Hersel looked away from Limberton and lifted his head.
The two men flinched.
The skill they had witnessed was something only a magic swordsman could do.
The situation was already difficult, and now Hersel’s group had joined in.
“Who are those people to dare touch Silla…”
“Hersel, are those dangerous guys the donation entrants?”
The two men glanced at Luon.
Luon shook his head, seeming uninterested in a fight.
“Tch. If only those meddlers hadn’t shown up…”
They released Silla from the chains, and she tore the gag from her mouth.
Then she spat at the men.
“…You bastards. I remember your faces. Once my leg heals, you’re dead!”
Glaring fiercely, she limped away.
“But that red-haired girl, she’s quite something.”
“Don’t you know? That’s Leana, the former chairman’s fiancée.”
While the two men licked their lips, Luon asked Hersel.
“Are Limberton and those behind you your friends?”
His voice was emotionless and flat.
Hersel answered coldly.
“Let’s say they are.”
Luon let out a deep sigh, then smiled slightly as if relieved.
Despite some disputes among his group, they all agreed with his words.
“If you want to hold anyone accountable, do it later. We’re still in the exam. Save your strength for when you’ll need it.”
He led his group away.
Arsys, his cheek marked with cat-like scratches, asked Luon.
“Luon, you could have won. Is it okay to let them go?”
Luon laughed scornfully.
“If he had shown his full strength, we’d all be dead.”
Luon recalled the incident in the forbidden section of the library.
Even after being hit by magical spears filling the space, Hersel hadn’t sustained a single injury.
Moreover, who would have thought he was a magic swordsman?
“What are you saying? You know Hersel was just a poser. Even if he became a magic swordsman, could he be stronger than you?”
Arsys stopped mid-sentence, realizing his mistake, and closed his eyes tightly.
“S-sorry. I take back calling him a poser.”
Luon, who usually wouldn’t tolerate insults about him, seemed indifferent today.
He responded calmly, as if it didn’t matter.
“There are six whiskers on your cheek. When I cut one, he cut five in an instant. This alone shows he’s several levels ahead of me. Do you understand now?” �
Arsys gulped, sweating profusely.
“Yeah, I get it. But Luon, you seem different today… Can I ask something?”
“Does the desire for Hersel to return as chairman still stand?”
Luon chuckled at the cautious question.
“Seeing him today, I’m sure he doesn’t want to come back. Forcing someone who doesn’t want to return is pointless.”
The two men smiled widely, relieved.
Luon, ignoring their reactions, continued speaking.
“But for some reason… I have a bad feeling he might interfere with our plans in the future.”
Arsys asked excitedly.
“We’ll have to kill him.”
Luon’s face was surprisingly gentle as he said this.
Meanwhile, a bird that didn’t quite fit in with the Purple Forest watched the scene with hollow eyes.
A pigeon with a hair tie around its ankle.
Felia whispered softly.
“The more I see him, the better he seems.”
Two days had passed since the practical training in the enchanted forest began.
Summarizing what I had learned so far…
The reason Riamon hadn’t joined Belman’s unit was as I had suspected.
At this point, there were 25 students in Adelle Hall.
This would have been the case normally, but there was a variable.
With the addition of Erucel, who wasn’t originally expected to enroll, there were 26 students.
Therefore, instead of assigning Riamon to another unit, they paired him with another student.
This was within expectations.
However, I hadn’t anticipated things to become this complicated.
I’m not a fortune-teller; predicting this far was impossible.
How could I have known Silla would injure her leg because of me and couldn’t properly recover due to the month-long training at Adelle Hall?
Or that Belman, fueled by competition, would recklessly hunt the leader because Riamon wasn’t there?
Or that Silla would fall and worsen her leg injury after being paralyzed from eye contact with the leader while stepping on the barrier steps?
Of course, I couldn’t deny being the root cause of all these events.
Even so, my actions were merely desperate attempts to survive.
It was unfair that these actions came back to bite me so severely.
However, outside intervention wasn’t entirely bad.
“Limberton, are you serious about seeing a man covered in rags?”
“I’m telling you, it was right before I was about to die. Maybe it was a hallucination… But why are you so happy about it?”
Because it wasn’t a hallucination.
Sometimes, a god who grants blessings appears.
This is a characteristic of blessings that conceal true names and can trigger events that grant new powers when conditions are met.
Limberton’s blessing was like that.
◆ Blessing of the Wind Recluse
– Don’t ask about me. I’m nobody.
Accuracy is corrected by the tailwind.
This blessing probably changed to:
◆ Blessing of the Wind Wanderer
– Wealth and honor are things to be laid down eventually. The only lifelong companion is oneself.
Accuracy is corrected by the tailwind.
Senses targets through sound waves.
The true name hasn’t been revealed yet.
He’s only just started to awaken, but it’s still significant.
What should have been achieved by the end of the first semester was already accomplished.
Thanks to this, Limberton’s accuracy had reached its peak, even with his eyes closed.
Since the growth of playable characters is directly tied to my safety, it’s something to be happy about.
This warranted some praise.
“I never thought you’d take down the leader alone. Here, have some jerky.”
“Huh? Weren’t you saving this?”
