Consequences of Complacency
The result of complacency. Truthfully, I knew this was all meaningless. I knew he wasn't the kind of man who would fall for cheap seduction. But... even so, I wanted to leave a strong impression on him. Yeah, simply hugging him on the first day was nowhere near enough.
Elisha smiled quietly to herself. She had worked hard to memorize every trap in this forest and find the optimal route. She had even reviewed it all perfectly from the previous round. Even though he still didn't seem particularly interested in her... the fact that she hadn't earned his hatred was enough. Today, using all these countless traps, she would definitely make his heart race.
It was a sight that left me speechless.
"Ah, aah! Help me...!"
"......"
Elisha, body tightly tangled in vines, waving her arms desperately in my direction. This was already the third time. Yes—the third time she'd fallen for such a pathetic trap. One of those times it hadn't even been a vine trap, just an ordinary overgrown tree branch, and she'd still gotten caught so easily. It was almost impressive how ridiculous it was.
I cut away the surrounding vines and freed her arm as requested. Since this was the third time, I shot her a look that clearly said she could handle the rest herself. Instead, Elisha deliberately shook the leg still wrapped in vines.
"It's stuck too tight. I can't pull it out."
"This is really...!"
"Huh?"
"...It's nothing."
I knew perfectly well that this woman was spouting an outrageous lie. Where had she sold off the physical prowess that let her casually swat away a charging dire wolf's head? With even one hand free, she could have torn through these vines like paper.
The other team members standing guard as Elisha had instructed also wore expressions that seemed to ask, Can't she handle that much on her own? The reason they hadn't spoken up yet was likely because they assumed she might be exhausted from fighting the monsters. After all, the one who had contributed the most in battle was none other than Elisha herself.
Of course, I knew exactly how strong she was. I'd experienced it firsthand when she charged at me before. The current Elisha should have been able to rip apart flimsy vines like these without breaking a sweat, even if slightly tired. In my eyes, this could only be her acting spoiled or having some other motive.
But seriously. What could she possibly gain from doing something so pointless...?
"Hurry and untie me......"
"Yeah, yeah."
At her urging, I finally knelt and reached for the vines coiled around her leg.
They're not even tied that tightly.
As I slowly unraveled the stems one by one, Elisha suddenly moved her leg. She lifted the half-freed limb upward. When I looked up in confusion, she gave me a mischievous smile.
"So? How is it?"
"Pardon?"
"Hehe. My leg. It's softer than you expected, right?"
"......"
I tried to ignore her and finish untying the vines, but Elisha had no intention of stopping her insane antics.
"It's actually quite soft. If you're curious... ha, do you want to touch it? I'll only let you."
"Th-that's... really not..."
Before I could finish, she used her freed hand to tug up the leg of her combat uniform. Kneeling right in front of her, I suddenly had an unobstructed view of the pale, smooth skin of her leg.
......This was awkward.
When I remained silent, she whispered in a low voice.
"Hehe. Don't be shy. You can really touch it if you want."
"It's really fine."
I turned my head to avoid her gaze and roughly yanked away the remaining vines. The sensation must have tickled, because a small moan slipped from between Elisha's lips.
"Hngh!"
"Even if it tickles, just bear with it a little."
"Y-yes......"
Leaving her strange smile behind, I continued working. The two team members standing guard behind us were shooting icy glares in our direction, but I ignored those too.
After finally freeing her completely under the weight of those uncomfortable stares, I told Elisha,
"If a monster suddenly shows up while you're messing around like this, it'll cause problems. Please be more careful."
"Got it."
She nodded, but the corners of her mouth curved into a sly smile. It was obvious she had zero intention of listening. Well, for Elisha, the North Forest wasn't particularly dangerous anyway. Since this was the area used for freshman training, the monsters here were weaker than those in other forests, making it relatively safe. Above all, the current Elisha was as strong as Hestia.
Just how strong the hero Hestia was, I'd find out soon enough. To elaborate a bit, she was capable of holding her own in excellent sparring matches against the combat department professors. In other words, she had already surpassed the level of a mere student. Since Elisha herself was aware of that, it made sense why she wandered around without any sense of tension.
"Ah! Oh no, I got caught again!"
"......"
"......"
"......"
"Help me!"
But such carelessness would sometimes... invite disaster.
- Kyaaaaak!!!
I watched the massive monkey-like creature dropping from the branch above Elisha's head and thought, To correct the mistake of this inexperienced regressor, I should probably just take the hit, right?
- Thud!
"Ah......"
Elisha's eyes shook violently. Faced with the sudden event unfolding before her, she could only open and close her mouth in disbelief.
- Kyaak!
The monkey-like monster that had sent him flying let out a short cry before squaring off against her.
"Oh my god...!"
"Elisha, are you okay?!"
Rena and Tiara, who had finally caught up to the situation, came running. The monster, now facing the two approaching girls, grew visibly wary and began slowly backing away.
