Outing (1)
Blair slammed the table as she shot to her feet with impressive vigor, but she quickly began sneaking glances at Ophelia to read her mood. “My apologies. I must excuse myself for a moment.”
Ophelia had already risen and followed her, and now she turned to me. The sheer grace and precision with which she stood from her chair was so flawless that I registered the movement a beat too late. She led the still-fidgeting Blair a few steps away and began speaking to her in a calm, measured voice.
Blair, who stood a full head taller than Ophelia, kept her head bowed low and shifted uncomfortably. The scene reminded me of what had happened a few days earlier during group formation, when Ophelia had quietly spoken to Bridget’s friend.
‘...Me? If you’re truly that worried, we can change groups.’
The quiet ones were always the most frightening when they grew angry. In the game, Blair had been the type to bare her fangs at everyone except Ophelia, so it seemed my words had sparked some misunderstanding and sent her charging forward on her own.
“For Lady Ophelia to be eating in a place like this.”
“Who’s that boy next to her?”
“Isn’t he the one who was in the same group as Lady Ophelia?”
The students who had been stealing glances our way now openly began to murmur. Thanks to Blair’s loud outburst, we drew even more attention—me included, since I had been eating with Ophelia. This inn was originally a spot mainly used by lower-class commoner students without much money. The sight of Ophelia openly sharing a meal here with someone like me was perfect fodder for gossip.
Of course, the attention had become unavoidable the moment Ophelia first appeared in front of the lower-class classroom. Still, I felt slightly uneasy about Blair’s mention of a “scheme.” I hoped the rumor wouldn’t swell into some strange misunderstanding.
“I am sorry for shouting so suddenly……”
When Blair returned to her seat a short while later, her apology was delivered with an expression that made it clear she was speaking against her will. I had nothing in particular to add, so I simply smiled and told her it was fine.
“I have some business in town. If you happen to be going out this weekend, would it be acceptable to accompany you? I only ask that you go out together with me.”
I looked at Ophelia, who had returned to her seat alongside Blair, and answered.
“I’ll think about it. This weekend works?”
Ophelia seemed to consider it for a moment before replying in the same serene tone as if nothing had happened. With the weekend outing arranged, the rather noisy lunch finally came to a close.
Thanks to Ophelia, I managed to obtain a weekend outing pass bearing Professor Evelyn’s signature.
Having come out for the weekend, I had already reserved a room at the inn and was now enjoying a leisurely meal in the hall. I had parted ways with Ophelia and Blair shortly after we arrived in the village by carriage. Just as I had told Ophelia from the beginning, I had my own affairs to handle, so there was no need to travel together. We simply agreed to meet again before returning to the academy tomorrow, and I set off alone.
As expected, he came here.
I spotted a first-year male student inside the inn who, like me, was trying to secure a room in advance. He was exactly the person I had been waiting for.
His name was Warren—one of the protagonists of this game. Like Dane, he was one of the five selectable main characters available at the start. The fact that he had come out alone showed that Warren had been a powerful character placed in the upper class right from the beginning. But since he was as short on funds as I was, it made perfect sense that he would choose this, the cheapest inn in the village.
According to my original plan, I should have been out looking for work that could earn me money at this hour. However, after catching sight of Warren while waiting for the carriage that morning, I had changed my mind.
The reason I had been waiting for him was simple: the quest he would undertake today.
In the hands of a skilled player, it was a quest that Warren—an upper-class magic swordsman—could clear with ease on his own. It was, after all, a Warren-exclusive quest designed for him to complete alone. Yet unlike when I had played it myself, Warren as a supporting character unfortunately failed to clear it. I wasn’t sure exactly what the issue was, but since the quest itself wasn’t particularly difficult, I was confident that joining him would be enough to secure success.
I would find a way to tag along and complete the quest together with him. Then, given Warren’s good-hearted nature, he would surely insist on splitting the reward. Even half of it would be more money than I could earn from any other odd job available to me right now.
According to the original story, Warren must have received the quest from the blacksmith just a short while ago and come here to find lodging.
“Hi. We’re both first-years, right? I’m Kael.”
