Chapter 94
Riana, who couldn’t touch fish, seemed to have decided that this wasn’t the right situation to use such excuses, and she eventually started wandering around the shallows again.
I had never once been to a tropical resort in my life before, and I never imagined that I would see such a scene like this on a deserted island.
Of course, the scenery was magnificent, but now was not the time to appreciate it.
“Move aside! It’s going down!”
“Aah!”
Crackle crackle crack!
The tree started to bend in one direction and collapsed with a massive boom.
Harriet, who had snapped the tree trunk, was in fact the most flustered of all.
“Eeek! Bugs! There are bugs!!!”
To be precise, she was panicking because of the bugs falling from the tree. Although Harriet disliked the situation we were in, she was able to use various types of magic, and was the most indispensable to us.
“As far as trees go... I think this should be enough for now. Let’s bundle these trees together and cut them into pieces now.”
Adelia made the suggestion, and Harriet nodded her head weakly in agreement.
Harriet had cut down about five trees, and now it was time to turn the wood from these trees into pillars, floors, or anything that could be useful to us. Cliffman was stripping the branches with a machete, and Ellen was chopping the tree trunks into smaller pieces with an axe.
The others were also continuously gathering palm leaves and vines, while Vertus was overseeing the work and helping wherever hands were needed.
“I wonder how Class B is doing.” Vertus seemed curious about how the other class was faring. “It seems like they’re doing something.”
The students of Class B, off in the distance, were also busily moving about, engaged in some activity.
“What could those ‘specific conditions’ be...?”
If certain conditions were met, the mission would end, and the class that achieved it would receive bonus points. Hence, if we didn’t want to stay here too long, another option would be to explore the island further.
Vertus didn’t not seem to want to stay in this environment for long. Therefore, he would rather strive to meet those conditions.
“Reinhart. Uh...” Vertus began to say something to me, but sighed instead. “Never mind. It’s pointless to search blindly without knowing what it is. Let’s not make any risky moves for now. Let’s make sure the camp is properly set up before we think about it.”
It seemed he wasn’t sure if he should assign me such an ambiguous task.
Vertus and I began rolling the logs aside.
—Someone grab this!
A desperate voice called out from the direction of the beach.
***
“Wow...”
“What is this...?”
“Why is it so big?”
“Eww!! That’s disgusting!”
Everyone stopped their work and stared blankly as I brought over the object that Riana had caught but couldn’t touch herself. Harriet and Riana were panicking, finding it repulsive.
What I was holding wasn’t a fish.
What was caught resembled a crawfish, but it was a monstrous thing, about five times larger than the common lobsters most readers would be familiar with.
“This has to be super delicious.”
Ellen nodded vigorously in response to my comment. She seemed to be already thinking about eating it.
It was just common sense that the bigger the crustacean, the better it would taste.
“... Shouldn’t we first determine whether it’s safe to eat or not?” said Vertus cautiously. He seemed to be trying to calm me down, as I seemed to be getting overly excited at the sight of this giant crawfish that had suddenly appeared.
“Wouldn’t it be okay if we just cooked it thoroughly?”
“Hmm... But it might be poisonous or something. You’ll never know.”
Vertus’s caution was, in fact, the most rational judgment, given the environment we were in. If we ate anything carelessly, it could lead to disaster.
“The teachers must be watching us from somewhere, so if we try to eat something strange, they will surely warn us, right?”
If the kids were about to eat something dangerous like poisonous mushrooms, the teachers would surely step in and interfere. This wasn’t a real survival situation, but a class mission. Therefore, when I mentioned that the teachers would warn us if we were about to eat something inedible, Vertus finally conceded the point.
“But how are we supposed to eat this thing anyway?”
Riana, regardless of how it might actually taste, seemed appalled by its grotesque appearance, as if the creature was too disgusting to consider eating. I supposed some people might have a phobia of crustaceans.
“There’s no need to overthink it. We can either grill or steam it,” Vertus said.
The noble-born students, especially the girls, seemed to have a hard time imagining themselves grilling food over an open fire in this setting, and their expressions began to sour.
“But one of these won’t be enough for all of us,” Vertus continued
Although we had caught what seemed to be a giant lobster, it was hardly enough for eleven people to eat. Riana, who had been drinking water from her canteen, looked dazed by Vertus’s remark.
“... Okay, I’ll go back and catch more.”
