“Nnnhhhhh~! It sure has been a while since we spent time with just the two of us, hasn’t it Misa?”
“Indeed it has.”
Ru stretched out before leaning her head against my shoulder.
It’s currently right after dinner, only me and Ru are out here in front of the campfire.
The others are currently asleep as we had decided to split the night’s sleep and guard portion.
We both had the same night guard shift, being the first to keep watch.
I set it so me and Ru took the first one, Vora and Mika took the one after, and the last being Dinzo and Hiyori.
I knew I had to separate Vora from Dinzo with their relation being like that, Mika also didn’t have a positive impression of him too.
I know he’s not that bad of a person after going through the first day with him but I don’t think I would be able to handle staying with just him.
After that it’s partially me wanting to catch up with Ru paired with the fact that I simply thought Hiyori would be able to deal with Dinzo better.
“Yeah, the last time was when we had lunch in that shady-looking place right?”
“Haha, the boss’ place does look shady! Yes, it’s so sad that we don’t get to see each other much despite being in the same school technically.”
“That ‘technically’ is a big emphasis. You might as well call the noble course and commoner course 2 different school altogether, we rarely ever interact with one another.”
I inadvertently let out a sigh.
Even if that’s not the case, Firana-oneesama would almost always hog my time either way.
I don’t really mind it since I like being with her but I don’t even get to spend much time with Lia, who is my classmate.
She would often times keep me in our room, either giving me a lecture or just relaxing while hugging me like a doll.
Soon that’ll not be the case though, which would be lonely in another way.
Though she can be overbearing at times, it’s also a fact that I got accustomed to living here very quickly thanks to her.
I could feel my cheek being poked as I was deep in thoughts, of course the perpetrator was obvious.
“What’re you thinking about?”
“Ahhh, nothing much. Just amazed at how much had happened over the past few months.”
“True. One day I was thinking of disappearing from the face of the earth, the next moment I got invited to attend a newly opened academy, and now I’m somehow here in another world after nearly dying a couple of times~”
Ru said in a melancholic tone which was quite rare for her.
“Yeahh…..Wait, nearly dying a couple of times?”
I knew one of those near-death experience was what got me into my…..unexpected gender change and contract with Rosa but she’d experience even more?
“Yeah. I know Cure was not going to kill me but if you were me at that position, you would also think that you would’ve died.”
I could see Ru shivering in fear as she seemed to recall said memory.
“No no no, go back a bit. How did it came to that!?”
“Don’t you remember? Frillia gave me that absurd condition in order for me to be able to stay here.”
“Ahhhh…..”
Come to think of it, that did happen.
This week had been rather eventful, particularly right before this expedition so it had slipped off my mind.
“So how did it went?”
“As I mentioned, it really felt like I was going to die back then. And yet, I knew that if I were to back down like Frillia had hope for, I would’ve regretted it…..No, that option never really existed from the start. I was determined not to run away, not again at least. You would understand right?”
“Ehhh….?”
Suddenly getting asked that got me speechless.
“After all, even if our origins aren’t the same, we’re all gathered to the academy for roughly the same reason.”
She looked at me with a serious expression for a moment before breaking to a smile.
“Well, that’s enough gloomy talks! All’s well that ends well. We’re now both here, and with a fresh start to our life after all.”
“Yes.”
I often forgot but despite Ru’s generally cheerful persona, she also came to the academy for roughly the same reason.
The origin of said reason might’ve been different than mine but the core of it should be similar, that’s how we got picked and invited in the first place after all.
I stopped myself from asking about her past before the academy since by just giving it a simple thought, I also wouldn’t be able to answer truthfully if I were to be asked by Ru herself.
After all, what I did was…..unforgiveable.
Ru probably knew it as well, it’s a commonality of those who got invited to the academy I suppose.
“Anyway, how was it on your side Misa? Anything fun happened?”
Ru diverted the topic naturally, which I was more than happy to follow along.
“Ahaha, you could say that.”
“Ehhh? Do tell then!”
“The most memorable and impactful one would be right before this expedition at least. It all started when…..”
We continued to spend time talking and catching up with each other until our shift time was over.
In the middle of my slumber, I could feel my body being shaken gently.
It didn’t take long for me to wake up and see Hiyori, the one who woke me up.
“Morning.”
“Nnn…..morning….”
I slept way more soundly than I thought I would, considering we’re out in the wild.
I wonder if it’s because I’m surrounded by all these plants around me, I do feel safer around them.
I did also tell them to protect us throughout the night and wake me up in case there’s an emergency so that also gave me a peace of mind I suppose.
