Chapter 226

I reminded my team members once again of the tasks we needed to tackle.

“Alright, here’s our stage!”

The job for the experiential learning was simple: go around seven checkpoints and complete the missions.

We had to follow the designated course for each group.

Then, we would submit the black boxes attached to our bodies along with the things we collected and return to the dormitory.

In other words, the quicker we finished, the sooner we could go home.

“Okay, so the first checkpoint is… over there to the north!”

“Violet Bus, departing!”

Violet checked the map and took the lead. Levi, who was carrying the ballista, and the other three students followed behind us.

As we moved forward, I summarized the locations of the checkpoints and the list of tasks.

“What’s the mission?”

“Solving a mock operation magic formula and finding imitation relics. Cargo transport and enemy extermination.”

In short, one was a magic puzzle to solve, another was a treasure hunt, and the rest were survival games and deliveries.

According to previous explanations, the Asterados hills were said to be hiding various enemies. There shouldn’t be anything too lethal, so no need to worry.

If something goes wrong, the nearby ambulance would rush over.

“It’s easier than the Polaris experiential learning.”

“Looks like they intentionally adjusted the difficulty after last time’s mishap.”

After creating clones, we dispatched them to the fields and hills. Based on the scouting information and comparing it with the map, we quickly arrived at the first location.

Don’t forget to scan the terminal!

There was a machine at each checkpoint to check our visits. After scanning the terminal we received, we confirmed our visit and started the mission.

“Here’s the puzzle!”

I left the others waiting behind and touched the relic in front of me.

Upon touching the flat plate of the relic, a complex magical operation formula appeared.

This gimmick just needed to have magical power properly channeled to operate.

“Violet calculation, activate!”

We quickly solved the operation and headed towards the next checkpoint.

-Scritch!

The leading scout didn’t forget to slay the monsters that popped up along the way.

“How peaceful…”

At the second checkpoint, we performed the mission to find the hidden relic.

“Alright, we’ll…”

“Got it, we’ll handle it!”

The other ones were just a distraction. The Violets were rummaging through the grass.

-Swish!

It wasn’t hard to find the relic. Each suspicious spot just needed to be searched by the clones, and that was it.

As we approached the third checkpoint, the Violet scouting team encountered a new enemy.

What’s that? It’s moving?

-Ratatatat!

“Eek! It’s shooting!”

A turret popped out with a clattering sound from behind the dense foliage on the hill.

Even the clumsily made training dummies that had been hidden for who knows how long rose up and started shooting rifles.

“Lie down!”

“Got hit!… Huh? It’s okay?”

The Violet search squad was bewildered by the unexpectedly low power of the attack. The thing rolling on the ground was a rubber bullet.

“That’s nothing to worry about!”

At this level, it was just as harmless as a water gun to even the weakest Awakened One.

“Hey! Woof woof! Attack!”

“Woof!”

As the Mech Hound followed our orders to shoot back, the Violets leisurely raised their shields.

“Alright, Levi, take it out!”

“Leave it to me!”

Just then, with a huge explosion and a flood of light, the wooden dummies were shattered.

-Squeak!

As soon as we destroyed them all, a sound came from the terminal, displaying the number of targets destroyed and the time taken. Out of curiosity, I examined the training dummies.

“It’s magic!”

Even though the limbs of the dummies were scattered, the damage wasn’t as bad as I thought.

Their bodies or parts weren’t broken; only the joints had separated.

It looked like a toy that had fallen from a shelf, all disassembled.

As I stood there staring at the dummies, the other group members cautiously approached.

“Group Leader! What are you doing? Is it your first time seeing a training dummy?”

“Yeah, we don’t use these at our academy.”

Even though I had already heard the explanation, it was a fascinating object. I learned that after some time, the limbs would stick back together and be restored, making it perfect for training.

As I observed the tragic fate of the poor dummy unit, the gazes of my group members shifted to one specific place.

At the end of their sight was Levi’s gigantic ballista.

“The more I look at it, the more impressive it gets.”

At first glance, it seemed just like a large crossbow, but its power rivaled that of a tank cannon.

The last time I tried to shoot it, it didn’t have the expected power. But when the owner shot it, it displayed unbelievable destructive power.

I couldn’t help but wonder what principle it operated on.

