Professor Marea’s cooperative assignment was the first main quest that players of Legend of Academy experienced.
Therefore, a 4-member party was mandatory, and unlike sub-quests, you couldn’t abandon or ignore the quest midway if things went south.
However, since it was a tutorial-like quest placed in the Elementary Section chapter, the difficulty itself wasn’t a big deal. As Professor Marea said, all you had to do was defeat the monsters, retrieve the hidden treasure chests one by one, and return.
But that wasn’t all. The true fun of Reoa lies in the fact that even a single quest can be cleared in various ways, and the details of the story change through interactions with different characters. So, in this cooperative assignment, players couldn’t just hunt a few monsters and expect to be ‘first place.’
The most crucial point here was to enter the giant treehouse at the northern end of the Star Shadow Forest by the in-game time of ‘9 minutes and 30 seconds.’ Since ‘Citrine’s party’ would arrive at the treehouse after 9 minutes and 30 seconds, if you aimed for first place, you had to get there before them.
“…So, I’m thinking of moving faster than Citrine.”
“I didn’t expect you to use something as serious as a dowsing rod. It feels a bit unfair.”
Esme and Torlin quickly understood my explanation. They must also want to take first place since we’re doing this cooperative assignment together.
“Spirit of Water! Child of Bubbles! Naiara! Spirit of Wind! Zephyra! Help Murmur!”
The hidden magic that becomes available after learning Dual Casting was used smoothly, just as I remembered.
Indeed, such magical knowledge, known only to players like me, is quite helpful.
“Huh? Murmur? What kind of magic did you just use?”
“I summoned both the Spirit of Water and the Spirit of Wind using Dual Casting.”
“I know that. But there’s only one spirit summoned in front of us, right?”
Esme pointed at the giant, bubbly, winged Softy that was spewing white foam and water droplets.
“Since it was summoned using Dual Casting. The basic elements that make up this world reacted and fused the spirits together.”
“Composition… basic…? Fu, fusion? Where on earth did Murmur learn such magical knowledge?”
“I learned it from books in the library.”
Somewhere in that massive library of the Academy, there must be a grimoire about ‘fusion spirits.’
Esme wouldn’t go through all 10,000-plus grimoires in the library to check if I’m telling the truth. A little white lie like this should be fine.
“Anyway, Torlin, come over here.”
“Y-you want me to ride on this spirit?”
“Yeah, soon…”
─Boom!
Before I could finish, Professor Marea fired a signal flare that lit up the sky with a bright red light and a loud noise.
“…The assignment has started. We need to move faster than Citrine, so we’ll ride this fusion spirit.”
“Wow, this looks so fun!”
Torlin happily climbed onto the fusion spirit with her small but sturdy body.
“Esme, come on too.”
“Really… we’re going to move by riding this spirit? Isn’t it too dangerous?”
She’s oddly hesitant about this. I have no choice but to use Esme’s personality to my advantage.
“Esme.”
“No matter how I think about it, it’s dangerous. Murmur, let’s walk first, and if we’re really running late…”
“Are you scared?”
Esme, who had been cheerfully talking with a cute voice, twitched her eyebrows.
“Hmph, hmph! Murmur, you! Do you really think Esme Bloodberry would be scared of such a spirit? Let’s go! Let’s move quickly!”
Esme is really not honest. Without me even offering a hand, she climbed onto the spirit in an instant.
* * *
“Seniors said this cooperative assignment was easy, but…”
“Aren’t the monsters stronger than expected?”
The students of the Academy, wiping sweat from their foreheads with their sleeves, were lightly voicing their complaints.
Just like the ‘game knowledge’ that Murmur possesses, Professor Marea’s ‘first cooperative assignment’ was famously known as a ‘moderately easy test’ by the standards of this world.
To take first place, you needed extensive preparation like Citrine, but if it was just about passing, anyone who wasn’t a hopeless failure could pass.
But this year, that easy test felt subtly off. The monsters were so strong that the students participating in the test were visibly exhausted.
“Hmph… but we’re steadily earning points now.”
“Right, the last place is already decided, isn’t it?”
“You’re talking about Murmur, right? She probably thought she’d take first place with the princess’s help!”
