Chapter 20 : A strong and powerful morning!

A strong and powerful morning!

Whenever I had something important the next day, my eyes would automatically open.

I didn’t even feel tired.

The sky seen through the window was perfectly clear.

The temperature was ideal for activity, a perfect spring day, and the wind brushed pleasantly against my ears.

On such a perfect day, my condition was the absolute worst.

“F*ck.”

“What’s wrong?”

My personal maid, Arwen, who was brushing my hair, tilted her head.

Although I usually treated her casually, I had never cursed in front of her before.

I sighed and lowered my head slightly.

“It’s just something.”

“It’s because of the practical training this time, right? I heard you’ll have to be away for a few days.”

“It could take much longer than that.”

Arwen arbitrarily assumed my mood was foul because I was going to the Black Forest.

Well, that wasn’t entirely wrong.

It just wasn’t the main reason.

“All done. Since I won’t be beside you for a while, please take care of yourself. Don’t just fall asleep in your clothes because you find it

bothersome.”

Having spent all my time with her in the dormitory, Arwen had come to understand me to some extent.

That beneath the facade of a seemingly perfect noble lady, I was actually a homebody who found everything in the world a hassle.

Our relationship had become like a mother taking care of her unemployed child and a fire-attribute filial son.

Was it fortunate that I didn’t wander around the dormitory in just my underwear?

That seemed to be the last shred of dignity remaining in Trea’s body.

Occasionally, whenever I was about to attempt such vulgar and ill-mannered behavior, I would restrain myself as if such actions lacked

dignity.

“…Okay.”

I answered her half-heartedly and looked in the mirror.

Instead of the usual academy uniform, I was wearing a white shirt and jeans.

Arwen had scolded me, asking how I could wear such attire to go to such a dangerous place, but this was the most comfortable.

Rather than overly loose clothes, moderately tight-fitting attire was actually more comfortable.

“Well then, I’m off.”

There was no backpack or bag, the usual kind of luggage.

Why bother carrying things by hand when I could just put them in subspace?

Thanks to that, even though I had to spend over a week outside, I looked as usual, empty-handed.

I said goodbye to Arwen and left the dormitory.

The sun, still shy, hadn’t fully revealed itself yet.

It was a clear day without a single cloud.

“Good morning.”

After walking a bit, I saw the elderly wizard who cleaned the academy.

I saw him often on my way to school, so we exchanged greetings regularly.

I heard he retired from being a wizard due to an unfortunate accident and now worked as a cleaner here.

“Yes, hello.”

“You’re not in your uniform. Are you going out somewhere?”

“Yes. I have some business for practical training. For a while.”

“I see. Is that why you don’t look well?”

Why does everyone I meet say I don’t look well?

My condition wasn’t great, but I didn’t think it was that bad.

“Well, that’s not entirely untrue. Since the place I’m going is the Black Forest.”

“The Black Forest…! This old man also went there in his youth. Please take good care of yourself.”

Hearing the words Black Forest, the old man reacted with surprise.

It certainly was a place dangerous enough to warrant such a reaction.

I couldn’t help but shudder at the academy’s atrociousness in sending students barely in their teens to such a place.

After exchanging a few more words with the old man, I went to the meeting spot, finding the others had already arrived before me.

Amiter was wearing a black cloak.

It looked like animal hide; was it okay for her, a wolf relative, to be wearing that?

I wanted to ask but decided to hold back.

“You’re late.”

“You were early. I arrived right on time.”

This Amiter b*tch had, at some point, started focusing on me being slower than her.

Even though I wasn’t late at all, the childish b*tch.

Teferi approached me with a worried expression.

The white activity uniform suited her very well.

[Is something wrong?]

“I’m just not feeling well, it’s nothing serious.”

[How can it be nothing! Your face looks like death right now! What’s wrong?]

I appreciated the concern, but this was the third time I’d heard it today.

Even concern becomes annoying when heard repeatedly.

“What’s wrong with my face?”

“It’s twisted like a rotten ghoul’s.”

I wanted to tell her to shut up, but knowing she wouldn’t listen, I gave up.

Just leave me alone, please.

I glared at the two of them and spoke.

“…I’m on my period.”

At those words, Teferi gasped, covered her mouth, and stepped back.

This was one of the most f*cking annoying things about becoming a woman.

