Chapter 48
They began to build a camp on the upper side of the ridge where the forest was clearly visible.
While the workers busily moved around creating tents and fences.
The survivors participating in the test heard the assignment from Derek.
“You will live in this forest for two days and one night, proving that you have the ability to survive in this hell.”
“How will the scores be calculated?”
Leonard, who was the most motivated, asked a question.
“We will comprehensively judge hunting zombies, gathering flora and fauna, the ability to create a base, and relationships with other groups.”
“How do we prove the number of zombies hunted?”
“Bring back the ears.”
“Understood.”
I remained silent.
The first test was the same, but this test was also irrational.
Zombies were enemies that should be eliminated only out of necessity.
They should never be used as a yardstick to gauge a survivor's level.
Those things are dangerous.
Unlike when I was in the dormitory, I can handle a few of them without trouble now.
Nevertheless, in a corner of my mind, I never forgot the alertness toward zombies.
“You may come back this way whenever you wish. However, in that case, it will be considered that you have given up on the test.”
Derek’s words were a curse.
As I looked around, everyone dropped their heads with solemn expressions.
You may return.
But it was an answer that implied you should handle the consequences yourself.
They had gazes that worried about what kind of punishment their leaders would deliver.
“The time is until tomorrow evening. We plan to depart in ten minutes, so be aware of that.”
Derek turned away.
Since Rodwell had accepted the agenda.
Even if I were to protest, it would not have any effect.
It was bitter to have no right of veto, but regardless of that, the forest was worth entering.
It was time to obtain equipment.
The club is useful, but it was not a weapon for a mage.
I needed a wand or a staff.
And in this forest, there was a heart containing mana that served as the material for it.
“Do you all have a plan?”
I looked at the pale-faced boy and girl beside me.
They were children brought from the vigilantes.
As they were selected and brought along, their builds were larger and more impressive than their peers, but that was all.
There was a severe level difference between them and the Academy students who had received training.
Their equipment was poor.
“Ah, Mr. Mage.”
After I beat Leonard, the attitude of the people around me completely changed.
Among them, the children from the vigilantes and the Merchant Guild were particularly uncomfortable around me.
Do not offend me.
Their expressions were stiff, like people who had received such an order.
“Drop the honorific ‘Mr.’ and just call me Joshua. We probably don't have much of an age difference anyway.”
“B-But.”
“More than that, about my initial question. Do you have a plan?”
“Haha, it is the first time we have even come to this forest, so there is no way we would have a plan.”
“I suppose so.”
I fell into thought.
About a way for them to live without dying.
[Cool] showed a cold reaction, saying I was pouring strength into the wrong place.
Clearly, there was nothing to gain materially.
However, when they survive and contact the vigilantes and the Merchant Guild in the future.
A situation might arise where the grace bestowed upon them is returned.
This was an investment for the future.
“How about giving up as soon as we start?”
The boy waved his hand as if that were absolutely impossible.
“If we did that, we would be beaten half to death by the Captain after the summit ends. He told us that even if we cannot win, we should not be disgraced.”
I distorted my expression.
The leader of the vigilantes was a person seized by an inferiority complex.
If he judged that they brought even a slight disgrace to the name of the vigilantes.
He might use that as a pretext to make an example of them.
“What about you all from the Merchant Guild?”
“We also have to endure if possible. Because we were promised food if we pass the test.”
Everyone had their own circumstances that prevented them from giving up.
[Clever] helped me think.
The fellow who used to get along well with [Cool] started to become fickle recently.
Toward the side of supporting me.
Perhaps even personality traits have preferences depending on the situation.
“Fine, in that case, you all follow the northwest direction from the camp and go straight down. There will be a cave near the spot where the slope becomes gentle. Use that place as a hideout and endure for the day. Do not forget to create a barricade by weaving sharp trees together crosswise near the entrance.”
The four people listening to me swallowed their dry saliva.
They looked at each other and seemed to exchange opinions through gazes alone.
Eventually, one person spoke as a representative.
“We will do that.”
Along with his declaration, something inherent within me felt like it grew stronger.
