Ch.54Sorry (2)

Beside me, Elin was sniffling, Derin was emitting killing intent from behind, and Frit was standing blankly at a distance.

My mind went completely blank from the sudden chaos.

‘Let’s take this one step at a time.’

I couldn’t afford to waste time since we had another adventure scheduled for tomorrow.

“Frit, please wake up whoever is next on watch duty.”

“Ah, yes.”

With that, Frit headed toward the sleeping students.

“Elin, I’m really sorry, but let’s talk next time. Come find me at Riano’s Alchemy Workshop in the Royal Capital.”

I’d like to visit her myself, but that’s impossible.

Not because I don’t have time, but…

‘Because I wouldn’t be able to meet her even if I went.’

The extensive special barrier covering the entire Great Forest. If you enter it, you’ll get lost and wander around, eventually exiting somewhere else without ever reaching the elven settlement.

Looking somewhat disappointed by the sudden situation, Elin nodded slightly and said:

“I understand for now… Do you have something important to attend to?”

“Um… well…”

That would take quite some time to explain…

While I was thinking this, Derin’s hand came to rest on my shoulder.

“Crow, I’ll explain it to her. Go get some sleep. You must be tired.”

Though I felt uneasy about leaving these two alone, I had no other choice, so I agreed with her suggestion.

“Alright, do that. Just don’t fight, okay?”

“Of course not.”

As I got up, Elin gazed at me wistfully.

I mouthed ‘Sorry’ to her, then moved a short distance away and lay down to sleep.

Somehow, this brief incident felt more exhausting than the entire day of adventuring.

Anyway, both my body and mind were completely drained, so as soon as I closed my eyes, my consciousness began to drift far away.

* * * * *

After Crow went to bed, three new people gathered around the campfire.

Elin, Derin, and Flan.

Derin, noticing how uncomfortable the student beside her seemed, quietly spoke up.

“You’re Flan, right?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“I’m sorry for making you uncomfortable. It must be hard enough just focusing on the evaluation.”

Flan shook her head in response to her apology.

“It’s fine. Please don’t mind me and continue your conversation. I promise I won’t repeat anything I hear here.”

“Then, if you don’t mind…”

Derin thanked her for her consideration with a slight nod, then turned to look at the blonde elf who was sniffling beside her.

This was the third time she’d noticed, but…

‘What an outrageously voluptuous figure.’

She wondered what one had to eat to maintain such a slender body while having such a large chest.

Moreover, it seemed contradictory that elves who lived hidden in the Great Forest would expose their cleavage like this.

It almost made her think they might be a group of perverts.

Anyway, she had to keep her promise to Crow.

“Elin, do you know about the Academy?”

“Of course I do. It’s the highest educational institution in this country.”

“Then this will be quick. Crow is a professor there.”

“A professor…?”

Elin’s eyes widened in surprise.

Those pure, sparkling eyes looked so beautiful that Derin felt jealous.

“Yes, a professor. He’s here now to evaluate the students.”

“When will the evaluation end?”

Elin spoke as if she intended to visit him as soon as the evaluation was over.

Derin was tempted to give her false information to teach her a lesson, but…

‘A promise is a promise. I won’t do such things anymore.’

Even if it meant less time with Crow, it couldn’t be helped.

If she couldn’t win his love through honest effort, there was no point.

Love without dignity was worthless.

“You know the Un-drying Pond, right? We plan to stop there and then head straight back, so it’ll take about 8 days.”

“8 days… Derin, thank you so much.”

When Elin expressed her gratitude, a strangely touching emotion welled up in Derin’s heart.

If she had lied, that gratitude would have only added to her guilt.

Derin felt somewhat better.

“Anything else you want to know?”

“Yes, there is. Did you also become a professor at the Academy? Since you mentioned Crow is conducting evaluations, I wondered if you were doing the same.”

Since she had just learned that Crow was a professor, her misunderstanding was understandable.

How nice would that be if it were true.

I’d miss him terribly while at the Academy.

“No, nothing like that. Crow posted a request for an escort, and I accepted it, that’s all.”

