Chapter 104
Chapter 104
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 104
Chapter Title: Survival (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"And so Tia started running around like crazy, asking me to get the bug off her..."
Two hours had passed since the survival exercise began.
She had joined up with Arthur right after the start, and now she felt like covering her ears because of his incessant chatter.
He kept rambling on about his training, his dates with other girls like Tia and Stella, and frankly, she wasn't just uninterested; it was plain noisy.
In a world where polygamy was possible, it seemed Arthur's goal was to have a harem of women.
But he was completely clueless about the basics. What kind of person talks about his dates with other women when he's alone with one?
'Did he learn about romance from a book or something...?'
When she was searching for information in the library, she remembered reading all sorts of books.
Titles like 'How to Win a Woman's Affection' or '100 Ways to Be a Cool Guy' came to mind.
She'd skimmed through them out of curiosity, but she never imagined someone would actually try to use that stuff in real life.
Arthur was basically trying to brag, as if to say, "I have lots of women, I'm this popular, you'd better snatch me up before I'm gone." If not that, then he was just stupidly admitting to being a two-timer.
Well, it might have worked on another woman, but the problem was that she didn't have a single speck of affection for Arthur in her heart.
Liche let Arthur's words go in one ear and out the other, all the while mulling over the hints Luke had given her.
As she replayed her conversation with Luke, something belatedly occurred to her.
Arthur, though he looked like a person of this world, was, on the inside, someone from another world, just like Luke.
Liche had never believed in gods, but if what Luke said was true, who else but a god could do such a thing?
And if there was a god, why would they put such a strange person into Arthur's body instead of leaving him be?
'Was the original Arthur's personality like this...?'
No... that can't be. If his personality was always like this, there's no way I would have liked him.
Liche vehemently denied the thought.
There was only one reason she had joined up with the Arthur she so disliked.
To use him.
Blood Moon, mana exhaustion, Arthur. Those were the three hints Luke had given her.
They were clues pointing to the fact that Hex would appear during this survival exercise, and Arthur's inclusion meant he would be involved with her.
'Come to think of it... Luke said Arthur knew, too.'
Luke had said there was someone who would give her anything she asked for. And that was Arthur. Since he was a transmigrator like Luke, he knew everything she was curious about.
The more she thought about it, the more infuriating it was. He knew the very information she needed most, and while he wanted to win her affection, he was hiding that specific piece of information from her.
If she had never found out, it would be one thing, but knowing the truth made it feel even more detestable.
'Should I ask him now?'
She had been so busy avoiding him that she hadn't even thought to ask.
Normally, her personality was to do whatever it took to achieve her goals. She should have asked long ago. The fact that even she was avoiding him... in a way, that was quite an accomplishment for him.
"So, as I was buying her the hairpin..."
"Hey."
"Huh? What is it? Was there something you didn't understand in what I just said?"
No, I'm not curious about any of that.
"Do you know what Hex is?"
"..."
She was just testing the waters, asking if he knew. Just like that, his mouth, which had been rambling on and on, snapped shut.
Seeing his reaction, there was no way he didn't know.
Ah, he has no intention of telling me. To be honest, she hadn't expected him to. If he was going to tell her, he would have done it already. Besides, she already knew anyway.
"W-Well? What's that? I don't think I've ever heard of it."
He lied with a clumsy expression.
Was he always this bad at lying, or was he just flustered by the unexpected topic?
Luke would have just told her.
He might be lazy, but he wasn't one to hide things.
If it had been Arthur, he wouldn't have given her a single word of the hints she'd received. But Luke, at least, had tried to let her know somehow.
"But why do you ask? Ah, not that I know what it is, I'm just curious."
His expression seemed to say, 'Is there anything I can help with?'
Help? Now? After knowing everything and pretending he didn't, acting like he wanted to help now was just hypocrisy.
She disliked his phony expression so much that her brow started to furrow.
To stop herself from frowning, she deliberately spoke.
"...It's nothing."
She could just reveal that she already knew everything from Luke and reprimand him for intentionally hiding the information. He wanted to win her favor, yet instead of showing goodwill, he strategically concealed information and feigned ignorance.
The reason she brushed it off was that she planned to use Arthur.
