Chapter 22
Chapter 22
Chapter 22
“Huh? Um, well, that is…”
Arietta started to fluster at Eleanor’s sudden, matter-of-fact interruption.
It was abrupt, but in a way, I was also happy. Didn’t it mean Eleanor considered me a definite member of her party?
…She might simply have wanted the military strength of the [Successor of the Mage King] and the [Saintess of Hope], but joining Eleanor's party wasn’t a bad idea either.
Arietta was the only first-year left without a party, so it would have been difficult for her to find other members. Moreover, I was trying to act like Oz as much as possible, so I was in the same boat. I should be grateful to Eleanor for her wide network of friends.
“Who should we have as the last member…? Master.”
Eleanor continued the conversation without a care for Arietta’s flustered muttering. Her audacity was astonishing.
That aside, with a warrior, archer, mage, and cleric, we could manage as a party. If the warrior could also act as a tank, it would be a fairly balanced party.
The problem was Eleanor. To put it bluntly, she was weak. She was the only R-rank equivalent in a party that ranged from SR to SSR rank.
Of course, I was the only one adhering to the game character stats, but even excluding that, Eleanor was on the weaker side. Wasn't she a growth-type protagonist, not an overpowered one?
“We need a guardian for the last spot, so how about asking Baekyang?”
“Baekyang? Hmm…”
“Is there a problem? Aren’t you two close?”
“Baekyang is scared of Master. You know, the time you grabbed that frail girl's face and slammed her head into the ground?”
“Oh my… Oz, why did you do that…?”
Considering the circumstances, it was true. It was definitely true, but something felt off. Was it because the context of the practical exam was omitted? Eleanor’s bizarre way of speaking felt like a sharp dagger today. Was she trying to attack me socially? If so, it was a sharp blow. Arietta’s face had turned pale, as if she was in shock. My image was shattered.
“That was because of the practical exam. It couldn’t be helped.”
I shrugged as if it was nothing, but Arietta’s complexion remained unchanged. If this didn’t change anything, it couldn’t be helped. The rest was just truth, leaving no room for excuses.
I was trash.
“That’s true.”
But then Eleanor started taking my side. She was the one who stabbed me in the back, and she was the one who saved me. Eleanor excelled at playing with people’s emotions like this.
For a moment, I almost felt grateful.
“Although Master is a mage, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t subdue an opponent physically. Although that method was a bit excessively cruel, merciless, and violent.”
“Either defend me or criticize me, pick one.”
“Master has a more sadistic side than I thought.”
Please don't choose to criticize me. What else would I do but cry if you hurt me more?
“Well, if that’s what Master wants, I’ll talk to Baekyang. If necessary, I can threaten her in Master’s name, right?”
“You’re really trying to make me look like trash today.”
“…Master is not very smart.”
Eleanor narrowed her eyes in dissatisfaction and munched on the apple.
Weren’t you peeling that for me?
“This is the kind of person Master is. What do you think, Saintess?”
“I have no thoughts.”
“I see.”
Eleanor smiled brightly and stuffed the rest of the apple into her mouth. It wasn’t much, since she had butchered the apple into what barely qualified as two pieces.
“Then I’ll be going now. See you later, Master.”
“Uh… yeah.”
“Oh! Speaking of parties, I just remembered, the freshman party is coming up soon, right? What are your plans for that day, Master?”
“Nothing.”
“Heheh. Master really likes saying ‘nothing.’ If you’re free, shall we hang out together that day? Oh, come to think of it, will the Saintess be busy then as well? That’s too bad.”
“…….”
Eleanor smiled brightly and left. Arietta tilted her head, as if she didn’t understand what had just transpired.
And so, for 10 minutes, she just stood there.
Without saying a word.
It was suffocating…
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Crack—
“Ugh…”
It was the third day since I was discharged from the infirmary. I tried moving my neck, but there was still some lingering pain. How did she twist it in such a way that I didn't die but only felt pain? As expected of the world's strongest being, her power was truly terrifying.
“Hehe, you’re finally here.”
“…….”
“Welcome, Master, to our party, 『Voluntas』!”
“Yeah, okay.”
As expected, Eleanor was displaying her attention-seeking tendencies when I arrived at the training grounds assigned by Headmaster Tia. Seeing her sitting cross-legged in the center of the training grounds, a chair placed beneath her, as if she were part of some secret organization, gave me a headache.
“Where are the others?”
“Heh.”
That smug expression.
I wanted to smack her.
“Come on out, guys.”
Clap!
As Eleanor clapped her hands, Lucia, holding a pistol, emerged from the shadows of a pillar.
What was she doing? I told her not to get influenced by strange things.
“Hello, Prince Oz.”
