CH 118

Not only does he know well about the situation in the slum region, but he also seems to be a good person, so I really want his help with the sewerage plan.

Well then, how do I persuade him? Marcus looked apologetic as Sophie thought of that.

“By the way ojou-san. I was suddenly asked to accompany the mountain exercise group. Sorry, but could you go to another group for the copper class instead? They will do their lesson within the premises after all.”

“Mountain exercise…”

Sophie’s eyes shone as she heard those words.

Without noticing that fact, Luca asked Marcus,

“But didn’t you just serve as the leader of the mountain exercise yesterday?”

“Doni had a stomachache and couldn’t serve as the leader of the mountain exercise scheduled today. Geez, that Doni, he keeps getting stomachaches. Will he even pass the knight exam next year?”

Although he complained, it seemed that he still did follow up properly.

“What do you do in the mountain exercise?”

Marcus briefly answered Sophie’s question.

“It’s basically about getting used to the mountain and enhancing physical strength. We go to the foot of the mountain on a horse and then climb the mountain. We procure ingredients within the mountain, eat them, and go back down. It’s a simple exercise, but it’s a mountain with a steep slope so it’s just right for building physical strength. People we bring to that exercise are those who are within their first year since their enrollment.”

“How long does it take?”

“It’s a two-hour trip to the mountain, then from climbing up to climbing back down would add another three hours.”

“That means it’s a lesson that could be concluded within a day.”

Marcus smiled as he agreed to Sophie’s words.

“In that case, can I come along?”

His smiling face stiffened.

“Eh… how far will you come along with it?”

“Of course, all the way to the end.”

“Eeh-…??”

Marcus wrinkled his eyebrows and looked at Luca. Marcus’ eyes seemed to scream, “How should I respond in this situation?”

Luca hurriedly tried to stop Sophie.

“Sophie-sama, as your escort, I shouldn’t allow you to participate in the mountain exercise!”

“Oh my, it’s not like it’s forbidden to go out, and it should be okay since I’m going together with copper star students!”

As Sophie approached Luca, close enough for him to see the strands of her long eyelashes clearly, Luca took a step back.

“N-no can do…”

“I will turn back immediately if I judge it to be impossible. Okay?”

Her fresh green eyes felt too strong and seemingly penetrated his eyes. Even so, Luca still opened his mouth, refusing to admit defeat.

“No, but…”

“Please, Luca. Okay?”

Even though it was she who was asking, Luca felt scared for some reason. What was the overwhelming pressure he felt that didn’t feel like it came from a girl?

“N…”

“Okay?”

Despite her cute voice, nobody could match the strength held within.

There were birds flying and singing high-pitched sounds overhead.

They had climbed to the top. When they checked the time, it seemed that they had already climbed the slope for about an hour. Well, in terms of their speed, it was closer to running than walking.

Looking back, unlike Marcus and Luca, who were already used to it, the first-year copper star students showed their exhaustion. And the physical strength of the person who suddenly participated was seemingly close to hitting its limit.

“Err… are you okay?”

Looking at the figure that struggled to breathe, Luca gently gave his consideration.

“If it’s hard, should we take a rest here for a bit?”

“You’re right. There just happens to be a rock we can sit on.”

Luca nodded to Marcus’ suggestion.

The pair who received two copper stars hadn’t broken a sweat, but it was difficult to walk in the deep forest due to moist stones and muddy soil. The road trampled over by humans used in this exercise was easier to walk on when compared to one that animals passed through, but those who weren’t used to walking on them were having a hard time.

“Hey, that one seems about to collapse at any moment, should we turn back?”

Marcus asked Luca in a whisper.

“Let’s see…”

The reason Luca only gave a vague answer was because Luca was confused whether it was alright to do so.

“Maybe we should turn back?”

“Well… seeing the other person is still that energetic, it’s hard to come to a decision.”

Their gaze was following Sophie, who had her long black hair tied up and put in her hat.

The girl changed her dress to trousers soon after announcing her desire to participate in the mountain exercise and was passing a drink to Lars, who struggled to breathe as he sat on the rock that was just the right size to sit on.

“Are you okay, Lars?”

“T-thank you very much…”

Lars expressed his gratitude while he had a hard time opening his mouth.

There was no waste in Sophie’s movement as she took care of Lars by soaking her handkerchief with water and putting it on Lars’ forehead, who struggled to move.

“…Hey, Luca. Why is that ojou-san still that energetic? Isn’t it weird?”

“…I wonder why as well.”

As Marcus looked at Sophie with suspicion, she took out some packed food from her bag.

“Marcus, may I ask for permission to feed him some packed food?”

“I don’t mind…”

Even though the copper star students, who weren’t used to exercise, were taking their rest, Sophie moved steadily without sitting.

“There, eat some, even if just a little. It’s important to replenish your energy.”

Baked snacks with nuts are suitable to replenish energy because they contain sugar and minerals, explained Sophie as she fed it to Lars. She also distributed it evenly to the copper star students.

Looking at Sophie, who was clearly used to climbing mountains and didn’t look tired at all, Marcus furrowed his eyebrows.

“…That ojou-san sure is energetic.”

“Yes. The air is clean and the woods are beautiful, so it feels comfortable.”

The black-haired girl smiled shiningly while feeling the comfortable faint breeze.

The girl they were most worried about turned out to be the most energetic for some reason.