Cave

Clatter, clatter.

Perhaps due to last night’s incident? The carriage couldn’t maintain yesterday’s speed and had slowed down subtly.

The horses weren’t injured, so the driver must be the problem.

I opened the window and urged the driver.

“Whoa, the speed is slowing down. Go faster.”

“Y-yes…!”

The startled driver hastily picked up speed, his face swollen and shoulders slumped powerlessly as if his whole body ached while pulling the horses.

These were traces from last night when Orca, realizing the driver had deceived me, couldn’t contain her anger and beat him nearly to death.

Had Anastasia not been there, he wouldn’t have even been able to pull the carriage in that pitiful state.

Considering she only healed him enough to drive despite being capable of full recovery, Anastasia must have disliked this driver too.

“Really, you should’ve been careful. What if you got scammed?”

“No, it wasn’t a scam. I already knew about the ambush… Right, Teacher Ophelia?”

“Correct. I happened to hear him carelessly muttering to himself. ‘These days, no idiot falls for it anymore,’ he said.”

“…And you just got on? Why?”

Orca seemed puzzled that Stella had knowingly boarded a carriage driven by a scammer – no, a robber.

But the reason for leaving him alone despite knowing his identity was simple.

No one else would go to Elud.

“Other than regularly scheduled carriages, there’s no way to reach Elud. There’s nothing around here.”

“It’s better if we know he’s a robber. We can subdue him and have him take us to Elud. Isn’t it good to have disposable transportation?”

“Right?”

“…”

Stella and I smiled faintly at each other upon realizing we shared the same thought, while Orca watched us with an awkward expression that we ignored.

He’s going to prison anyway – what’s wrong with borrowing him temporarily? The princess herself approved, so no problem. Hmm.

Why not just rent a carriage?

Then one of us kids would have to drive. How sad would it be to be isolated while the other four bond during the trip?

We should all become close together.

I smiled faintly seeing the students gathered together. Things seemed to be progressing as planned, which pleased me.

…But plans always have variables.

Even my plans were no exception.

“…Teacher Ophelia. Could you stop fidgeting?”

“Ugh, sorry…”

“We still have a long way to go – what am I supposed to do if you’re already half-dead?”

I’d carelessly overlooked it, but carriages are ultimately cramped vehicles.

The novelty of watching scenery or marveling at the smooth ride only lasts briefly – riding this for three whole days would be unbearably boring.

Having not considered this, I soon found myself engulfed in severe boredom.

The carriage interior wasn’t spacious, and movement was limited, making me constantly squirm.

I should’ve brought a game console.

For someone like me who always kept busy reading novels or playing games during spare time, doing nothing felt suffocatingly frustrating.

In the game, various events frequently occurred while traveling to Elud to find the Sword Saint’s traces, keeping things interesting.

The problem was I’d taken a carriage to avoid walking where I should’ve walked originally.

This meant traveling about an extra day without any events.

I literally wanted to die from boredom.

Kill… me…

***

“Teacher? We’ve arrived. Wake up.”

“Mmm, five more minutes… Huh? Arrived?”

“Yes, look there. The village.”

Startled awake by Anastasia’s voice rousing me from sleep-passed time, I looked outside the window to see the village she mentioned – quiet but clearly man-made.

An unfamiliar yet familiar village landscape. Realizing we’d reached Elud, I jumped out as soon as the carriage stopped and ran across the grassy field.

“Finally! We’re here! Yay!”

“…You look truly pathetic like this.”

Even if the students criticized me, I couldn’t contain my urge to run around.

Forget long journeys – just three hours on a train made me feel stiff enough to die, let alone three days.

Though we camped intermittently, it was honestly hard to endure.

But what stopped my unstoppable sprint wasn’t the students – it was myself.

“Huff… huff… I’m… tired. Everyone, shall we head to the village now?”

“…”

“How can you be tired after that little running…?”

The students’ gazes felt piercing, their eyes seeming to ask if I really got tired from that.

…It’s possible to be bad at sports, really. This is too much.