“…….”
She was walking towards me with a swagger, a far cry from her usual stealth. Was she doing this on purpose? Was she playing a character?
“Welcome to 『Voluntas』!”
I’d already heard that. Were they planning to come out one by one and greet me? If so, why didn’t they just come out together?
“This party is centered around Eleanor…”
Lucia approached me swaggering and put her hand on my shoulder. But her expression was utterly miserable.
Lucia lowered her head and started muttering quietly.
“Excuse me, Prince Oz, could you please react somehow…?”
“Why are you blending into the situation instead of blending in?”
“To match Eleanor’s mental state, I had to become like this…”
“If you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes back.”
“Surprisingly, that might be the most accurate description… Uwaaah?!”
Mid-whisper, Lucia was grabbed by the scruff of her neck by Eleanor and dragged away like a cat.
“Lucia, we have to introduce Baekyang too, so calm down!”
Lucia, being choked, was probably looking to me for salvation, but I had no confidence in stopping Eleanor. Of course, I would win if we fought, but ruining our relationship like that wouldn't help anyone.
I intended to maintain a good relationship with Eleanor.
“Ugh… Is it my turn?”
Baekyang emerged from behind another pillar, shuffling forward and giving a perfunctory bow. I didn't know if she was afraid of me, as Eleanor had said, or just bored, but her lack of motivation was clear.
“That’s everyone, right?”
“Firstly, come out from behind that pillar. What’s a guardian doing hiding?”
“Are you planning to grab my head and slam it into the ground again? You’re planning to deliver a powerful blow to my abdomen, aren’t you?!”
“…I feel like this party is already falling apart.”
I could tell things were going haywire before we even started. And the second part wasn't me. I didn’t do anything that rough.
“This won’t do.”
This wasn't a joke. At this rate, we would collapse from internal conflict before even encountering the enemies in Chapter 2. Considering that the characters' stats, except for mine, followed the story, it was dangerous.
Of course, unless they were SSR rank, there wasn’t much difference between their stats in the story and in the game. Since there were no ranks above SSR, it was natural for the range to be wide.
Characters below SR rank mostly had similar stats to the game.
Of course, I was weaker now than I was in the story.
The only consolation was that Arietta was in the same party. The enemies in the main story's Chapter 2 were the undead, subordinates of the [Death King].
Yes, as long as Arietta was there…
“Wait, where’s Arietta?”
“The Saintess is busy today. So, unfortunately, it's just us today.”
“Is that so?”
I thought she was free since she was doing origami earlier. Should I not have asked her to fold one for me? Well, as the head of the Disciplinary Committee, she might have been busy with the upcoming midterm exams. Considering that some students might try to cheat before the exams, it made sense that the Disciplinary Committee would be busy.
“Should I help out since the Disciplinary Committee is so busy?”
“Wouldn’t it be alright since Master was just discharged? You’ll be busy catching up on your studies.”
“I never imagined such sensible words coming from your mouth.”
“Master tends to see me as a strange person sometimes.”
Not sometimes, I always think you’re strange.
But I kept those words to myself. No one knew which way the greatsword on Eleanor’s back would swing.
“Then shall we begin training? Let's show our strength in the upcoming party test!”
“Even if we’re tested as a party, we’re evaluated individually.”
“Still, winning would give us a higher evaluation than losing, right? I believe in you, Master.”
“…Sorry, but I’m not planning on using any advanced-level magic or above this semester.”
Moreover, it was obvious I would be penalized again like last time.
“Why?! Why are you throwing away victory?!”
“Noah, this is a place of learning for students. If I go all out, will proper education be possible?”
I couldn’t actually use it, but since I would be prohibited from using advanced-level magic due to the penalty anyway, I decided to spin it that way. Fortunately, no one doubted my ability to use advanced-level magic. I had already demonstrated it in the fight with Gerard, so there was no room for doubt.
“How arrogant!”
“…….”
“But I don't dislike Master’s arrogance.”
I thought Eleanor was going to scold me, but she nodded in agreement. It was quite dishonorable, but it seemed every single action I took struck some kind of chord with her.
“…Just let’s train.”
“Shall we?”
Eleanor moved to the center of the training grounds, leaving behind Lucia, who was taking deep breaths, and Baekyang, who was hiding behind a pillar.
“Here goes.”
Crack!
She kicked the chair she had been sitting on and sent it flying.
“Wahahaha!”
“…….”
As the chair shattered against the wall, I carefully made a note to add a penalty to Eleanor and observed her next action.
“Was it like this? Hmm? It should be fine.”
Eleanor started scattering something white in the middle of the training grounds. Then, a group of skeleton-like figures began to rise from that spot.
