175. The Eliarnes Subjugation?
175. The Eliarnes Subjugation?
The kids who received the points were all startled. They couldn't help it. Even after hunting quite a lot of Monsters on the way up, each of them had only 30 points total.
But then they woke up and found 80 more points added!
It's not like points breed with each other, so what on earth happened!
Everyone looked at me with expressions mixing awe and confusion, but I didn't bother explaining yesterday's events one by one.
Explaining everything would be a pain, and... it wasn't exactly something to brag about.
If I strutted around over this... I'd have lost my mind.
Anyway, those bastards had way more points than I expected.
It looked like they'd spent all day roaming around hunting Monsters, but that wasn't a score their level could have accumulated.
And what was with the oddly specific 11 of them?
Had it originally been 15, with four eliminated?
If so, their score made some sense.
We spent half our day just eating and resting, so if 15 of them had hunted like their lives depended on it, that was a score even their level could roughly build up.
Well... there's no point thinking about those guys any further. We already took their points, and we took every last bit of their supplies too.
However, those guys weren't the ones who followed us near our hideout. The ones who'd been tailing us from the start were a different group.
Right now they're lying low, whether sleeping or whatever, but I figure they'll make their move within two days.
Because.
BOOM—!
"Gwaaahk!"
CRACK—
"S-save me!"
THUD-THUD-THUD—
"T-time! Time! My bone! He hit my bone!"
Our exam is probably going to end within two days.
"M-my lady. Is it... really okay for us to do this?"
"Why wouldn't it be? It's not even against the rules."
"S-still... that... um..."
"You want to say it's too thuggish, right?"
Over Eurasia's voice as she carefully picked her words, Silina's low voice cut in.
"Th-that's not it!"
"Eurasia. Even if you think it's not, I'm thinking Eliarnes seems like a horrible thug. Gailan seems to think so too, don't you?"
"I-I... I... I'll just... follow you guys..."
"How is this thuggish? Those bastards came at us first."
"Even a nice kid like Pina would jump someone who barges into your hideout and says hand over your points if you want to keep taking the exam."
"Hii...?"
"Nah, our Pina's too nice for that. Right?"
"Hii!"
I—no, we—have been plundering other students since yesterday. Points, supplies, water, food.
Everything they had.
Our original plan was to find a captain-class Monster. So we went out early in the morning and roamed around.
In the middle of that, we ran into other students. Four teams. A group of a full twenty people. I asked those guys if they'd seen a captain-class Monster, and they answered that they couldn't say for free.
So I first offered fair compensation.
Food and water, and toilet paper.
But guess what? The moment they took it, they wiped their mouths clean and said they didn't know.
And on top of that, they threatened us with their numbers!
So I responded justly.
Since ancient times, swindlers had to have their tongues and wrists twisted out. But those guys only had wicked tongues, and weren't they still students and first-time offenders?
So I very gently punched the jaw of the one standing at the front and broke it.
After that? Naturally, they all came at us, and we won.
We repeated that for two days.
From the middle onward, greetings were a hassle so I did just ask for their points...
As a result of taking points from roughly 90 people, we managed to collect 270 points each in just two days.
Three days since the exam started.
We've already gathered more than half of a perfect score!
"And Silina. You talk like that, but aren't you actually having fun? I think I can count on one hand the times I've seen you smile, and they've all been yesterday and today."
Startled, Silina touched the corners of her own lips with her fingertips.
"...If I said it wasn't... fun at all, that would be a lie. And when there's a way to end this dreadful exam quickly, how could I hate it?"
"Ending the exam quickly aside, you just seem to be enjoying the process. From what I can see, you and I are the same kind of person."
Unable to retort, Silina let out an irritated breath, and Eurasia sat the students sprawled on the ground back up.
"So then... um, friends? We'll be... taking your points?"
"Ughnn..."
"Mm... but in this condition, you can't continue the exam. We might as well just take everything, right? That'd be easier for you too. Right?"
"Hnngh... that's, that's not, ugh..."
"We can take it? Thanks for the permission! Then since we're taking everything anyway, your water and food too..."
Heave-ho, Eurasia stripped the collapsed kids of everything and came over to me with a beaming smile.
"Unfortunately, these friends don't have many points. But they have plenty of food. There was even a live rabbit in the corner over there. Judging by how it was penned up, they must have been keeping it as emergency rations."
