Chapter 13

Stray cat (2)

It may be rude to compare people to animals, but when I look at Yenica Palover, I sometimes feel like it is a dog that has been handled a lot by people.

When you see a dog wagging its tail and welcoming you as if everyone in the world is happy to see you, don’t you feel like hugging it or stroking its head?

I guess all of her classmates thought the same way, so whenever they met Jenika on the street or in a classroom, she would always be in the arms of a female classmate or with her arms around her.

And when I approach within a 3m radius, they glare at me as if they are going to eat me in case it has a negative effect on our pretty Yenika.

If Jenica is the image of a round dog, Lucy Mayril can be compared to a stray cat.

The wheezing sound of the animal and the way it sleeps while hugging its own body make it look like a cat at first glance, but this is definitely not based on appearance alone.

Wild cats can never be tamed.

They rarely coquettishly or treat passersby kindly. At least all the stray cats I’ve seen in my life were like that.

Stray cats that have adapted to the streets of civilization have rules of life that apply only to them.

Even though she lives a life of swimming in squalid back alleys, she is always the center of the world, and even though her fur is covered in grime, she is a creature that walks gracefully like a princess.

However, such behavior is not due to vanity or a sense of being the chosen one. It’s just... that’s the kind of creature it is to begin with.

Lucy Mayril was also that kind of person from the beginning.

“Hahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-

He stretched his body wide and raised his upper body.

It had been about 30 minutes since I returned to camp and found Lucy Mayril.

As for me, I was sitting with my chin in contemplation, wondering what on earth I should do with this guy.

The sun, which had been setting, had almost finished setting, and darkness was already encroaching from the east into the high spring sky.

“....”

Lucy Mayril sat blankly with sleepy eyes. A few strands of assertive hair were sticking to her cheeks.

And the only thing she said as soon as she woke up in someone else’s house was,

“... I’m hungry...”

She was a girl who had a knack for making people bang their heads.

Only then did Lucy make eye contact with me. He had been sitting on a rock chair next to a crackling campfire for a while, resting his chin on his head.

Just staring at him without saying a word. It would be normal for an ordinary girl to take a deep breath and react in confusion.

However, the opponent was Lucy Mayril.

“Out of 100 points... about 90 points...?”

I just stayed still.

“It was nice to have a soft sunlight coming in because it was finished with leaves. It was cool to have the draft coming in, so it felt great. As soon as I laid down, I fell asleep right away.”

Apparently, my camp is in the top three places for napping at Sylvania Academy according to Lucy Mayrill.

“But the floor was roughly covered with clothes, so I had no choice but to lie down and sleep... It would have been nice if it was a little softer, but I still enjoyed the sunshine... and the sound of the babbling stream was also very nice.”

And he speaks slyly without even changing his blank expression.

“It was great.”

Although her expression didn’t change at all, it felt strangely sparkling, and I was convinced that this was the girl’s satisfied face.

...What am I convinced of?

Lucy Mayril stood up and stretched once again.

My wooden shelter, which has been reinforced several times, is wider than I thought. But if you look at how wide it is and how high the ceiling is, it ends around my shoulders. In short, I couldn’t even stand up in there.

When you look at Lucy Mayril stretching out in such a small space, you realize the difference in her physique. She is truly a short girl. Even though the school uniform is the smallest size in the workplace, the sleeves look baggy.

Soon, Lucy’s stomach growled.

At the same time, Lucy jumped out of the shelter.

‘It jumped out’ was a really accurate expression.

Lucy Mayril’s movements are like martial arts techniques seen in martial arts movies. He gathers magical power at the tips of his feet, kicks himself, and uses elemental wind magic, gravity magic, advanced shock absorption magic, etc. to land on the desired spot using his small body.

He moves his body like a hermit, using all kinds of advanced magic. The professors at the Ministry of Magic also concentrate and multi-cast five or six magic spells they use one by one. And that too instinctively, not consciously.

“Is this dried meat? Can I eat it?”

Lucy Mayril, who is infinitely aloof from the Sepa, has no one to fear within this academy. Fenia, the princess of mercy, Lortel, the daughter of gold, and Glast, the famously evil professor, are all equal human beings in front of Lucy, whose nature is loose.

However, it does not mean that there is no one who can control this unpredictable Lucy.

“Well.. the maids at Ofilis Building were looking for you.”

As soon as she heard those words, Lucy’s complexion began to turn pale. The kicks that were fluttering in the air disappeared in an instant.

Then, in an instant, she flew into the shelter and grabbed a wide-brimmed witch hat.

“You know, I think I have to go.”

“Okay... have a hard time.”

“I’ll come again next time.”

Just please don’t come.

“But before I go, I have something to tell you. He wants me to tell you something.”

I wasted so much time being influenced by Lucy. I was in the middle of organizing my laundry supplies so I could wash the sportswear I was going to wear tomorrow.

Lucy held out her finger toward the forest.

“what?”

I looked in the direction Lucy pointed, but there was only a forest full of green spreading out there.

“...”

“That wolf the size of a house. I’ve been watching it the whole time.”

At once, goosebumps ran down my back.

For me, who has not yet had a chance to properly practice spirit perception, there are still areas of the world that cannot be seen.

“I want you to save Yenika someday.”

After putting down the message as if it was no big deal, Lucy disappeared in the direction of the Ofilis Building.

I slowly turned my head and looked back toward the forest that Lucy had indicated.

There was only the sound of insects chirping between the lush trees.

There was nothing more to see other than that.

*

———————————————– [ Announcement ]

A joint combat class is scheduled for 1st and 2nd graders.

Students attending basic cooperative combat introduction/advanced classes at the Nailgwan Common Combat Training Facility should check their group through the distributed list.

※ The class participation rate of students in the Pension Department is extremely low! Alchemy experiments are great, but be sure to participate in the common classes as well!

– Claire Elfin, assistant professor of combat practice.

———————————————— The next day.

A notice was distributed at a meeting of second-year students held in the student center. Is it already time for the joint combat class event for 1st and 2nd graders?

The progress is pretty fast. The joint combat class event was definitely... the event where Yenica Palover appeared in the game for the first time.

That means that ‘Golden Daughter Lortel’ and ‘Princess Fenia of Love’ have already begun to clash due to differences in their opinions.

The second year episode, where the student political drama part begins properly, separate from the monster battle part. The groundwork has already begun to be laid.

Both the combat and political aspects are important variables in this world, so you should keep a close eye on them.

Well, from my position, one step away from the stage, I can only infer it from the occasional rumors or the passage of time.

Still, the only way to be sure is to see it with your own eyes.

You will have to pay close attention to which faction the main character, Tailly, will side with, what choice she will make at which juncture, and gauge well which direction the world will flow as a result.

Anyway, at the last entrance ceremony, I couldn’t even look for Tailley properly because I was called to a meeting with the dean.

In this joint combat class, we will definitely be able to see the faces of the first year students who will be the main characters of the scenario.

In any case, it is an opportunity to check whether the story is progressing smoothly without any variables.

I walked out of the student center, easing my sore shoulders from all night sharpening arrows.

Although it is a hellish life, humans are creatures of adaptation. I’m starting to feel like my body is adapting somehow. It would be nice if there was just some meaningful change in my stamina stats.

Still, things will work out well.

Now, I am able to have such hopeful thoughts.