“Ah, there we go.”
Dragon Tooth Soldiers, created by Tia herself. Perhaps tailored to our party, they were a combination of warrior, guardian, archer, and mage. Fortunately, there was no cleric. Even in the game, I always wondered if it was really okay to give students something like Dragon Tooth Soldiers for training.
If I remember correctly, the Dragon Tooth Soldiers were supposedly made from Tia's fangs.
So, did Tia pull out hundreds of teeth every year for the sake of the students? I didn’t know, but she was truly a model educator.
“That’s terrifying…”
Of course, thinking about it that way gave me the chills. It didn't suit her.
“I think they’re cute.”
“…Why are you here?”
What was the point of the warrior standing right next to the mage? She should at least be hiding behind Baekyang.
“Ah, I unconsciously… moved forward.”
Eleanor ran forward at a speed incomparable to her previous tiptoeing. Well, even so, her physical abilities were still at the R-rank level. She had a long way to go.
[Contemplation– Activated]
After confirming Eleanor was positioned behind Baekyang, I activated [Contemplation] to watch my party members' movements.
Baekyang created an ice shield, stood at the front, and braced herself for the approaching Dragon Tooth Soldiers.
Eleanor, seemingly impatient with the slowly closing distance, kept darting forward and attacking at odd timings.
Baekyang, the guardian, paid no attention to Eleanor.
If the opponents weren't training Dragon Tooth Soldiers, Eleanor would have been caught or hit and rolling on the ground.
“Does she always do this?”
“Pretty much…”
Lucia, who was positioned behind me, sighed as if exasperated.
This was truly remarkable. It couldn't get any more chaotic than this.
Baekyang, who should be protecting the party members, was unmotivated, and Eleanor kept making restless movements, as if she wanted to stand out.
If this happened in actual combat, our party would fall apart within five minutes.
“…Let me shoot them each once and then start.”
“Sure.”
Bang!
“Did you have a lot of pent-up frustration?”
“A little.”
When I muttered in frustration, Lucia pulled the trigger without a single question. Not a moment of hesitation.
“Ugh!”
“Ouch!”
Eleanor, shot in the waist, stumbled and fell, while Baekyang, shot in the back of the head, face-planted into the ground.
She must have fired rubber bullets, but they were still quite durable considering they were shot. As expected, the laws of physics in this world were messed up.
“W-wait a minute!”
“Kyaa!”
The Dragon Tooth Soldiers swung their weapons at the two fallen girls.
Fortunately, the Dragon Tooth Soldiers’ weapons turned into dust and disappeared just as they were about to hit the girls. The Dragon Tooth Soldiers, having swung at the air, stopped moving.
It must have been a safety measure put in place by Tia. How needlessly kind.
“Again with the back of my head…”
“Wasn’t me this time.”
Baekyang glared at me while rubbing the back of her head.
I did tell her to shoot, but I never told her to shoot the back of the head.
I glanced at Lucia, who had a very satisfied expression. It seemed Lucia was stressed by not only Eleanor, but also Baekyang.
Well, as long as you’re satisfied.
“Seeing you guys like this, I think we should postpone Dragon Tooth Soldier training for a bit.”
“Then should we do physical training? I just need to get strong enough to knock down a Dragon Tooth Soldier in one blow, right?”
“No.”
That would be nice, but even then, Eleanor's grades would probably remain abysmal. And there was no way Eleanor could defeat a Dragon Tooth Soldier with her current skills, not even in her dreams. Frankly, I couldn’t defeat one either.
They were monsters created to act as guards within Scientia. They were inscribed with highly advanced defensive magic. They possessed at least SR-rank stats, and their defense alone was close to SSR rank.
“I don't expect much from you two. Just understand your positions.”
“I understand. I’m the main character of the party, right?”
“Noah said so.”
What a load of bullshit.
“Lucia and I will now shower Noah with magic. And every time Noah is hit, I’ll give Baekyang a warning. It'll be fun to tally them up later.”
“Huh…?”
“…What warning?”
This party’s balance wasn't bad. Yes, the balance wasn't bad.
The problem was the mental state of these two idiots who didn’t even understand their own positions.
“I hope you can realize your roles before this training ends.”
Intermediate Magic
[Stalagmite]
“Kyaa!”
I cast magic towards
the two targets.
Intermediate Magic
[Fire Wall]
“Uwaaagh!”
They wouldn’t be hurt. I was holding back, and they were wearing magic-resistant artifacts.
So, it was fine.
Intermediate Magic
[Chain Lightning]
“Kyiyaa!”
So, let’s keep showering them with magic until they get used to it.
The basics of training were to keep pushing until you succeed.
That's what I learned.