It Was Supposed to Be a Comfortable Practicum
In a romance fantasy, practicums are supposed to be comfortable by nature. No, they must be comfortable. Suddenly having ferocious monsters burst out or demons running amok in some grim worldview? That sort of thing only happens in dark fantasy.
"What a truly beautiful day." The weather was so perfect it even drew admiration from Senior Dusik of the demon race. The sky was clear and the breeze refreshing. And just look at the middle of that forest over there.
"Hehe, the weather is simply lovely, isn't it?"
"Indeed. Shall we have some black tea once the practicum is over?"
"Oh my. Ohohoho!"
It was a full-blown picnic. A complete picnic, no exaggeration needed. The named characters who occasionally appeared were also fully embracing the picnic vibe with enthusiasm.
Well, that made sense. The ten million krona that the Magic Tower Master had offered as the prize? To the young ladies and lords from high ducal or comital houses, what was a mere ten million? It was probably just pocket change that would tumble out if they simply asked their parents for allowance. Who would want to run around the mountains getting covered in dust?
"Suddenly I'm getting revolutionary urges."
"Huh? You too?"
I ignored the sympathy from my impure revolutionary comrade Senior Dusik and kept walking. According to the original work, this practicum was essentially a 'breather episode' anyway. It was right after the first main event, after all. So nothing much should happen today. It was time for everyone to relax, laugh, and heal.
However.
Variables always exist.
'Namely, me.'
The serious capitalist born from the system, blinded by ten million krona—Ian Ash, at your service. After all, I'm just an F-rank third-rate villain. Maintaining the original story's flow is the job of the transmigrator, Kano Ameri. For this practicum, I would thoroughly play the part of a third-rate villain. While everyone else enjoyed their picnic, I would stab the leading team in the back and snatch that ten million krona.
Thinking about it again, it was a perfect plan! Moreover, my team members were Ian Ash, Lena Youngstern, and demon race Senior Dusik. A perfect villainous party.
"Hehehe."
I walked along wearing a sinister smile on the inside, but for some reason Lena—who had been walking right beside me since earlier—was strangely quiet.
She's changed a bit. Normally she would have said something like "Hey, Ian Ash! Do you realize you were smiling in a really creepy way just now?" before slapping me on the back. But today she couldn't even make proper eye contact. Why was she acting like this? Had being locked in solitary confinement for five days left her unable to speak properly?
"......Sigh."
At that moment, Senior Dusik—who had been lazily trailing behind—looked at me with a pathetic expression and let out a deep sigh.
"What?"
"As if you'd understand if I told you. Never mind. Ian, and Lady Lena. You two pair up and walk ahead. I'll watch the rear."
Oh? I was inwardly impressed. As expected from the great demon senior. He was placing our party's main firepower, Lena, in front while he slacked off in the back. Very villainous.
"That's not what I meant!"
Well, he must have his reasons even if I didn't know what they were.
We crossed the forest along a trail.
"Wow, look over there, Ian! It's a sparrow!"
"......."
"Isn't this flower really pretty?"
"......."
Lena walked around with a bright smile like a child, as if everything delighted her.
Are birds and flowers important right now? Shouldn't you be focusing? I almost scolded her but shook my head. She'd been locked up at home for five days and had only just come out; she deserved to enjoy nature a little. No matter how wicked a printing house boss I was, I still provided my employees with the minimum welfare. This was the dignity of a modern person.
Above all, when I thought about it, our strategy was simply to follow behind a competent team anyway. There wasn't really anything that required focus at this stage.
"The weather's really nice, so it's great that we get to take a walk together like this after so long. R-right, Ian?"
Lena, who had somehow drawn right up beside me, asked in a voice as quiet as a mosquito. Her fingertips kept twitching. Had she caught the saintess disease or something? I glanced around and nodded.
"Yeah. It's good that the weather's nice."
"Really?"
Lena's face brightened considerably. As expected, she felt the same way I did.
"Of course. For us, securing visibility is vital."
"......Huh?"
"We have to constantly check who's surging ahead, right? The better the weather, the easier it is to track the suckers' movements."
I answered with satisfaction and kept walking when—
"Hmph!"
—an incredulous cough came from behind. When I turned, Senior Dusik was covering his face with both hands and shaking his head.
Why was this senior acting like that again? The demon race really was a difficult species to understand. When I gave him a look that said if you have something to say, say it, he exaggeratedly mouthed words at me.
What is he saying?
"De...bu...tante?"
As if she'd been waiting for it, Lena clapped her hands.
"That's right, debutante!"
"You startled me."
"S-sorry. But who are you going with to the debutante ball tomorrow?"