Watching Eurasia like that, I nodded dazedly.
"Oh, yeah... sure. But that, the rabbit—let's release it into the mountains before we go."
"Whyyy?"
"I... don't really want to eat rabbit."
"Understood!"
Isn't she adapting a little too fast?
Just until yesterday, Eurasia had been worried about the kids and... had said we should leave them necessities so they could continue the exam.
But today, she took everything without mercy. And she did it kindly, with a beaming smile and sparkling eyes.
...Am I pointlessly being a bad influence on her?
Or was she always like...?
"I asked you the day before yesterday too. Whether that Eurasia girl is really okay."
"...Don't slander our Eurasia."
There's no way our Eurasia would do that...
"Impressive trust."
Silina, who'd been smirking, took the lead and walked.
"Let's move quickly. The sun's about to set."
With the blue sky at her back, Silina wore a brighter smile than yesterday.
*****
The sun set, and we returned to the hideout.
Day two's closing points were 350 points each.
We didn't touch the smaller groups.
We only touched groups of at least 15, and among them, we released the ones whose points were pitiful.
Kids with too few points aren't worth touching right now. We just need to wait for them to ripen a bit more, then devour them.
The same goes for smaller groups.
Fewer people means fewer points. But once they know vicious types like me are attacking, they're bound to band together.
Once they've banded together and are working hard, heave-ho, to survive, we just wait for that moment and strike.
Well, anyway, with those standards set, we gathered points very, very easily, quickly, and smoothly.
If there's one problem, it's that we caused such a ruckus yesterday and today that the kids have gone into hiding.
Still, we only need 750 points, so if we scurry around a bit more, it'll be resolved.
Anyway, if the five of us combine our points, that's 1,750 points.
If we wanted, we could send three people out right now and still have points to spare. Of course, no one said they wanted to leave first. I asked just in case, but everyone firmly refused and said they'd leave together.
Admirable little things.
"We didn't run into Stella again today."
"She'll be handling herself fine. She's not the type to just stand around getting hit."
"Still, you said since yesterday that you wanted to see her, my lady."
"Mm... I did want to meet her."
If Stella's points were higher than I expected, I wanted to meet her to 'receive a transfer' through peaceful conversation and friendship.
Of course, I wasn't going to take everything. I wasn't going to touch her food, water, or necessities at all—I was planning to 'receive a transfer' of exactly one Stella's worth of points.
But she must have holed up in some mountain corner, because I absolutely couldn't find her.
Seriously, if I could just take Stella's score once... that... um, what do kids these days call it, dopamine? It feels like it would surge like crazy.
It's a bit of a shame I couldn't accomplish that very, very splendid and wonderful deed.
"...You weren't... trying to take Stella's points, were you, my lady?"
"Huh? Well, of course—"
Just as I was about to answer, "I was trying to take them?"
The kids who'd finished their filling dinner and sweet dessert and come out for some air each chimed in.
"Even you, Eliarnes, wouldn't just casually take your friend's stuff."
"R-right. She's been good to us too...!"
[There's no way Eliarnes would have such bad thoughts!]
So I can't?
"...Of course I wouldn't take them."
I changed my words for now.
"Good heavens..."
But Eurasia noticed my lie...
"You really are a piece of trash beyond imagination."
From Eurasia's reaction, even Silina caught on.
Gailan didn't open her mouth anymore, and Pina was munch-munching on cashews we'd gotten as spoils.
"...Are you trying to ditch me now that you've milked me for all I'm worth?"
"Eliarnes. Still, you shouldn't abandon basic human decency."
"If you actually did it, you'd have fun too."
"...If the points were high enough, sure."
"The Imperial Princess's fake innocence is top-tier too."
"Don't insult the Imperial Princess."
"The Imperial Princess sure loves the word 'insult.'"
Giggling and smirking, I swiped a fistful of Pina's cashews, ate them, and got up from my spot.
"Let's get some sleep soon. We have to run around until our feet sweat tomorrow too if we want to finish quickly."
"Tomorrow too... um, are we... attacking another team?"
Gailan, who'd been wiping her foggy glasses on her clothes, asked.
"Attacking? We never attack first. We only respond. We can't just stand there getting hit. And what we prioritize in the end is a captain-class Monster. Once we find one, there won't be any need to... respond, let alone attack."
