The Cabin in the West Forest (1)
The familiar ceiling I always saw. I opened my eyes inside the wooden cabin and rose from the bed.
It had been a week since Stelle was promoted to S-class and I chose to remain in F-class. So much had happened in that short time.
“What’s this, kid? You’re not moving up?”
“No. I have some separate matters to attend to.”
“Well, do as you please. Oh, and that spar. It’s your win. If there’s anything you want later, ask me for whatever you like.”
“Hehe. Understood.”
Excluding Stelle, four people had come to visit me during my recovery. The first was Senior Hina.
Senior Hina acknowledged that I had indeed lasted ten exchanges, so she offered me a wish token. The one I had originally planned to use right away for Stelle had become unnecessary—she had risen to S-class almost entirely through her own power—so I decided to hold onto it. Senior Hina reacted with clear disappointment, asking, “What? You weren’t going to use it immediately?” but that was how things stood for now.
“Senior Suzu? You came to visit me while I’m recovering?”
“I owe you one, that’s why. Here, some fruit. Eat up, it’s delicious.”
“If it’s about owing me…”
“Thanks to you, I managed to capture a rare sight of the student council president getting sent flying. It was a wonderful addition to my collection, so consider this my thanks.”
“…I’ll accept the fruit, at least.”
The second visitor was, surprisingly, Senior Suzu. Honestly, since our relationship had begun with half-threats, I assumed we weren’t on good terms. Yet here she was, thanking me for letting her photograph the student council president soaring through the air. She truly was a unique senior, just as I had thought while playing the game.
“Lord Hint! I came because I want to hear your impressions of the equipment I made for you!”
“Senior Keith, you don’t even pretend that visiting the sick is your actual purpose.”
“Hahaha! Still, I’ve brought a fine gift, so please generously overlook it.”
The third was third-year S-class student Senior Keith, the one who had crafted my gear using Fenrir’s fur. He openly admitted that tending to the patient wasn’t his goal, gave me several useful presents, and then took back the arm guard I had used in battle. He wanted to analyze and repair the data from when it had blocked the president’s strike. As expected of an artisan, he was quite the eccentric.
And the fourth and final visitor was someone slightly… no, very unexpected. We had crossed paths several times, but I never imagined we were close enough for her to visit me while I was recovering. The conversation we shared was… well, as expected, it concerned the first chapter of Sword Demon.
I dressed, stepped out of the cabin, and was greeted by a cool spring breeze. Perhaps because spring was still in full bloom.
Of course, the spring breeze wasn’t the only thing welcoming me.
“Ah, Hint! Did you sleep well?”
“Good morning, Stelle. Are you heading to the academy?”
Stelle had been assigned an S-class dormitory, yet she had chosen to keep living in the cabin. Still, commuting from the West Forest every day after receiving S-class quarters would raise suspicions, so she had accepted the room assignment, slept here, and used her dormitory as her official departure point. Thanks to the cabin’s warp function, she could reach her dormitory in an instant.
When I asked why she didn’t just stay in the dormitory, she claimed the facilities were nearly identical so there was no reason to bother. I knew that was a lie. In truth, it was her consideration—she didn’t want to leave me alone. I accepted that kindness with gratitude. Living by myself again would have felt rather lonely.
“I’m off, Hint! My allowance is generous these days, so I’ll buy us something to eat together on the way back. Anything you’re craving?”
“Hehe. Why don’t you choose for me, Stelle? I’ll be waiting with pleasure.”
“Got it! Look forward to it! And don’t just eat snacks and bread for lunch—make sure you eat what I brought yesterday too!”
“Yes. Have a good day, Stelle.”
“Okay! I’m off!”
I somehow felt like I had become a kept man, but I told myself it was just my imagination and let the thought pass.
It hadn’t been long since Stelle entered S-class, yet her abilities were already growing exponentially. She had grown skilled at fighting with Hati and Skoll, and her own one-handed swordsmanship had improved dramatically. At this rate, she could obliterate a whole truckload of drill sparrows—the same creatures she had struggled to defeat alone not long ago.
She had only started in F-class because her Blessing of the Stars had been sealed. She was originally S-class material. If she kept working hard, she would quickly reach the clearing route.
“Then I suppose I should start on what I need to do.”
What I needed to do was, of course, prepare for the first chapter that was finally beginning. The first chapter of Sword Demon. The chapter that started after the early tutorial and the casual senior-junior exchange matches.
