Chapter 95
Lanne & Grandia Academy: The Märchen.
(Or “Neugeume,” for short.)
In the original game, there was an event that occurred once every year.
‘Field trip.’
The summer event.
You could call it the flower of academy stories.
Well, you know—the sort of thing that smells of youth.
Friends, the sea, sandy beaches, and so on···.
‘This feels strange.’
It felt like a new experience.
I never even went on a field trip in my previous life, yet here I was doing it in another world.
And it wasn't just any field trip—it was a super-luxurious one, lavishly funded by Grandia Academy.
Perhaps it was trying to live up to its title as the greatest educational institution on the continent; the budget alone was said to be ten thousand gold, an amount too staggering to even count.
‘They burned through ten thousand gold in a week?’
That was the academy for you—money practically rotted away there.
Both the tram and the cruise ship used for transportation seemed to belong to the academy as well.
Another fresh source of amazement.
‘I should enjoy this to the fullest.’
Perhaps it was because the habits from my impoverished previous life still lingered.
Whenever something like this happened, my first thought was to get my money's worth.
I cleared my throat at my sheepish thoughts.
“Ahem.”
Anyway, back to the subject.
During this field trip, the students would be engaging in activities by group.
No matter what activity they took part in, they would move together as a team.
‘Even if it's supposedly safe, this is probably to stop us from wandering around alone.’
As always, the groups were formed voluntarily.
I formed one with a few people I got along with as well.
[Field Trip Group 32]
-Victor
-Alice
-Lanne Kihano
-Caitlyn Retus
They were girls I usually spent a lot of time with.
Everyone seemed excited about the field trip; their eyes were shining brightly.
“Wow···! I've never, ev-ever seen such a huge ship before!”
“Hmm! I am the same! I cannot help but let out a gasp of admiration!”
Inside the enormous cruise ship.
Lanne and Alice looked around in wonder.
Seeing them react like that, I couldn't help enjoying myself as the one accompanying them.
“V-Victor! It looks like there's even a restaurant area inside the ship···!”
“Would you care to step out onto the deck, Sir Victor?”
“Hehe.”
It was a satisfying group arrangement.
Apparently, the other group members felt the same way.
“So··· why do I have to travel in the same group as you guys?”
Of course, there was one exception.
When I turned to the side, I saw a blonde, tanned delinquent girl pouting.
She was sprawled across her seat in a crooked posture, as though dissatisfied with the entire world.
“Lady Caitlyn.”
“You dragged me into this against my will.”
Tap, tap-
Static crackled along with her grumbling.
Apparently, being dragged along had put her in a rather bad mood.
“You can't just drag someone into a group by force···.”
“Quiet.”
I flicked the girl's forehead.
Smack-!
“Damn it, why did you do that again!”
“You don't even have any friends in your class, do you? Just behave and spend the trip with us.”
“I do! Who says I don't?”
“But until we proposed this, you weren't part of any group in particular.”
“I received plenty of group offers. I only turned them all down because I wanted to travel alone.”
“See?”
“I said I turned them down!”
Caitlyn continued to sulk.
She seemed to have taken offense at being told she had no friends.
“Miss Gay Dentures.”
“Don't call me that.”
“I understand everything.”
“I just wanted to travel alone.”
“But you had to form a group eventually, didn't you? If you had still been alone on the day of the field trip, the professors would have randomly assigned you to whatever group had room···. Wouldn't it be uncomfortable even to imagine forming a group with people you didn't know?”
“Sorry, but you're every bit as uncomfortable to be around.”
“Of course. I find Lady Caitlyn comfortable as well.”
“You're not listening to me, are you?”
Caitlyn had seemed to grow a little closer after the last practical exam.
Yet after a few days, she had gone back to her usual prickly attitude.
Maybe she was acting that way because she felt awkward.
People's hearts really were impossible to understand, even when you thought you did.
Of course, that didn't mean I had to respect Caitlyn's opinion.
“Lady Caitlyn.”
“What.”
“Hand.”
“······.”
What can you do?
You're a Pokémon, so you should obediently follow your trainer's commands.
How dare you defy the will of heaven and try to forget your place on your own?
I rummaged through my robe and pulled something out.
“Hand.”
“······.”
“Or shall I put the collar back on?”
A red collar was hanging from my hand.
It was the collar that had been fastened around Caitlyn's neck until a week ago.
She had become somewhat more docile after the practical exam, so I had decided she was fine now and removed it.
“Answer?”
“······Woof.”
Caitlyn muttered reluctantly.
In the end, her rebellion failed, and her identity reverted to that of a pet dog.
“Good girl.”
Stroke, stroke-.
I gently stroked her hair.
The girl clenched her lips tightly and mumbled.
“D-don't pet me···.”
“You want me to pet you more?”
“I said don't pet me.”
“Of course. I'll pet you as much as you like.”
Pat, pat, pat-
Her hair naturally became tousled.
‘This girl really has some persistence.’
She kept rebelling even though she knew exactly how it would end.
On the other hand, that was so like her.
I might even have felt disappointed if her fierceness had been broken.
She possessed a strange charm, like an untamed stray cat.
“Hehe.”
“St-stop petting me···!”
Pat, pat, pat-
If there was anything strange about it, it was that her resistance itself had become much gentler than before.
In the past, she would have trembled the moment I put my hand on her head, but now she simply accepted it, perhaps because she had grown used to it.
‘Her mouth is still foul, though···.’
She was at least tolerable enough to humor.
The lively chatter continued.
That scene lasted until the ship came to a stop.
***
The cruise ship sailed for an entire day.
Only after the date had changed did the ship finally reach its destination.
The coast around us was filled with the mingled scents of briny seawater and summer.
The distinctive fragrance of the coast reached the tip of my nose on the sea breeze.