[Leadership (Low) has increased to (Mid).]
[Charisma (Low) has increased to (Mid).]
[Now your authority and conversation will be conveyed more effectively to the opponent.]
[Clever] smirked toward [Cool].
The strengthening of a skill.
It was not a skill that occupied a large portion, but there was a change.
[Cool] remained silent.
As if admitting defeat and taking a step back.
I watched without putting strength into either side.
“...Um.”
The boy looked at me with trembling eyes.
His face was no longer as stiff as at the beginning.
“Thank you for helping us.”
“Yep, I hope you all can survive.”
Hoping that this small connection would return as a good result someday.
* * *
Perhaps it had drizzled in the forest until recently, as water droplets were formed in places.
The wet ground swallowed stepped feet deeply like a swamp.
It drained stamina every time the body moved.
When a certain amount of time had passed.
The students wiped their sweat and looked back.
Even now, the camp on the upper side of the ridge was clearly visible.
“I-I can't do this.”
The protagonist of the grumbling voice was Adela.
Perhaps she disliked her uniform getting dirty, as she walked while holding the hem of her skirt.
Instead, that backfired and she became exhausted faster than the others.
“This is why mages are no good.”
Leonard looked down at her with a pathetic gaze.
“It has nothing to do with being a mage, does it? As proof, Joshua isn't exhausted in the least.”
My name was called, but I did not fix my gaze there.
I meticulously investigated the traces scattered around the place where the group stayed.
Footprints or animal fur.
When entering a forest, the ‘enemy’ should include fierce beasts, not just zombies.
“That guy is like a mutant. He should be considered an exception.”
“I don't know if you realize that your words are a sophistry.”
“Sophistry? Every mage I have met was a weakling. So a guy who is the opposite is the one who is strange.”
“How many mages have you even met when you are just wrestling with practice scarecrows every day?”
“Please be quiet.”
It was Tania who cut off the voices of the two bickering.
She looked at the two of them with an irritable gaze.
“If your voices are too loud, the zombies will come here.”
“Let them come if they want.”
Leo pulled out the sword on his back and swung it confidently.
“I will cut them all down no matter how many come.”
“...You truly are not reliable.”
“I agree.”
When Adela and Tania let out a sigh at the same time, Leo’s face turned red and he flustered.
The boy clenched his teeth and put the sword back in.
“Why are the six of us together in the first place?”
“There were only a few paths coming down, and this way looked the safest among them.”
“If that is the reason, we will advance without resting.”
Leo signaled with his eyes to the boy with shaggy hair, his partner.
The boy nodded quietly like an attending servant.
“Because I won't lose this time.”
I did not fail to realize that was a declaration toward me.
Leonard had a strong competitive spirit.
That was the driving force for the boy to endure in hell, but it sometimes became a source of trouble that brought about danger.
One must not go too deep into the forest.
As this forest was a place merged with the nearby mountain range, it was extremely wide.
If one got lost, it could not be found without borrowing the power of a specific tool or magic.
I fell into thought for a moment.
The thought that I must not let him go into the forest became firm.
A monster lives in this forest, and that monster was not something Leo could handle alone.
However, it looked strange to stop him blindly.
Telling him to be careful of a monster whose existence was not even confirmed lacked persuasiveness.
I used my brain again.
I thought of a way to make him stay in this spot.
“It doesn't matter if you burn with competitive spirit as you please, but I won't go out of my way to find zombies like you.”
Leo was shocked and wore a dazed expression.
“What do you mean?”
“Exactly what it means. I won't do anything today.”
“If you do that, the Captains won't stay still. It would also be like throwing cold water on Sir Rodwell who trusted you.”
“I am sorry, but that person is not a reason for me to be afraid.”
Everyone listening was astonished.
Every one of them looked this way with surprised eyes.
“If one of us tells Sir Rodwell what you said, you might be in trouble.”
“I don't particularly care. And the person who told on me might be the one in trouble instead.”
I answered noncommittally, and in fact, I was not interested.
“Anyway, I won't do anything. I will just wait for this time to end.”
The emotion in Leonard’s expression, who was burning with fighting spirit, began to fade away.