Just as he hid things, she would hide everything she knew.
And she would use him just as much as he had deceived her.
'This is actually useful... character education.'
In the past, if someone offered information, she would have happily tagged along. Not anymore.
It's a huge mistake to think someone has the upper hand just because they have information.
A fool with great power and information is ripe for exploitation. If the opponent is on top, she just had to get even higher.
"Forget what I just said. Let's hurry and find the others."
"Okay... ugh?!"
Arthur, who had been walking ahead, suddenly fell.
And in a very unnatural way.
"...What are you doing?"
"Ugh... sorry. I think I missed a step."
"Hah... I told you to watch where you're going."
She said in a pathetic tone.
Arthur had been walking backward, facing Liche, so he could talk to her.
Weren't eyes meant for looking forward? Walking like that, of course he'd fall.
"Y-Yeah. Okay..."
He turned to face forward with a dejected expression.
The good mood from moments before was instantly shattered.
Although, Arthur was the only one who felt it was a good mood in the first place.
Just as Liche was thinking they needed to quickly meet up with Tia and Stella and prepare for the evening...
"Ugh?!"
Arthur, who had been walking just fine, fell again.
This time, he was facing forward and walking properly.
"...Are you doing this on purpose?"
Was he trying to lighten the heavy atmosphere with some slapstick comedy?
Did he not realize it was just making things more awkward?
She was about to seriously scold him, but she opened her mouth and then closed it again at Arthur's aggrieved plea.
"N-No! Someone tripped me! Liche, you saw it too! I was walking forward properly, wasn't I?!"
"Are you saying a tree root suddenly moved and tripped you?"
There's a limit to lying. In this wide-open forest, it was just her and Arthur. Who on earth could have tripped him?
It would be more believable if he claimed another person possessed his body and forced him to fall.
"It's true, believe me!"
"...Fine. I believe you."
Even if what he said was true, there was no way to prove it. Arguing would just be a waste of her time, so Liche decided to just go along with it.
"Hah... but it's true."
Grumbling, Arthur dusted off his pants and started walking again.
Hoping he wouldn't fall again this time.
But things went contrary to her expectations.
"Ugh!"
Once.
"Aargh!?"
Twice.
"Gwaaak! D-Dammit, who is it?! If you hit someone in the head, it has to be a person!"
The last time, he didn't even fall. He clutched his head with both hands as if he'd been struck and swung his sword wildly.
'...What is this?'
At this point, she realized he really wasn't doing it on purpose.
Then who?
Could this also be related to Hex?
'No... it's too mundane for that.'
If Hex were involved, he wouldn't play such childish pranks.
That guy was an attention seeker who didn't like to hide. Besides, he preferred mockery over indiscriminate violence.
If he were involved, he probably would have appeared before her and taunted her, asking if she was on a cozy date with her boyfriend.
'Then another student...?'
Arthur had said someone tripped him.
That meant they had been lingering nearby the whole time.
Just in case, Liche expanded her senses as far as she could.
And then she felt the presence of people she hadn't noticed before.
They were close enough that she should have noticed them, whether they were using an artifact or a magical tool. She must have been too lost in thought.
There were three of them.
She didn't know who they were, but they had concealed themselves and approached using some method.
Having pinpointed their location, Liche couldn't help but tense up.
'...!'
They were right in front of her and Arthur.
If they had intended to launch a surprise attack, the outcome would have been decided long ago.
'Did someone smuggle in an artifact or a magical tool?'
No, it's not a student.
A student wouldn't engage in such mocking behavior.
She was the top student. If they failed to ambush the top student and were caught playing such taunting games, it would all be for nothing.
Then who in the world could it be...
While Liche remained vigilant and pondered, Arthur continued to cry out in pain.
"Ugh! They hit my bone!"
"D-Dammit, why are you only picking on me!"
They were strangely persistent, attacking only Arthur.
'Wait a minute...'
Three assailants.
And she, standing right next to him, was being ignored while they focused solely on Arthur.
They weren't injuring him either, just tormenting him in a way that could only be described as bullying.
'Come to think of it, they did say the professors were hiding and moving around the island...'
Professors, three people, attacks aimed only at Arthur.
And she happened to know someone who fit all those criteria.
"Could it be...?"