Whispers in the Woods: Team Dynamics and Forest Secrets
Zeroa held the Wood-Horn Mushroom out to her, its rough, prickly surface glistening with forest dew. The small mushroom was edible, but its strong astringent taste kept most people from bothering with it.
"This is a Wood-Horn Mushroom. It's edible, but the flavor is very strong, so no one bothers to pick it."
"I see."
Aria studied the mushroom carefully, her gaze lingering on the bumpy texture of the fungus. To her, the odd little thing seemed almost magical.
Zeroa couldn't help but glance at her profile. She stood with her back slightly arched, examining the mushroom with sparkling eyes that held no change in expression. Amid the rustling leaves of the forest, she looked like the heroine of some fairy tale.
"You know an awful lot about this place, don't you, Zeroa?"
"No, not really. I just worked in the forest a lot, so I picked up a few things here and there."
"Teach me more, please."
"All right, all right, all right! And there's this, and that, and..."
When Aria asked him to explain, Zeroa flushed bright red and started frantically pointing out every plant around them, spilling out knowledge as if it were endless.
Even though he stumbled over his words, the explanations never stopped. The green grass that looked the same to Aria's eyes suddenly made sense when he described each one in detail.
Aria had grown up spending almost her entire life inside the ducal estate. Every new plant Zeroa pointed out made her world feel bigger and more alive.
She soon stopped looking at the mushrooms and focused on his face instead. As he fumbled through his explanation, his eyes accidentally met hers, and he jerked back, tension shooting through his whole body.
"Ahaha... so, this grass is, uh... good for... wait, no, I mean, it's not that it's good, it's just... I mean..."
Zeroa's rambling was so obvious that Aria just stared at him in silence.
Behind them, Cesset sat alone with her legs spread wide, wearing an expression of pure dissatisfaction. She whispered under her breath, cold eyes fixed on the happy couple.
"Just get lost, you damn things."
The two of them never heard it. Cesset looked positively annoyed to be squeezed between a perfect team and a perfect romance.
"I'm back."
"Whoa! Instructor, why are you so late?"
"Why are you so loud?"
Rai, who had left the formation to scout, blinked in confusion as Cesset bombarded him with an energetic greeting.
"I never realized how lonely just being alone could feel. Anyway, did you find it?"
"Yeah. Found two things."
At Rai's confident answer, Cesset smiled.
Finding a gathering point with no landmarks in a vast forest was basically impossible. Of course, this was just training, so the point wouldn't be too far, but searching for a terrain that looked like a map would drain both stamina and time.
That's why Cesset had decided to look for more than just one gathering spot.
More than fifty distinct traces had already appeared from the seven-and-a-half-person team.
Everyone was moving in the same general direction, so even if the team spread out, they could still find at least some traces if they tried hard enough.
Without a map, you just followed the one who had one. The rest of the group used that time to rest and preserve their strength. It was the perfect double-purpose strategy.
"Instructor, you're here."
"Yeah. Did I teach you proper forest knowledge?"
"Yes, I've covered everything I know so far. And since I had some time left, I was also explaining about the plants."
Zeroa answered, and Aria nodded beside him.
Rai shouldered his bag and led the group toward the traces he had found. The sun had already passed its zenith by the time they set off, having spent far too much time searching.
Zeroa checked the sun's position and asked Rai with concern.
"I hope we're not too late..."
"We can't help it. Walking aimlessly hoping for the best is worse than this."
"You're right... so, do we get points for arriving first?"
"I don't know anything about the grading system. Ask the person who knows the most."
Rai glanced back, and his eyes met Brown, who had been trailing the group at a distance. Brown stared at him as if waiting for an answer, then let out a small sigh.
"That's correct. Points are awarded in order of arrival."
"Thank you."
After giving a short reply, Brown turned away, and Cesset offered him a quick thanks before continuing on.
She had never expected to win the top score. Any trophy would do. What mattered was the personal actions recorded by Brown behind them.
Thanks to Rai, she had gained more merit than she expected. Solving harder problems meant her teammates' evaluations would rise even higher.
'Still, the real goal is to complete the training.'
She worried about her lack of stamina, but Rai just smiled in a way that didn't seem reassuring at all.
"You're worried about the scores? Surprisingly greedy."
"No, but... I thought I'd do my best since I'm already here."
Zeroa answered hesitantly, and Rai let out a chuckle before looking forward again.
"Don't worry. We'll just hand the first day over to the other team. The longer this goes on, the more advantageous it gets for us."
"Not disadvantageous?"
Thinking about her stamina, Cesset asked, and Rai shook his head. Curiosity sparkled in her eyes as she begged him to share the secret. Rai finally answered.
"Sure. The traps were set by the other team first, so I can tell you."
"Why do you drag it out so much?"
"You remember what Headmistress Celenas told you when she assigned you to this team?"
After Abigail left and Rai joined Team 7, Headmistress Celenas had given them some explanations, saying it wasn't unfair.
One was that Team 7 would get higher-level tasks. Two, the team would act together but evaluations would be individual, so the instructor didn't need to worry.
