I'm Coming to Save You Now (1)
I'm Coming to Save You Now (1)
As I endured the pain that came with dying and coming back to life, the rest of the party finished dry-heaving and came to their senses.
They looked around, their eyes wide with astonishment.
Trees, thickets, and vines. The Seal Grounds were a dense forest, almost a jungle.
"Is this the Seal Grounds?"
"It just looks like a dense forest..."
"Though it feels a bit hot."
I heard the exact same words I had heard in my previous life.
The conversation was repeating itself, and it didn't even feel novel anymore.
While I waited for the others to come to their senses, I reviewed the plan I had laid out.
The ultimate goal of my plan was to save Katrin and crush that bastard Ride.
The schedule was tight if I wanted to accomplish both.
Some parts seemed unreasonable, and time was short, but I had no intention of changing my plan.
After the team members had looked around, Professor Niel had everyone fall into formation.
Meanwhile, just like last time, Professor Niel stayed close to the Princess and gave her all sorts of explanations.
Once the basic preparations were finished, Professor Niel instructed me to climb a tree.
Last time, I had asked what I should look for. This time, I climbed the tree without questioning her.
The view from the top of the tree was no different from before.
In the distance, a pillar of light shot straight up into the sky.
Climbing back down, I spoke just as I had last time.
"I saw where the pillar of light is rising."
I raised my hand and pointed in a direction.
It was slightly off from where the pillar of light was actually rising.
"The Headmaster used an artifact to shoot that light from the rendezvous point. Now that we've confirmed it, let's head out immediately."
Without stopping to check again like we had last time, we set off right away.
Just like last time, I took the lead at the very front. But I wasn't there to guide the party; I was there to keep the monsters ahead of them at bay.
But whether I was blocking monsters at the front or leading the group, there wasn't much difference.
I walked a little faster than before.
From behind me, Professor Niel's voice echoed continuously as she explained things to the Princess.
She explained the Seal Grounds and discussed the air, mana, and demonic energy.
Listening to her explanation, I shouted back toward the rear.
"Monsters ahead!"
Just like last time, Professor Niel said she couldn't believe it, but this time I didn't bother trying to explain.
Since I kept walking instead of stopping like I had last time, we were bound to run into them soon anyway.
Roar!
Even though we had changed direction, the first monsters we encountered were the same as before.
It seemed this whole area was probably their territory.
Two monsters resembling black panthers.
Unlike before, I didn't wait.
Thud.
Channeling mana into my feet, I dashed forward.
Then I swung my greatsword at the monster.
Slash!
I severed the monster's neck and stepped aside as it collapsed.
Meanwhile, just like last time, the other monster was being fried by the electricity Manuel unleashed.
Last time, I had waited to gauge the other team members' skills, but right now I didn't have time for that.
I poured mana into my greatsword and hurled it straight at the monster.
Thunk!
The sword impaled the monster's back.
Unfortunately, it didn't hit a vital spot, but it was more than enough to assist Manuel's ability.
Crackle!
The electricity surging across the monster's skin traveled down the blade, frying the inside of its body.
Bzzt! Bzzt!
Letting out strange screeches, the monster collapsed.
Unlike last time, it ended up looking as if Manuel had defeated the monster all on his own.
"That was unnecessary help!"
When the monster breathed its last, Manuel looked at me and shook his head.
That guy's personality was seriously weird.
His lips were clearly twitching with satisfaction, yet he was spouting nonsense.
Last time, I had helped him when his mana ran out and he became dead weight, but he seemed to think he had done it all himself.
I was short on time, and his antics were almost cute, so I decided to let it slide.
Although I couldn't assess the members' capabilities in that first fight, there were plenty of monsters in the Seal Grounds.
Since we were moving faster than before, we also ran into monsters far more often.
"Professor Niel!"
"I'm holding them off, so hurry!"
"Balea, well done!"
"Your Highness, fall back!"
"I can fight too!"
As the battles piled up, the teamwork among the group members surprisingly grew even better than before.
No one slacked off, and both Balea and the Princess actively engaged in combat.
Professor Niel had been about to complain about my fast pace, but she held her tongue as the team improved so rapidly.
As we hurried through the Seal Grounds, we came across a corpse leaning against a tree.
When I pointed it out, everyone approached in surprise.
"That's a knight, right?"
At the Princess's words, everyone nodded.
It was a skeleton wearing armor and bearing a coat of arms, so it could only have been a knight.
"I recognize that crest..."
When Manuel tilted his head, I stepped forward.
"It's the crest of the Chaipree County. Young Lord Ride's family."
When that familiar name came up, everyone's eyes widened.
"A knight of the Chaipree County?"
Manuel scowled at my words.
"Is it someone who fought during the Great War?"
"The Chaipree family didn't exist back then."
At Balea's remark, Piar shook his head for the first time in a while.
"Even if it's covered in dust and vines, it shouldn't be that old. Fifty years at most?"
On top of that, I subtly dropped facts into the gaps in their conversation.
"Judging by how the dust has been wiped clean, it seems another team was here before us. The sword appears to be gone as well."
Regardless, the students gathered here were all elite talents of the Royal Academy.
Giving them just this much was enough for them to deduce who had come here.