After I was a bit more awake, I shook Ru gently while calling her name.
It also didn’t take long for Ru to wake up.
“Fwaaahhhh~ Is it morning already…..?”
With a loud yawn, Ru got up into a sleeping position and rubbed her eyes sleepily.
We both got out of our ‘tent’ and the first thing that came into view was…..
“Dinzo I’m going to kill you!”
“Ahahaha!! Aren’t you fired up in the morning!”
…..Dinzo getting chased around by Vora.
I can already guess what happened but I rather just ignore it completely and head to the campfire, which is still burning even now. Rather, it felt like the wood didn’t decrease at all.
I guess either one or maybe even both of the pairs after us went to get more wood which made me feel a bit bad since all me and Ru did was chat around with each other.
We still had some leftover boar soup from yesterday so we had that for breakfast.
After breakfast we immediately set back off towards our destination.
It looked like it would be another uneventful day like yesterday, though it didn’t take long for my guess to be proven wrong.
At first nothing much happened indeed, we encountered a few monsters here and there but with our group they weren’t even a threat so it was not worth mentioning.
After about close to 2 hours or so of exploring though, I noticed something strange.
A group, or rather 2 groups are currently traversing together.
They weren’t really heading towards the destination either, they were circling around as if they’re waiting for something.
I concentrated a bit more and didn’t see anything blocking the path so I couldn’t figure out why they were together on top of not even progressing.
Still, I couldn’t exactly tell my group else I’ll expose myself so I simply let us proceed naturally.
“…..!”
Sure enough, we ended up bumping…..or rather clashing with each other as the first greeting when they saw us was to shoot a couple of arrow on us.
Only Dinzo reacted on time and dashed forward to block most of them while I created a wall of wood to block the ones he missed.
The supervisors aren’t from their group aren’t even stepping in, or rather both of them went towards our supervisor instead with weapon in hand?
What is even going on here!?
“Ohhh dear, I didn’t remember attacking another group on sight to be part of the rules.”
Dinzo put his hand on his pocket while pointing his sword at the group, laughing before giving a sharp glare.
The others also finally caught up to the development and got into their stance.
“It would’ve made it easier if you just didn’t block it. We didn’t aim to kill you after all.”
One of the students on the opposite side stepped up and said in a casual tone.
“What is the meaning of this?”
Vora also stepped up next to Dinzo with his sword on his hand along with Ru and Hiyori slightly behind them as we get to our battle position.
“It’s simple. We’re sick of living in this kingdom. That’s when I got an offer by the neighboring kingdom that I, no, we simply can’t refuse.”
“Offer?”
“Yes! The Yuzuld kingdom promised us wealth and prestige in exchange for escorting that girl to their kingdom.”
He suddenly pointed at me, something I completely didn’t expect.
“Ahhhh, I see. So that’s how it is huh.”
I didn’t get why I would suddenly be highly looked for by the neighboring kingdom but Dinzo seemed to get it.
Is it because I’m in contract with a spirit?
No, launching what’s essentially a kidnap operation on another kingdom seemed too much just for a single person in contract with a spirit, especially since there’s not much that know I’m in contract with a higher rank spirit.
My thoughts were cut short as I saw their leader stepped took a few steps forward in a relaxed manner.
“Ohhh but I’m no villain, no no. This me, the great Firtinbar Yerlia….no, I suppose I’ll drop the Yerlia as I won’t be using it any longer after I’m done with this. But yes, I’m no villain so I’m offering all of you the same offer that Yuzuld kingdom offered me.”
He extended his hand towards us.
“If you come with us peacefully, then all of us can leave this kingdom that doesn’t even appreciate us. Of course, that offer extends to you too, Misa. After all, they don’t plan to treat you badly there, you’ll live a comfortable life too with a bit of work on the side.”
The one who responded first from our group was Dinzo as he let out a sigh.
“Not interested so can you get out of the way now?”
“Ohhh? I thought that if anyone were to accept, it would be you, the disappointing child of the Sefaros family. Aren’t you tired of being undermined and compared to your father and brother?”
“Hahaha, if you had invited me a day early then that would be an enticing offer. Not interested at all now though so get lost.”
Dinzo said in the coldest voice he had ever let out yet.
Firtinbar let out a sigh of his own in response.
“And I suppose the rest of you are the same?”
“Of course.”
“Yeahhh, I like this kingdom. Piyopiyo is here after all.”
“So you’re saying you would come with me if I were to agree with their offer?”
“Ehhhh!? You’re accepting it?”
“I’m just teasing you. Of course I’ll not go along with this nonsense.”
All of them declined the offer, of course that includes me.
