Chapter 29
Finally, the day of the training camp arrived.
I climbed the mountain with a backpack that was much larger than my body. The other trainee knights were all carrying the same size backpacks.
This was one of the ridgelines of the northernmost and most rugged mountain range, known for being one of the most treacherous places.
Strangely, the soil was dark and crumbly, and all the trees were dry, barely hanging onto life. It was all because of the magic that lingered there.
Though we were only an hour into the climb, the trainee knights were struggling more than usual, likely due to the traces of magic.
“Gah… ugh, I feel like I’m going to die…”
“Stay alert, everyone. This is one of the areas with the highest concentration of magic. And right now, it’s more frequent than before. If you don’t want to die in an instant or take a trip to the demon realm, keep your wits about you.”
“Yes, sir!”
At Aluin’s stern command, the trainee knights responded in unison.
Even I, who answered like a chick, stepped on the stones, climbing up.
“Huff, huff.”
It was the same as always, with the system’s stamina recovery aiding my progress.
Despite that, I had to keep climbing toward the edge of death, watching my stamina drain, so it wasn’t exactly easy for me either.
It would have been nice if I could recover my stamina before it completely ran out, but that felt like it would be too easy.
As I continued to climb energetically, I spotted Edgar and his group. They were wobbling as if their legs might give out at any moment.
They looked like trembling aspens.
At the moment Edgar spotted me, his expression twisted.
“What the hell? Why are you still fine?”
“Well, should I find you a cane? You look like you aged about 70 years in an instant.”
“Hey―!”
“Heh.”
I left behind a short laugh and hurriedly climbed higher.
Because of the significant difference in physical ability, Edgar and his group were ahead of me, but I finally caught up with them.
Just as I looked straight ahead again, a cloud of black smoke rose before me. I immediately recognized it as magic.
I had been looking for it since we started climbing.
Now’s the chance!
I reached for my sword, my hand already on the hilt.
Whoosh!
Before I could draw my blade, someone else struck the magic faster than I could. As the bright white slash passed, the magic completely vanished.
Turning to check who had delivered the blow, I saw Adrian with a sheepish expression.
“Almost got into trouble there.”
“Oh, thank you.”
“Mm.”
Cough, cough.
Adrian awkwardly cleared his throat, his face red, and then went back on his way. I felt a sour taste in my mouth.
Ah, I’m really grateful for him saving me, but what happens if the magic gets stolen like that…
I needed to defeat the magic to level up.
Killing one magic beast was more rewarding in terms of experience than training all day. I had hoped for a training session in a place where magic appeared in abundance, but it was a little disappointing.
But it’s okay. We have plenty of time.
Come to think of it, it was the first time training with Adrian. This time, because of the camp, other knights from different squads were joining the session as well.
We had to camp on a mountain where magic frequently appeared.
If someone heard that, they would think it was a crazy training program, but I was excited.
By the time the sun was setting, our teacher, Knight Aluin, gathered the knights together. Fortunately, there was a wide, flat area in the middle of the mountain.
“Alright, we’ll set up camp here and start camping. We’ll take turns standing watch, but don’t sleep too deeply.”
“Understood!”
The knights immediately took out their tents from their backpacks. I quickly set up my own tent.
Thanks to all the practice I had in the dorm, my tent was set up faster than the other trainees.
Since it wasn’t my turn to stand watch, I slipped inside my tent.
However, lying down to rest wasn’t as comfortable as I’d hoped.
Sigh. I’ve finally come to a place where magic appears often, and now I have to lie in my tent… I want to go out and hunt magic.
As I sighed about the situation, I unknowingly fell asleep.
It was no surprise since the climb had been exhausting.
How long had I slept?
I woke up suddenly, waiting for my turn to stand watch. Blinking a few times, I stepped out of the tent.
In front of me was a dense forest and the dark mountain, nearly pitch black in the night.
None of the other knights’ tents were in sight.
“…What’s going on?”
I quickly looked up at the sky. The stars and the moon had a yellowish hue, so I could tell it wasn’t the demon realm.
What had happened while I was asleep?
As I tilted my head, I heard the faint sound of boys laughing from a distance. Even from this distance, I knew it was Edgar.
Ah, are they leaving me behind to run away?
Their little prank was getting worse.
They must have thought I’d get scared and cry if they left me alone in the mountains.
Well, it works out for me.
Now, I could use their prank as an excuse to sneak around and hunt magic!
I grinned.
Using the moonlight as my guide, I walked through the dark mountain path. Edgar and the others’ voices were completely gone.
As I ventured further from my tent, I suddenly heard a rustling sound from the dirt.
I approached the source of the sound, and my eyes met with someone else’s.
It was an unexpected figure.
In the dark, his silvery appearance shone brightly.
“Meteor?”
What is he doing here?
Meteor had also joined the training camp. However, due to his superior stamina and skills, he had always been ahead of everyone else.
I hadn’t seen where he was sleeping, since he was in a different group when we set up camp… so why was he here now?
“Crescent.”
Meteor looked a little embarrassed, as if he hadn’t expected to be found.
“What are you doing here? Did the others leave me behind, and you came to watch over me?”
“What? Don’t say such nonsense. I was just patrolling the area, that’s all.”
“Ah, is that so? Then I’ll leave the watch to you.”
Of course, with Meteor here, I wouldn’t be able to hunt magic. He was definitely faster than me.
I turned my body, and Meteor’s voice hurriedly called out again.
“Hey, where are you going? Do you even know where you are? Do you know how far those sneaky bastards brought you?”
“Huh, so you followed me to make sure nothing happens to me.”
“…Forget it. Let’s just go back.”
“Alright. Since there’s no other choice, would you like to patrol together?”
“It’s not like I have a problem with that…”
Perfect!
Meteor and I started walking deeper into the mountains instead of heading back to camp. I was focused, hoping to spot magic before him.
During this, Meteor suddenly spoke up.
“Those kids from earlier? They’ll probably report to the masters and get punished. I heard they’ve been bothering you a lot, haven’t they?”
“Ugh!”
Before Meteor could finish his sentence, a scream rang out nearby.
Meteor and I both rushed toward the sound without saying a word. My short sword was already in my hand.
Soon, I saw magic hanging over Edgar and the knights.
Without hesitation, I threw my sword over the heads of the children.
Faster than Meteor!
Thwack! Boom!
Thud…
It felt as if time had slowed.
The black smoke from the magic slowly dispersed and vanished after my sword passed through it. The tip of the sword struck a rock with a sharp noise.
Then, Edgar’s green hair fell in chunks.
The children turned to me in shock.
Edgar, unsure if his entire head had vanished, anxiously checked his scalp.
Ah, I accidentally brushed his hair with my blade.
Sorry about that.
I shrugged my shoulders awkwardly.
“Ah, sorry. I threw my sword because you looked in a hurry, and I unintentionally cut your hair.”
“You…”
Edgar, muttering in disbelief, looked as if he had seen hell.
“I guess you can skip the haircut this time, huh? But by any chance, were you planning to run off and leave me behind?”
As I spoke, I grinned. The children looked panicked.
“No! That’s not it! Haha.”
“No! Absolutely not! Hahaha!”
“Hahaha.”
I laughed along with them.
I thought this training camp was incredibly fun.
Meteor, however, looked at me with an expression that seemed to say he had no idea what was going on.