The Snowfield’s Flower
Blooming, or Withering?
As the title suggested, this chapter placed the fate of one of the main heroines—Yulia Frostwolf—on the guillotine from the very first moment. If the protagonist handled things smoothly, it could pass without incident. But the slightest misstep would mean losing a main heroine for a long time.
I had already tried several times to lure Yulia into visiting me at the Guide’s Cabin on her own, but there had been no response yet.
“I hope Stelle can handle this well.”
All I could do was pray that our protagonist would succeed.
The academy, which had been buzzing from my spar with Hina, was now heating up over a different topic. This time it was the girl who had summoned two divine beasts right after fighting me and used them against the student council president—achieving an unprecedented special promotion from F-class to S-class.
Summon Knight. The talk was all about Stelle.
Fortunately, there were almost no negative rumors about her inside the academy. Handling two divine beasts had already proven her talent and potential, and her appearance—too striking to belong to a commoner—had spread through the academy like wildfire. Rumors even claimed a fan club had formed behind her back.
Meanwhile, the girl at the center of all the attention—
“Uwaaah… My head feels like it’s going to split open…”
“Ahaha~☆ Professor MacDowell’s lectures are certainly hard to follow.”
“Well, if you need help, just say the word. I’ll teach you anything you don’t understand.”
“Thank you, Shepia… Yulia…!”
With her natural friendliness, Stelle had already blended perfectly into S-class. She was finally enjoying the ideal school life she had always dreamed of.
She had grown especially close to Shepia and Yulia. The imperial princess and the duke’s daughter were originally so far above a commoner like Stelle that even speaking to her would have been forbidden. But this was Arpia Academy. No matter how hard Stelle tried to use honorifics, the two firmly refused, so she eventually gave up.
Just as in the original story, the three quickly became a trio. They went everywhere together and even ate lunch as a group.
“Still, Stelle, you eat an incredible amount~☆”
“Munch munch… Is it too much?”
“Not at all. A warrior must eat well. Don’t hold back. Magicians wouldn’t understand, of course.”
“Ehh…★ That’s discrimination against mages, Yulia.”
“Yes. Feel free to remember that I will discriminate as much as I like.”
“Uuuu…!!!”
Watching the two bicker, Stelle swallowed the piece of steak she had been chewing. Ah, this is really delicious. I should ask for a separate portion later and bring it back for Hint.
Thinking that, Stelle spoke up.
“Ahaha… You two really seem close.”
“Huh? We’re super close in real life too! Right, Yulia~☆?”
“Well, we’ve had no choice but to meet often since we were children. But don’t feel left out, Stelle. You’re already my friend as well.”
“Yulia…!”
“Hey?! How can you say that first, Yulia! Stelle! I’m your friend too, regardless of status!”
“Woaaaaah! Thank you, both of you!”
“Friends don’t thank each other for something like that, Stelle.”
“Woaaaaaaaaah!!!”
After the commotion died down, the topic shifted to Stelle’s strength.
“Now that I think about it, Stelle, is the blessing you possess Fenrir’s after all?”
“Ah, that’s right. It must be on your mind, Yulia.”
“It is. Right now Lady Fenrir is in seclusion and the phoenix protects the north, but our family name is Frostwolf to the end. It comes from our great ancestor who sealed the demon race together with Lady Fenrir.”
Now’s the time. Stelle recalled the special request Hint had given her. If Yulia showed interest in her power, she was to say the following.
“By the way, everyone. Do you know about the ‘Guide’s Cabin in the West Forest’?”
Stelle cast the bait Hint had prepared.
Deep in the night, beneath a curtain of darkness, I woke suddenly from a strange sensation. It felt as if someone were calling me.
“Mmm… What is this… Whoa?!”
A scream that would have been unimaginable from my usual calm demeanor. I rubbed my eyes again and stared at the table in the center of the room. It was the same shape as the table and chairs originally found in the Guide’s Cabin. I had left it there thinking it must be standard furniture, but today a ghost was sitting at it.
This must be the cabin Stelle mentioned.
No, it wasn’t a ghost. A translucent body and hair the color of fresh snow. Only then did I recognize her.
As expected, the rumors were only rumors after all.
The protagonist and villainess of the first chapter.
Yulia Frostwolf.
She was standing inside my room in the dead of night.