood out sharply, thanks to that.
Thinking about getting bear-hugged by those yesterday made me shudder.
“Good work.”
“No problem. What about them?”
Ethan, taking his coffee, jerked his chin at the fainted trio over his shoulder.
All three had swollen jaws—clean concussions, by the look of it.
“Use a signal flare to make them forfeit nicely.”
“Great idea.”
Ethan grinned mischievously.
Yeah... This upbeat Ethan suits him better than the cold one.
Separately, Ethan was getting stronger.
Unlike the original, getting dragged into incidents from the start was paying off.
He'd catch up to his main-story strength soon.
Same with Leon.
If the high-performers stepped up, I could just cheer from the back.
Ah, sweet dreams of support captain!
The black coffee—too sweet even without sugar—went down smooth.
Savoring leisure, coffee, and the sugary promise of a rosy future from my chair.
Far off, the light of the holy sword exploded upward like a burst.