As I mentioned before, unless you use aura like knights do, magically controlling the body itself is very difficult.

The probability of something going wrong somewhere in the body is also very high.

It’s possible to eliminate the pain, but using magic for that makes the body itself stiffen, rendering movements very unnatural.

To the point where it interferes with daily life.

Therefore, other than enduring it, however crappy it feels, there’s no other particular method.

Magic isn’t omnipotent either. Dammit.

“So just f*cking accept it.”

My cycle is long and the duration is short, but the pain is severe, making my temper very, very foul.

Though I can’t say it’s usually that great either.

Normally, I would quietly hole up in my room and lie down, but the dates overlapped this time, making that impossible.

[S-Sorry…]

Teferi conveyed a strong sense of apology.

No, actually, you have nothing to be sorry about.

It’s that b*tch over there laughing like she’s enjoying my misfortune who should be sorry.

I glared at Amiter and snapped.

“What, you don’t get periods?”

“I don’t.”

Really?

As far as I knew, cat and dog-like animals also menstruated.

Is it different because she’s a beastkin? That’s kind of enviable.

“…Instead, you have a heat cycle, you wolf b*tch.”

“Shut up.”

Instead, beastkin have something called a heat cycle.

It lasts for about two weeks a year, and when that time comes…

Anyway, I heard that unless you have ‘those thoughts’, you have to stay cooped up indoors during that period.

They say it’s an instinct that can’t be controlled.

It’s one of the reasons beastkin are despised.

“Everyone’s gathered.”

Professor Aram had suddenly appeared beside us.

I wondered when that huge body had arrived here.

Being a serpent, he’s an expert at moving silently.

“It hasn’t even been a month since you met, but it’s good to see you seem close.”

Look close? This?

It seems Aram’s definition of closeness is very different from mine.

Amiter and I exchanged a wonderful glance of friendship.

Ignoring us, Aram spoke to Teferi.

“Miss Teferi, this evaluation is actually a mission with a difficulty level challenging for you to undertake. I will give you full marks if you

complete this practical training, but you may withdraw if you wish.”

What the?

Then what was the point of me running around until now?

After barely managing to gather friends I didn’t even have.

However, Teferi seemed to convey her refusal to Aram.

Thank goodness the protagonist is such a proactive person.

Since her words weren’t spoken aloud, normally only the person she was conversing with could understand the content.

“…Is that so.”

One strange thing was that during their conversation, they both glanced at me once, but I couldn’t fathom the meaning.

I don’t think too deeply about it. It probably just means I’m the strongest, whatever.

Their conversation seemed finished, and Aram explained the mission to us.

“The Black Forest. My lair is located in its eastern part. Normally, no one can pass through its vicinity without my permission.”

It was a known fact, but hearing it from his own mouth was impressive.

It meant he was the top dog in that forest of monsters.

The Imugi continued speaking.

“Since becoming a professor here, I haven’t been able to pay attention to my home. Thanks to that, it must have become a bit of a mess. I

would appreciate it if you could go there and check if there’s anything unusual. If there are things living there, please chase them out.”

This mission was a personal request from Aram.

Simply put, he was asking us to check if he’d left the gas stove on at his house.

Considering the distance, it would certainly be difficult for him to leave the academy as a professor.

And then we caught his eye.

‘…Isn’t this just pawning off work?’

As someone who had completed military service, I couldn’t help but think there was some kind of injustice involved.

Well, I’ll end up doing it anyway.

It felt like I’d been handed the job under the guise of practical training.

Aram handed us various items.

A map, travel expenses, other supplies, etc.

When I opened my subspace and stored them, Teferi’s eyes widened.

What’s the big deal?

“Well then, please be on your way. May the blessings of Coz and Lizlda be with you.”

The sight of a monster bidding us farewell while invoking the names of the main gods was quite peculiar.

Imagining an Imugi going to the church made me chuckle.

“We’ll be going then.”

Something was wrong, seriously wrong.

In the original work, not only did Trea and Teferi never travel together, but the Black Forest episode itself didn’t exist.

One month into enrollment, the story was diverging greatly from the original.

‘Still, it’s not bad.’

Feeling the gentle breeze caress my ears, we left the academy and started walking forward.

Receiving the blessings of Coz and Lizlda, just as the Imugi had said.