After the announcement ended, I quickly went up to the deck.
The blue sky.
The bright blue sea.
I wanted to enjoy this view a little longer.
As I was savoring the breeze on the deck, cadets from other classes started coming out one by one.
‘Everyone’s mood has become more serious.’
Now is a good opportunity to observe the state of the students, who are competitors for survival.
“I, Ian…! Have you found a team yet?! If not, would you like to join me?”
For example, acquaintances like this, whom I only recognized in passing.
There were many students frantically searching for parties with anxious faces like his.
Maybe about half of all the students?
At this point, even if you find party members, all the students on this ship are from the Knight and Magic Department students. It would be hard to form a good combination.
“Sorry. I’ve already found my team.”
“Ah, ah, really, how did you…!”
He walked away with an extremely shocked expression.
Alright.
You. If I meet you below deck, it’s a death sentence.
… I thought idly as I looked around the deck.
About a quarter of the students were leisurely chatting, as if they had already formed their teams.
I need to remember these guys well since they will be my main competitors.
Especially the one who keeps meeting my eyes.
A giant stature. Muscles and a physique that look both fierce and savage.
A giant from the Knight Department, Jan Victor.
I remember him because he’s a villain with an unusual background as a barbarian hybrid…
‘This guy makes me uneasy.’
Why does he keep looking at me? I’ll put him on my watch list for now.
There were also kids standing idly as if they had given up.
These aren’t competitors but rather a dangerous group.
People with nothing to lose are scary by nature.
One of them particularly caught my eye.
At the edge of the railing.
A girl with blue hair fluttering, indistinguishable from the sea.
“Wow. Miss Sharon has quite an atmosphere.”
Someone muttered exactly what I was thinking.
She stood alone, blankly staring at the sea below the sky.
‘Is she going to jump?’
She looked so gloomy that such a thought crossed my mind.
“I’m curious about what happened with her, Brother.” ”
Nothing happened, really.”
I rebuked Elena, who was busy chattering and spreading rumors next to me.
Wait a minute.
“…?”
Why is this kid here?
“Didn’t the Priest Department take a different boat? Why are you here?
“Our ship was full, so I came over here! I was looking for Brother Ian, and I finally found you.”
I see.
“I have no friends, Danya is too scary, I have a fear of heights. You are my only hope! I’m scared, so let’s go inside!”
“Perfect timing. Let’s use this opportunity to discuss a more detailed strategy…”
“B-Brother.”
“Hmm?”
Elena pointed at Sharon.
A few students were approaching her.
◆
Sharon looked down at the sea.
Below.
The sea swelled as if taking a deep breath.
Wouldn’t this vast sea accept someone like her?
She wanted to jump into those arms right now.
“…”
Sharon covered her face with her hands.
She thought about the opportunities she had missed.
Ian’s arms had once been as wide as that sea.
The one who had turned them into an endlessly firm and cold iron wall was none other than Sharon herself.
“Ah…”
A life lived pursuing nothing but her own creed.
That creed was wrong.
And she had realized what was right.
Therefore, she had to move toward that rightness.
My mistakes, my arrogance, my atrocities.
I have to reflect.
“Ah…”
But she couldn’t move forward.
She was blocked by a massive wall, repeating the same steps in place.
A deep sigh escaped her.
If only you had insulted me.
If only you had paid me back for everything I did to you, one by one. If you had trampled and beaten me, saying you couldn’t even stand to look at someone like me.
Even that kind of attention would have been less painful.
While drowning in despair, a voice reached her.
“Hey, Sharon?”
For a moment, she hoped.
It wasn’t Ian’s voice.
In hindsight, it was never going to be.
“…”
“If, if you don’t mind, would you like to join our party? You can take half of the party’s coins.”
“I don’t need it.”
She answered coldly as usual.
And then she paused.
‘… This was my problem.’
Not caring about others’ feelings.
Living solely for my own satisfaction.
Even when Ian looked after me, if I had considered his feelings even a little.
I regret everything. Because
I pushed away everything Ian offered me.
So. I have to change, even now.
I have to practice.
I must change, if only for the next opportunity that might come.
“… I’m sorry.”
An apology slipped from Sharon’s lips.
The group that had approached her was startled.
The stern and proud Sharon is apologizing?
“N-no…! It’s okay! We’ll find someone else. See you!”
Even as they moved away from Sharon, the group couldn’t hide their shock.
“Did Sharon just apologize?”
“I can’t believe it. The cold, ice-like Sharon actually apologized. It’s like ice melting!”
“Yeah. She’s not as stuck-up anymore. Did something happen?”
The group shuddered as they looked at each other.
“If Sharon has changed, just how immense must that incident have been…”
Meanwhile.
Their gossip didn’t reach Sharon’s ears.
Even if it did, she ignored it.
Ian.
If I can find even a needle hole in that massive iron wall, I can endure any gossip and insults within the Academy.
“Maybe it’s a good thing.”
Even if she was being criticized, the Academy was the only structure that still connected Ian and Sharon.
After all, hadn’t they participated in the same promotion event?
A distant island began to come into view.
It looked more like a small continent than an island.
‘I heard there are incredible things roaming inside.’
She recalled the professor’s explanation.
There would certainly be enemies difficult for the cadets to handle.
If that’s the case… it was an opportunity.
An opportunity to be of some help to Ian.
Sharon looked down at her physical strength.
