Chapter 204

(3)

6.

The next morning.

Breakfast was served on the train.

It consisted of soft bread, fruit jam, and milk, but overall everyone seemed satisfied.

Well, everyone except Ulan.

“……Not enough.”

He finished his meal in the blink of an eye and furrowed his brows. Of course. Ulan usually ate ten times more than other students.

But there was no need to worry.

The provisions on the train were plentiful, which meant Ulan could get another full pot of milk and two baskets of bread.

Only after devouring all that did he finally look satisfied.

After breakfast ended, the train showed no signs of stopping and kept rolling down the tracks.

“Ugh, it’s uncomfortable just sitting here.”

Ivella was squirming in her seat.

Well, she had every right to feel uncomfortable since she had been trying to sleep on a hard chair. Soon, she frowned and muttered in a complaining tone.

“When are we going to arrive?”

The time was 8 AM.

Noa looked at the watch on her wrist and estimated the arrival time.

With Ivella’s remark, Noa checked her watch again. It was still 8 AM.

“Hmm, it’s been about 15 hours since we boarded, so we should have another 10 hours to go.”

“What? It takes that long?”

“Yeah, but it’s still incredibly fast. If we had taken a carriage, we’d probably be having breakfast somewhere in the mountains by now.”

“Ugh! That’s true but….”

Compared to a carriage, this speed was obviously ridiculous. Still, 10 hours wasn’t short, and her expression darkened.

But that was only for a moment.

Perhaps because there was nothing else to do?

Ivella, who had been squirming restlessly, leaned her head against the wall and promptly fell asleep again.

‘Smart choice.’

Sleeping does make the time fly, after all.

As she quietly snored, Noa couldn’t help but chuckle.

‘By the way…’

Noa glanced around, looking for someone.

The person she was searching for was none other than Silfi Rudrik. She wanted to chat a bit before reaching their destination.

But that plan quickly went down the drain.

‘Where could she have gone?’

She had been sitting right next to Ivella during breakfast, but in the moment she looked away, she had completely vanished.

At first, Noa thought she might have gone to the restroom, but as more than an hour passed without her return, it seemed she had gone somewhere else entirely.

‘If Delia or Fertisha were around, I’d have asked them to find her…’

Unfortunately, they were in another train car.

And moving between cars in a fast-moving train could be dangerous, so switching cars was restricted.

‘Then she’s probably nearby.’

The space allotted to Class 3 was limited.

Should I go look for her myself? Noa thought as she stood up, but she soon had to sit back down.

‘Wait, this won’t do.’

There was one simple reason for that.

Even if she went to find her and met her, she wouldn’t know what to say.

The only purpose was to build some rapport with Silfi; she hadn’t figured out any actual topics to talk about yet.

‘I need to come up with something to say…’

Lost in thought, Noa pondered what to say to Silfi when something suddenly caught her eye. It was Ulan, who was sitting right next to her.

“Hmm.”

He was staring intently at a map spread out on the desk.

Feeling curious about his uncommon behavior, Noa lightly tapped his shoulder.

“Hey, Ulan?”

“What is it?”

“What are you looking at so seriously?”

“The map of the Endrak Kingdom.”

That much was obvious.

What Noa was curious about was why he was suddenly looking at a map. Just as she was about to open her mouth to ask for more details, Ulan spoke first.

“Is this where our school trip is headed?”

“Pardon? Oh, right. It’s called Plut.”

The Endrak Kingdom’s border city Plut.

To the west lies the Arpen Duchy, and to the south, it borders the Sern Kingdom. This place is home to the largest magical engineering facility in Endrak.

Maybe that’s why Plut is also famous for being directly managed by the royal family.

Noa continued explaining about Plut based on this context. But Ulan’s attention seemed to be elsewhere.

“It’s close to here.”

“Uh? That would be…”

A city across the border that meets with Plut.

It bordered on the Arpen Duchy and was in front of a dense jungle. The city was called Shulfern in the Sern Kingdom.

Ulan was already familiar with the place.

“That’s where Sven is.”

“Oh, right. He is probably busy working as a mercenary in Shulfern by now.”

Noa nodded.

It was as if she had just realized something. The information from the original story started to spring back to her memory.

‘Sven Isaac.’

The sixth hero to join the party.

He is an elite mercenary who specializes in hunting monsters and later takes on the role of sniper for the hero party.

He is also notably renowned for having hunted the most Abyssal Monsters among all the other heroes. His hunting skills were exceptional.

‘He’s definitely a necessary asset.’

Especially when dealing with the sixth-ranked lord, Rakus the Howling Eye, having both swordmaster Ivella and Sven would make the battle smoother.

Rakus is known for being the weakest but can be quite tricky since he always hides his main body somewhere during the fight.

