What Must Be Done
“Your Highness, do you think this is enough luggage? It is quite a lot, but I believe we will be well-supplied for a full week.”
“Hmm…”
“Is there anything else you might need? I made sure to pack all the essential toiletries and daily necessities. I have prepared spare clothes for Your Highness as well, and as for scrolls and magic tools… I put together a rather respectable selection.”
“What kind of things did you prepare?”
At Cecilia’s inquiry, I clicked open the leather case containing the magic tools and scrolls. Both types of equipment operated by channeling mana and were imbued with specialized spells, making them exceptionally handy in a pinch. Since I would be roughing it outdoors with Cecilia for an entire week, ordinary camping gear simply would not suffice. And for the Third Imperial Princess, preparing high-end tools was only proper.
“First, over here is a scroll imbued with Cleanse magic to freshen up if the situation calls for it. This piece beside it is an enchanted talisman inscribed with Barrier magic to shield Your Highness from harm. And this one over here is… what was it again? Ah, an escape scroll. The Academy will be issuing emergency teleportation bracelets, but I prepared an extra contingency just in case.”
“Hmm… That really is quite an assortment, isn’t it? And there are still more items packed inside besides the ones you just mentioned.”
“Yes. We must camp in the mountains for seven whole days, after all. I thought it best to err on the side of caution and overpack.”
“I never gave you any specific instructions, yet you managed to prepare everything thoroughly on your own.”
“Hehe, didn’t I?”
The special activity—the Hunt—was slated to begin as soon as this weekend drew to a close. We were neither swimming in free time nor desperately pressed against the clock. Truthfully, if it were an ordinary trip, packing would not have been such an ordeal. But because this exercise took place deep within a sprawling forest, the stakes were entirely different.
I packed pest repellents, gathered accessories to maintain the cleanest possible living environment, and stocked a variety of medicines for unforeseen emergencies. In the end, the mountain of luggage I assembled for Cecilia grew far larger than anticipated. Of course, I had not managed all of this alone; acquiring such premium goods was made considerably easier thanks to Rin, my senior colleague in the assassination syndicate.
“Aside from undergarments, you will likely be wearing the Academy uniform throughout the event, but I also packed an overcoat in case the temperature plummets.”
“Well done.”
“Ehehe…”
Naturally, managing all this fell squarely within my maid duties, and honestly, it was tedious work. Yet hearing Cecilia offer praise carried a warmth that felt distinctly different from anyone else’s approval. Perhaps it felt so rewarding precisely because she was usually so prickly? Just like how people suddenly view a notorious scoundrel as completely reformed after a single good deed, Cecilia’s compliments seemed to possess that exact psychological effect.
“By the way, are you actually capable of carrying all of that?”
“Pardon?”
“The bag. The size is absurd. Can you really carry that on your own? It’s as large as your entire upper body and packed to the brim. Wouldn’t it make more sense to divide it into two smaller bags?”
“Ah, don’t worry! I can lift it easily.”
Just as Cecilia pointed out, the travel trunk I had prepared was enormous—far larger than the satchel my syndicate seniors had packed for me when I first moved into the Golden Pavilion. In terms of pure dimensions, it was a colossal bag practically matching my diminutive torso.
“I told you before, didn’t I? I’m much stronger than I look.”
“…Hmph.”
“It’s true. Look, I can hoist it with no trouble at all. See? Even with one hand!”
Since Cecilia clearly looked unconvinced, I gathered the items scattered across the floor, zipped and buckled the trunk shut, and effortlessly lifted it with one hand. The massive bag rose as if it were stuffed with feathers.
“……”
“What do you think?”
“Is it simply not heavy at all?”
“Eh? No, it really is heavy. Would Your Highness care to try? Please use both hands, or you might strain yourself.”
“…Tsk. You’re clearly bluffing when it’s light as air. Stop spouting nonsense and—”
“Well?”
“…Huh?”
Cecilia stepped forward, haughtily attempting to hoist the bag as if it were a trivial matter. Naturally, with her pitiful lack of muscle tone, she could not budge it an inch.
For all her statuesque height, voluptuous bust, and occasionally chilling glares, Cecilia was ultimately a shut-in. While she attended the Academy diligently enough now, previously she had lived cooped up inside the lavish, secluded detached palace known as the Golden Pavilion. Without any hobbies to speak of, let alone proper physical exercise, she had practically been the textbook definition of a secluded recluse.
A recluse who happened to be drop-dead gorgeous, fiercely proud, and… just a little bit wicked.
“…What are you looking at?”
“I told you I was strong! I’ve said it so many times already. You’re being unreasonable.”
“……”
“In any case, I will be the one carrying the luggage, so you don’t need to worry. After all, handling heavy labor is a maid’s duty, not an imperial princess’s, isn’t it?”
“I suppose that is true.”
In short, Cecilia only needed to focus on comfortably hunting monsters and competing against the other students. Granted, my own workload would be astronomical, but everything I did was for her sake anyway.
“Well, it seems there is nothing left to prepare. We just have to wait for the day to arrive. That’s enough preparation for now; shall we just relax and rest?”
