Chapter 101

Chapter 101

Hauling back the deer on its own was already difficult enough, so there was no way we could have brought back the jaguar as well. I’d heard from somewhere that one shouldn’t consume carnivorous animals, so I didn’t even want to bring it back anyway.

Riana was utterly exhausted just from helping to transport the single deer, and her stamina was seriously depleted.

“Huff... Huff... Huff...”

Upon returning to camp, Riana collapsed near a tree stump, where Heinrich had managed, through great effort, to kindle a fire. The pouring rain threatened to extinguish it, but Heinrich kept the flames alive, resulting in a continuous plume of rising steam.

“Granz, are you okay?” Heinrich asked with a concerned look, and Riana glanced at him, her arms and legs trembling.

‘Oh yeah, that’s right...’

I remembered that the setting was that Heinrich had a crush on Riana de Granz.

“Do I... look okay to you...”

“Ah, right... Well, no.”

... Somehow, I felt like I understood why she was pretending to be all tough.

She was basically just a female version of me, a female version of Reinhart. Hence, she spoke in a gruff manner and acted tough, but in the end, got all the necessary jobs done.

“Isn’t a jaguar basically like a tiger?” Harriet asked.

Harriet had asked us how we’d managed to capture the deer, and was astonished when she heard about the wild beast that we’d encountered during our hunt. This chapter is updated by nov(e)(l)biin.com

“It’s not a tiger, but something similar.”

“... And you killed it? You did?”

She seemed doubtful, unable to believe it. Surely, it must have sounded like a tall tale that two 17-year-olds had fended off a jaguar.

I pointed toward the deer corpse.

“Well, do you think it’s possible to do something like that with my mouth?”

‘Ah...’

Only after the words had left my mouth did I realize that the way Granz and I spoke was exactly the same.

In any case, the deer’s neck had been torn open, and it was clearly not something that could have been done with human teeth.

That confirmed to Harriet that we had indeed encountered a wild beast.

“Are you hurt?” Harriet asked, peering at me with a slightly worried face.

“... I got electrocuted, but I’m alright.”

“Electrocuted? Why would you get—Oh.”

Harriet seemed to suddenly remember that I had come back with Riana, and nodded blankly.

It was actually Riana who had nearly killed me, and not the jaguar.

However, Harriet had asked me if I was hurt, and I didn’t mind that at all.

Despite the ongoing rain, the camp had been considerably rebuilt. The collapsed structures had been restored, and those busy working would return to the fire that Heinrich was tending whenever they grew too cold to warm up before getting back to work.

I tied the deer’s hind legs with vines and hung it on a large tree branch, just the way I had seen it done from over someone’s shoulder.

Then...

Thwack!

“Yeek!”

Thwack!

“Eck...”

Thwack!

I chopped through the deer’s neck completely with an axe. I could have slit the artery, but the carcass was already muddy, and the area that the jaguar had sunk its teeth into was most likely severely infected with bacteria. Blood began to flow out, and frankly, it was not a pleasant sight.

Next, I slit the deer’s belly open and removed the entrails.

My classmates were all horrified by the gruesome scene. Their expressions seemed to ask, “How could anyone do such a thing?”

Harriet, Riana, and even Adelia were shaking violently.

‘Hey, I feel just as nauseated and as close to vomiting as you guys! But since none of you would even dare to do it if I asked you to, I’m the one who’s doing it!’

“Dammit. Do you think I’m doing this because I want to? You guys are looking at me like I’m some kind of animal. Do any of you want to do it? Huh?”

When I shouted irritably, they all evaded my gaze.

Of course, even I had to admit that with my face, hands, and clothes all drenched in bright red blood, I looked horrifying.

***

Both the campsite team and the hunting teams had to perform tremendous physical labor without even having breakfast, in the midst of the unrelenting downpour. It was only natural that everyone was incredibly exhausted, even if they weren’t necessarily suffering from dehydration.

Even with Heinrich present, grilling meat in the midst of a torrential downpour was a difficult task.

After bleeding and skinning the deer, I chopped up the deer meat using an axe and a machete. It was a rather violent process, more akin to hacking than cutting, since I lacked the skill in both butchery and de-boning.

I placed the chunks of meat into a large pot and boiled them.

Vertus, too, seemed to suddenly find the situation ridiculous and chuckled as he continued to tear into the meat.

The nobles, especially, were laughing senselessly, and their laughter didn’t seem completely negative, which was rather bizarre. Their expressions suggested that they had come to some new and unexpected realization.

***

Even after we finished our protein-packed meal, Ellen and Erhi had still not returned.