The students naturally laughed as they thought of Murmur’s ‘misfortune.’
They couldn’t stand seeing Murmur, a demon race who was naturally ignored and oppressed, getting along strangely well with the princess, Nicasia.
It was the common sense they had learned from adults, and at some point, they had started to think that way themselves.
“Since the last place is decided, let’s just pass.”
“Right, right. As long as we find the treasure… huh?”
One of the students, who had been talking excitedly, blinked and looked somewhere, then shut his mouth.
“W-what’s that?”
“What? Another strange monster? It’s tough, but let’s run… huh?”
─Thud thud thud!
The students, who had been digging in the dirt, all stood up and stared blankly at the forest entrance.
“What’s that?”
“It’s… a monster! But it looks soft!”
“Eh, what? It looks cute!”
The students were purely bewildered by the sight of Murmur, Esme, and Torlin riding on a giant Softy spewing white foam and water droplets.
For the 5th-grade Elementary Section students who hadn’t yet learned summoning magic, Murmur’s ‘spirit’ was an extremely bizarre magic. Moreover, it wasn’t just a simple Spirit of Water but a fusion with the Spirit of Wind.
“…Murmur! This is too fast!”
“Wow!! It’s so fast!!”
Esme, holding onto Murmur’s waist and trembling, screamed in terror, while Torlin raised both hands high and screamed in thrill.
The two screams disappeared in an instant as the Softy crossed the forest at an incredible speed, and the students stared blankly at its retreating figure.
“…What is she doing?”
“Uh… where is she going so fast? What is she doing?”
“It… looks fun! What is that? Why don’t we learn such magic?! That’s unfair!”
The children who had been singing about Murmur’s misfortune naturally started to feel ‘envy.’
“Wow… she’s really doing something outrageous! Murmur is. Lachesis! Are you hurt?”
Amidst the students, a blue-haired student, Lachesis, was staring at the path Murmur had taken with a strange glint in her eyes.
“Lachesis! Lachesis! You’re not hurt, right? It’s scary to explain to your brother.”
“Ah, sorry. I just saw a magic I wanted to remember with my own eyes.”
The awkwardly smiling girl, Lachesis.
This girl, whom Murmur was destined to meet someday, had already taken a great interest in Murmur before their meeting.
“It seems like the first place in this assignment is already decided.”
* * *
“Thank you, everyone.”
Nicasia, after checking her condition one last time in the hand mirror held by her maid, Riola, spoke.
“Perfume! Spray the perfume!”
The maid, Maris, who was panting as she took out the perfume from her pocket, naturally sprayed peach-scented perfume on Nicasia, who extended her neck.
It’s natural to sweat and have messy hair after running, but to meet the whimsical expectations of adults, Nicasia had to doll herself up today as well.
“I’ll go in now. Everyone, please rest comfortably.”
“There’s no need to be nervous, Your Highness.”
Riola, who gave her final words of encouragement, smiled as Nicasia knocked on the door of the ‘Headmaster’s Office.’
“Welcome, respected Princess. Headmaster Cosmos is waiting inside.”
The elf with a wounded ear, the headmaster’s secretary, Sylvia, opened the door and spoke politely. Nicasia nodded and carefully entered the headmaster’s office.
“Come in.”
“It’s an honor to have a private audience with you again, Headmaster Cosmos.”
“Hmm~ I wouldn’t call it a private audience. I was thinking of having a leisurely tea time with Nicasia today.”
Nicasia twitched her eyebrows and rolled her red eyes, thinking, ‘Surely… you called me here just for a tea party? Headmaster Cosmos must know that I have to do the cooperative assignment today, right?’
Unable to gauge the headmaster’s intentions, Nicasia sat down on the plush sofa as gestured.
In front of Headmaster Cosmos was a glass of iced coffee already set, and in front of Nicasia was only one sweet-smelling apple pie prepared.
“What would our princess like? Bitter tea? Sweet juice? Coffee? Soda?”
“I don’t intend to indulge. Just something ordinary, please.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Sylvia brought Nicasia a peach iced tea with ice floating in it. Of course, Nicasia had no intention of drinking it.
“Headmaster Cosmos…”
Nicasia, who wanted to quickly finish the conversation and return to Murmur, was at a loss for words when she realized that Headmaster Cosmos was watching the cooperative assignment through magic.
