Chapter 27
Chapter 27
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: Kidnapping Drama
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“Let's set up camp first.”
[Sure!]
“…D-Don’t act cute!!”
…I wasn’t trying to act cute.
What’s up with our president today?
“Adel… You must’ve done something to piss off the president, right?”
[No, I didn’t.]
Klaus.
If even you say that, I’m really going to be sad.
“A-hem. Then, let’s set up over there.”
Carnel pointed toward the riverbank with his finger.
A spot where gentle waters flowed.
But.
“Ah… President, that spot seems a bit dangerous.”
“…Why?”
“Beasts often use the water’s edge too. It’s too close, so it could be risky, President.”
Oh…
As expected of Klaus.
Maybe because he’s from the borderlands.
He’s strong when it comes to survival.
“Hmm… I see.”
“Yeah, it looks better to set up somewhere a moderate distance away.”
“Got it.”
And so, we settled a good distance from the riverbank and threw together a makeshift camp.
…Well, calling it a camp is a bit generous.
We just pulled up some soft grass to lay on the ground.
Then set up poles with wooden sticks and topped it with more grass for a roof.
“Not bad… all things considered.”
[Jackpot.]
“This should hold up for a couple of days, President.”
Of course, I didn’t lift a finger.
The poles needed to be thick and sturdy, so even moving the wooden sticks was tough.
And the grass blades were huge, like palm fronds—two or three trips and you’d be exhausted.
Can’t be helped.
I just stayed masked and kept watch around us.
“So… what about food, President?”
“…My, Klaus. Why are you asking me?”
“But…”
Klaus glanced at me.
“Adel… doesn’t seem to have any ideas.”
How’d he know?
My face is hidden behind the mask.
“Hmm… You’re right.”
…What’s right about it, President?
“President…”
“…?”
“Have you… ever eaten a beast before?”
Whoa.
“…Pardon?”
Carnel froze solid.
‘This guy…’
To neutralize Carnel like that…
As expected of the protagonist.
“W-What kind of crazy talk…”
See?
She was so flustered her words skipped her brain’s filter entirely.
[No choice, then.]
Time for me to step in.
- Whirr.
My inventory opened.
- Plop plop.
Cans tumbled out from inside.
Fruit cans, tuna cans, and so on.
“…”
“…”
The two of them stared blankly at the cans.
And then.
“You…”
“Adel… Isn’t that against the rules?”
[Klaus.]
Tsk tsk tsk.
I can’t have the protagonist being such a pushover.
[It’s not a crime if you don’t get caught.]
“Huh… Is that so?”
[Pretty much.]
At that.
“Eek…!! How are you even using subspace magic?!”
Carnel lifted the cans with magic.
Plop.
And swept every last one of my cans into her own subspace.
‘…’
That was my week’s worth of food.
[You’ll give them back when we’re done, right?]
“Confiscated!”
Eek.
***
- Whoosh!
The massive deer’s body split in half and collapsed.
“Huff… Got it.”
Klaus sheathed his sword and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
“Wow… Adel, that was seriously impressive.”
Then he turned to me with admiration.
“How’d you even find this one?”
Klaus held up a small orb that had dropped from the massive deer’s body.
“A shadow deer… I heard once if it hides, it’s practically impossible to track…”
His admiration bordered on shock.
‘Well, it’s understandable.’
The shadow deer lived up to its name, blending perfectly with shadows, making it nearly impossible to track.
But it meant nothing before my 【Eyes of Laplace】.
“An orb… So this is proof of the hunt, huh.”
Carnel took the orb from Klaus and muttered.
Scribble, scribble.
Her hand didn’t stop, scratching away at the paper.
“Shadow deer… blue… habitat…”
Recording beast details was the second-years’ job.
Lose or damage the paper, and you lose all the points.
Even Carnel, the strongest in our group, couldn’t move recklessly.
That was the penalty of teaming with second-years.
“Then, on to the next.”
“Eek… We really have to do this four more times?”
“Of course. It’s only natural.”
We’d barely caught one beast, and Klaus already looked worn out.
And then.
- Rustle.
“…!!”
“...!”
An ominous presence.
- Rustle. Rustle.
Unfamiliar footsteps from all directions.
“Klaus…!! Behind you!!”
Carnel shouted.
- Whoosh!
Klaus reflexively drew his sword and swung backward.
- Splatter.
A bird-shaped beast split in two and fell.
‘Whoa, that startled me.’
At this level, we’re safe for now…
‘…’
【Eyes of Laplace】 pierced the boundary between illusion and reality.
What those truth-seeing eyes showed me now was…
‘…A fake.’
The beast that just fell… wasn’t real.
- Crackle.
I quickly drew 【Leviathan】, but.
- Snatch.
“Ah, Adel?”
Before I could swing, something grabbed me.
- Caaaaw!!
‘Ah.’
I’m screwed.
“Adeeel…!!!”
I was kidnapped just like that.
***
- Swoosh!
A spear shot out from the bushes.
- Crackle!
But its tip halted against an ice wall.
“Huh? Erwin?”
“…What do you think you’re doing?”
“You’re still here?”
“Still? What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I figured you’d have bailed ages ago to mess with some magic.”
“…I was just about to leave.”
Thought so.
Serros thought.
“More importantly… you alone?”
“Alone.”
“Ah… okay.”
It was a group assignment, and he’s doing it solo?
What a freak.
“Hey, by any chance, have you seen a beast with golden wounds?”
“Nope.”
“Come on~ don’t be like that.”
“I said I haven’t.”
“Really?”
“…”
“Just kidding.”
At that, Erwin silently pressed his brooch.
A portal soon opened, and Erwin exited the subspace.
“What a psycho.”
Ditching the group project to tinker with magic.
