Chapter 35 : There’s nothing there, but surprisingly soft

“Ugh, it’s hot.”

Strangely, whenever I sleep next to Teperi, I get hot and sweaty.

Is it because I’m squeezed between the two of them?

Both Teperi and Amiter have high body temperatures.

Anyway, did I button up my shirt before sleeping yesterday?

I think I unbuttoned it in my sleep because it was hot, but when I woke up, the buttons on my dress shirt were neatly fastened.

Maybe I was mistaken because I was half-asleep.

It seems I was the first one to wake up today.

Needless to say Amiter, but Teperi also seemed tired, sleeping soundly with soft breaths.

‘…Something’s stained here.’

Is it drool?

A faint mark of dried liquid remained on the shirt.

I guess I have bad sleeping habits too.

I brushed it off with my hand and looked up.

What a great morning.

Even the deep, dark shadows of the Black Forest couldn’t completely hide the sun rising beyond the horizon.

Is this what the mornings in the great outdoors, which I’d only seen on TV, are like?

Looking at the distant forest and river stream, I feel a sense of openness in my chest.

Fortunately, there were no dangers or attacks during the night.

Well, I had set up barriers strong enough that it wouldn’t have mattered anyway…

Seeing the barriers I installed last night with a clear mind this morning gave me a glimpse into my psychological state yesterday.

I must have been really scared.

Since there were no safety issues, my attention naturally turned to my appearance.

Sniff sniff, thankfully, I didn’t smell weird.

If anything, I smelled rather nice.

Is this that ‘minimum correction’ thing?

Even though I looked fine on the outside, it was natural to feel like washing up.

I hadn’t washed for two days.

No matter how well I adapted to outdoor life, washing was a different matter.

A Duke’s daughter washing by an exposed riverside is unthinkable.

When I was young, I didn’t know any better, but now I’m reluctant to expose bare skin outdoors.

“Time to get u…”

As I was about to wake up our companions, who were still sleeping soundly, I remembered yesterday’s meal.

Please don’t interfere and stay in the corner?

Staying still is helping?

Hmph, that doesn’t suit my personality.

I’m sure I can do well if I just put my mind to it.

The failure last time must have been because it was my first time.

“Alright.”

Tiptoeing carefully, I succeeded in taking out the food pouch without waking the others.

Now is the time to truly show off my skills.

“Ah, stop glaring at me, it’s morning.”

Didn’t the adults teach you that getting angry first thing in the morning drains your energy?

Even though I made two mistakes!

Isn’t there a saying about three times for everything?

You shouldn’t embarrass someone just because the soup is a bit dark.

“Repeat after me properly.”

“…I will never touch cooking again.”

“Good.”

Yes, cooking was a trivial skill that never suited me from the start.

Smashing things suits me much better than delicate tasks like cooking or knitting.

Anyway, once we leave this forest, I won’t have to cook again.

Comforting myself like that, I swallowed the words rising in my chest.

As we got closer to Aram’s Lair, the number of monsters decreased.

Even before, contrary to what I knew, monsters weren’t very visible, but here, not even ordinary animals were easily seen, let alone monsters.

I remember the warnings I gave Teperi before coming to the Black Forest.

About terrifying monsters and whatnot.

Certainly, the overall number of monsters had decreased.

As if managed by someone.

To the extent that even bringing advanced students would have resolved it smoothly?

It’s not that I dislike safety, but for me, who had anticipated immense difficulty and hardship, it’s a bit anticlimactic.

In contrast, the plants became denser and tougher as we moved towards the center.

At first, they were sparse enough to ignore while walking, but their numbers gradually increased and became tangled, requiring us to cut them down with a machete with each step.

Thanks to that, our movement speed slowed down significantly.

“The smell of sugar is strong.”

[It’s the smell of fruit.]

A thick, sweet scent, almost making my head feel heavy, wafted from all directions.

The tangy fruit aroma lingered fragrantly at the tip of my nose.

It was true that the smell was nice, but it was so intense that my nose felt numb.

Amiter, sensitive to senses, was already covering her nose.

“It’s around here.”

We spent the entire morning wandering around and exploring the area.

As a result of moving busily and hurrying around, we were right in front of Aram’s Lair.

Honestly, I felt more irritation than anticipation.

