Chapter 10. Prepare for the Foreseen Ruin (2)
Not long after departure, I lowered my head.
“Urgh…”
Nope. This is bad. Really bad.
My whole body ached unbearably.
The cause was clear — yesterday’s sparring match.
I had thought my body could endure it, but I guess I was wrong.
I just rolled around in the dirt a bit and used my mana a few times, that’s all…
I felt like mush inside.
I must’ve looked pretty bad, because Remus Therion, who had been riding his horse at a distance, hesitantly approached again.
“Um, m-may I… would you allow me to… take a look?”
“…No. I’m fine. It’s just an upset stomach.”
“St-still… If you’re still not well by dinner, p-please tell me.”
“Yes. Thank you, Therion.”
As I nodded lightly, Remus Therion smiled faintly, adjusted his hood, and moved away again.
Watching him sway on his horse, it was obvious he wasn’t very skilled at riding.
Is he going to be okay?
As I anxiously glanced toward him and looked ahead again, I suddenly felt the presence of the group in front growing closer.
“…?”
When I lifted my head, I noticed their pace had abruptly slowed.
What’s going on?
I narrowed my eyes and studied the situation. A loud voice echoed through the humid air.
“Ended up at the back of the formation… What a joke.”
“Does she even know how to ride? She’s basically being carried like luggage.”
One knight glanced back and locked eyes with me. He must’ve noticed how exhausted I looked from yesterday’s match. His voice grew even louder with excitement.
“She’s just not used to riding. I wonder if she’ll even graduate.”
What the hell…
Do they think I’ll let this slide just because they’re kids?
…Oh, right. I am the youngest here.
Their pointless jeers were pouring in, but most of what they said was wrong anyway.
Though I was hunched over due to the aftereffects of the spar, my riding posture was nearly textbook. I could easily overtake them right now if I wanted to.
Sigh…
And no, I won’t graduate from the Academy.
Because nearly everyone at the Academy dies.
And so will they — they’ll die too.
So they slowed down just to say that nonsense? The immaturity of children really is something else.
I thought about responding, but it didn’t feel worth the effort. Honestly, I felt like I’d throw up the moment I opened my mouth.
More than anything, I needed to calm my stomach.
Just as I closed my eyes to feel the breeze and channel my mana in one direction—
“….”
One of them kept glancing back to see how I would react.
His gaze was irritating.
Should I get rid of him?
Snap!
I casually flicked my fingers holding the reins and shifted my mana.
The wind caught his cloak just a bit… unnaturally…
“Gah!”
It snagged on a sharp tree branch. I turned my head away without bothering to look back.
“Wh-what? Wait, my cloak!”
“What’s happening?”
“Hey!”
The sound of hooves grew chaotic, and they shouted in confusion.
Pretending to just notice the commotion, I lifted my head.
The guy who kept looking back had gotten his cloak tangled in a high branch and was now dangling awkwardly from the tree.
“Oh dear.”
Wearing a faint smile, I rode past him.
“Seems you’re not very good at riding.”
“Wha-what?”
“I’ll go ahead.”
“You…!”
They’ll catch up soon enough.
One knight stayed back to help the dangling student, while the others reluctantly moved forward again with awkward expressions.
“Edith Crowell definitely used some kind of trick!”
“Shut up, you’re embarrassing yourself!”
Their faint, angry yelling from behind made me feel a little better.
Then, a flat voice came from beside me.
“Um… are you f-friends with them?”
It was Remus Therion.
He sat stiffly on his horse, looking in the direction of the students who had insulted me.
He looked nothing like his voice. Surprised, I answered him.
“…No. I don’t even know their names.”
“Then… they were being very, v-very rude to you…”
“You think so too?”
“……”
That was the last thing he said before clamping his mouth shut.
…Should I say something else?
Why does he look like he’s the one who got insulted?
I tilted my head, but didn’t have time to think more about Therion’s strange behavior — we had entered the rough forest path.
…This is going to be tough.
Under normal circumstances, guiding a horse through a forest wouldn’t be too hard. But right now, my nausea had doubled.
And to make things worse…
Why is he staring at me like that?
I felt a persistent gaze. It was Remus Therion, who was riding at a slight distance.
He probably thought his hood was hiding him — but it wasn’t. I could feel it clearly. It was impossible to ignore. It felt like he was burning a hole in my cheek.
…What’s wrong with him?
I replayed his strange reactions in my mind. Don’t tell me…
“Hey, Therion.”
“Y-yes!”
I rode closer to him and spoke gently.
“If those rude comments from earlier are still bothering you, you don’t need to worry.”
As soon as I said that, his eyebrows drooped pathetically.
“H-how could I not be bothered…?”
So it was that. Some people really do get emotionally invested in others’ problems. Maybe Remus Therion is one of those people.
I shrugged.
“They’re just being childish.”
“B-but… you’re younger than they are…”
“You know my age?”
How?
I stared at him. He seemed flustered and lowered his hood more, mumbling,
“Y-you just… look really young…”
…What’s that supposed to mean?
All the students in this subjugation squad are probably between sixteen and eighteen. Maybe I’m the only one as young as sixteen.
Still, what does he mean by “look really young”…?
Just then, a commotion broke out up front.
Horses were leaving formation, one by one. They seemed panicked.
…What’s going on all of a sudden?
Did it appear already?
A chill ran through me as I quickly looked around. Remus Therion noticed and asked curiously,
“Edith…?”
“Just a moment.”
I looked around, but we hadn’t strayed that far from the Academy. It was too early for that to appear here.
Which made the situation even more confusing.
The Academy would’ve already cleared out any major threats in advance, so there shouldn’t be any reason for such a disturbance.
“…No way.”
Ah. One kind of danger they might not have prepared for came to mind:
The terrain.
With all the trees around, it’s easy to forget — but stepping off the path leads directly to a cliff.
Then again, as long as you stay on the trail, it’s safe…
Did someone stray off? Who? And why?
A student wearing a knight trainee uniform rode urgently from the front group to the back.
“Edith Crowell. A moment.”
“……”
I remembered him — he was one of the bystanders at the sparring grounds.
But unlike before, his expression was serious now.
“Help me.”
…Help?
I simply narrowed my eyes.
I knew nothing about this student — not even his name.
Which was exactly why the students’ hostility had always meant so little to me. Their opinions held no weight.
So his plea didn’t mean much either.
“What’s the matter?”
I asked coolly. He immediately answered.
“Kain got too close to the cliff… and fell off his horse…”
Another name I didn’t know. In other words, another student who was going to die during this subjugation practice.
Even if I saved him, would he last more than a few days?
Did this guy know that? Was he pleading anyway?
“He fell below the cliff… but he’s still hanging on. We need someone skilled enough to rescue him…”
He was out of breath from running and couldn’t even finish his sentence, shoulders heaving.
Maybe he was embarrassed.
Figures.
Begging for help from someone you mocked. The sight of him gasping was almost pitiful. I lost the urge to mock him back.
What should I do?
Out of curiosity, I glanced at Remus Therion, wondering how he would react — the same Therion who had frowned at their insults earlier.
“……”
The excited, boyish look from before was completely gone. Remus now wore a cold, sharp expression.
Like he was disgusted by the shamelessness of the student.
Someone’s about to die, and that’s the face he makes…
Sensing my gaze, he quickly looked up. Then he gave me a bashful smile and whispered:
“Wh-what… will you do, Edith?”