A rival is someone you have a combative spirit with when both sides target each other.
So, even by showing an attitude of not accepting from the opposite side, the opponent easily lost motivation.
“I will make a proposal. Let us postpone the match until tomorrow. Let us both work hard when that time comes.”
“...Will you truly do your best tomorrow?”
“Yes.”
The boy wore a listless face and began to look for a place to sit.
He found a flatly laid rock and sat down.
He lifted the sword he was carrying on his shoulder in its scabbard and placed it neatly beside him.
“Pfft, it’s just like a puppy.”
Watching that sight, Adela was so amused she didn't know what to do.
Because it was not common for Leonard to show such a helpless appearance.
“Shut up.”
“If you are planning to stay, I want to find a better spot than here. You help too.”
“Why? I am drained of strength right now because of you.”
“If mages are nothing but weaklings, you should prove that knights are different.”
“Hahaha.”
“Senior, I said you have to lower your voice.”
Adela burst into laughter and Tania warned again with an irritated expression.
And Leo looked up at Joshua with eyes mixed with despair.
* * *
A bit further inside the forest.
Everywhere was blocked by pine trees and vines, and I found a hollowed-out hole inside.
The kindling that had become damp and wet due to the rainwater would not have been able to start a fire without Tania’s help.
The students gathered around the fire they managed to raise and warmed their bodies.
As night fell, the temperature dropped.
The breath exhaled while breathing grew noticeably larger.
We were just in place, but the cold swept over and tormented us as if mocking us.
“I have looked around.”
Leonard returned.
He volunteered as a scout that no one even requested and searched once around the camp.
I allowed him to do as he wished.
Scouting was not a bad thing.
And if it had to be done, it was right for a knight to do it rather than a mage.
To protect oneself in a moment of crisis, a sword is faster and more convenient than magic.
“There were three of them. It seems they found us after seeing the fire.”
Leo threw the zombie ears onto the ground.
They were of different shapes and sizes, so it was clear at a glance that he had handled several zombies.
The boy sat in his spot and began to talk about his heroic tale as if proud.
Most turned away as if uninterested.
I did not let it go in one ear and out the other.
“Leonard.”
“Listen, I am a senior who is one year older than you. I would appreciate it if you could show a bit more courtesy.”
“Was there any one among the zombies you faced who was missing a part of their body?”
“...Honestly. You are letting my words go in one ear and out the other. Well, fine. To answer your question, there were. Two of them, even. One had no arm, and one had no leg and was crawling.”
“I see.”
“Hey, if you asked a question, at least tell me why you asked. Are you planning to make me die of curiosity?”
“It would be better to check your sword. Blood and oil make the blade rust.”
“I know that much too. Honestly... just say you don't want to answer.”
He clicked his tongue and began to look after his sword as I said.
I closed my eyes.
We decided to take turns on guard duty in pairs before falling asleep.
I was decided as the second turn along with Serena.
[Cool] advised me to recover my body when I can rest.
Accepting that advice, I relaxed my body while keeping only my ears and nose alert as I rested.
The smells that had settled on the ground due to the drizzle on the previous day wafted in the air.
A smell like a mix of blood and filth.
The rotten gamey smell characteristic of zombies lingered at the tip of my nose.
I heard the howling of wolves with my ears.
As if they were acting together in a pack, the sound of them kicking the ground was heard in a group.
At some point, the bastards who stopped growled.
That sound did not point here but seemed to point toward the inside of the forest.
The wolves moved again and their footsteps grew increasingly distant and soon vanished.
As if being chased by something.
Their sense of urgency was conveyed to me, and I felt the hair on my skin stand on end.
“...Hey.”
“Why don't you sleep a bit more? It’s still far from your turn. And please, use an honorific.”
“I told you earlier that we should postpone the match until tomorrow, but it seems that will be impossible.”
“What are you talking about out of the blue?”
“Tonight might be the crisis.”
In the process of investigating the forest, I found a certain trace on a broken pine tree.
It was a trace of claws.
It was information that was not yet so well known to the public.
Humans were not the only ones who could become zombies.