ALL NOVEL Chapter 166
“Ah, Young Lady!”
Right after Eustetia’s van Chaser subdued the professor who was targeting our wagon, Yurasia, who was waiting for me not too far away, stopped the wagon.
Thanks to that, I quickly arrived at the wagon.
“Hurry up… You’re done, right? It was a professor?”
“Yep. He was a mage, around 7th circle or so, I think.”
“How did you manage that?”
Yurasia let go of the reins and handed me some water while fanning me.
“I subdued him.”
“…Subdued?”
“Yep. I don’t think he felt any pain.”
“…Is that really okay?”
“If it wasn’t okay, wouldn’t he have said so beforehand? That mage professor didn’t say it was wrong either.”
In fact, I did hit him in the jaw before he could say no.
But well… The Flame Sovereign, who was handing over the bracelet, and Wivir, who was checking communications, didn’t say anything, so there shouldn’t be a problem.
“Um… If Young Lady says so… Shall we depart now?”
“Yep. Just tell me if you find it hard later. I’ll take over.”
“We just have to go for three hours.”
With a beaming smile, Yurasia grabbed the reins.
I tousled Yurasia’s hair casually and hopped into the wagon.
“Everything ended well… right?”
“For now?”
“It felt like quite a distance, but we arrived quicker than I thought.”
Silina, who was feeding Pina peanuts, stared at me intently.
“Since you’re not out of breath and not sweating… Have you risen a rank again?”
“Yep. I’m now at 6th rank.”
“Whoa…! What, what?! 6th rank?!”
As Silina asked, I answered, and Gailan, who was next to us, jumped up.
“Is, is it really true?! Eliaernes, are you… really at 6th rank?!”
“Yep. What good would it do me to lie about this?”
“Oh my gosh… If you’re at 6th rank at 17, isn’t that the first in the continent?!”
“Not the first.”
“Whoa… Not, not the first? Who… who else rose to 6th rank at 17?!”
“There is someone.”
Hurd van Chaser. That ogre-like guy is said to have reached 6th rank at 15. Right now… he seems to have lost his mind and became really weird, but still, I’m not the first.
But I won’t say who it is since the van Chaser siblings seem to want to keep that a secret.
“There are really amazing people in the world… I’m still at 2nd circle.”
“That’s pretty fast too. And don’t feel too down. You’re comparing yourself with me, after all.”
“Huh…? Is that consolation? It must be… uh… yeah… right.”
Gailan, who was sulking next to me, was cheered up by Pina’s bright smile.
[Gailan! I’m at 2nd circle too, let’s stay motivated together!]
“Hahaha… yeah. Pina, you too!”
[Yes!(smiling squirrel face)]
Pina, with her tiny fingers, peeled pistachio shells, offering them to Gailan with a bright smile.
And Silina, who had been quietly watching me from the side, tilted her head.
“Eliaernes.”
“Why?”
“Do you… write any informational posts or tips in the community?”
“I don’t.”
“Are you sure?”
Silina squinted her eyes.
“Why would I write something like that for anyone? I’m too busy with my own stuff.”
“…Yeah, I guess. Knowing your personality, you wouldn’t do something strange like that.”
“Why are you suddenly asking that? Is someone impersonating me?”
“No. There are no such people. Would anyone be crazy enough to impersonate Eustetia? I just… saw a bragging post about someone leveling up recently.”
“I see.”
Even though I turned my gaze, Silina’s stare remained fixed on my face.
“That person is really weird.”
“What do you want me to do about it?”
“The way they speak is like some old crony professor, but they seem to know a lot. It even seems like they can do lots of things.”
“An old crony, huh… What’s with that language towards the professor?”
“They show up on every post related to weapon skills or combat questions, using a terrible tone and making creepy jokes.”
“Really…”
“And they’re so annoying that someone might think they were a hero active 400 years ago. Phrases like ‘back in my day’ and unnecessary territorial claims are everywhere. They’re definitely a weird person.”
“Ah…! I think I know who Silina is talking about…”
As Silina continued her story, clap! Gailan interrupted.
“Are you talking about that person? The one who always gives thumbs up with a ‘b’ and laughs with ‘kick’ at the end, and uses wave emojis everywhere? But that person is… probably one of the professors, right? Their speech and knowledge about the past is quite extensive.”
[Ah! I think I know too! But… that person always says strange things in the comments, so I’ve blocked them!]
“…Blocked?”
[Yes. They always appeared on my posts leaving strange advice, and Stella said it’s better for mental health to block such people early, so I followed Stella’s advice.]
“…Stella blocked that… weird person too?”
[Yes! Yurasia did it too!]
“Um, does blocking mean… that I can’t see what that person wrote anymore?”
[Yes! You won’t see their comments anymore!]
“I see…”
[If you’d like, Lady Eliaernes, I can tell you how to block them!]
“No… I’m fine. I don’t… participate in the community, so blocking isn’t… yeah, unnecessary.”
[It’s true, I thought Lady Eliaernes wouldn’t waste time on places like that! You’re not the type to spend your time there!]
“Exactly… I’m very… very busy every day, so I have no time for that…”
I turned my gaze again. The weather is nice.
The fluffy clouds are pretty, and maybe it’s the mountain path, but the sound of insects is pleasant…
“Eliaernes.”
“…What?”
“Are you really not?”
“If you mean that weird person from the community, I really am not.”
“True… You can’t possibly do such a thing since you can’t even send a proper text.”
Silina shook her head vigorously and also turned her gaze out the window.
Pina was still munching pistachios with her tiny hands, and Gailan seemed a bit queasy, now eating pistachios with Pina.
I closed my eyes gently, feeling the breeze coming in through the window.
There was a function called blocking.