Sure enough, I wasn’t the only one intrigued. Two boys, unable to resist their curiosity, approached with sparkling eyes.

“By the way, what’s that ballista? Isn’t it heavy?”

“Can’t I touch it just once? It should be okay, right?”

When a guy named Yuri reached out his hand, Levi suddenly shouted.

“Get your hands off!”

“Oh, sorry. I didn’t think you’d get mad.”

“Ah, no. I’m sorry for yelling…”

The group members awkwardly waved their hands in apology after the unexpected outburst. Levi quickly returned to her usual shy self, as if nothing had happened.

“Those idiots.”

I didn’t know much beyond the short story that it was a family heirloom, but Levi cherished it dearly.

So much so that we Violets had to plead just to hold it.

“Well, I should ask later!”

To break the momentary awkwardness, I stood up and commanded.

“Okay, let’s move forward!”

I urged the other group members onward along with Levi.

“Forward! Forward!”

There’s no rest for the Violet Squad. Our goal is to pass through all the checkpoints and get out as fast as possible.

“First place is ours!”

And we are Awakened Ones. Awakened Ones have better stamina than ordinary people.

“It’s a blitzkrieg!”

Thus, wherever the Violet group went, destruction and explosions followed.

-Boom!

Tired of stopping to fight, we decided to resolve combat with long-range fire.

The clone Violets identified areas where dummies and monsters were hidden in advance.

Next up was a rain of ballista bolts.

“Oh no! We seem to have a little bit of misfire.”

“Levi! Adjust three mils to the left and five mils down!”

“Got it!”

Another explosion occurred.

The scout Violet reported another victory.

“Did them all in!”

“Ha ha ha!”

Around the time we were nearing the fifth checkpoint, Alex turned around and spoke with an awkward expression.

“Hey, Violet. Don’t we have anything to do?”

“Huh? Just carry that.”

“Is that all?”

“Yep!”

The students on the Violet Bus were only carrying imitation relics and cargo.

The three students followed awkwardly, shouldering the burdens.

Before long, we reached the last checkpoint, scanned the terminal, and rushed towards the gate like the wind.

Jumping through the gate was the polite thing to do.

“It’s done!”

As we passed through the portal and returned to reality, I could see the astonished eyes of the waiting staff.

“Group five? Already this fast?”

“Here’s the terminal and the black box! Class is over, right? We’re leaving!”

I prepared to submit what I needed and get ready to head back.

Maybe it was because we passed through so quickly, but the bewildered expressions were the same among the other group members. The female student slowly opened her mouth.

“Group Leader, what should we do now? When do we need to send the report? What about the presentation materials?”

“Oh, that? Just write your personal reports. I’ll handle the rest, so just stay put!”

“…?”

I left the other group members behind and returned to the dormitory. It’s more comfortable and quicker to do the group project alone.

“156, 1225, 871! Start work!”

“Let’s begin!”

After rolling around at home, I soon found that the report and presentation materials were complete.

“Given this, our group should come in first, right?”

I thought I had once again proven the greatness of Violet and took a nap.

Unfortunately, reality was different from Violet’s expectations.

After the experiential learning session ended, the next class time arrived. Group evaluations were conducted.

“Group five, why did the group leader handle everything alone?”

The person in charge of this experiential learning was Professor Lark from the Exploration Department.

He adjusted his glasses and stared at us with sharp eyes.

“I didn’t do it alone! The other guys helped out a lot.”

At that moment, deep wrinkles formed around Professor Lark’s eyes.

“I reviewed all the black boxes. From exploration to combat, it seems that only the group leader and two students did most of the work. Why was that?”

Oh no, so that’s why.

Feeling unable to hide under the professor’s sharp inquiry, I answered without hesitation.

“I thought it would be more efficient. And the other group members worked hard to carry the cargo, so that’s all that matters, right?”

As soon as I finished my answer, Professor Lark ruthlessly criticized.

“This experiential learning was meant to assess our teamwork. It wasn’t meant for each of you to handle everything alone with your unique abilities. And the other students in Group Five, besides Levi, should feel ashamed. Why did you rely solely on your group leader?”

“W-Well, the group leader told us to…”

“Is that a reason to just follow along?”

At the professor’s stern admonishment, Alex and the two students lowered their heads.