‘Finding where the real body is located is hard even with magic, so tracking or detection skills are essential.’

So he definitely needed to join.

Noa’s eyes sparkled like stars.

While she was deep in thought, Ulan was also recalling Sven, just like Noa.

‘He’s probably…’

Laurea must have contacted Sven by now.

Or she might have sent someone to hire him as a mercenary. She had mentioned gathering the scattered heroes in one place.

‘I hope everything goes smoothly.’

Well, if there aren’t any problems, things should turn out alright, yet for some reason, she felt an odd sense of unease.

As if something might happen.

But that thought passed quickly as Ulan shook his head and brushed off his worries. He thought worrying about things that hadn’t happened was a waste of time.

‘Anyway, now all we need is Sven.’

If that’s the case, it means they will be meeting all the heroes in this life. Furthermore, if Laurea and Ian also joined, they would finally be complete.

Of course, there was still the task of passing the Trial of the Hero, but still, just gathering everyone in one place would hold significance.

‘That’s how we can unveil the secrets.’

Ulan, Noa, and Laurea promised.

On the day when all the heroes gathered, Ulan would confess that he remembered his past life, and Noa would reveal her identity as the Player.

‘And…’

After sharing all the secrets, they would genuinely prepare for the war against the Abyss.

They would need to gear up to fight the remaining three lords and the new enemy they would face beyond the Abyss, ‘The Endless Hands.’

As she recalled the planned events, time passed quickly like an arrow.

How long had it been?

Before they knew it, the sun was high in the sky and soon began to set in the west. By the time the sky turned orange, several students woke up with wide eyes.

“Wait, what?”

“Did the train slow down a bit?”

“Oh, yeah. What’s going on?”

The scenery outside that had been rushing by was now clearly visible, proving the change. At that moment, the mana communications device installed on the ceiling sparkled and lit up.

―Good evening, everyone.

A familiar voice followed soon after.

It was Professor Melt Wirathim. Clearing his throat, he excitedly continued speaking.

―Thank you for your hard work on our long journey. Our train will be arriving at the destination shortly.

Hearing the awaited news, the students’ eyes gleamed with excitement. Ivella, who had continually worn a bored expression, let out a sigh of relief.

The train, which had been gradually slowing down, finally came to a stop. Then, a loud voice echoed.

―Welcome to the Endrak Kingdom, the holy land of magical engineering. We warmly welcome you to Plut!

With Professor Melt’s welcoming remarks concluded, the tightly closed doors swung open. Soon, the full view of their final destination for the school trip, Plut, unfolded before them.

7.

Meanwhile, at that moment.

In the border town of the Endrak Kingdom, Lynette.

This place, about three days from the border city of Plut, was well-known for being where hunters and mercenaries occasionally took a rest.

As the sun dipped low on the horizon, the once-quiet town rapidly filled with people. The tavern near the plaza was no exception.

“Another day of hard work for everyone.”

“Come on, let’s have a drink.”

The guests tilt their glasses.

They downed beer after beer, seemingly trying to wash away the fatigue of their tiring work. At that moment, a lone figure entered the tavern.

A young man wearing a shabby white robe.

However, no one paid him any mind.

It wasn’t particularly unusual to come alone for a drink. Though the tavern owner was an exception, as he needed to boost sales.

“What will you order?”

“Anything but alcohol is fine.”

Why come to a tavern if you’re not gonna drink? The tavern owner frowned.

Afterward, the young man received a juice and clasped his hands in prayer. Seeing this, the owner’s tone became slightly gentler.

“Ah, a follower of Eloden?”

“Yes, as you can see.”

Finishing his prayer, the young man smiled brightly.

In contrast, the tavern owner clicked his tongue in disapproval.

“Tsk, don’t know why you’re here in this backwater at such an inopportune time.”

“Excuse? What do you mean by that?”

“There was a horrible incident last week.”

The abrupt attack by the demon beasts against the priests and followers of the Holy Nation heading to the Sern Kingdom.

All the priests died, and the victims’ bodies were ripped apart beyond recognition.

However, the young man’s expression remained unchanged despite the grim news. Instead, his green eyes glinted with seriousness as he asked back.

“Do you happen to have any information regarding the priest’s attack?”

“That’s all I know. Just what I’ve picked up here and there.”

The tavern owner shrugged.

After accepting the payment, he offered a concerned parting remark.

“Take care of yourself, alright?”

That was how their conversation wrapped up.

The owner headed to the table to take other orders while the young man was left alone, sipping on his juice.

As he calmly surveyed the interior of the tavern with a serious gaze, his eyes suddenly locked onto one spot.

A table where three men were seated.

The young man observed the men, presumed to be hunters, and then leaned in to listen to their conversation.

‘…Border, demon beasts, attacks.’

Words echoing in his ears.