To think we went through all this trouble just to see if the gas stove was left on or not.

The others didn’t seem much different from my thoughts, their haggard faces showing fatigue.

“This snake bastard, when I meet him again, I’ll tie him up like a ribbon.”

“Can you even do it?”

“I’m talking big because I can’t.”

It’s shameless for a human who lives less than 100 years to try and easily defeat the ruler of the Black Forest who has lived for nearly a

thousand years.

It’s hard enough to watch Teperi beat me, but someone surpassing him?

Honestly, it was hard to even imagine.

How on earth did the principal persuade him?

Of course, he wasn’t an enemy in the first place, and he lives a relatively regular life at the academy.

[By the way, where does that snake professor live?]

“I heard he has his own room, hmm.”

Imagining him coiled up in a narrow room reminded me of snake wine, which was kind of funny.

Come to think of it, even though he’s technically my assigned professor, I don’t know much about him even after a month.

[He seemed to dislike dragons.]

“Dragons?”

[During a previous class, he used a lot of species-discriminatory language.]

“That’s true for me too, isn’t it?”

Unexpectedly, in my original world, slavery was abolished less than 200 years ago, and in this world, there are countries where slavery is

legal.

Being in a privileged class, it was inevitable that even non-existent feelings would naturally arise.

Thanks to Amiter, I was semi-forced to lessen my beastman aversion, but beastmen aren’t the only discriminated species.

“…I hate humans too.”

Amiter, who was cutting grass ahead, snapped and opened her mouth, despite being half-human herself.

At her irritable grumbling, the unevenly grown weeds were cut diagonally.

“Who asked you?”

“…Among them, I hate b*tches like you the most.”

Before long, the long weeds blocking the path stealthily disappeared, and a hill full of various kinds of flowers came into view.

In this place, wide enough to be called a garden, the flowers each boasted their unique beauty.

It’s quite a charming scenery for an Imoogi’s dwelling.

“It’s right around here.”

“That’s the fifth time you’ve said that.”

“This time it’s real, so shut up.”

Thump!

Amiter, who was walking ahead, bumped into something, hit her head, and fell backward.

Teperi approached her like a squirrel spotting an acorn, and I chuckled.

“I told you it was real, didn’t I? It’s a barrier. …So stop glaring! I didn’t know the exact spot either.”

Amiter rubbed her forehead and glared at me, but I put on an expression like I truly had no idea.

[There’s definitely nothing in front.]

“It’s a barrier because it was made that way.”

Unlike ordinary ones meant to cause confusion or set traps, this was a higher-dimensional barrier that twisted space itself.

It sealed the entrance to prevent riff-raff from entering.

It was only because it was Amiter that she could perceive it and be pushed back.

She grumbled and said to me.

“Can I just tear it apart?”

“…You’d better watch your words.”

Teperi moved closer and tapped the empty air with her hand.

The empty space rippled like a disturbed lake surface.

[There’s nothing there, but it’s softer than I thought. Like…]

“Like what.”

Somehow, I feel Teperi’s gaze looking at my upper body.

Why, why are you looking at me.

For some reason, that gaze seems unhealthy.

“…How bland.”

Teperi clears her throat, hmm hmm, holding back her words.

I shrugged and prepared to release the seal.

“Shine.”

Lowering my voice and manifesting my will, runic characters glowed in the empty air.

Chanting wasn’t something used by the unskilled, but rather a tool to realize one’s will more easily.

Simply put, chanting is like a calculator.

Should large-scale magic formulas be compared to scientific calculators?

Chantless casting is like multiplication tables, calculations that come out instantly.

“Form pairs.”

The chaotically scattered runic characters began to pair up one by one, busily rearranging themselves.

With a click, like the last puzzle piece fitting into place, a bright light flashed.

Teperi stared blankly at the sight, fascinated.

“Open the door.”

As I spoke the final word, a part of the barrier slowly split open, revealing a door.

As the entrance appeared, a thick, sticky energy, completely unfitting for the flower garden, flowed out from within.

As if the fragrant exterior was just camouflage, a musty smell wafted from inside.

“This is the real lair.”

It seems the house isn’t tidy enough for a homecoming party.

From the thousand-year-old Imoogi’s lair, an ominous energy, like that of a dungeon, flowed out.