"I'm not. I don't plan on going."
Why would I go to that bothersome place? I'd gain five hundred times more by holing up in the dormitory to work on the storyboard for my next erotic manga or by polishing my precious printing press one more time.
The moment my answer left my mouth, Lena's face lit up like the sun.
"T-then...!"
Lena took a step closer, her cheeks flushed bright red as if they might burst, and she tried to fire off words like a machine gun.
"Then tomorrow at the debutante, with me...!"
It was then.
Rustle!
The bushes wriggled, and a human figure popped out.
"My, my. Even a vulgar fellow like you crawled out here for the practicum, I see."
It was the apprentice knight uniform of the Imperial Guard. Vinicius Adam.
"......"
Ah. Just seeing this guy's face ruined my mood. Why was he suddenly popping out and acting like an asshole? Should I demand mental damages?
The guy fiddled with the hilt of the sword at his waist and sneered at me.
"How ridiculous. After running away with your tail between your legs during the last disaster, here you are clinging to a young lady's skirts and begging for practicum points."
"Then why are you coming out of the bushes alone? Did you shit yourself?"
"What? Ha? Hahaha!......"
The guy laughed in an exaggerated manner. Then—
"Ian Ash. It would be wise to stop insulting me at about that level."
"Why is shitting yourself an insult? It's a normal human physiological phenomenon. Your sphincter is simply a little weak, that's all."
"That word—shit! Shit!"
After shouting at the top of his lungs, Adam took several deep breaths, approached me, and whispered.
"A team composition without even a proper scout. How utterly ridiculous. It really is a team befitting you. I'll be watching the results of this practicum closely."
It was so absurd I didn't even feel the need to refute it, so I simply stared. The guy lifted his chin and turned to Lena.
"Oh, I didn't mean for the noble young lady to hear that. My apologies."
Then he struck a pose by himself and vanished with a flick.
"......?"
What was with that guy? An abrupt appearance and an abrupt exit. What had he been doing in the bushes to pop out like a rabbit? And alone, at that.
Wait. Did that guy really shit himself?
"Ugh."
I quickly pinched my nose and grabbed Lena's shoulder.
"Wh-what..."
I led the flustered Lena and hurriedly distanced us from the bushes where Adam had emerged. Whew. Disgusting.
In the meantime, Lena's face turned bright red again.
Is she running a fever? After the practicum, I should send her to the infirmary.
In fact, Adam's words had some truth to them. If the goal was field exploration, common sense dictated that a searcher position responsible for tracking was essential. But our team had no such thing. The academy's ultimate battle weapon Lena, the demon senior Dusik who constantly spewed complaints, and me in the middle trying to coordinate them. A completely firepower-focused insane party.
That was why I had chosen the hyena meta.
And then—
"Over there, I sense something!"
"I think I found it!"
Far away, an elite team mixing knight and magic department students drew their weapons and sprinted deep into the forest at full speed. It smelled fishy just looking at them.
"Let's follow."
We silenced our footsteps and tracked closely behind them. Before long, a huge swamp appeared in the middle of the forest. The place reeked of rotten water.
The leading team stopped at the edge of the basin, forming ranks with tense expressions.
Did they find it properly? I couldn't see the mana orb, though?
As I narrowed my eyes to observe—
—Glorp, gluuuurp.
The swamp began to boil with a bizarre sound. Bubbles burst as mud surged upward, and from the bottom of the swamp something enormous and ominous revealed itself.
"Wh-what is that?!"
The students in front stepped back in horror. Soon its identity became clear. Long, round, grotesque lumps of flesh covered in slippery mucus, wriggling like whips through the air. Dozens of them intertwined and covered the entire swamp.
"It's a m-monster!"
Someone screamed. Lena and Senior Dusik, who had been watching from behind, also gaped in disgust.
"Good heavens, how gross......"
"Even as a demon, the visuals make my stomach churn."
The two flinched backward. Then they grabbed me.
"It seems they came for nothing. Let's follow another group, junior."
Senior Dusik's voice came from afar.
"Junior?"
"Be quiet."
A powerful thrill ran down my spine. The slippery mucus. The elastic curves extending irregularly. And those perfectly sized lumps of flesh optimized for mercilessly tearing or binding people's clothing!
"Junior? Hey, what's wrong with this guy? His eyes are rolling back. What, why are you suddenly pulling out a pen?"
I knelt on the ground and paid my respects to them.
Ah. The eternal classic of subculture. An existence no different from a god to an erotic manga artist.
"I finally meet you."
Please forgive this unprofessional behavior. I worshipped with all reverence.
—Wriggle wriggle.
As if responding to me, they wriggled.
...
It was tentacles.