“No, this is strange. What’s the problem?”

In the end, our group couldn’t avoid penalties for teamwork and received a very low score.

“A stuffy professor who doesn’t understand efficiency at all!”

It’s just more convenient to do group assignments alone; I really didn’t get why they were discussing teamwork.

So when the first principal interview time in February came, I expressed my grievances.

“Shouldn’t we get full marks? Just being a passenger counts as teamwork. They listened to me well.”

“Haha, I see. From Violet’s perspective, it might be somewhat unfair. I can understand that feeling.”

After hearing my complaints, Principal Brecht spoke slowly with a gentle smile.

“However, Violet, conveying help to others unilaterally may not truly assist them in the end. If you make them reliant, you’re taking away their chance to grow on their own.”

“But isn’t that a bit inefficient?”

“There’s no way to measure everything in life solely by efficiency. What seems inefficient now might return greater rewards later. It’s through the time of discussing things together and filling each other’s gaps that true growth can happen.”

I tilted my head, understanding only half of the principal’s words.

“I don’t get it.”

“At your age, it might be difficult to grasp the nuances completely. However, always try to recall and practice that lesson going forward. One day, you will understand the true value of teamwork and cooperation on your own.”

The principal’s words didn’t resonate easily with me.

I just nodded and left the principal’s office.

Perhaps because I didn’t understand, those thoughts kept swirling in my head.

Because of that, I also complained to the Scholarship Officer, repeating the same words.

“What do you think?”

“For now, it’d be good to adjust to the level of the other students for a while.”

“Gee…”

Is my current level not suited for me? Maybe I should consider skipping a grade.

Suddenly, the Scholarship Officer asked a significant question with a meaningful expression.

“By the way, how are things with Adela lately?”

“I’m doing well! I can’t see her often since she’s busy with her senior responsibilities, but when we meet, she treats me to delicious food! Later, I plan to send someone to live on Cascadia Island.”

“Cascadia Island?”

“Yeah, I’m going to send one person there to live. When I said that, Sister Adela seemed to like it a lot!”

“I see, her taste hasn’t changed…”

I noticed the Scholarship Officer letting out a short sigh.

“Is something wrong?”

“No, nothing at all. By the way, you said you’ve been getting closer to Adela? I actually have something to relay.”

“What is it?”

“It’s not a big deal, but now seems like a good time to say it. Soon, the heir of the Three Great Clans is expected to return to Aegis Academy. Within a week or two.”

I was taken aback. An heir of the Three Great Clans being a student of Aegis Academy? I had no idea about that at all.

Seeing my surprised expression, Seijis continued calmly.

“It’s surprising, isn’t it? Originally, they were on leave, but it seems they’ve decided to return due to recent circumstances. They seem to want to graduate quickly to help their father. It’s unexpected, but…”

“So, which clan do they belong to?”

I couldn’t help but start devising a plan for murder, wondering if someone from Laplacian or the Foundation’s evil faction was coming.

“Revenge! I’ll treat them to my special welcoming!”

“Let’s stick a hundred needles in their heads!”

Before I could voice my dark thoughts, the Scholarship Officer seemed to read something off my expression and spoke first.

“Don’t worry, it’s not Luminesca. It’s a child of the Restraid family.”

At those words, I halted all 1900-plus murder plans I was concocting in my mind.

“His name is Sebastian Restraid, he’s in the same grade as Adela and has been on leave for several years.”

“Oh, I see. Thanks for informing me. But is that guy possibly a psychopathic murderer? Should I kill him?”

“He’s not that type of person, so don’t do it. However, if he ever meets Adela, it might be good to be a bit cautious.

Right now, he’s an arrogant youth who hasn’t yet come to his senses. There might be some minor friction between them.

Oh, but there’s one more small consideration.”

“What’s that?”

I couldn’t help but be startled by the Scholarship Officer’s next words.

“Sebastian was Adela’s former fiancé. It was a long time ago, though.”

My goodness, our beautiful Student Council President had a fiancé? I had no idea about that.

“Please don’t tell me he’s some weird guy like Croscelle?”

“It’s fine, they were just former fiancés, so there won’t be any big issues.”

I gathered the Scholarship Officer’s words. After all, he was in a higher grade, so how often could we possibly meet, but I should still be cautious.

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