“I see. With someone as skilled as Derin, he must feel secure having you as his guard.”

“R-really?”

Derin felt awkward receiving the compliment.

Was she always this nice? She didn’t think so.

The last thing she remembered was Elin always showing off and acting superior, making this situation quite ironic.

‘But I guess the same applies to me.’

It was natural for their behavior to change after losing Crow, as they had each learned their own lessons.

“When did you meet Crow, Derin?”

“It’s been a while, though not extremely long. Why do you ask?”

“I’m curious about what Crow was like in places I didn’t know about…”

Elin’s expression looked somewhat anxious.

She seemed to want to continue following his footsteps, still lacking certainty.

Derin understood such feelings all too well.

Without any hesitation, she began to talk about Crow as she had seen him.

“When Crow arrives at work in the morning, he looks disheveled, but that makes him even more handsome…”

“When he leaves work tired, it’s rather…”

“When I visit on weekends, he looks a bit scruffy, but…”

As they chatted excitedly, the sky began to brighten.

Just as they were about to end their conversation due to the student evaluations, two voices spoke simultaneously.

“Elin, you’re still here?”

“Elin, why are you here?!”

Derin swallowed hard, sensing an approaching storm.

* * * * *

I woke up naturally as the morning sunlight tickled my face.

Though fatigue from the night watch still lingered…

I couldn’t use that as an excuse to lie around in this forest. I needed to properly evaluate the students.

As I got up and headed toward Derin…

‘She hasn’t gone back yet?’

Elin was still in the same place as last night.

Fortunately, whatever issues they might have had seemed resolved, as both had smiles on their faces.

The only problem was…

“Elin, why are you here?!”

Lael had spotted Elin.

Just when I was about to relax because nothing had happened between Derin and Elin, Lael appeared, making me anxious again.

“Um… well… I ended up here somehow.”

“I see…? Well… since we’re near the Great Forest, I guess it’s not that strange?”

No, it’s clearly strange to anyone who looks at the situation.

I wanted to object, but decided to stay quiet to avoid complicating things.

“Did you apologize to Cro—I mean, Professor?”

“Professor? Oh, yes, I apologized.”

“Did he… forgive you right away?”

Lael’s tone had grown cold, sending chills down my spine.

And without a moment’s hesitation, Elin immediately…

“Yes, it was such a relief. I thought he would abandon me…”

Elin laughed happily, and Lael, who had been staring blankly at her, turned her gaze toward me.

Honestly, I do feel sorry.

It’s true that I was harsh with her, misunderstanding without even listening to what she had to say.

But what could I do?

First encounters are always complicated…

Instead, Derin and Elin, who are party members, have become more comfortable with each other, so haven’t I done a good job as a leader?

Though that’s just my opinion.

“Professor…?”

Lael’s cold voice reached me.

“Everyone, get ready! We’re departing!”

I ignored her and shouted.

There was no point in dragging this out.

The students who had just woken up hurriedly began erasing traces of their campsite and preparing to leave.

All except one.

Lael stood behind me, fidgeting as if she wanted to say something, but the evaluation was still ongoing.

Personal conversations could wait until after we returned.

“Student Lael, hurry and get ready.”

“No, it’s just…”

“Get ready.”

At my firm words, Lael pouted as if annoyed, but headed toward the other students nonetheless.

After she left and the atmosphere calmed, Elin cautiously approached me, looking hesitant.

“Crow, thank you. Take care not to get hurt. And… see you next time.”

“Yes, Elin. See you next time.”

With those words of promise, my reunion with Elin came to an end.

At the same time, the students finished their preparations and formed ranks.

“Let’s depart.”

Time to return to my original life.

.

.

.

“This is our turning point.”

We arrived at the Un-drying Pond, a body of water so large it could be called a lake.

And there, something unbelievable happened.

Grrrr—

A growl like metal being scraped.

“Crow, that’s…”

“Derin, evacuate the students.”

A creature whose entire body was covered in fur with metallic hardness, considered the strongest among animal-type monsters.

S-Rank Great Red Bears appeared before us.

…And there were two of them.