episode_0027

One late night, after finishing my training and returning to the dorm, I saw Abel and Yas with their heads together in their room.

As I tilted my head in puzzlement, Yas, sensing my presence, turned his head and greeted me.

“Oh, friend! You came just in time. Could you take a look at this? Abel, is that okay?”

“Yes. I’d like to hear your opinion too.”

What they handed me with troubled expressions was an old map.

The overall drawing was very familiar.

‘Isn’t this one of the hidden pieces?’

The dungeon marked on the map has considerable difficulty, but in return, there’s an artifact as a reward that can be used reliably until the mid-to-late stages.

Normally, even this map should be obtained by clearing a prerequisite quest, but why is it in Abel’s hands?

‘Something’s suspicious.’

As I narrowed my eyes and silently stared at the map, Yas quietly asked.

“Why are you silent? Do you know something?”

“…Where did you get this?”

I completely ignored Yas.

Abel, seeming awkward at the question, scratched the back of his head and started to explain.

“Well, I actually just got it by chance. I was walking down the street when it suddenly flew to me in the wind, and it turned out to be a treasure map. I tried to find the owner for a few days, but there was no contact from the lost and found center. Ahaha….”

Abel wore an awkward expression, as if using someone else’s property bothered his conscience.

‘His personality hasn’t changed, huh.’

He’s righteous but very curious, so he never fails to get involved whenever an incident occurs. Thanks to that, he experienced real battles and grew rapidly, eventually becoming a hero.

I decided to alleviate Abel’s guilt.

“I don’t know if this is a real treasure map, but I think I generally know where the indicated location is.”

“Wow! That’s amazing, friend?”

“If this place really is where treasure is hidden, the owner would have already made a copy. Perhaps this is just a copy.”

“Really? That’s a relief. Ruan, you’re amazing!”

Being called by my name by Abel felt strange.

Watching Abel sigh in relief, I simply concluded.

“So, there’s no need to worry much. If you guys get the treasure first, it just means the original owner wasn’t capable of taking it.”

“I see! Thanks. I feel much better now. Yas. Then how about we go get the treasure this Saturday?”

“Sounds good! Friend. You’re coming with us too, right?”

The two, having reached an agreement, focused their gaze on me.

You’re the only one who knows the treasure’s location! We absolutely need you!

Even without them saying it, I understood everything they wanted to say. But unfortunately, I had no intention of joining this party.

‘If I stay with them, I’ll just get caught up in things.’

That someone intentionally leaked the treasure map to Abel is a clear fact.

And that someone is likely a transmigrator.

To figure out their identity, rather than mixing in with the same group, it’s much better to observe the situation from a distance.

“I refuse. I don’t have time for that.”

“What? Friend, what’s wrong? You’re backing out after coming all this way? Then who’s going to guide us?!”

“I’ll write down the location for you, so find your way there yourselves. It’s not that complicated a place.”

“Oh, come on, that’s a lie! If it were easy to find, they wouldn’t have left a treasure map. Let’s go together. Please?”

Yas, like a child, kept pestering.

Just as my patience was reaching its limit, Abel quickly stopped Yas.

“Yas. Stop it. He probably has something important to do. Let’s just go by ourselves.”

“Hmm… Should we? If Ruan were with us, we wouldn’t get lost.”

Yas reluctantly backed down.

With the situation somewhat settled, I left a few words before stepping away.

“By the way, it’s a secret that I told you about the map. Tell others that you guys found it yourselves. Understood?”

“What? Friend. Is that okay?”

“It has to be that way. I want to avoid unnecessary trouble. So I’m going to sleep. Don’t be loud.”

Using sleep as a weapon, I sealed Yas’s mouth and lay down on the bed as I was.

‘I need to change my training schedule.’

I didn’t want to do this from the second week, but I’ll have to tell Cain and ask to postpone it to Sunday.

Besides that, to observe Abel and his group well, I’ll need surveillance magic tools, but it’s a headache figuring out where to get them.

As I thought about what I had to do tomorrow, I slowly fell asleep.

*

Early in the morning, a group of students gathered in front of the academy grounds.

There were four in total: Abel, Yas, Uni, and Alisa.

“Thanks for all coming! Especially, Alisa. I’ll owe you one this time.”

“It’s fine. I just came because I was interested. If you really want to thank someone, thank Uni. If it weren’t for Uni, I wouldn’t have participated.”

“Yes! Thanks, Uni. You did great.”

“Heh! It’s nothing much. Since it might be dangerous, we should go as prepared as possible.”

At Abel’s praise, Uni, not knowing how to refuse, grinned brightly and shyly.

Meanwhile, Yas, who had been examining the map, shouted.

“Then let’s go right away! The place written on the map isn’t that far.”

“Ah, okay! Yas. Please guide us.”

Since they had to keep Ruan a secret, they had coordinated their story with Alisa and Uni that Yas knew the location.

Yas led everyone to the place their thorny roommate had explained.

Meanwhile, the group split into two small parts.

The male members took the lead, and the female members followed behind them.

“Alisa. You know that thing we learned in the mana operation class on Tuesday? Have you mastered it?”