“There’s plenty. Got it from those guys.”
I pointed to Belman’s unit, huddled in a corner of the fortress.
Leana licked her lips at the sight of the jerky in my hand, Silla glared daggers at Belman, and Belman silently read a book.
“How long do you plan to stay here?” I asked.
Belman closed his book and answered.
“I proposed an alliance, didn’t I?”
His unit was lagging behind due to Silla’s injury.
Meanwhile, Riamon and that fool Erucel had hunted the leader.
And Ricks had formed a unit to take down the remaining leader.
As a result, the tri-headed wolves had lost their leaders and left the area.
Their only chance to score points was through treasure hunting.
In other words, Belman had a good nose for opportunities.
He realized that this group had planned to score points through treasure hunting from the beginning and was ahead of the game.
“Why not hunt the remaining wolves?”
“…You know everything and still pretend to be clueless.”
“Right. And your situation isn’t my concern.”
It was indeed troublesome.
They needed to remain in Adelle Hall for the storyline to progress properly.
If they got demoted to Buerger Hall…
So, I had to resort to clever tactics.
Helping for free was out of the question.
I smiled like an angel and extended a helping hand.
“If it were before, maybe. But I’ll be generous this time. My heart is big now.”
Leana’s eyes widened.
Silla looked incredulous, and Belman was equally stunned.
“Leana, look. He’s really lost his mind, like you said.”
“Lately, he’s been saying stuff like that more often.”
“Hersel, given how you look, your words lack credibility.”
…Should I just let them be demoted?
“Shut up and listen. Here’s the deal. You join us in treasure hunting, and you can earn points. But after scoring, hand everything over to us.”
Even in practical training, Pathfinder training rules apply.
The treasures found in the enchanted forest, except for certain items, belong to the finder.
This means that once graded, they can keep what they find.
“So, we give up our coins?”
I nodded at Leana’s question.
Silla protested vehemently.
“Belman, don’t listen. Our wallets are already empty.”
“Silla… That’s because of your unnecessary gambling. Leana and I aren’t that desperate.”
I glared sharply at Silla.
This detestable thing. She must have bet that I wouldn’t get first place in the written exam.
“You’re the only one against it. Just accept it quietly.”
Despite some internal noise from Belman’s unit, Silla finally kept quiet.
“Then it’s decided by majority.”
After the cooperation was settled, a few minutes passed.
While reviewing the map, Limberton approached and asked,
“Hersel, can I share some of this with them?”
“Do you really need to ask?”
“Still, I should get the leader’s permission.”
Today, Limberton seemed particularly commendable.
Rations are managed by the leader’s decision.
Knowing this meant he had been studying hard.
Limberton handed the jerky to Belman’s group.
Silla looked displeased, seemingly irritated by Limberton’s actions.
“What’s this? Are you expecting gratitude?”
“Not really. Anyway, it wasn’t me who saved you, it was Hersel. So, it doesn’t matter if you don’t thank me. Don’t eat if you don’t want to.”
Silla scowled and bit into the jerky, looking humiliated.
Perhaps out of embarrassment, she changed the subject to Aslay.
“But how did that savage get into the academy?”
Limberton narrowed his eyes and added,
“Don’t use the word savage. It’s a discriminatory term.”
Aslay defined himself simply.
Belman’s group looked at him with curious expressions.
While they were joining our side at the fortress, we established a few rules.
“When returning, make sure not to reveal this location.”
Though the environment was well camouflaged, it was best not to reveal it.
Thieves driven by greed for points could appear, and it would be dangerous if our coordinates were marked by certain people.
“Never go out at night.”
“Why? The wolves are gone, so there’s no danger.”
“That’s precisely the problem. It’s safe, so others will extend their activity into the night too.”
Belman agreed readily.
He was likely wary of Luon’s group in the highlands.
Knowing Luon was a magic swordsman had heightened his vigilance.
It was convenient for me not to disclose future information.
The Roaming Band lingering around must have gathered enough intel about our position, numbers, and strengths.
They would probably attack tonight.
Thus, treasure hunting could only be done now or after they were dealt with.
There was no time to relax.
“You memorized the herbs we need to find, right?”
Aslay nodded confidently.
“I will offer tributes to the boss.”
Hearing his confident answer was reassuring.
Having lived in nature, his gathering skills were unmatched.
Though I roughly knew where the treasures were, finding them with my own eyes was a different matter.
Aslay wouldn’t miss a thing, gathering everything in his bag.
I handed the map to Belman.
“See the marked areas? You search those to avoid overlapping routes.”
“Is this reliable? It’s hard to believe you made this map so quickly.”
Any doubts would vanish once they checked the locations.
There was no need to persuade them with evidence.
“Do you have a choice to trust or not?”
I applied a bit of pressure, and Belman fell silent.
While preparing our gathering tools, Limberton whispered,
“Weren’t we aiming for relics? If we find those, it’s over. Why put in so much effort?”
What a thoughtful kid.
He spoke discreetly, ensuring Belman didn’t hear.
Even though it was obvious, he seemed endearing today.
“So what? It’s good to earn more coins.”
“You just scored big recently.”
While chatting, we finished our preparations.
I opened the fortress gate and said,