"If they took the sword, that means they're from the same family. Did Young Lord Ride get here first?"
At Balea's words, the Princess's eyes sparkled.
"If it's Young Lord Ride's team, then that's Aunt—I mean, Professor Katrin's team!"
The Princess was delighted, but Professor Niel knitted her brows and looked at me.
"Could our route have crossed paths with another team's?"
She glanced at the Princess out of the corner of her eye, then issued another instruction to me.
"Climb up again and confirm the destination. There's no way our route should overlap with another team's."
In this group, the only ones from the Knight Faculty were the Princess and me.
They couldn't order the Princess around, nor could they send female students or students from other faculties all the way up the tree, so in the end, I had to climb up again.
No, to be brutally honest, it was simply convenient to boss around an illegitimate son like me.
Someone like Manuel could easily climb to the top of the tree, and Balea could manage it too if she used her domain.
Either way, at her command, I climbed back up the tree.
Checking the pillar of light, I saw that it was slightly off our current trajectory.
I had run in a wide semicircle just in case, but it seemed there had been no need.
I had been a little worried, but fortunately, we had found the knight's corpse.
Judging by the tracks, Katrin's team, who had passed by earlier, wasn't too far away either.
So far, everything was going according to plan.
Climbing back down, I gave her the correct direction this time.
Professor Niel glared at me as I pointed it out, but since I was giving her accurate information this time, my conscience was completely clear.
We started moving again, but before long, we came to a stop.
Monsters.
Their corpses lay before us.
"Our routes really did overlap. Another team cleared these out, right?"
It was just as Balea said. Since I had intentionally led them here, our paths were bound to overlap.
"It appears to be Professor Katrin's team. These are sword marks left by Professor Katrin."
I pointed out the wounds on the carcasses.
Everyone knew I was close with Katrin.
No one questioned my assertion.
Professor Niel's expression brightened as well.
After all, overlapping routes meant we were heading in the right direction.
But I was about to feel sorry for Professor Niel.
Leaving the group behind, I examined the surroundings.
I checked the direction the grass had been trampled and brushed my fingers over the marks on the trees.
At my sudden actions, the entire party stared at me.
"It seems there's a problem."
"A problem?"
Professor Niel glared at me.
Professor Niel must have sensed that something was off too.
On top of that, since I seemed to be bringing up yet another issue, she had plenty of reason to glare at me in a situation like this.
It seems I've gotten on Professor Niel's bad side...
Still, there was no helping it.
"Not our team, but Professor Katrin's team, the one that set out first, is acting strangely."
"What? What do you mean by that?"
When I said that, the Princess cried out in shock.
"Looking at the tracks they left behind, Professor Katrin's team veered off course here. They're heading in a different direction, away from the pillar of light."
"Huh? What in the world..."
"That makes no sense."
The party found my claim ridiculous, but once I showed them the evidence in the tracks, they ultimately had to accept it.
"I'll climb up and check for myself."
"Would you do that?"
Manuel even stepped forward, climbed to the top of the tree, and came back down.
Professor Niel perked up at Manuel's words, but the outcome remained unchanged.
"What happened?"
"I don't get it."
"Were they chased by monsters?"
While everyone in the party was startled by the unexpected situation, the Princess was anxious far beyond mere surprise.
Katrin was a family member as close to the Princess as the Queen herself.
Having learned that Katrin was in danger, she couldn't help but worry desperately.
"Can't we follow them?"
The Princess pleaded with Professor Niel, but the professor flatly refused.
"We cannot. We must arrive before nightfall. We have no time to go searching for another team."
Night in the Seal Grounds was indeed terrifying. I fully agreed with Professor Niel's sentiment.
"A search party will be formed. Leave it to them. I cannot put the other students—no, the Princess—in danger."
At Professor Niel's firm refusal, the Princess looked toward the other students.
The students averted their eyes. Even if another team was in danger, they had no way to help.
While everyone else averted their eyes, I did not avoid her gaze.
Looking into the Princess's desperate eyes, I opened my mouth.
"I will go after them."
At my words, the Princess's eyes widened.
"I'm the best qualified to track down Professor Katrin's team. We've made plenty of progress, so everyone should be able to reach the rendezvous point safely even without me."
At my words, Professor Niel put on a troubled expression.
As expected, Professor Niel seemed to have some connection to the Princess or Katrin as well.
"Well... Is there a reason you have to go..."
Manuel tried to object, but stopped mid-sentence when he saw the Princess.
It seemed the Princess tipped the scales against his bastard half-brother.
Balea stared intently at me, while Piar, realizing Mirisa was on that same team, actually asked me for a favor.
Finally, Professor Niel reluctantly gave me permission.
Everything went according to plan.
I had worked hard on my own to make sure I didn't fall behind.
By altering our route, I found the knight's corpse Katrin's team had discovered, then led them to deduce that it was Katrin's team from the corpse and the wounds on the monster carcasses we found afterward.
After that, once I revealed that Katrin's team was heading in a different direction, the Princess stepped forward just as expected.
"I'll be off. I'll see you all later."
"Please, I'm counting on you."
Leaving the Princess's words behind, I began sprinting along the tracks of Katrin's team.