I approached Warren after he came downstairs from booking his room and naturally struck up a conversation.
Warren had been on his way back from visiting the blacksmith uncle who had helped him in various ways while he stayed in the village before the academy entrance ceremony. But the blacksmith’s house had been left in complete chaos. Ruffians had demanded weapons without offering any payment. When the uncle continued to refuse, they flew into a rage, smashing up the house and stealing anything of value.
‘I don’t care if I lose everything else. But my late wife’s necklace… I must get that back no matter what.’
The uncle had told him that since it had rained yesterday, the river would be swollen and the thieves couldn’t have fled far. He had asked Warren to please retrieve the lost items, saying that with Warren’s skill it should be more than possible.
Carrying complicated feelings, Warren had first gone looking for a place to stay.
‘Can I really do this?’
Objectively, the uncle had been right. Even though he was young, Warren possessed talent officially acknowledged by the academy. He should have been more than capable of overpowering ordinary ruffians who couldn’t handle mana. Yet unlike the days before the entrance ceremony when he had brimmed with confidence, he had grown withdrawn lately. Making it into the upper class had been wonderful, but he ranked at the very bottom there. Watching his classmates handle everything with such ease made him wonder how he had ended up in the same class as them at all.
Because of that, he worried whether he could even track the thieves, and whether he could defeat them if he did. With such concerns weighing on his mind, he had just finished booking a room and come downstairs.
“Hi. We’re both first-years, right? I’m Kael.”
The boy who introduced himself as Kael had spoken to him. Seeing the outing uniform, Warren realized he was a fellow academy student. He felt glad to meet a classmate outside the academy—especially in a shabby inn filled only with elderly patrons.
Warren gladly shared a meal with Kael. As they exchanged ordinary stories about academy life, they quickly grew comfortable with each other.
“I heard there were thieves in the village recently. Did you catch the rumor?”
At Kael’s words, the worry Warren had briefly set aside rose again. It seemed the blacksmith had already spread word of what happened to the villagers.
“The rumor’s already going around. The truth is……”
As if unloading his troubles, Warren explained to Kael what had happened when he visited the blacksmith earlier that day.
“What terrible people.”
Kael, who had listened with a serious expression throughout, finally spoke once Warren finished.
“So you’re heading out to catch them right away.”
Warren couldn’t answer the question that followed as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Part of him desperately wanted to rush straight into the mountains where the thieves were hiding. The image of the uncle tearing up while speaking of his dead wife’s necklace still lingered before his eyes.
But he wasn’t confident he could handle it alone.
“I’m not sure if I can do it by myself……”
The mutter slipped out, carrying his true feelings.
“Then how about the two of us? Shall I help?”
Kael made the suggestion without the slightest hesitation. His eyes sparkled with enthusiasm—a gaze that seemed to burn with a sense of justice.
“Together with you…?”
Warren was slightly taken aback. Unlike himself, Kael had no connection to the troubled blacksmith. Yet after simply hearing the story, he was already showing such eagerness to help.
“He said it was a precious memento from his wife, right? We can’t just let scum like that get away with it.”
“That’s true. But I’m not sure if just the two of us can really……”
Kael’s words were all correct. Still, the thieves had fled into the mountains where monsters roamed. Could two mere freshmen really track them down and recover the items?
“That’s something we won’t know until we try.”
Warren felt as if he had been struck on the head. Kael was right. While he wanted to repay the uncle’s kindness, he had been sitting here drowning in negative thoughts—telling himself it wouldn’t work, that he couldn’t do it—without even attempting anything.
Besides, Kael was from a lower class than him. He didn’t know the exact rank, but it was clear Kael wasn’t in the upper class. This smaller, lower-ranked boy was burning with far more drive than Warren, who had done nothing but worry.
“Let’s get up quickly. We have to catch them before they run off.”
Kael stood first and offered his hand. Warren took it and rose to his feet. For some reason, the thought of tackling this together with this friend instead of alone made him feel like they might actually succeed.
“Thank you for helping me.”
“Save that thanks for after we’re done.”
Hoping he could truly say those words to Kael before the night ended, Warren stepped forward with firm resolve.