CHAPTER 166……………………………………..
In the darkness that filled the inside of the tent, Rosha slowly opened her eyes.
Her heavy breaths dispersed into the silence created by the forest night, where everyone else slept deeply.
Though there was a certain order and peace in the surroundings, Rosha’s sixth sense, on high alert, felt none of it.
The gaze of a starving wolf spirit piercing into her blankets, the cries of a hiker lost forever, and even the conversations of mountain guardians debating about the mediator—all reached her.
Her senses, sharpened due to Regalia’s absence, were so overstimulated that deep sleep was impossible.
With a quiet sigh, Rosha finally rose from her bed.
Not wanting to disturb the others’ rest, she quietly stepped out of the tent.
Shivering from the cool night air that assaulted her like a wave, she murmured softly into the void:
“Did you recognize it?”
A spirit appeared from somewhere and followed closely behind her.
“Yes, Mediator.”
As Rosha walked, the crunch of fallen leaves under her feet blended with the stories the spirit whispered.
Her night-time walk with the spirit continued until the edges of night began to fade.
Only after confirming the white frost that had settled on the dry leaves did Rosha raise her head to look at the sky.
The pale light of dawn was coloring the horizon.
“Thank you for checking.”
Rosha, moving slowly toward the tent, paused to look at the open space at the center of the base camp.
Since early morning, cadets had gathered in front of a bulletin board in the clearing, murmuring among themselves.
They were busy checking which group they belonged to and what tasks were assigned to them.
“Which group are you in?”
“Group 3.”
“Group 3? The members seem decent.”
The climb of Mount Daisus yesterday was just a warm-up.
Their real mission began at the base camp.
During the national pilgrimage, cadets had to complete the tasks assigned to their group with a team of about ten members.
They were tasked with collecting research materials like Rosake, a flower called a “celestial flower” that only grows in snowy mountains; the eggs of Aquilone that nest only on cliffs; Veranera mana stones that generate magic on their own; and Flannel crystal formations found in natural caves.
In situations where extreme tasks had to be completed within a limited time, which cadets ended up in the same group was crucial.
It was important to have a combination of cadets with exploration skills, combat abilities to handle monster attacks, and support skills to assist others.
Because of this, the dorm leaders struggled deeply even during the group assignment stage.
If groups were assigned unevenly, cadets’ complaints were inevitable, and it could even endanger their lives.
Thus, dorm leaders had to huddle together and painstakingly form groups even before the second semester began.
“Still, it looks like this year the groups are pretty well balanced.”
“That’s thanks to Herina, the dorm leader. She knows the names, attributes, and abilities of all the cadets in Cantea.”
“Senior Herina is amazing, as expected.”
The groups were evenly mixed across first to third-year cadets, excluding the graduating fourth-years.
The mixture wasn’t just in grade levels.
Dorm affiliation and elemental attributes were also evenly distributed to avoid bias toward any one group.
This meant that no one could predict which group would contain Cantea’s most explosive talent.
It was natural that cadets checking their groups felt both hope and anxiety.
“Damn it.”
Just from their despairing sighs, it was easy to guess who was assigned to that group.
It had to be the cadet who was the worst underperformer in Cantea—Roshiana Delconda.
As cadets checked the bulletin, their gazes shifted to Rosha, returning from her early morning walk.
“How are we supposed to get the feathers of Blakan, who lives on cliffs, with a weakling who struggles even on mountain climbs?”
Words of comfort reached the sighing cadets.
“Cheer up. There must be a reason for the way the groups were divided.”
“During the Vascon day, she ran pretty well. Maybe something will happen if she runs in the opposite direction?”
“Just come back alive. The opportunity will come again if you survive.”
Amidst this mixture of mockery and advice, Roshiana made no reply and headed to the tent to prepare for departure.
Her light, platinum hair swayed with each step, drawing resigned sighs from the cadets.
Her teammates had already assumed mission failure even before starting.
“To make up for her failing grades, we’re going to have a hard time.”
However, the cadets’ resentment toward Roshiana disappeared without a trace before the sun even set on the first day.