Serros let out a hollow laugh.
“How is that guy in S Class anyway?”
Serros himself often wondered why he was in S Class.
But Erwin was on another level.
“Ugh, whatever.”
He started heading toward the temporary camp.
“NyaAaAaH! Stop right there, you fish!!”
Out of nowhere, a cat leaped out.
- Kee, Keeeaaak!! KyaaAaak!!!
Ahead of it, a legless shark-like beast fled for its life.
“…What the hell is that?”
The cat chased the beast.
The beast desperately fled the cat.
“Who’s the prey here…?”
And again.
- Caaaaw!!
A massive crow-like bird took to the sky, talons gripping something.
“Huh…?”
He saw what it was.
Familiar.
So familiar that…
“Pfft, hahaha! Isn’t that the Top seat?”
Right.
It was Adel.
Adel was snatched and being kidnapped.
“Hmm… Should I help?”
He took one step forward.
“Stay right there!!!”
“Huff… President… slow down a bit…”
The two from Adel’s group were chasing after him in a panic.
“Hmm… I guess there is no need.”
What’s there to worry about with the president there?
Thinking that, Serros turned away.
***
‘What to do.’
- Caaaaw!
‘Looks like a dream night bird…’
Dream night bird.
A crow that handled illusions.
‘Even a pain in “Aka Calamity”.’
But for me with 【Eyes of Laplace】, it was a pushover.
The problem was being caught by that pushover.
‘Oh.’
And it had golden wounds to boot.
‘Bonus points… but that’s not the issue right now.’
Hmm…
‘Should I just drop?’
Right before hitting the ground, I could grab my body with mana threads… I pondered briefly.
‘Nah… it could tear me apart if I mess up.’
It was rejected immediately.
‘No real options.’
Can’t even draw 【Leviathan】.
I could muddle through with 【Word of Command】.
But that’d waste a full day.
‘Can’t waste a day when the disaster could move anytime.’
During the 7-day group assignment, the disaster’s movement was random.
Losing a day to an uncertain threat was suicidal.
‘At least…’
Are Carnel and Klaus running toward me down there?
…The problem is I’m in the sky.
‘Should I just trust them and drop?’
Trust Carnel and Klaus and jump from this height?
On the slim hope they’d catch me?
‘But I can’t trust myself for that.’
Not them—I can’t trust me.
If my balance is off even once?
I’d plummet headfirst into the ground.
‘Based on patterns so far.’
Statistically, from everything I’ve done up to now, even more so.
“Adeeel!!!”
Lost in thought for a moment.
Carnel called out to me pitifully.
‘Ha.’
A hollow laugh escaped me.
It was really… unexpected.
Never thought I’d hear that tone from Carnel.
Were we that close that he’d call me so desperately?
‘No.’
No matter how I thought about it, no.
The Carnel I remembered never faltered, no matter what.
…At least, not over someone like me.
Yet now, Carnel desperately reached for me.
Eyes like she might cry, shouting my name.
‘Why?’
Why that look?
Why call for me like that?
‘Because she’s student council president?’
Sure, looking after a student in crisis is her duty.
‘Or because I’m the zero-point pervert who’s been nothing but trouble?’
So she’s reaching out before it’s too late?
‘I don’t know.’
I really don’t.
But none of that matters right now.
‘Alright… let’s trust her.’
At least one person believes in me.
She’s calling me.
In this situation where even I doubt myself.
…That’s enough.
- Swoosh.
I wrapped mana threads around the dream night bird’s legs.
‘Duration: 3 seconds.’
Time until the threads break.
Plenty.
I tuned my mana, forcibly twisting the bird’s legs.
- Caaaaw!!!
The dream night bird thrashed wildly.
The shock freed my arms.
But at the same time, it tore throug the sky even faster.
‘…There.’
In that instant, two trees entered my sight.
- Caaaaw!!
As it passed between them, I wrapped mana threads around both wings.
And drove the threads into the trees.
- KeeeEEEEEEK!!
Wings tore, and a screech echoed.
Along with it, I plummeted from the sky with the bird.
Wind rushed past as the ground grew closer.
And…
《Time / Low-tier Magic》
「Slow」
My body slowed.
“Adel…!!”
Carnel rushed to me, catching my falling form in her arms.
‘…’
I'm in quite the awkward position.
The classic princess carry.
‘Wait… it's the reverse, so prince carry?’
Either way, it is mortifyingly embarrassing.
“How dare you…”
But our president.
Her eyes were dangerous.
“How DARE you…!!”
Carnel’s fingertips pierced the sky.
✦━━━━━━━━━━━━✦
[ Carnelia von Delbar ]
Attribute
: 「Time」
: 「Star」
Talent
: 【Magic(S+)】
: 【…】
✦━━━━━━━━━━━━✦
Carnelia von Delbar.
The human chosen by mana.
The human granted the will of time itself—the threads of causality flowing through all things in the world.
The one and only being who wielded the flow of time.
《Time / Mid-tier Magic》
Everything stopped.
Wind, light, the flow of time.
「Time Stop」
The dream night bird’s wingbeats halted.
Its falling body froze midair.
“How DARE you touch my little brother…!!!”
《Star / Highest-tier Magic》
The sky split.
Mana’s trajectory tore through the night sky.
Like a meteor, starlight arced down.
「Asteroid Impact」
A star fell.
──────!!!
Heaven and earth flipped.
Light and flame scorched the terrain dissolving around it.
…And after it all passed.
[President.]
“…Heh, what’s this, Adel?! Did this big sis wow you too much?!”
The terrain wasn’t the only thing that vanished.
[That beast… it was a bonus-point beast.]
The one with golden wounds.
My bonus points… gone.
“E-Eh?!”
Carnel panicked.
I despaired.