The three of them exchanged glances, then turned back to Rai. His face was filled with mocking laughter.
"Do you really think those are hints? You were told they were individual evaluations?"
"... ... By trying to break teamwork with greed over the scores?"
Clever Cesset caught on quickly, and Rai nodded.
"That's right. Probably the same thing whether I joined or not. The Headmistress is a pretty nasty person. She basically hinted right after the preparations were done. Her motives are obvious, but her cunning is excellent. Look at that timid-looking guy—he's already greedy too."
"Ah, no... that's not it..."
Zeroa, pointed out, panicked, but Rai cut him off with a loud voice.
"If you have no greed, then you won't get anything! You came to the academy because you want something. You need greed to claim what you desire."
"And that greed will break the team spirit."
"Anyway, they're probably grading that too."
Rai looked at Brown, but the staff member gave no reply.
"The team leader must be feeling something strange by now."
***
Philia stopped her team and took a short break to check the map.
"The gathering point isn't far. Let's rest a bit longer and then start again."
"If it's close, we should just keep going."
Uneasy about mana-less marching, Gilbard was sweating heavily. Philia, who had memorized the terrain near the gathering point, shook her head without looking up.
"If we push harder here, our stamina and fatigue will drop a lot. Resting longer is less important than managing it."
"There's a gathering point right in front of us. What kind of rest are you talking about? Mana management is important, but so is the score."
"Since it's individual evaluation, the score doesn't matter. There's probably something ahead. We need to conserve stamina. Academy training for five days of just walking isn't something they would do."
Without pure mages in their team, Team 7 had an advantage in raw stamina over the other teams. Thinking of her friend Cesset made Philia feel a pang of sadness, but she understood how advantageous a group of only physically strong students could be.
Right now, even they were feeling the effects of mana-less marching after just one day. Cesset might collapse completely by the time they reached the gathering point.
But it wasn't an overwhelming advantage. Pure mages were rare to begin with. Most teams were made up of knight aspirants, and some among them might be familiar with mana-less marching or even have monsters like Aslan.
Unlike the simple lottery system used for Team B, some teams had been assigned members based on instructor skill evaluations.
It wasn't an absolute advantage. When the schedule was unknown, the smartest move was to rest properly and reduce fatigue.
But Gilbard had a different opinion.
"Playing it safe gets you nowhere. The birth of the great empire was always a bold step."
"... ..."
Philia looked at him curiously. She wasn't angry at his criticism. She just wondered why he kept pushing so hard.
During preparations, he had been surprisingly cooperative. Even though he wasn't the most talented, he actively participated, offered opinions, and accepted them when told otherwise.
When Philia stared, Gilbard quietly poked Rhon next to him. Rhon looked like he wanted to stay out of it but replied with forced reluctance.
"I think Gilbard's opinion is right too. Stamina management is important, but staring at the goal and hesitating isn't what knights do."
Rhon Asten. He didn't participate much, but his eloquent speeches had been very helpful in meetings.
"It's not about pushing too hard."
"... ... I didn't mean pushing too hard. I meant preparing for the next task. Did it sound that way?"
"Soldiers must obey orders quickly. We received the order to gather and we're supposed to follow it. There's no need to overcomplicate a simple command. In actual combat, we'd be considered lazy soldiers right now."
"I understand. What do you think, Somneri?"
Philia asked, and Somneri, who had been watching everyone else's reactions, answered quietly.
"I... I think we should push a little harder now that we're this far."
Since Somneri agreed with the others, Philia briefly hesitated, then folded the map and stood up. Gilbard's face lit up with a smile, and Rhon awkwardly joined them as they set off.
They had argued a lot during preparations, but now a strange harmony seemed to settle over the group. Philia felt a warm smile form. She thought it was good that the atmosphere had improved.
She noticed Somneri looking tired and offered her a water bottle.
Philia had decided that, as team leader, she wouldn't just lead them but act as the middle ground where everyone's opinions could flow smoothly.
Somneri reached for the bottle, then hesitated and pulled her hand back.
"It's fine... we don't have much water left."
"It's for recovery. Just a little will be okay."
"But..."
Because Somneri was timid and always watched the reactions of others, she had stayed quiet throughout the meeting and only nodded at Philia's questions without offering her own opinion.
This personality meant she never showed her own struggles, so Philia always paid close attention to her condition.
"You don't want to drink it. Don't waste the little water we have."
Gilbard's words made Philia purse her lips, but she put the bottle back. The academy's rations were only about three days' worth. If they were careful, they might last five days at most.
Philia continued walking, constantly monitoring her teammates' stamina. The forest wasn't flat like the training grounds back at the estate. The terrain was uneven, like walking through a mountain path.
Most of her family training had been on open plains. She had never walked like this in a forest or mountain before. The fatigue surprised her more than she expected.
Of course, they wouldn't collapse from just walking for five days, but Philia knew the academy wouldn't be that lenient.
As she walked, thinking about what lay ahead, Team 8 arrived at the gathering point.
