Chapter 250 |
Adonis's words were meant for Alex, the true protagonist, as he left his seat. "Will you take care of the children, including Victoria, while I am away?"
"Are you feeling burdened? Don't worry. Despite appearances, this child has the strength to take care of herself. But..."
"Just a moment, please wait."
"...?"
After stopping Adonis, I started searching for Alex among the children.
The 'story' began climbing a mountain instead of flowing like a river.
In fact, it was steadily climbing towards Andromeda, without slipping on a mountain where not a single drop of water flowed.
This meant something was far from normal.
Now, there was only one thing left to do.
Finding Alex wasn't difficult.
Standing nobly alone on the plain, like a lone wolf, was Alex.
I grabbed Alex's hand.
"Alex, could you come with me for a moment?"
"Huh? Why? Is something wrong?"
Something was indeed wrong—a very big problem!
"Zero! Take me with you!"
Raymon followed, but there was no need to worry.
Luna had swept him away.
"Impudent! How dare you grab my friend's hand!"
"Aaaah! It's unfair!"
Wham, wham, wham!
Leaving Raymon to Luna's windmill throws, they reached where Adonis was waiting.
"Keke, could you please repeat what you said?"
If the story is changing, then it must be rewritten.
This was the solution I had come up with.
Knowing the future was my greatest strength. I couldn't give up on that.
Adonis, puzzled, seemed to realize something and nodded.
"Are you looking out for your friend? Impressive. I knew I had an eye for people."
Hmm, it doesn’t seem quite right coming from someone who was trying to kill me just a short while ago.
Let's move past it. Right now, the important thing is to restore the original story and pass Victoria's responsibility to Alex.
"Keke, I just thought Alex was the right person for the job. Much better than someone like me."
"Hmm... Zero, aren't you underestimating yourself?"
"Not at all. Alex, who takes everything seriously, even the smallest things, is far more suitable for this task than I am! He’s also stronger."
"To praise a friend to such an extent... not everyone can do that. Zero, the more I see, the more impressive you are."
...Is this old man losing his mind? Maybe a smack would bring him back to his senses?
Huh? Considering hitting an old man. Worse than Luna?
No. I would only commit such an act to 'cure' (so to speak) Adonis.
A kind of righteous misdeed, if you will?
"You make it impossible not to care for you."
Pat, pat.
Adonis went on tiptoe and began to pat my head.
'Why so fast?'
I had no chance to resist, let alone respond.
The path to a righteous misdeed seems long and perilous.
After a while, Adonis turned to Alex.
"Right, Alex. I should ask you too."
"Yes, please tell me."
At this point, Alex knew that Adonis was Douglas.
He had learned this when Adonis revealed his secret while teaching him a new skill.
"I plan to go further inside with Caron. And... I'd like you to look after the children, including 'that child'."
At last, I could breathe a sigh of relief.
Because the story had returned to its original course.
"I can take care of myself, but... that child is really unpredictable. I hope you can keep an eye on her while I'm away."
"I will do that."
"Keke, I’ll excuse myself then. My own body is fragile and difficult to maintain."
"You both have my thanks. It's reassuring to see that the Empire's future is bright."
"...?"
Hmm, I thought I had made my refusal clear, but why does it seem like the Empire's future is already decided?
A real mystery indeed.
"Everyone, gather around! The briefing starts now!"
Caron's sudden shout drew the children together in small groups, most of them visibly anxious.
"As you all know, preventing the erosion is our top priority."
Once erosion fully takes root, the area becomes a dead land, incapable of sustaining life.
Currently, the continent has no method to eradicate erosion completely.
The only alternative is to remove it before it fully establishes itself.
'The enemy knows this too, so they’ve built a solid defense line around the erosion.'
A fierce battle between those wanting to remove and those wanting to protect the erosion.
Caron, Adonis, and even the instructors had to head towards the inner part of the fortress for this reason.
"Simply put, there's no one here to protect you."
"..."
"Someone here might die. The battlefield... it's that kind of place."
The children's shoulders slumped.
Facing actual demons in combat without any protectors was terrifying enough, but doing so without their usual guardians from Caron and the instructors was daunting.
Tears started to well up in some of the children's eyes.
"But then, are you planning to give up? Just because there's no one to protect you, you’ll just accept death?"
"..."
"We never taught you how to be protected. We taught you how to fight, how to win."
"!"
"Fight back. Trust in yourselves and unite with your friends. And... survive."
Ah, even listening to it again, it’s a powerful speech.
Soon, as Caron's speech ends, a buff that increases all stats by 3 will apply to everyone.
A necessary buff to tackle Mabelga.
"That’s the spirit. If you're prepared for death..."
Crack!
Suddenly, Caron’s head snapped forward. Someone had smacked the back of his head.
The one carelessly striking the back of the head of Caron, known as the Killing Machine, was none other than...
"This person! What are you saying! What’s the use of scaring the children!"
The Don Quixote of this world... no, the Principal of Annwood Academy, Dwener.
He didn’t just knock sense into Caron; he also knocked away the buff that was supposed to apply to us all.
‘That incompetent fool! He knocked away my buff!’
