Single Room

"Still, it's a relief we haven't run into any top-tier students. Looking at the roster, a few of them—including Elisabeth—seemed quite formidable. Yet we haven't crossed paths with them once, have we?"

"That does seem to be the case. Everyone who approached us appeared to be commoners or students of average ability."

I continued wandering the forest alongside Cecilia, steadily gathering points. Some came from the students we encountered—specifically, the foolish few who dared launch an ambush against Cecilia—while others were earned by hunting wild beasts and monsters. Between all our skirmishes, our accumulated score had already surged past four thousand and was rapidly closing in on five thousand.

"It's only the fourth day," Cecilia remarked. "If we keep this up for the remaining three days, don't you think ten thousand points might actually be within reach?"

"Who knows? As the days wear on, the number of students roaming the woods will naturally dwindle. Though for now, plenty still seem to be scattered about. A short walk in almost any direction usually turns up an academy uniform before long."

"True enough."

The freshman class was vast, and the students remaining far outnumbered those Cecilia had personally hunted down. Besides, it wasn't as though she went around aggressively massacring the competition. She merely disciplined the ones foolish enough to strike first, while casually ignoring the poor souls who froze and trembled in terror whenever they crossed our path.

"By the way, starting tomorrow, we'll probably need to hunt some game. The canned goods and preserved rations we brought are beginning to run low."

"Mmm..."

"There's plenty of wildlife in this forest, and we have more than enough salt and spices left. It shouldn't pose much of an issue."

We had packed a generous supply of rations before entering the forest, but after living off them exclusively for four straight days, our pack was bound to empty out. Plain wild game would hardly suit Cecilia's refined palate, but there was no helping it under the circumstances. I would just have to mask the gaminess with pepper and salt, season the meat carefully, and prepare it so it was at least palatable for her. Of course, hunting, skinning, and roasting a wild animal from scratch sounded thoroughly exhausting.

"Hmm. Shall we go inspect the shop?" Cecilia suggested.

"...The shop?"

"Did you forget? The professor explicitly stated right before the exercise began that there was a shop in the dead center of the forest where points could be spent."

"......Ah."

Now that she mentioned it, I vaguely recalled hearing something like that. The information had certainly been tucked away in my head, yet my mind drew a complete blank when prompted.

Then again...

I hadn't slept a single wink since the morning of the third day. In fact, counting from the second night onward, I had spent days and nights guarding Cecilia without closing my eyes once. It was only natural that my head felt a little hazy. I knew fatigue had been creeping in, but I hadn't realized I was slipping enough to forget basic instructions. Still, watching over Cecilia while she slept was thoroughly rewarding in its own right, and seeing her take the exercise so seriously during the day was equally gratifying.

Because of that, I hadn't paid my exhaustion much mind. Sleep was something I could catch up on once I dropped from sheer collapse—or died. For now, my sole priority was remaining vigilant against unforeseen dangers and keeping Cecilia safe.

"Shall we head over for now?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

And so, I followed Cecilia toward the central clearing. Given our current tally compared to the other students we had run into, our point balance was more than comfortable. With three full days remaining, taking things at a leisurely pace wouldn't hurt in the slightest.

"*Haaah-aaam...*"

Going two entire days without even a brief nap was finally taking its toll; my yawns were stretching noticeably longer than before. We strolled at an easy rhythm through the woodland canopy until we reached the Central Point Shop situated in the heart of the forest. Heavy eyelids and frequent yawns aside, my physical conditioning was far from failing, so keeping pace was hardly an ordeal.

When the facility finally came into view, it looked surprisingly well maintained.

"...It's quite orderly, isn't it?"

"Indeed. Combat is strictly forbidden in this sector, which probably explains why it feels so peaceful."

It was a remarkably civilized establishment. Several sturdy wooden buildings were neatly arranged across the clearing, their hanging wooden signboards listing categories like weapons, rations, and...

"...Lodging?"

"...?"

"...What in the world is that? Lodging? Shall we check that one first?"

An entire counter was dedicated to accommodations. Cecilia and I exchanged curious glances before naturally steering our steps toward the building. Weapons, rations, magical artifacts, and miscellaneous sundries were expected, but lodging? In the middle of an outdoor wilderness evaluation?

"Hmph... Now this is quite intriguing."

"...What the."

"Surprising, isn't it?"

"I-it certainly is.... If something like this existed, we could have stayed here instead of that damp cave..."

The moment we stepped through the entrance of the lodging facility, a prominent wooden rate board mounted on the wall caught our eyes.