Connor Lint appeared anxious about Erhi not coming back.

‘Would he run into the jungle too if left on his own?’

“I’m not so worried about Ellen, but something might have happened to Erhi.”

Vertus seemed troubled, absorbed in thought. Searching for them could entangle us in even more trouble, which would be another headache to deal with.

“Alright. The campsite team will keep working on what needs to be done, and the hunting team will go on a search for Erhi, and do a little reconnaissance. But don’t go in too deep.”

Riana slumped and raised her hand. “I can’t do any more today.”

Although the meal served to replenish some of her energy, she had overexerted herself by carrying the deer back with me earlier in the day.

“Are you too exhausted, Granz?”

“I couldn’t move even if you beat me.”

Apparently, Granz was comfortable speaking bluntly even with Vertus.

“Alright, then it can’t be helped. In that case, Cliffman, me, and Reinhart will each head out individually. Since we’re all going alone, don’t go in too deep. Let’s just sweep the nearby area and come back. Let’s return in a maximum of one hour’s time.”

“Got it.”

“Understood.”

One person’s solo action was now causing three others to have to set out on their own. This incident would probably mark Erhi as unhelpful in Vertus’s eyes moving forward.

With Vertus and I armed with machetes, and Cliffman wielding a javelin and an axe, we entered the jungle, each going in a different direction.

***

Class A’s bottom trio, the three hopeless stooges: Kaier Vioden, Erhi de Raffaeli, and Connor Lint.

Originally, Kaier was the one who despised and trampled on Class B at every opportunity, Erhi had the role of bullying Scarlett until he received a lesson from Ludwig, and Connor Lint, though not particularly a bully, was known for chasing after girls.

They were in Class A, but frankly, they were just a trio of nobodies. They had tried to pick a fight with me, the bottom student of Class A, but ever since they’d been put in their place, they behaved in a subdued way.

Their talents were notable, but either their effort was lacking, their abilities were mediocre, or they had exceptional talents that came with significant flaws.

Despite this, the three of them were very close friends. While it seemed only natural for Erhi, who was so close to the other two, to worry about Kaier’s disappearance and venture alone into the jungle, it was also somewhat surprising.

Kaier was clearly doomed to fail the mission, and following the typical thriller narrative, Erhi would be the next one to fail. If you don’t stay put when you’re told, you’re basically asking to be the next victim. That’s how these stories typically go.

Then, as each subsequent person acts alone in searching for the lost friend, they become victims one by one—the classic development of a thriller.

It was funny to think about it. If this were a classic thriller plot, then surely Ellen Artorius, who one would expect to be the final survivor, would perish trying to save the protagonist in the end.

And Harriet, the complainer, wouldn’t last long either.

What’s that? The timid, terrified, supposedly first-to-die Adelia is the final survivor? So, in the end, the main character was actually Adelia!

That summarized the predictable way in which a classic thriller would develop.

If our story was going to follow that narrative, then those who disregarded the warnings and went searching for the missing person would end up dying alongside them.

Out of the three of us, then, who would be the first to bite the dust?

It wasn’t likely to be Vertus, so it was between Cliffman and me.

Solely based on character significance, it seemed right for Cliffman to be the one, regardless of individual ability.

Or, alternatively, while the three of us were away, the camp—left with only non-combatants—could be attacked.

I walked through the jungle, accompanied by these useless thoughts. After all, the concern over that night’s dinner had been resolved.

Honestly, whatever happened to Erhi was none of my concern, so I didn’t intend to actively search for Erhi. I was out for a leisurely stroll through the jungle.

Surviving until the end of the mission would grant achievement points. Therefore, the outcome was irrelevant to me. If I found Erhi, good; if not, so be it. I was hoping for Class B to win, but I wasn’t going to do anything that would look suspicious, like giving them hints.

Walking alone through the pouring rain, the sights of the jungle drew my attention anew.

If there was a verdant hell, this would be it. The realization hit me anew: nature was beautiful, but when it was overwhelming, it could be dreadful in its own way.

Everything should be in moderation.

Gush, gush, gush...

In such a place, there was no need for ASMR rain sounds.

Being pelted directly by the rain wasn’t exactly pleasant, though.

Even if the rain stopped, that brought issues of its own. Even if I could completely dry off that night and sleep, the jungle would be even more humid than usual when we entered again the next day, and I might very well be steamed alive then.

As I thought about the next day, my mood soured preemptively, and just when I was beginning to think it might be time to head back, I heard voices cutting through the rain.

—Move out of the way, I said.

—And what if I don’t?

The sound of conversation drifted through the rain and reached my ears.