Soon after, the young man slammed down his empty juice glass and got up. He then approached the table of hunters to speak.

“Haha, pardon me.”

With a smile on his face, he approached naturally.

However, the hunters furrowed their brows, showing wariness at his sudden appearance.

“Hmm? What’s this about?”

“Do you have business with us?”

“Yes, I am a priest serving the divine being Eloden, but if it wouldn’t trouble you, may I ask a few questions?”

The young man continued smoothly, and at the same time, silver coins emerged from his hand, causing the hunters’ eyes to sparkle.

“Cough! That much is simple enough.”

“Right, what does the priest want to know?”

The hunters’ demeanor shifted to being cooperative as they quickly gathered the coins. The young man maintained a bright smile as he got to the point.

“I have business in the Sern Kingdom, but I’m not familiar with the situation near the border.”

“What? The Sern Kingdom?”

“It’s best to avoid that place.”

“Yeah, I’d recommend not going unless it’s a matter of life and death.”

All three men responded negatively.

The young man tilted his head, curious.

“Is it because of the incident with the demon beasts attacking the priests last week?”

“Well, that’s part of it….”

“There’s more important stuff going on.”

“What do you mean?”

As the young man asked back curiously, the hunters immediately revealed what that reason was.

“Demon beast sightings have increased lately.”

“It’s not just sightings; the number of attacks on towns has also gone up.”

“It wouldn’t be too bad if you were heading into the Endrak Kingdom, but the Sern Kingdom is in chaotic condition. It’s basically a war zone.”

“Hmm, I see.”

The young man let out a low hum, seemingly troubled. After pondering for a moment, he posed another question.

“Then, is Shulfern in a similar situation?”

“…What?”

The moment he mentioned that name, the hunters’ expressions visibly stiffened.

An instant silence filled the air.

Moments later, the hunters opened their mouths.

“Are you, by any chance…?”

“Is the place you want to go Shulfern?”

“Yes, for now, that’s correct.”

When the young man nodded, the hunters’ expressions darkened further. Then, they spoke firmly, almost as if to warn him.

“Whatever you do, don’t go there.”

“Even if it’s something crucial that could cost your life, it’s better to postpone.”

“Right now, Shulfern is hell on earth.”

The border city of the Sern Kingdom, Shulfern.

While Shulfern has always been known for frequent demon beast attacks, the frequency of those attacks had spiked recently.

In fact, the previously tense frontlines were slowly being pushed back, with fierce battles over life and death occurring day and night.

And as a consequence.

Shulfern became a place that even mercenaries, who’d do anything for money, avoided.

The hunters described just how dangerous Shulfern had become in detail. During this, a younger hunter seemed to recall something and blurted out.

“Thanks to the monster hunters stationed there, it’s held up until now, but if they weren’t there, it would have collapsed long ago.”

Monster Hunters.

At that word, the young man’s eyes lit up.

He then asked for more details about the monster hunters, and soon received the hunters’ responses.

“They’re hunters specializing in hunting demon beasts.”

“They’re quite renowned around here. It’s rare to find a mercenary who started as a hunter.”

“There’s also a rumor that they belong to the catfolk race, but we can’t say for certain, so take it with a grain of salt.”

Elite mercenary and catfolk.

The young man committed those two fleeting words to memory.

After a little while.

Was all his curiosity finally satisfied?

“Thank you for the kind words.”

The young man rose from his seat with a somewhat relieved expression. The hunters called out to him with worried tones as he headed for the exit.

“Though we appreciate the coins….”

“Just be careful and don’t even glance in the direction of Shulfern!”

With the hunters’ worried farewells, the young man promptly left the tavern. Soon he arrived at a shabby inn located in an alley.

Climbing the creaking wooden stairs to the second floor, he walked briskly towards the room at the end of the hallway.

After knocking, he opened the door.

Inside, reflected in his green eyes, was a middle-aged man kneeling in prayer. The young man patiently waited for him to finish.

“…”

How long did the wait last?

After what felt like a long time, the man’s prayer finally concluded. He opened his previously closed eyes and muttered the young man’s name.

“Ian.”

“Yes, Master.”

“Have you said your evening prayers?”

“I did earlier at the tavern.”

The young man with navy-blue hair, the Paladin Ian Marcus, said with an awkward smile. The middle-aged man sitting across from him nodded silently.

“Good, then that’s settled.”

After finishing his reply, he adjusted his seat on the old, hard floor and looked straight at Ian, preparing to get to the point.

“Now, it’s time to hear the story.”

Kadel Dun Shanktus.

Ian’s mentor and the Paladin Master.

At the words of the strongest swordsman in the Holy Nation, Ian opened his mouth with a tense face.

He was about to relay the stories he had heard from the hunters at the tavern just moments ago.

Chapter 47. School Trip