“More or less? It’s not that hard once you get used to it.”

“Really? Then can you teach me tomorrow? I’m a bit confused.”

“Okay. Come to my room tomorrow.”

As the two girls chatted amicably, Abel, who was walking alongside Yas, suddenly asked a curious question.

“But Yas. Why are you so quiet today?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“You always talked a lot about girls. About wanting to get a girlfriend. Honestly, when I saw Alisa, I thought you’d hit on her relentlessly.”

“Ah, that? You didn’t see it back then, did you?”

“Huh? Back then?”

“I’m talking about the class placement test. Back then, Alisa killed Ruan incredibly brutally. I don’t know what happened between them, but anyway, I don’t want to do that. Ugh, it still gives me chills just thinking about it.”

Yas shivered, shoulders trembling.

Abel, seeing that reaction, suddenly recalled memories from the class placement test.

‘Now that I think about it, she was looking for Ruan back then, wasn’t she?’

I didn’t know it at the time, but the description Alisa gave matched Ruan exactly. It seems she eventually found him back then and really killed him.

Although he was curious about what happened between the two of them, Abel suppressed his curiosity.

Even if he grew up in a rural village and had little experience, he wasn’t unaware that it was unwise to recklessly delve into such matters.

It was just a little regrettable.

‘I hope they get along.’

He didn’t know when it would happen, but he hoped they would resolve their feelings and reconcile.

It was while Abel was silently praying.

“We’ve arrived!”

Yas, who had been alternating glances between the map and their surroundings, shouted with certainty.

Uni and Alisa, who had been separated from them, approached.

“Yas. Is that really true?”

“Yes. But the recorded location seems to be underground. What should we do?”

Abel answered Yas’s question.

“Then there’s probably some device nearby. Let’s all look for it together.”

This was an outer alleyway, far from the center.

Following Abel’s instructions, the group split up and began searching everywhere.

Not long after, Alisa found a device.

“Is this it?”

With a puzzled expression, she pressed a tile that protruded unusually from the floor.

It was a bit stiff, but when she pushed hard, the tile slid in with a whoosh, and with the sound of many mechanisms moving, the floor split open, revealing a staircase.

The group immediately gathered around.

“Oh, Alisa. That’s amazing!”

“It’s stairs. This must be the way to the underground.”

“Alisa, you’re the best! It was definitely a good idea to bring you!”

Uni, seemingly proud of herself for deciding to bring Alisa, beamed brightly and crossed her arms.

Alisa, not paying attention, examined the stairs.

“The stairs aren’t very long. It looks like a passage continues, so we need to be careful.”

“Okay. I’ll go first. Then Alisa, Uni, and Yas, please follow in that order. Then let’s go!”

Abel, with an innate leadership he himself wasn’t aware of, gave instructions to everyone.

Everyone in the group didn’t particularly object, and after forming a formation, they descended the stairs.

It was the beginning of the dungeon exploration.

*

“Good. They’ve entered.”

Finally, the group stepped foot into the dungeon.

Currently, I was sitting in a corner of a quiet coffee shop, sipping coffee, and monitoring Abel’s group with a magic tool borrowed from Deborah.

Thanks to the tracking and eavesdropping device I had installed beforehand inside Yas’s clothes.

It was a good thing I borrowed it from Deborah.

As I confirmed the group entering the dungeon, I clicked my tongue anew.

‘I never imagined Alisa would be there too.’

While it was a fated progression for them to become close after being in the same class, I never thought they would get close enough to join a party so soon.

Of course, her friendship with Abel was practically nonexistent, and it was a meeting that happened purely thanks to Uni’s request.

I had intended to intervene if things got dangerous, but I think I can relax a little now. If Alisa is there, the dungeon clear should proceed smoothly.

“By the way, this magic tool’s performance is incredible, isn’t it?”

I tapped the glasses I was wearing.

To others, it would just look like I was wearing glasses, but to my eyes, the group’s location and the surrounding terrain were laid bare.

It’s just a guess, but I wonder if Deborah brought Roxana’s magic tool.

The conversation from back then flashed through my mind.

“—Deborah. Lend me one magic tool.”

“—Huh? Suddenly?”

“—Yes. Something came up. I’ll return it soon.”

“—Wh-why me? The deal was over with that last request!”

“—So you don’t want to? Do you want to end up like the future?”

“—Hmph, hmph… You’re truly a bad person.”

Even though I didn’t know exactly what future she saw, Deborah quickly yielded whenever I threatened her with, “Do you want to end up like the future?”

Just thinking of her pouting, teary-eyed face, I still chuckle involuntarily.

‘Strangely, I just want to torment her.’

I never felt this way when I played the game, but has just over a month’s worth of events changed me this much?

It’s a mystery.

After pondering to myself for a moment, I came to my senses and looked out the window.

“Where could she be….”

I was looking for Pernia.

That cat beast-kin who always stuck close to Abel’s group was missing today.

It might be a coincidence, but Pernia might be the one who orchestrated this. If my guess is correct, she would definitely be watching from nearby.

What truly is the truth?

I hope it’s not the worst-case scenario I’m imagining.