That was answer enough. Gailan nodded with a somewhat complicated expression.
"R-right. Then I'll go to sleep first."
[Then I'll go out to the entrance!]
"Good work."
Tonight's watch order was Pina first, me second, and Gailan third. Just the three of us.
Until yesterday, Eurasia and Silina had stood watch two days in a row, but today they looked too tired, so I stopped them.
And Pina... I wondered if it was okay to put her on night watch, but it doesn't really matter.
If I sense any suspicious presence, I'll open my eyes anyway, and Pina has Sparkle too.
"Mm... then Pina, please take care. Don't push yourself too hard. And my lady, today too... please take care..."
"Yeah. Sleep well. Tomorrow might be even harder."
"Thank youuu..."
Eurasia, who'd been glancing around, undid her tied-up hair and lay down.
Silina already had her eyes closed inside her sleeping bag.
For an Imperial Princess, she sleeps remarkably well in a place like this.
Yesterday she even snored, all goro-rong, goro-rong.
Well... I roughly know why.
The conversation between Fabiana and Silina.
Silina knew the taste of gutter water.
Something must have happened in her past.
It's not something I need to concern myself with.
She's stopped grumbling, so if anything, that's good.
I lay down too.
"Sweet dreams, my lady."
"Yeah. You too."
"Heheh... yes."
The chirring of insects. Leaves rustled in the gentle breeze, and Eurasia's breathing, audible close to my ear, created quite a cozy atmosphere.
Within that, I closed my eyes.
*****
[...Ro... ahem, Eli!]
"Hii...!"
"I know."
That atmosphere didn't last long.
Waking from sleep, I stroked the trembling Pina's head and placed Sparkle, who wore an excited expression, on my shoulder.
From outside the cave, a murmuring sound could be heard.
Numbers... roughly fifty?
"That's a lot."
Grinning, I wrapped bandages around my hands.
Havar. The bandages imbued with Luna's Holy Power.
[Looks like word got around in two days.]
'Seems so.'
[Can you win?]
'You call that a question?'
I answered Sparkle's voice ringing in my head.
Sparkle might say that, but its expression already looked like I'd won.
[But Ronan... is it okay for you to be this excited over kids?]
'...I'm not excited? Why would I be excited?'
[Liar.]
'Why... why would I enjoy beating up kids? It's just... huh? I think we can finish this quickly for our teammates. I'm just, huh? When the kids are happy, I get all happy too.'
[Hmm... impressive.]
Sparkle seemed to think my words were a lie, but they're not entirely a lie.
There's a reason I've been rushing, even to the point of beating up kids.
Something feels off.
The kids gathering to attack me? A captain-class Monster?
Not that. It's Adelia's warning, and the barrier to find the hidden Demon's tools, and Nuclexirol.
My head can't fit the pieces of that puzzle together, but something... my intuition is warning me of danger.
So I just hurried because it seemed best to finish as fast as possible.
Even if I investigate or try to resolve it myself, I should do that after getting the kids somewhere safe.
I tied my hair up into twin tails and moved. At the same time, Eurasia, fully prepared, fell in behind me.
The club in her right hand gave off a menacing gleam.
"I'll just subdue them like we've done so far."
"Still, these ones are coming at us with intent, so fractures are fine as punishment for insolence."
"Yes."
"...I'm coming too."
Silina, who'd staggered to her feet, pulled her hood down and grabbed the two hand axes we'd received as supplies.
"You planning to hack off kids' limbs with those?"
Hearing my words, Silina meekly put the covers on the axes.
"...I didn't realize because I wasn't fully awake."
"Sure, sure. Pina, you stay right at the cave entrance. Don't move. Got it?"
I stroked the head of Pina, who was nodding and trembling.
"And Gailan, you just stay in here."
"...Huh?"
"If you stand with us, things will just get awkward for you. Just make something up. Say you got beaten by me and passed out or whatever."
Gailan's face went pale.
"...Th-that, I..."
Gailan tried to say something, but I moved without listening.
Silina and Eurasia gave me odd looks, but I brushed it off by saying I'd explain later and didn't stop walking.
"Those guys probably have a lot of points, right?"
It's a shame I couldn't take Stella's points.
Still, this should be fun.
No, no.
Not fun—I'll probably get to see my teammates looking happy.