“Yes. Shall I bring you some coffee?”
“Coffee… No. Never mind the coffee. Just come sit up here on the sofa.”
“……”
“Serena.”
“…Yes, Your Highness.”
For some reason, Cecilia’s behavior had grown increasingly peculiar of late. She had always enjoyed teasing me, but ever since the incident where I drank her blood, her affectionate antics had escalated noticeably. Both their frequency and boldness had dialed up, making my daily life agonizingly flustering.
“Fufu… Between your maid uniform and your skin, you really are so wonderfully soft and cozy.”
“Ye-es…”
Just like now, with Cecilia casually draping an arm around my shoulders as I sat beside her on the sofa, pulling me close. Other times, she would hug me tightly like a life-sized plush doll. She always managed to pull off maneuvers I couldn't deflect, yet pushing her away entirely felt impossible.
…To be completely honest, a tiny part of me actually enjoyed it. Just a little bit.
After all, having an extraordinarily beautiful woman like Cecilia embrace you was bound to stir all sorts of complicated thoughts in a guy’s head, wasn’t it? Even if I was currently trapped in the body of a cute, petite girl, I had lived as an ordinary man for over twenty years. Having such reactions was only natural. Of course, whenever her generous chest pressed softly against my shoulder, the sheer proximity was lethal to my sanity and racing heart…
“This forest certainly looks vast at a glance.”
“It really does.”
Carrying the luggage, I arrived at the designated assembly area alongside Cecilia. The clearing before the forest entrance was teeming with first-year Academy students, filling the air with lively, restless chatter. Since this was the very first major outdoor exercise since enrollment, everyone was bound to be riding a wave of excitement.
“Serena, fetch me some water.”
“Ah, just a moment. It’s packed deep inside the trunk… please give me a second.”
Unlike the other students, neither Cecilia nor I were getting worked up. More accurately, Cecilia was the very definition of unbothered. Perhaps she lacked a proper sense of fear, or perhaps she simply never bothered overthinking matters, but she remained completely composed. While I was busy agonizing over the logistics of the event and remaining hyper-vigilant against any scumbags who might use the chaotic wilderness to target her again, our dear princess merely surveyed the crowd with her usual languid, unmotivated gaze.
“Attention, everyone!”
“…?”
“We will now begin the briefing regarding the special activity: the Hunt.”
Once the student body had fully assembled, a middle-aged male professor sporting a scruffy, untamed beard stepped onto the wooden dais in the clearing, projecting his voice across the grounds. Behind him stood the Academy’s faculty. Among them was an exceedingly familiar face, though I paid it no outward mind for the time being.
“The bracelets being distributed to you now are equipped with protective enchantments as previously announced, along with a tracking function to monitor your accumulated Points. Points are earned primarily by slaying monsters and hunting wild game.”
As the professor spoke, several instructors moved through the crowd, handing out the enchanted bangles one by one. Although I was not an enrolled student, I was participating as Cecilia’s attendant and bodyguard, so I received one as well.
“Your accumulated Points will determine your grading for this exercise and will carry weight in your upcoming midterms and future assessments, though it will not irreparably sway your academic standing. Furthermore, a depot has been established at the center of the forest where you may spend Points to purchase practical supplies and survival tools, or sell materials gathered from beasts to earn additional Points. Use it wisely.”
It was all standard procedure. Everything he mentioned had already been outlined in the prior notice; the only novelty was the formal introduction of the Point currency. Cecilia was equally aware of the rules, which was why she barely listened, idly stroking my silver hair as she stood beside me.
“However,” the professor continued, his tone deepening with sudden gravity, “simply hunting low-tier monsters and trapping game could arguably be considered unfair. After all, such methods excessively favor students who are naturally adept at tracking and wilderness combat.”
I shifted my full attention toward the stage. That shift in tone signaled something critical.
“Therefore, starting with this semester’s exercise, a function has been added that permits you to seize Points accumulated by your peers. Through this mechanism, you can plunder Points from other students, meaning wildlife and monsters are not your sole means of acquisition.”
“……”
“While the bracelets possess a direct transfer function for voluntary trades, simply shattering another student’s bracelet will automatically siphon every Point contained within it into your own.”
“……”
“Any student whose bracelet is stolen or destroyed will be immediately extracted to a secure staging ground via automated reverse-summoning magic, so you need not fear fatal harm. If at any point you feel unable to continue in the forest, you may also forfeit voluntarily through the device…”
The professor droned on about secondary safety protocols, but my mind remained entirely fixated on the Point theft mechanic. A far sharper chill prickled against the nape of my neck than when the exercise had first been announced.
That unmistakable sixth sense—the assassin’s intuition warning me of impending bloodshed, dormant for quite some time—had suddenly flared to life once more.
“It seems we will have our hands full in more ways than one.”
“…It certainly seems so.”
Just as Cecilia remarked, this exercise was shaping up to be quite a handful. My hands would be so full that in the dead of night, when everyone else was meant to be resting, I would likely find myself hunting down 'something else' entirely—something far more dangerous than mere beasts.