“…You called me here on purpose, didn’t you?”
“Which one is it? There is something I really need to discuss with Princess Nicasia.”
“But I can feel the intent. You called me here knowing I’m in the same group as Murmur, right?”
Nicasia’s words were sharp. Headmaster Cosmos was watching Murmur’s performance through magic at this very moment.
“If you ask like that, I guess I have to say yes.”
“…I’ll take my leave now. If it’s something important, let’s talk next time…”
Nicasia stood up, but Sylvia blocked the only way out of the room.
“Don’t take it the wrong way.”
“…Murmur prepared hard for this assignment. You might not know, Headmaster, but it’s not right to interfere so blatantly.”
“So, you can’t help Murmur.”
“What kind of… that’s ridiculous.”
Headmaster Cosmos smiled faintly.
“Nicasia, you just said it. Murmur prepared hard? What if you, as a fellow group member, perform brilliantly here?”
“The cooperative assignment is naturally…”
“No, in the eyes of those meddling adults, ‘Murmur’s performance’ won’t be visible. Only the splendid performance of Princess Nicasia will be seen. No matter how hard Murmur worked, it won’t matter.”
Nicasia swallowed hard and sat back down.
“Please explain in detail.”
“The results of this assignment will be a good spectacle for those who are watching the Academy. If our princess achieves great results here, Murmur won’t be able to prove anything in the end.”
“What is she supposed to prove?”
Headmaster Cosmos smiled slyly.
“Well…”
“I’m Murmur’s friend. Please tell me clearly, Headmaster!”
At the strangely intense remark, Headmaster Cosmos turned her head.
“Is Murmur the flesh and blood of the Demon God?”
“…This has nothing to do with the cooperative assignment.”
“There’s a saying that a promising tree is recognized from its leaves. Murmur showed a ‘magical understanding’ in her fight with Colette Bloodberry that was hard to believe came from a 5th-grade Elementary Section student. I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of magic she’ll show in this test, which has become quite difficult.”
Nicasia swallowed hard and quickly took a few sips of the peach iced tea.
“If you perform brilliantly here, the nobles will chatter again. That the flesh and blood of the Demon God didn’t show her hidden power because she wasn’t in danger. And on top of that? They’ll say that Princess Nicasia is hiding the fact, unlike the Crown Princess. They’ll be happy to have something to chew on at social parties.”
“That’s absurd.”
“Of course it’s absurd. Everyone expects that if Murmur is in a dangerous situation, she’ll show the hidden power of the Demon God’s flesh and blood. Like, you know, black magic, blood magic, demon summoning…”
“Murmur doesn’t know such magic. She doesn’t use it. You know that! She’s just a kid who studied hard on weekends because… she had no friends!!”
Headmaster Cosmos didn’t answer and just smiled. Such information, Nicasia didn’t need to desperately tell her; everyone already knew.
On the contrary, Nicasia was so anxious that her neck and armpits were soaked in sweat, and she clenched her fists in discomfort.
“…What do you think, Headmaster? You said it before, didn’t you? That you can’t let an Academy student be tormented.”
Nicasia dared to hope. That the woman in front of her was on Murmur’s side.
“Well.”
“Please tell me! It’s shameful to say this, but… we’ve known each other for more than a day or two, haven’t we?”
“If our Princess Nicasia says so, then I have no choice.”
Headmaster Cosmos, watching Murmur enter the giant treehouse on the Softy, opened her mouth.
“I don’t want to kill her.”
“Headmaster…”
“This test is about proving how natural it is to protect my precious student. So, Nicasia…”
Headmaster Cosmos showed a completely serious expression without a hint of a smile. It was a face that even Nicasia, who had known her for a long time, had never seen before.
“Trust the adults. Protecting students is also about signing documents and worrying about others’ opinions, but trust us just this once.”
“…Alright. But if Murmur is really in danger, I’ll rush out.”
“Of course, you should. How could I stop a student trying to save a friend in danger?”
Headmaster Cosmos, back to her usual sly expression, clenched her fist.
“Prove it, Murmur. That you’re not the flesh and blood of the Demon God. That there’s no evil or malice in you.”