It must have been distressing for her to catch something that she couldn’t even touch. Meanwhile, everyone was drenched in sweat, busily carrying out their tasks under the sweltering heat, and they were guzzling the water from their canteens as though it was nothing.
“If you guys don’t conserve water, you’ll regret it,” I warned them.
“Can’t we just pick more coconuts?” replied Connor Lint nonchalantly.
I glared at him. “Do you think climbing trees is easy? Do you want to pick them yourself?”
“O-Oh... No, that’s not what I meant.”
He had carelessly made a remark about something he wasn’t prepared to do himself.
Wait a minute.
Number 8, Connor Lint...
His ability was teleportation.
“... Now that I think about it, it’s actually only right that you do it,” I said.
Even though using his powers had the unfortunate side effect of leaving him completely naked, it would technically be alright if no one was watching.
“From now on, you’re in charge of the coconuts,” I continued.
“Uh, wh-wha-what?”
Knowing about this side effect of using his power, the other classmates began to snicker quietly.
***
After appointing Connor Lint as the coconut slave, I ventured alone into the jungle.
I was not sure how this was going to pan out, but to be frank, I wasn’t overly concerned with winning or losing the group mission. For me to succeed and gain the achievement points, the goal wasn’t about winning the group mission—it was just about survival.
As long as I made it to Friday, I would gain achievement points; it wasn’t strictly necessary for Class A to win. That was why there was a part of me that was somewhat hoping for Charlotte’s team to win.
Therefore, I had no intention of looking for those “specific conditions” myself. I mean, it wasn’t as if I could discover them easily, even if I wanted to.
I wasn’t confident in archery, so my current armament consisted of a jungle machete and three javelins. I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to hunt with these, but I had brought them along just in case.
However, my current goal was not so much hunting as it was finding fresh water.
The island was quite large, and also had a mountain range, so if I searched diligently, I might just find running water. If so, there wouldn’t be a need to fuss about gathering coconuts; we could just draw water from there.
I actually knew for a fact that there was a stream on this island somewhere, and was trying to find it. Of course, I didn’t know its exact location, so I was searching blindly.
“Whew...”
The dense underbrush was hard on my stamina, as I had to cut my way through with the machete. Even advancing ten steps proved to be incredibly tough. Of course, it wasn’t as if the whole place was completely overgrown with vines, so it was possible to move quickly through the clearer paths from time to time.
After walking for a while, I eventually had to stop.
It was possible that I would collapse from exhaustion if I continued on like this, so I decided to return, putting value on the fact that I had at least blazed a trail.
Kweeeek!
Suddenly, the cry of a beast rang out.
The nature of the scream made it clear that it wasn’t just a normal situation. I looked towards the source of the noise and saw someone hustling through the jungle, chasing after something.
Swoosh!
Kweeeek!
Someone was running through the jungle, loosing arrows, and it seemed that they landed a shot, given how the beast’s screams grew even louder.
With her long hair tied back and fluttering behind her, the girl darted through the woods like a squirrel. It was B-9, Delphine Izadra, the girl with the talent for archery.
Swoosh! Ping!
Kweeek!
The beast being pursued must have fallen, since the archer quickly came to a halt as well.
Not only was her physical ability to sprint and maneuver through the jungle impressive, but she also managed to hit a rapidly-escaping wild animal with her bow while on the move.
She was best friends with Ludwig and, at the same time, one of the main heroines of this novel.
“... How am I going to carry this back?”
She seemed to be pondering how to transport the creature she had caught.
“Hey, need some help?”
“H-Huh? Who’s there?”
Delphine was startled by the sudden, unfamiliar voice. When I showed myself, she finally relaxed.
“Oh, uh... Reinhart, right?”
Since I had been in and out of Class B quite a bit, she still recognized me, even though we hadn’t spoken much.
“What’s this? You caught something this big?”
The animal lying there was a wild boar, nearly the size of a large dog. It had been hit by four arrows, one of which was embedded precisely in its head.
“If it’s hard to carry it by yourself, I can help.”
“Oh... Yes! Thank you.”
She seemed relieved, since she’d been worrying about how to bring the boar she’d taken down back to camp.
***
Together, we dragged the fallen boar back to the beach, taking frequent breaks along the way.
“Phew... It really is heavy...”
“I know, right?”
I never realized that carrying a dead animal would be such a difficult task.
“Your archery skills are no joke, huh?”