Many teams had already set up tents at their assigned positions.
"Good work. Which team is this?"
"Team B-8."
Instructor Etila greeted the team. After hearing Philia's answer, she wrote Team 8's name on the large board visible to everyone. The names were listed in order of arrival.
'Nineteenth place... not bad, considering.'
Thinking that most teams would be around the thirties, Philia watched the teams arriving behind them.
"See? If they rested, they should have dropped at least ten places. I was right to suggest resting."
"Yeah, you're right."
Gilbard nodded proudly. Philia had no particular opinion, but she let him take satisfaction and started setting up the tent.
Unlike real army tents, the training ones were one-person size. They were complicated, made of poor quality material, and had too many parts to assemble easily.
Philia had struggled but somehow managed to pitch her tent. She helped Somneri with hers, and then Gilbard joined in.
She considered offering to help Rhon, who was pretending to rest while arranging his supplies, but decided it would disrupt the team atmosphere.
When the tents were all up, most teams had arrived. The sun was already setting, and beautiful sunset colors would soon appear. But Philia felt uneasy when she noticed Team 7 hadn't arrived yet.
"I'VE ARRIVED!!!
Cesset burst out of the bushes with a shout, both hands raised high, her face bright with excitement.
Philia couldn't help laughing. No matter where or when, Cesset was always noisy. Thrilled at the arrival, she jumped in the air and gave high-fives with the Team B friends around her. Unlike the others, she didn't look tired at all.
'... ... Why is she so energetic?'
The overflowing energy was nice, but it didn't make sense. Even students with much more stamina were sweating, yet Cesset showed no signs of it.
Philia noticed that Cesset carried no heavy backpack.
'Did someone else carry Cesset's things for her?'
But the tent, food, and other supplies were heavy. Carrying them for a pure mage like Cesset would be good for her, but the carrier would tire quickly.
Then Rai emerged from the bushes and tried to stop Cesset from jumping around, grabbing the back of her clothes. He wasn't carrying a backpack either.
As if the bushes themselves had walked, Aria appeared. The students stared at her in amazement, but Philia focused on whether Aria carried a backpack or not.
She didn't. That meant Zeroa was carrying all four backpacks.
Philia had thought even the worst team wouldn't do something that stupid, but when Zeroa finally appeared, carrying just one, her heart finally relaxed.
But another question immediately arose.
'Why only one backpack?'
Instructor Etila, recording the team's arrival, looked at Rai with disbelief.
"Instructor Rai. Where are the backpacks?"
"Too heavy, so I threw them away."
"What? Where are we supposed to sleep then?"
"It's fine. I can sleep anywhere. The weather's nice and warm. No need to worry about it."
That wasn't the real problem, but Rai waved his hand dismissively and led the group to stand beside Philia.
"Hey, you're finally here. Rough trip, huh?"
"Yes, sorry for being late."
"PHILIA!!! I missed you!!"
Cesset ran over and hugged Philia tightly. Rai tossed the bundle of branches he had been holding and joined Zeroa, who had already set the backpack down, before walking off somewhere with him.
"Don't just stand there. Go set up your tent."
"The leader will handle it~"
Cesset, face buried in Philia's chest, waved her hand at Rai's words and told him to go. Philia asked her once they were out of sight.
"Leader? Wasn't that Aria?"
"It just kind of happened. Ah! Aria! Don't do it alone! Do it with me!"
Seeing Aria alone, opening the backpack and pulling out the tent, Cesset jumped up and ran over. Aria had never been friendly with anyone, but now she seemed close to Cesset.
Team 7 drew everyone's attention in many ways.
First, people were staring at Aria's appearance. Then they tilted their heads at the single tent. Finally, they stared at the giant leaf-and-grass roof leaning against it and added question marks.
"Hey, spread that out more. We'll freeze."
"It looks a bit short. Want me to bring more?"
"No, no need. We came all this way for nothing. We can squeeze together."
Two people were laying unknown grass and leaves on the ground behind them when Aria approached with a blanket. After shaking it out with a loud "pop," Rai spread it over the leaf pile and lay down.
"Ahh~ This is nice. Come lie down."
The others had blankets and cloaks, but when he said he was comfortable with just a makeshift bed covered by one blanket, the students around him thought he was showing off and laughed.
"How well that ugly face suits you."
Gilbard muttered quietly. When Philia gave him a warning look, he frowned and turned away.
Rai lay down beside Zeroa and gestured for Aria to join them. When she hesitated for a moment, the surrounding students' mocking eyes looked ready to cry.
"What? Why are you the only one getting left out?"
"You have no place to lie. Go away."
"I don't want to!"
Cesset jumped onto the three of them like a diver. Zeroa's scream, the loud arguments between Rai and Cesset, and even Aria's quiet observation—Team 7 was so chaotic that it drew everyone's eyes.
Philia smiled happily as she watched her own team living in such harmony. 'I have to work harder.'
She couldn't be as good at being the atmosphere-maker as Cesset, but she resolved to try to get closer to everyone. Philia pushed herself forward with determination.