It was because Kaiden stopped them as they returned to camp, carrying the weight of their first day’s failure.
More precisely, it wasn’t the cadets themselves, but Rosha, who trailed behind them, that Kaiden confronted.
Grabbing everyone’s attention, Kaiden handed Rosha a bundle.
“Here. Take it.”
“What’s this?”
When Rosha opened the bundle, the cadets watching from the side gasped in astonishment.
Inside were countless pure white feathers, the ones they had nearly given up on obtaining.
“I saw them while I was walking, so I brought them.”
Roshiana responded with a calm “Thanks” in return.
Only her teammates, unaccustomed to such ordinary conversation, were left confused.
With his unrivaled skill, Kaiden led the team to complete the mission perfectly and swiftly.
He even completed the mission for Roshiana’s group, retrieving the feathers of Blakan, which could only be found on ice cliffs.
This was not something that could be obtained by casually wandering the mountains.
The cadets marveled that a perceived weakling had moved a top student to accomplish this.
“Wow. This actually works.”
Thus, Roshiana’s group became the second to complete their mission.
While other groups climbed jagged rocks, explored cold, dark caves, or wandered through monster territories, Roshiana’s group could rest leisurely at the base camp.
It was natural that her teammates’ views of Roshiana changed.
“Roshiana, do you need any help?”
Rosha peeked into the tent where she had been left alone.
“Want to try this? My uncle brought it from his expedition to the East. It gives energy when you’re tired.”
She handed over precious emergency food.
“I hope we can be in the same group again next year.”
Rosha indulged in the hope of a year without herself.
Thanks to Rosha, all the cadets were happy, but Rosha herself only sighed heavily.
She knew why Kaiden had helped retrieve Blakan’s feathers.
Kaiden had intervened to prevent any situation in which Roshiana might have to use the power of Trinity.
The more Kaiden went out of his way to keep Trinity’s secret, the deeper others’ misunderstandings grew.
“Is this really okay?”
Rosha glanced emptily at the empty tent.
Cadets like Briela, assigned to other groups, had not returned yet.
Thus, Rosha had the tent used by four entirely to herself, rolling around idly.
Would her heart feel warmer if they were there?
The emptier she felt, the more the forest’s silence pressed in.
Unable to endure the stillness inside, Rosha went outside and wandered the base camp.
Most tents were dark, so the fourth-year cadets’ brightly lit tent stood out.
Their boisterous conversation spread across the mountain corners, carried by the bright light.
Fourth-year cadets, about to graduate, were exempt from group assignments but given special missions.
Using their experience from Cantea, they would assist juniors in urgent situations, performing rescue and support operations.
Three days in, thanks to the juniors’ careful work, the fourth-years could leisurely enjoy Mount Daisus.
Though they couldn’t drink, they had the seasoned skill to enjoy themselves as if they could.
They roamed between tents like it was a graduation trip, laughing and chatting.
Oddly, the busiest person between the fourth-year tents was the first-year Kaiden.
He had more assured success than the fourth-years on the brink of graduation.
It was rare to have a future superior as a junior.
Though they appeared carefree, they never missed a chance to build connections with Kaiden, constantly calling him over.
This allowed Rosha to slip away from his watch and wander the base camp alone.
She stopped only when she reached the protective barrier surrounding the camp.
One step beyond, and she could leave.
But thinking of Kaiden, her feet would not move.
“That wouldn’t be right, would it?”
Kaiden’s injuries from rushing to help Roshiana, the suspicion he risked from the Mage Administration, and the warm hand he extended—all made Rosha hesitate.
The cost of deceiving him for one semester, enduring his mistrust for the next, felt like a fair exchange.
Moreover, by turning a blind eye, he had allowed her to avoid the Administration’s relentless investigation, almost a gesture for her sake.
Even though the situation wasn’t bad for her, the deep emptiness she felt came from the cold distrust he showed.
Sighing, Rosha turned to return to the tent.
Trees, casting dark crimson shadows in the sunset, shook violently.
Birds flapped noisily, taking flight.
Sensing an unusual shift in the air, Rosha furrowed her brow.
“Again… you?”
