86. Survival Rule #4: An Escape Route Is Essential (4)
86. Survival Rule #4: An Escape Route Is Essential (4)
"The academy? I heard that right, didn't I?"
Sif, who had been chewing, tearing, savoring, and enjoying the steak I bought her, pricked up her ears and asked. I chewed and swallowed my own share of steak, then answered.
"You heard right."
"C-can someone like me even get in?"
"I've been given full authority over this matter, so it's fine."
"I-I see..."
Sif looked down at her plate with deep emotion. What an odd expression. Had there been something in her backstory about wanting to attend the academy?
I couldn't remember.
Sif was closer to an Easter egg NPC than a major character, so I'd never paid much attention to her. She wasn't a heroine, and unless her quest was progressed, she appeared as a hostile monster.
"Did you want to attend Kalon Academy?"
At my question, Sif opened her cat-like mouth and shot back a look, as if I'd asked something completely obvious.
"There's no one who doesn't want to attend Kalon Academy! Just graduating guarantees you a path to success—at the very least, you can land a job as a tutor for some noble family!"
That was so like Sif. I watched the money-obsessed cat beastkin for a moment, then turned toward the view outside the window: students in uniform, armored figures, and ordinary people moving among them.
It truly was a peaceful sight.
How wonderful it would have been to blend into such a peaceful scene and simply live.
I could have found a decent place to live, worked, eaten good food with the money I earned, and found someone to love...
That was probably the future I would have had if I hadn't transmigrated. But it was impossible for me now. I knew this peace would slowly collapse.
People dying, unable to offer any resistance. Monsters trampling cities. People gathering inside the academy, the final bastion, preparing for a last stand.
Bad Ending.
I knew how this world ended.
That was why abandoning everything and hiding was not an option. I would only be swallowed by the end myself. To survive, I had to use every scrap of knowledge I possessed and struggle with everything I had.
Main Quest.
Side Quest.
Information about dungeons.
And then...
"Yohan? Yohan! Are you listening to me?"
The voice clamoring in my ear pulled my attention back to Sif. At some point she had cleaned her plate completely, and she was now watching me with concern.
"Are you sick?"
"I just had something to think about for a moment."
"Oh, really? So, hey... can I order one more plate?"
Sif looked up at me with wide eyes, blatantly trying to act cute. Did she really think that would work on me?
"...Fine, order one more."
"Heck yeah!"
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"H-huh? M-me?"
A few hours after hiring Sif, I arrived at the laboratory.
Since I'd already spoken with Professor Lennon beforehand, all that remained was persuading Elisa. I knocked on the laboratory door and called out.
"Professor! It's Yohan!"
"Come in!"
The moment I had permission, I grabbed the doorknob and turned it. I stepped into the lab and looked at Elisa, who was assisting Professor Lennon. When her eyes met mine, Elisa flinched and averted her gaze.
That was considerable progress in several ways.
Considering she used to faint at first.
"It's been a while. Have you been well?"
I shook the professor's offered hand.
"I've been managing."
"That's good to hear."
"Then, as we discussed last time..."
"Elisa, come over here."
"W-what?"
"It seems Dawn Hall wants to hire you."
"M-me?"
"I heard you're an excellent student."
"B-but there are many people better than me... though... so..."
"We need you."
According to Professor Lennon's praise—slightly colored by favoritism—her grades were high enough to place second in her class. As his prized student, she also possessed substantial knowledge of curse removal, which made her a plausible candidate for administrative work.
Of course, I also wanted to build a rapport with her because of my quest.
It would be easier to build a relationship with her if she lived nearby.
"Uh, um... still... someone like me..."
Elisa hemmed and hawed, looking back and forth between me and Professor Lennon. Was she hoping the professor would say something?
Though it wouldn't do any good.
"Elisa, this is a good opportunity. Few people ever get the chance to work at Dawn Hall. Why don't you try it and use the experience to develop your social skills?"
"B-but... I'm..."
"I know you're a descendant of a witch."
"What?!"
I waited for Elisa—now vibrating like a phone set to vibrate—to calm down. She had even broken into a cold sweat. The fact that I knew her secret had apparently shocked her badly.
"WhatdoIdowhatdoIdowhatdoIdowhatdoIdowhatdoIdowhatdoIdowhatdoIdowhatdoIdowhatdoIdowhatdoIdowhatdoIdowhatdoIdowhatdoIdo..."
A secret that no one but Professor Lennon knew. Ah, I supposed I should add Karina to that count.
Anyway, I placed a hand on her shoulder and persuaded her in my most gentle voice.
"Don't worry. Didn't Karina say it herself? A person's birth alone does not define them. Remember that. We don't care where you come from."
...I was less certain about Reni. But one shout of "Go!" from Karina and she would probably accept it without complaint.