The dream of the first successful conquest of Mabelga seemed to slip away.
Dwener glared at Caron as if he was suffocating him.
"I was just making them aware of the reality."
"Reality my foot. And what do you mean there's no one to protect them? I'm right here!"
Thump! Thump!
Dwener thumped his chest, producing a strange metallic sound, as well as a display as bizarre and incompetent as his past.
It was only natural that the children frowned.
"The Principal will protect us?"
"Do you believe that?"
"Would you believe it?"
"It's just as Mr. Caron said. We have to protect our own lives!"
"Ohhhhhhh!"
[A sudden surge in morale temporarily activates a buff.]
[+10 to all stats until the end of the Carpathia defense.]
"...?"
Not +3, but +10?
What’s with this incredible buff?
Perhaps it’s because they knew well how incompetent Dwener was.
The children began to unite and ignite their will to fight.
"Yeah! Just rely on me! Hahaha!"
Of course, Dwener was deluded, but well...
Who cares, as long as the buff applies correctly.
*
"I'll divide you into four groups. Make sure the soldiers escort the wounded properly."
The groups formed around Teron, Yuridia, Victoria, and the rest.
Perhaps because of the dangerous situation, Caron had grouped the children who worked best together.
"The stronger ones should protect the weaker ones. And... Teron."
"Yes."
"Do your best. If you just stand around like last time, I won’t let it go."
Teron had just stood with his hands behind his back during a crisis in the ant nest.
Because of that, he was scolded by Caron and even received demerits.
"...I was planning to do that anyway."
"You talk a good game."
Teron’s eyebrows twitched, but that was all.
This is the real deal. Teron knew better than anyone that challenging a leader like Caron would only disadvantage him.
"Well, I must go. Let's meet after the work is done."
"Be, be careful!"
"You all better watch your grades. Even now, the soldiers are keeping an eye on your actions."
At that, the children started scanning their surroundings like meerkats.
I had thought scoring would be impossible without the instructors, but it seemed that task had been delegated to the soldiers.
Teron's group, along with Yuridia's and Victoria's, began their meetings.
It looked like they were discussing formations and tactics.
"Zero."
Caron, passing nearby, called me over.
His face was sterner than usual—a look that knew the horrors of the battlefield all too well.
I could guess what he was about to ask.
‘He’s going to ask me to protect Luna.’
But the words that came out of Caron’s mouth were completely unexpected.
"Please... look after the children."
Caron said.
You're the only one here I can trust.
Keep them from dying.
We must protect their futures.
‘The more I know him, the deeper his character seems.’
It would be better if he acted as ferocious as he looked.
Unlike Caron, who cared about the children, I had no intention of protecting them.
They were extras who wouldn't be of any help in the future.
‘Well, I plan to eliminate all the demons.’
With [Predation], I could acquire skills for free, and I wasn’t going to miss such an opportunity.
It was a win-win situation.
So, the only thing I could say to Caron was...
"Keke, I'll try."
"This arrogant fool."
Caron punched me playfully and chuckled as he walked towards the castle, followed by a streak of lightning.
Shortly after, a massive golden lightning bolt struck within the castle walls.
*
As Caron had arranged, the children divided into areas 1 through 4 to establish their positions.
Luna, me, and the pufferfish rabbit were in area 2.
The place where Yuridia's group was and where the second demon would appear.
‘It’s randomly decided by the system. Area 2... not bad.’
Caron had placed me here for a simple reason.
It was easy to provide support to other areas from here, a strategic point between areas 1 and 3 that also received protection from them.
The view was even nice—a vast plain with Carpathia Castle on one side.
‘Aside from the minor issue that it’s burning...’
Even that seemed just a part of the landscape.
In a word, it was a nice place. The only problem? I had no intention of staying here.
Clip-clop-.
Just then, Dwener, rode past us on a horse that was as thin as a rail.
"Don't worry, everyone! If a demon appears, I'll use the family secret technique, Spiral Flash Great Wheel Dance!"
...What’s that?
Even I, a seasoned player, had never heard of this skill.
It was likely a nonexistent skill.
All show, no go. That’s typical of Dwener’s character.
"Oh, Zero. Watch and learn from my majestic form."
But even if I wanted to watch, I couldn’t.
Dwener's horse kept moving forward.
"No, you fool! Where are you going! Stop! I said stop!"
Yet, the horse carrying Dwener silently pressed on.
I waved at Dwener.
‘He gave us a bigger stat boost than expected...’
Dwener’s contribution would probably end here. It would be better if he just fell and was carried to the medics.
The Don Quixote in the novel charged at windmills and met a dreadful fate, but here, it might be even worse.
"Yawn~ It's so quiet."
"I’m going to confess to her when I get back!"
One by one, the children started spouting nonsense.
‘It's about time to move.’
If the timing was off, things could get messy.
As I was about to get up from the field, someone suddenly loomed over me.
"What are you doing here?"
The leader of area 2 and a girl crazed with love. It was Yuridia.
"Keke, I was just resting?"
"Really? Now's the time to rest?"
"Then what should I be doing?"
"It’s obviously the time to whisper sweet nothings!"
...Why would I whisper that?
--TL Notes--
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