For some reason, I noticed the comments had been fewer lately…
But, blocking seems a bit extreme, doesn’t it…
*
“Don’t you think we are first?”
“Right? It’s empty.”
After passing through the cold and harsh mountain path, we arrived at the Anketin Mountain Range’s entrance.
We faced another dozen ambushes along the way, but we managed to subdue them all neatly, protecting the wagon without issues.
As we got closer to the mountain range, the intensity of the ambushes increased, and I almost thought real bandits had appeared. So I inadvertently subdued them a little too harshly…
And every time that happened, my bracelet broke.
I can sense it’s coming.
My mana doesn’t just break weapons, it seems to damage all sorts of artifacts too.
So why was Luna’s Bandage perfectly fine?
Was it because it’s a miracle completed with divine power?
“The air here isn’t bad, but it feels a bit fresher.”
As Silina stretched with a yawn, she squinted her eyes and welcomed the breeze.
“The air in the Eustetia Duchy is better than here.”
“That’s impressive.”
“Come visit during winter break.”
“Why winter break instead of summer break?”
“I’m busy during summer break. Yawn…”
I stretched as well, enjoying the breeze blowing around us.
The mountain range seemed endless. A surprisingly cool wind blows among the summer peaks.
I had been here 400 years ago; it’s not the same as it was back then, though. There are parts that have strangely warped and broken.
It couldn’t be helped. 400 years ago, back when we were inexperienced, we fought a pretty fierce battle here.
Those bizarre shapes are remnants of the battles we fought.
Legion Commander, Gulaka of Gluttony.
The first time I ever encountered a Legion Commander was in the Anketin Mountain Range.
Of course, they wouldn’t still be here now, but for some reason, my chest stirs.
“Since we arrived first, shouldn’t there be some bonus points?”
“I don’t know about bonus points, but we could rest until the other kids arrive or secure good spots.”
“Do you consider the Young Ladies’ survival guaranteed?”
“Yep.”
Despite my restless heart, my steps are light. The wagon is extremely comfortable. Nowadays, the wagons make it so that you don’t get sore even after long rides.
“So… is it a good thing that the new students brought a ton of luggage?”
Gailan approached, still a bit nauseous.
[I brought lots of sweets!]
“Really? I only brought enough for half a month. I had no space in my bag…”
“Well, that’s something we won’t have to worry about separately.”
“…Really? Why?”
“I think the five of us will be arranged in the same team.”
I pointed forward.
Gailan, Pina, and Yurasia looked straight ahead.
“Welcome!”
Clap clap clap The professor who was clapping could be seen.
“Professor Adelia!”
Adelia Baros.
She was welcoming us.
“I didn’t expect my class students to arrive at number one! I’m so delighted!”
“Thanks to Eliaernes, we could come quickly and comfortably…!”
[Thanks to Lady Eliaernes!]
Gailan and Pina trotted over to Adelia, explaining in detail how I had been managing up until that point.
“I see… That’s impressive. Normally, you would lose your wagon in the first ambush and lose all your luggage in the second, third, and fourth, you know?”
Adelia beamed, surveying our wagon and its immaculate condition.
“But you guys still have your wagon intact, and it looks like you brought your stuff… unharmed.”
“…Y-yes… Is that a problem?”
Gailan asked anxiously, but Adelia shook her head.
“Of course not. It was meant to show how tough the journey could be, but you all did well to keep it together, right? So how you use those now is up to you.”
Gailan and Pina sighed in relief.
Gailan for realistic reasons, and Pina for worrying she might not get to eat something delicious.
“So, do other students lose their belongings?”
“Most did. Ah, all the first-year students, except you guys have lost theirs.”
“Is it okay if I share what I brought?”
“You can seize things from other groups as well.”
Adelia chuckled.
That implies our group might be raided.
“Nothing will happen.”
I shrugged.
There’s no need to steal, nor will anything be taken from me.
“So our group is like this with just five members?”
“Correct. It concluded that being with people you choose is more beneficial than a random assignment.”
“The final exam will involve survival for a fortnight.”
“That’s accurate.”
“They really have nasty intentions.”
“Nasty intentions… Hehe, Lady Eliaernes, you seem quite perceptive.”
“Just stating the obvious.”
Choosing to be with friends for a long ride in the wagon, and then trying to survive for two weeks in harsh mountain conditions with those who were annoying from the start—that’s bound to create conflict.
No, the likelihood of conflict would have already heightened the moment the wagon was lost and the baggage stolen.
Especially among the nobles.
They can’t stand anything dirty, tough, or uncomfortable. If they can’t eat when they want or drink when they want, they’ll lose their minds.
Then that anger will naturally spill over to the commoners, who will bow their heads and endure the rage.
And then, arriving here in the mountains, having to survive with those annoying people…
I don’t know the details of the exam, but very entertaining happenings will unfold.
“Lady Eliaernes isn’t worried at all?”
“What’s there to worry about? It’s bound to be a different world for us.”
“A different world… Hehe, I suppose so. If you don’t care, it will be like that.”
Are you really not concerned? That was the expression on Adelia’s face as she chuckled.
It annoys me that she knows my relationships so well.
I clicked my tongue and took the paper Adelia handed me.
“Here are the details of the final exam. Originally, you were supposed to receive this after the second ambush, but… All the professors meant to distribute it passed out, so it wasn’t properly conveyed. The start is at 6 AM tomorrow. During that time, you can take a good rest, enjoy the sound of the birds while walking, or even scout for a decent spot inside the mountains.”
“Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow morning then.”
“Yep. From now on for two weeks, stay safe and take care.”
Adelia, smiling with crinkled eyes, said the same to Yurasia, who was standing beside me.
“Yurasia, please be careful too.”