Due to her unauthorized absences from classes, her stamina was pitifully low, barely a quarter of the others.
Nevertheless, Sharon clenched her fists tightly.
“…”
The last practical activity of this semester.
There would be no other opportunity to be of use to him like this promotion match.
“I will help, even if it costs me my life.”
Looking at the island, Sharon vowed with a determined voice.
◆
“Everyone, gather around.”
In a small storage room below the deck, my party members huddled together at my command.
“You all heard that the starting locations will be random, right?”
“That’s right! How are we going to meet up?”
Danya exclaimed, clearly curious.
Why do I find that question so reassuring?
Lately, I’ve realized that Danya is the voice of reason in this party.
Take Lina, for instance—she’s smiling at me as if to say, “I’ll just do whatever you say!” And Elena is staring blankly with a “Hehe” expression, probably imagining food given the drool on her face.
Anyway.
“Thanks for the good question, Danya.”
“Hmph. It’s nothing.”
“Everyone, take a look at this.”
I pulled a map out of my pocket.
A map of the island that I had drawn myself.
“What’s this?”
“A map.”
“… A map? Don’t tell me it’s a map of Volta Island…?”
Danya looked at me with a puzzled expression.
‘… As expected.’
Honestly, I had debated whether or not to show this to my teammates.
‘I’ve been revealing too much future information.’
Like during the recent dungeon raid, I could feel the growing curiosity about how I knew all these things.
For a while, they responded with:
– Wow, Ian, you’re amazing.
– How do you know this?!
– Truly impressive, Brother.
But lately, it had changed to.
– Do you know this too?
– Ian… are you a fortune-teller?
– Brother, when will the era of tomatoes come?
It was changing to this kind of reaction.
In other words, they were starting to question the source of my information.
Of course, we trusted each other as teammates, but I couldn’t exactly tell them, “I’m a transmigrator!”
I showed the map after the professors’ announcement to avoid suspicion.
If asked, I planned to say I drew it based on the explanation.
Sure enough,
Danya narrowed her eyes at me while examining the map.
Go ahead, ask anything.
I’m ready to answer.
Her mouth opened slowly.
“This is… a map?”
Elena chimed in from the side.
“No way! It looks like the stained glass windows in a big church! It’s abstract art!”
Lina finished it off.
“Pfft! Ian, you’re not very good at drawing, huh?”
… These guys!
Then don’t look!
Danya grabbed my hand as I hurriedly tried to put the map away.
“S-sorry. I mean, doodle. No, map… Pfft! Please take it out again. I won’t make fun of it anymore.”
“Almighty Deus, please help me overcome this trial.”
“Yeah, Ian! We’ll try hard. I laughed it all out, so it’s not funny anymore. I’ll hold it… back… Hi-hic!”
Ah, the humiliation.
It’s been a while since I’ve felt such direct ridicule.
Fine, I’ll endure it this once.
I picked up my pen and circled a spot on the edge of the map.
“We’ll gather at the outer edge.”
“… The outer edge? Instead of heading inward? Are you giving up on the base the professor mentioned?”
Danya tilted her head.
“Yeah. We’ve already prepared well. There’s no need to compete with others for food or sleeping spots.”
The students were allowed one backpack each.
We had meticulously prepared essentials like food and capsule tents.
“We’ll secure coins quickly. We’ll gather at the outer edge and immediately target a monster.”
“A monster?”
“Yes. From the map Violet showed, there are rock formations that look like unusual animals. There’s bound to be something there. Plus, they’re large and distinct enough that it will be easy for us to meet there.”
Everyone nodded, somewhat convinced. However, Danya and Lina exchanged glances and subtly signaled to Elena.
Elena, shaking her head, reluctantly raised her hand.
“Um, Brother, what kind of animal shape did you mark on the map? A big, s-squirrel?”
“… It’s a crocodile-shaped rock.”
A moment of silence.
The silence was broken by Lina.
“Pfft… A crocodile!”
“I’ve never seen such a cute crocodile! Haha!”
Seriously!
◆
After the commotion settled, a magically amplified voice echoed throughout the ship.
— The ship has arrived above the island. Everyone, stand on the magic circles on the deck.
Each magic circle had a number.
Those with the same number would be transported to the same area.
I led the party to the numbers corresponding to the area near the ‘crocodile-shaped rock.’
The party members stood in a row on the magic circles, still giggling about the ‘crocodile.’
Elena, who had been laughing, trembled as she stood on her perfectly square magic circle.
“We’re not really going to drop, are we, Brother?”
She has a fear of heights, doesn’t she?
“Just go stand properly and wait, Elena.”
“…What?”
— Random teleportation will begin. Brace yourselves for impact!
Just then, the ground under Elena’s feet lit up.
Perhaps sensing the impending drop, Elena looked up at me with tear-filled eyes.
Even if she looks at me like that, there’s nothing I can do?
“You might feel like you’re falling, but don’t worry. It’s just like teleporting.”
“R-really falling?”
“Look down.”
Following my gesture, Elena looked at the ground beneath her.
The square tile she stood on was glowing.
Right on cue.
— Thud!
The ground under Elena’s feet literally vanished.
“Kyahhhhh—!”
Elena disappeared below, screaming.
It’s just a feeling, but she’ll be fine.
Still, seeing that makes me feel better.
Maybe I’m not a saint after all.
One by one, the students vanished from sight.
It was the beginning of the promotion battle.