In the tense standoff that followed, Rena gripped her weapon tightly and asked Tiara,
"What the hell is that thing?"
"A Barba... The notes said it's a little trickier than the dire wolf we caught earlier."
Rena swallowed hard at the explanation and turned her head. There was Elisha, still bound by the vines with a completely dazed expression.
"Elisha."
"......"
"Elisha!"
"......What."
"What do you mean, what...! Snap out of it and get out of there already!"
Even after Rena's scolding, Elisha remained completely still. Unable to understand why she was acting this way and growing increasingly frustrated, Rena suddenly followed the direction of Elisha's gaze.
There, covered head to toe in dirt and collapsed on the ground...
Oh crap! We have someone else we should be worried about!
Only then did the other team member's existence resurface in Rena and Tiara's memories.
"What do we do?"
"We can't approach recklessly. If the Barba currently wary of us shifts its attention over there, the situation could get even more dangerous."
The Barba seemed to believe its previous attack had finished him off, as it wasn't paying the slightest attention to the direction he'd been sent flying. There was no movement from him, either... They would have to deal with the monster first, then check on his condition.
Staring directly into the Barba's eyes, Rena told Tiara,
"Tiara, I'll hold it off for a moment. Hurry and free Elisha first."
"Understood."
With that, she carefully retreated and approached the spot where Elisha was bound. The Barba remained focused solely on Rena, showing no other movements.
Now's our chance to quickly...
Just as Tiara started to move—
With a loud crunch, Elisha freed herself from the vines in an instant.
"Huh?"
While Tiara stood frozen in utter bewilderment, Rena continued,
"What? So you could've gotten out by yourself the whole time. If you've come to your senses, hurry up and help me..."
- Kyak!
"Ugh!"
In the brief moment she looked away, the Barba charged in. Fortunately, Rena dodged the attack just in time and shouted urgently at Tiara and Elisha.
"Stop spacing out and get over here!!!"
"R-right!"
"......"
But there was no response from Elisha. In this frustrating situation, Rena's irritation finally boiled over as she whipped her head toward her.
What she saw was...
"I'll kill it!!!"
Elisha, her face twisted with pure rage.
"Elisha, are you oka..."
Tiara tried to calm her, but Elisha was already standing directly in front of the Barba...
- Boom!
Kueeeek...!
With a single strike, she sent the creature that had been about to pounce on Rena flying backward.
"No way......"
Rena's jaw dropped as she watched the monster she had struggled so hard against get embedded into a tree in an instant.
"You should've helped sooner."
Thinking the situation was resolved with Elisha's blow, Tiara approached as Elisha let out a deep sigh and casually sheathed her weapon.
"Are you hurt anywhere?"
"I'm fine. More importantly... didn't we forget something?"
"Hmm...? What do you mean?"
"There was definitely something important..."
As the two slowly searched their memories, a furious voice rang out.
"How dare you!"
- Crack!
"In front of me!"
- Crunch!
"Touch him!"
- Snap!
"?!"
- Bang!
"Die!!!"
- Boom!
Under Elisha's merciless kicks, her eyes completely bloodshot, the Barba's head finally couldn't withstand the assault and burst apart.
"Haa... Haa......"
Breathing heavily, she shook off her leg, now drenched in the Barba's blood. She wasn't physically exhausted. She simply couldn't control her emotions, her usual composure shattered.
Letting out a short sigh, Elisha slowly calmed herself. Showing such a disheveled appearance was no good. There was nothing to gain by letting others see it, and above all, he might view it unfavorably...
Th-this isn't the time!
Elisha immediately ran toward the spot where he had been sent flying by the Barba's attack. He still showed no movement, as if completely unconscious.
"Wh-what do I do...!"
There were no visible wounds, but his body covered head to toe in dirt didn't look fine at all. In truth, there wasn't a single scratch on him, but to Elisha, whose mind was filled with nothing but worry for him, even the dirt appeared as serious as a grave injury.
"I'm sorry......"
Elisha quietly knelt, tears welling up in her eyes. She carefully lifted his body and pulled him into her embrace.
"Because of me......"
Tears streamed down Elisha's face. It was all her fault. If only she had paid a little more attention... If only she hadn't fooled around so much... He never would have gotten hurt. All for the sake of satisfying her own selfish desires, she had done something incredibly stupid. The realization that her complacency had caused him harm struck her with painful regret.
"Huu... Hic..."
As she quietly sobbed, Rena and Tiara approached from behind. Seeing Elisha cry, they exchanged dumbfounded looks.
"Why is she crying?"
"I have no idea."
"Was seeing that guy get hurt really that shocking? I've never seen him before today. Do you know who he is?"
"No, it's my first time meeting him today too. Besides, he doesn't even look injured. He just passed out for a moment......"
Rena and Tiara kept their voices low so their conversation wouldn't reach Elisha's ears.
Pretending to be unconscious, I listened to every word and thought to myself, Well, it didn't go exactly as planned, but it seems to have worked out somehow.