There’s no way I would leave El after all, and Firana-oneesama is already an important part of my life.
“That’s just too bad then. Mika, did you do what I told you to?”
“Ehhh? What are you….!?”
Suddenly I saw Dinzo dropping to his knee.
The same happened with Vora, Ru and Hiyori.
Before I could look at Mika, I could already feel my body firmly being held by his arm akin to a hug and a blade pressed against my neck.
“Of course. I’m not passing up this opportunity to leave this rotten kingdom.”
Mika is on their side this whole time!?
No, more importantly why did the 4 of them suddenly lost their strength?
The most likely outcome would be…..the soup?
Mika was the one who prepared it this morning so it definitely lines up.
But I don’t feel anything particularly strange with my body, so that could only mean…..the poison they used were made from plants!
Then it’s easy enough to cure everyone from it.
“Alright Mika, bring her here and let’s go. We can just leave these guys. If they’re lucky, maybe the poison will wear off before any monsters come to chow down at them.”
I silently casted my magic and cured everyone out of the poison.
It’s truly a miraculous magic taught by Rosa that lets me cure any poison inside someone’s body if said poison comes from plants.
It doesn’t cost much mana either so it’s more ideal to use this than the almighty cure-all flower that I gave to the king a while back, that one takes a lot of mana to make.
I searched the surrounding while being ‘escorted’ by Mika, it seems like our supervisor is having a hard time facing against the 2 supervisors from these 2 groups so I gave him a little help.
Now I just need to carefully figure out a way to break free from Mika, since even now he’s still holding his knife against my throat.
I was already next to Firtinbar at this point so a careless move would only result in more harm than good.
No wait, what am I talking about?
They’re all grouped up like this, why do I have to think about it much?
I casted my magic again and summoned a couple of plants that releases a scentless and colorless sleeping pollens to the air.
Of course I specifically made it so it won’t affect my friends.
It’s a fast-acting one so soon enough, all of them dropped to the ground.
“Are you guys okay?”
As I turned back towards the 4, they looked at me with a surprised look.
D-Did I show too much….?
No, at this point there’s one way out!
I pretended to lose power and fall to the ground.
The grass became my cushion so it didn’t hurt but it was still scary, still it’s a necessary action.
“Misa!”
Ru was the first one to run up to me and lifted me in her arms as she looked at me concerned.
“Are you fine?”
“Y-Yeah….I-I just used a bit too much mana.”
I actually still had plenty left in the tank since I didn’t use much magic but I have to make it looked like I put my all into doing all of those.
“Thanks Misa, you saved us.”
Hiyori, Vora, and Dinzo also closed their distance.
Not wanting to be questioned by them, I closed my eyes and pretended to fall asleep.
No, I’m a bit worried about my breathing being heard or something so I simply told the flowers I summoned before to put me to sleep with their pollens.
By the time I woke up, they had already carried me to the encampment.
After checking up on my condition, they caught me up on what happened.
They split up the group into Ru and Hiyori who would carry me to the encampment and call the teacher while Vora and Dinzo kept watch of the group.
It seemed like the supervisor for both of those groups were sneakily lured in and caught off-guard as the 2 groups pretended to fight each other.
They suddenly got assaulted out of nowhere and lost consciousness, and by the time they woke up they were already wearing an enslavement collar.
That was why they ended up fighting our supervisor when our 2 groups collided.
Firtinbar’s group at first played innocent and blamed it on us, but turned out Dinzo had recorded our whole conversation so they couldn’t bluff their way out of this one.
There were a lot more details but that’s basically the gist of it.
After I ‘recovered’, our group went back while being escorted by a teacher I didn’t know and our adventurer supervisor.
It might’ve been a surprising chain of events but in the end as I reassured Firana-oneesama, I wasn’t really worried about this expedition.
This forest is essentially my home ground after all, unless someone can raze or destroy this whole forest down then they have almost no chance against me.
The 5 of us happily chatted with one another on the way back and thus ended this expedition.
After this is a long vacation so I’m looking forward to it!
Me and El are going to the Selesia estate with Firana-oneesama.
Yes, that was how it’s supposed to be and yet…..
As we walked towards the school entrance, a knight was waiting in front.
Immediately upon seeing us, he closed the distance in a hurry.
“Is any one of you named Misa?”
“Yes, I’m Misa. What business do you…..”
He immediately cut my word before I could even finished.
“Pardon my rudeness but this is an emergency message from commander Cure. Cielle had gone missing in the neighboring kingdom of Alstene!”
As I heard what he had to say, I couldn't even let out a voice in response.
El…..?
author u okay?
Ty for chapter~