No way.

They actually had real rooms.

They had real rooms available this ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠whole time!

My drowsy eyes blew wide open as I stared at the rates. All that discomfort we endured roughing it out in a cold stone cavern over the past several days could have been solved for a measly five hundred points! Knocking out a single overconfident team of students gave Cecilia more than enough to secure a full night of luxurious rest.

"...Incredible."

"The pricing is surprisingly reasonable," Cecilia mused. "Considering we've hauled in over a thousand points daily, we practically could have slept here every single night."

Her assessment was spot on. At those rates, booking a private room every night wouldn't have strained our budget at all.

"Hmm..."

"Is something the matter, Your Highness?"

"Serena, sleeping in that cave has been terribly uncomfortable for you, hasn't it?"

"Uh... I laid out sleeping bags and thick blankets, so it wasn't particularly unbearable, but..."

Cecilia stood quietly, her gaze far more serious than usual, her expression laced with thoughtful deliberation. Seeing her so earnest, a sudden stray thought crossed my mind: she really was stunning. I had grown accustomed to seeing her every day, but her beauty had always been extraordinary. The stark contrast between her current solemn expression and her usual lethargic, languid demeanor only amplified her charm. Her pale features carried a distinctly decadent, alluring air, yet remained utterly regal. If she had lived in the modern world, she would have dominated screens as a top-tier actress. Being an idol might have proved difficult, given that her figure was entirely too voluptuous for typical pop standards.

"We are sleeping at the lodge tonight," she announced firmly.

"Pardon?"

"Staying in that cave has grown tiresome. There weren't any insects, contrary to my fears, but I had already intended to relocate our camp anyway. Besides, five hundred points is a trifling expense."

"......?"

I tilted my head, utterly baffled by her sudden decree. Why the lodge all of a sudden? Setting ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠aside the decision to move, Cecilia had slept like a log back in the cave. Perhaps the quality of rest differed, but she had remained sound asleep inside her sleeping bag from sunset until dawn without stirring once. In the mornings, she hadn't looked sore or uncomfortable at all—just characteristically reluctant to wake up.

"Is there a problem?"

"No, not at all. It's just a bit... sudden."

"Five hundred points will hardly dent our total. We will try it for one night, and afterward, we can decide whether to return to a cave or book another room. There is no rush."

"...Understood, Your Highness."

In the end, the royal employer called the shots. We trekked all the way back to our cave, packed our belongings into ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠our travel bags, and returned to the shop to check into a Single Room.

Even though our point pool was deep, squandering an excessive amount on lodging felt wasteful. More importantly, an indoor room was vastly safer than an open cavern. Four enclosed walls offered far superior protection. If the shady contract I had caught wind of outside the academy—the mercenary guild's plot to assassinate a student—was unfolding during this exercise, staying indoors was exponentially more secure than camping in the wild.

"What are you doing over there?"

"Ah, I was simply inspecting the room. For a single, it's surprisingly spacious."

Leaving Cecilia lounging comfortably on the mattress, I continued my security sweep. Once she fell asleep later, I intended to set up the detection artifacts we had used back at the cave. The room possessed only a single window, and a fairly narrow one at that. An adult male of average build would struggle to squeeze through, meaning the window posed very little intrusion risk. I could afford to allocate less vigilance in that direction.

"What are you doing now?"

"Taking out my sleeping bag."

"...?"

Having completed my perimeter check, I pulled my rolled-up sleeping bag from the luggage, only to find Cecilia staring at me in complete bewilderment.

"Your Highness should use the bed," I explained patiently. "This is a single room, so the bed is rather narrow and there isn't a second one. I'll lay out my sleeping bag on the floor."

"Can't you simply sleep in the bed with me?"

"...No matter how lenient Your Highness is, sharing a bed with you is completely out of the question."

Sitting shoulder-to-shoulder on a couch or letting her rest her head on my lap was one thing, but sharing a bed crossed an entirely different threshold. Putting aside the fact that I had been a modern man in my past life, the dynamic itself was problematic. Lounging together on a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠sofa already brushed against propriety, but an imperial princess and her personal maid sleeping under the exact same blanket was an absolute scandal waiting to happen. Cecilia might not care about such decorum, but the moment whispers reached outside ears, noble factions would invent whatever slanderous rumors they pleased.

"Under no circumstances can we share a bed, Your Highness."

"Hmph..."

Predictably, the Third Imperial Princess pouted, looking entirely disinclined to yield her position.