Though muttering this, I felt slightly embarrassed and decided to change the subject to divert their attention.

Absolutely not because I feared being forced to exercise if this continued. No.

Frankly, I can’t understand why anyone enjoys exercise.

Muscle pain hurts. Unless you’re a masochist, why do that?

“Ahem. According to my intelligence network, until a few years ago, there were eyewitness accounts of someone here who strongly resembled the Sword Saint.”

“…A few years? Then they might not be here anymore.”

“Correct?”

Following the original storyline, asking villagers about the Sword Saint yields little gain.

They refuse conversation, citing outsiders this and that.

Meanwhile, a child playing in the forest goes missing, helping them earns the village’s trust, and you must complete several more quests to gain their confidence.

But who has time for that?

It’s a village we’ll never see again after completing all Sword Saint-related quests anyway.

Rather than waste time fighting with outsiders, I’ll just tell them directly.

“But don’t worry! I obtained information that the Sword Saint lives in a cave outside Elud village!”

“At this point, I’m getting curious – Teacher Ophelia, where did you get such information?”

“From an acquaintance from here. Jane – someone Orca met once before.”

“…That kid was from here?”

“Of course. She told me various stories, often about a man living here. Doesn’t that match the Sword Saint’s description too well?”

It’s a lie.

I have no idea where that child was born. I only know she was surviving in back alleys when I first met her.

But whatever. They’ll likely never meet anyway.

I feel slightly guilty using her name, but I can’t exactly say “I saw it when playing the game,” can I?

“So if we search the cave outside the village, we’ll find him!”

“…Alright, understood. Let’s hurry, Teacher.”

“Eek. C-can’t we rest a bit first? I’m exhausted.”

“No. We should finish quickly. If you’re really tired, I’ll carry you.”

“…I’ll walk.”

However embarrassing, I couldn’t let a student shorter than me carry me.

A grown adult teacher being carried by a petite student?

Even I think that’s a bit…

“Well, don’t get your hopes up too much. It’s been years – they might have moved elsewhere.”

“…”

Not listening.

Well, hearing that traces of a father who disappeared during childhood might be nearby – such enthusiasm is natural.

…Still, I hoped Eileen wouldn’t get her hopes up too much.

Great expectations lead to great disappointments.

I truly hope she doesn’t collapse.

***

“…Here, Teacher.”

“Huh? Orca, what’s wrong?”

“Come here for a moment.”

How much time had passed since we began searching caves after noon?

Orca suddenly started checking our surroundings before grabbing my hand and pulling me along.

“W-wait… You’re going too fast, slow down. What’s going on?”

“No time. Mustn’t let her see.”

“Her?”

“Eileen… Found it, the cave.”

“Ah. Were there traces of the Sword Saint?”

“…Yes. There were.”

Orca’s face was contorted like someone who’d seen something terrible.

Seems they really found it. The Sword Saint’s traces.

“Where are the others?”

“Already inside the cave. You’re last.”

As Orca kept moving while surveying the area, I had no choice but to be dragged along.

Just as I lost track of where we were going, she released my hand and spoke.

“Here. They hid it really well.”

“Hmm, quite spacious.”

“Seems they used it as a home… Hey, Teacher. Can we pretend to Eileen that we didn’t find the cave?”

“You want me to turn a blind eye?”

“…Yes. You’ll understand when you see what’s inside.”

Though Orca’s expression was bitter, I marveled inwardly.

When did this self-centered child become someone who considers others’ feelings?

Never thought I’d see the day Orca showed consideration.

Again, I felt certain I hadn’t been wrong.

…But I couldn’t grant Orca’s request.

“That’s impossible.”

“…What? Why?”

“Because… Eileen is already here…?”

“?!”

Behind Orca stood Eileen, who’d arrived unnoticed, glaring murderously at the cave.

Whether she found it while searching for the others or saw Orca leading me away – I couldn’t tell.

“…Move. I’m going in.”

The situation Orca wanted to prevent had arrived.

Perhaps realizing blocking her now would be meaningless, Orca clutched her head.