To be more exact, it was amazing how she managed to shoot with such precision while flying through the jungle. Delphine smiled at my comment.
“It’s something I’m accustomed to.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“Yes, I’m from Talfarad. Almost everyone there learns to hunt.”
“Ah... Is that so?”
Of course, I already knew this.
Delphine Izadra was from a group of rangers in Talfarad, a mountainous country in the northern part of the empire. Talfarad was famous because almost all its citizens could shoot a bow, and Delphine was regarded as a prodigy among them.
That was why she’d been admitted into the Temple’s Royal Class solely based on her archery talent.
Since she’d grown up hunting in rough terrain from a young age, this environment must have felt like home to her.
Even though she only focused on archery currently, she would later on develop the ability to use a unique power called Spirit Magic.
In fact, part of her background was that the rangers of Talfarad carried the lineage of elves, a race thought to be long extinct. Delphine received a strong inheritance of that power, which was why she had such incredible talent in archery, and later became capable of using Spirit Magic.
Of course, that part of the story was bound to happen only much later.
Delphine Izadra, being as close as she was to Ludwig, also had a kind and gentle personality. Since I frequented Class B and often crossed paths with her, she didn’t seem to be frightened by me.
“How about you guys? Is everything going well on your side?”
“We’re trying various things, but who knows how it will turn out.”
“Really? With so many outstanding kids in Class A, I thought everything would be taken care of swiftly.”
Under normal circumstances, Class A and Class B were supposed to be rivals. However, since I had drawn all the aggro early on, Class A still looked down on Class B as if they were insignificant, but did not hate them. Moreover, many in Class B, who had kind personalities, did not resent Class A.
This was why the relationships between the two classes hadn’t deteriorated like they should have, and why we could casually ask each other about our situations, even during a competitive mission like this.
Delphine was certainly right—Class A was full of exceptional individuals. But as talented as they were, there were also a lot of whiners, so I wasn’t sure how things would turn out.
“After tonight, there will be more than one or two kids left crying.”
“Really? Hmm... That’s true. I’ve done a lot of camping myself, but I’m worried as well.”
Delphine was used to sleeping outdoors like this because she had gone on many hunting trips. However, she was worried because the other kids might not have the same experience, which was why she had taken it upon herself to hunt for food in the jungle.
After several breaks, we finally managed to drag the wild boar all the way to where Class B’s camp was set up on the beach.
“Phew... Good job. Thank you, Reinhart.”
Delphine, who was wiping away her sweat, flashed me a bright smile. She certainly couldn’t have dragged the boar back on her own.
“What... What is this?”
The members of Class B, who were busily working on their camp, were shocked to see a wild boar being brought in.
“Wow... How did you manage to bring this down... Oh? Reinhart? What brings you here?”
Charlotte, who was leading Class B in the same way that Vertus was with Class A, tilted her head with a mix of welcome surprise and curiosity upon seeing me with the boar.
***
Charlotte, with her wavy, elaborate golden locks tied up neatly, had her sleeves and pant legs rolled up. Judging by the dirt covering her palms, she had been busy working on something.
“Oh, I ran into him in the jungle, and he helped me carry it back. I couldn’t have moved it on my own.”
Once Delphine explained things, not only did the expressions of the members of Class B change, but Charlotte’s expression also grew complicated. They all seemed to share the same thought: “We’re grateful that you helped, but what are you doing helping our class?”
Charlotte sighed deeply, then smiled.
“Reinhart... I know this is a cooperative mission, but it’s still a competition between our classes, you know. Why are you helping the opposition?” Charlotte chided me lightly.
I merely grinned in response. “Oh come on. You didn’t expect me to just leave empty-handed, did you?”
My cheeky comment, implying that I could use a leg of boar, made Charlotte break into laughter.
“Haha, crafty as ever. Is that what you wanted after all? Well, then, since Delphine caught it, she should decide what to do with it.”
At Charlotte’s words, Delphine shrugged her shoulders with a grin. “Hmm... Sure, we can afford to share.”
Delphine pointed towards the shore, giggling.
—Bahaha!
—Hey everyone! I caught another one!
“After all, we have a fool who’s on a roll to catch a week’s worth of food in just one day,” Delphine continued.
It was Ludwig, holding up a sizable fish impaled on the tip of a javelin, jubilantly shouting to everyone else.
This content is taken from fr(e)ewebn(o)vel.𝓬𝓸𝓶