Her devotion to Karina came in handy at times like this.
Anyway, the Witch's descendant, whose face had gone pale, looked up at me with trembling eyes. Huddled like a frightened rabbit, she met my gaze. My further-enhanced Insight gauged her state.
Fear, confusion, despair.
Excessively negative emotions surfaced on her face.
"Lisa, try not to worry so much. These are good people. You have met them yourself, haven't you?"
Fortunately, Professor Lennon, who had been observing the exchange, stepped in to break the deadlock. That was only natural, since we had discussed the matter beforehand.
Professor Lennon was practically a father to Elisa, and he couldn't just leave her, who was practically a daughter to him, to live alone forever. He couldn't look after her indefinitely, so the plan was to entrust her to us, people he could trust.
Our need for someone to assist with Reni's workload and his interests aligned perfectly.
"B-but..."
"You can't live alone forever, my child."
"S-someone like me... how could I..."
"Lisa, you're a good child. Don't let something as trivial as your birth make you feel inferior."
At the professor's persuasion, Elisa nodded. It seemed reluctant, but anyway, as long as we had her consent, that was enough. I stood from my seat and prepared to leave.
"I-I'll go p-pack my things, then..."
"Got it. Need any help?"
"I'm o-okay!"
Then I could wait. I watched her hurry out of the laboratory, then looked toward Professor Lennon as he stroked his beard and sighed, and asked,
"Are you all right?"
"I'm fine. More than fine. After all, that child can't live under my protection forever."
So that was it.
I looked at the wrinkles etched into Professor Lennon's face. He was old enough that retirement wouldn't have been unusual. Given the state of the world, he never knew when he might die, and he couldn't shelter her forever even if she was like a daughter to him.
That was why he had decided to entrust her to us—people he trusted, who knew her origins and did not care. Of all the choices available to him, it was probably the best one.
"I-I'm ready..."
That was faster than I thought. At the voice coming from beyond the door, I looked at Professor Lennon. As I was about to leave, he took my hand and spoke to me in a low voice.
"I leave her in your care."
"Understood."
I left Professor Lennon behind and stepped out of the laboratory. When I opened the lab door and went out, I saw Elisa startle beside the door.
"...Uh..."
"I'll take the suitcase."
"B-but..."
"It's fine."
I took the suitcase from Elisa without knowing what on earth was inside and quickened my pace. Hiring Sif and bringing Elisa into Dawn Hall wasn't the end of the day's work.
"Why does it feel like the women around me just keep multiplying...?"
"W-what?"
"Nothing."
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"Sif."
"One!"
"Millia."
"Two!"
I looked down at my subordinates wearing the hard hats I'd personally crafted.
Sif. In charge of transport. She pulls the cart and carries the materials essential for the passage groundwork.
Millia. In charge of meals. She would ride her scooter and deliver breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Me. In charge of shoveling. I dig the passage.
A clean combination.
"Yohan, Yohan! Is there anything to do besides delivering meals?"
"If you're bored, go help Sif."
"Yohan! Can I touch her tail too?"
"No!"
"She can."
Millia's face, wavering between sadness and joy, was truly colorful. On the other hand, Sif hid her tail in horror, but unfortunately, Sif had no right to veto.
"It's my tail!"
"Who's the employer?"
"...Do what you want."
"Hehe. Then I'll touch it!"
"D-don't grab it hard. Got it?"
Meow!
I left the two of them to play and got started on my own work.
I pulled the map provided by the academy from inside my coat and spread it open. Before beginning full-scale construction, I needed to draw up a plan. This wasn't a small passage; building tunnels wide enough for dozens of people required precision.
Using the pen I'd brought, I drew rough lines on the map to mark the planned passages. Several departments had underground floors, so I needed to account for them when choosing the emergency passages. The dungeon beneath the academy was another complication.
As the lines were drawn one by one, the map quickly became a mess of black marks.
It'd be difficult for anyone else to understand, but that did not matter as long as I could read it.
I was the only one doing the construction anyway.
It was time to organize the plan.
First, I would build passages to each department and place shelters at intervals.
The shelters would need first-aid medicine and preserved food, but the academy could handle that part.
The important thing was creating a structure where people could survive underground for a while even if the academy was destroyed. Recalling the shelters and tunnels I'd built before, I made a rough estimate.
While I worked through the design, a familiar scream came from behind me.
"It tickles! Stop touching me! Yohan! Do something about her!"
Did Millia like Sif more than I'd thought? I spoke to Sif, who was freaking out.
"I'll give you a bonus gold coin."
"Hehe, Yohan's the best!"
"Just don't grab too hard! Meow!"
People driven by money really were easy to handle.
Smiling at the mood brightened by a single gold coin, I adjusted my grip on my shovel.
Time to get started.