‘Geltin.’
It was the coastal city that served as the setting for this field trip.
It was also considered one of the empire's most popular vacation destinations.
-You have arrived at your destination.
-I imagine everyone is tired after the long voyage.
-For today, stay at the lodging and rest at your leisure.
There was no particular schedule planned for the first day.
We simply had to unpack at the lodging and rest as we pleased.
“The hotel is huge.”
“I hear it's the most luxurious hotel in Geltin.”
“And I heard we each get our own room. How are you supposed to use a room that big all by yourself?”
Caitlyn was right.
The room was remarkably spacious for one person.
I had thought the dormitory room I usually stayed in was unnecessarily large, but this place was twice its size.
Moreover, it seemed the academy had rented out the entire hotel, since there wasn't a single outsider in sight apart from the staff.
It felt like witnessing the absolute pinnacle of throwing money around.
“Well··· good things are good things. It's not my money.”
“Indeed.”
The field trip proper would begin on the second day.
The first day ended with nothing more than resting.
There weren't even any assignments or anything of the sort.
Hadn't they called it a ‘vacation,’ plain and simple?
Even Grandia didn't try to encourage competition during a vacation.
‘Of course.’
Even without being told to, there were some students who wanted to study on their own.
They carried the thick books they had brought with them and holed up in their hotel rooms.
And it wasn't just a few of them; there were quite a lot.
About half of the students went into their lodgings.
Apparently, for these elites, even resting itself felt like something to feel guilty about.
Since various activities were scheduled to begin tomorrow, they seemed intent on studying during today's free time while they still could.
‘Poor souls.’
They looked like modern people devoured by competition.
After quietly expressing my sympathy, I headed outside the hotel with my group members.
“Shall we start with a meal?”
We filled our stomachs at the nearest and most famous restaurant.
As expected, this place had also been reserved under the academy's name.
It seemed they had rented out most of the facilities, including the coast near the hotel.
‘Are they thinking about safety?’
An accident during the field trip would be a serious problem.
They seemed intent on conducting everything with only academy personnel and as few outsiders as possible.
Anyway, the restaurant's quality was impressive.
Even I, who had grown up eating whatever was available at an orphanage, could tell how special the food was.
“What did everyone think? The fish dish Geltin is famous for.”
“Hmm! It had a very impressive flavor!”
“It was delicious! I don't usually, li-like seafood that much, either···.”
“It was decent.”
“Lua liked it too!”
We walked out of the restaurant.
As luck would have it, the weather was bright and clear, without a single cloud in the sky.
A breeze blew in, starting to grow warm as summer approached.
“Wow···!”
As we drew closer to the sea, a golden beach stretched out before us.
The sand had been heated nice and warm by the sunlight.
Trot, trot-
Lua ran across it excitedly.
Everything seemed fascinating to her, since it was her first time seeing the sea.
[Lua really likes it.]
‘I'm glad we brought her.’
A white bat tossed a few words my way.
Her Highness the princess was lying on my shoulder, enjoying a sunbath.
I casually raised a hand to cast a shadow so she wouldn't get too hot.
‘Sometimes, this is nice too.’
Heehee-!
Lua ran around for a long time without seeming to tire.
Lanne, who had volunteered to play with her, and Alice, who had been caught up in it before she knew it, were playing alongside her as well.
“Hmm! I shall build a castle with Miss Lua too.”
“Uh··· Sh-should I bring more sa-sand?”
The two of them got along quite well with Lua.
Carmilla, Caitlyn, and I sat in the shade and watched the three of them.
“Big Sis Lanne!”
Lua smiled brightly.
Of all the people playing with her, perhaps Lanne was her favorite.
Whenever Lanne spoke to her, Lua let out an especially delighted laugh.
Lanne certainly played well with Lua.
She was forthright and cheerful, so the two of them got along well.
After playing together for half a day, Lua even grabbed Lanne's sleeve and asked her a question.
“Big Sis Lanne!”
“Hmm? What is it?”
“You know, could you be Lua's mommy too, Big Sis?”
“Pardon?”
Her eyes sparkled brightly.
Lanne couldn't help but laugh in embarrassment.
Her face quickly turned red, apparently flustered by Lua's request.
“L-Lua··· I-I could be good to you too···.”
Alice was peeking over between them as well.
Watching the scene, Caitlyn, who was sitting beside me, tossed me a question.
“Why are those two acting like that?”
Indeed.
***
Before long, it was evening.
It was about time to return to the hotel.
We left the sea behind and walked through the streets, which were filled with the scent of the ocean.
“We had fun today, right?”
“Yes, Daddy!”
The answer came back energetically.
I smiled fondly and stroked Lua's head.
Behind us, the group members who had been worn out playing with Lua followed along.
Caitlyn had seemed like she would merely watch, but in the end, Lua chose her and dragged her off to play.
‘She played with her better than I expected.’
Hehe-
A silly smile escaped my lips.
Everyone looked exhausted; they would probably collapse after dinner.
‘Then··· shall I wait until night and make my move?’
The first day of the field trip.
Even after night fell, I still had something to take care of.
I had to move quickly if I wanted to clear two main quests.
Ding-!
[■□ Quest]
-Title : About the Truth
-Content : Visit the ancient archive (書庫). Among its millions of books, find a book related to ■■■.
-Penalty for Failure : None
-Reward on Success : ■■■
[Time Limit:Before the field trip ends]
This was the quest I'd tackle tonight.
Since it concerned a matter that had been bothering me for a while, I planned to take care of it quickly when I found the time.
It was while I was crossing the streets and organizing my thoughts that···.
“Huh.”
A group was walking toward us from the opposite direction.
They were students from Class A, just like us, who had been touring the coast.
We hadn't seen them at the beach earlier; apparently, our routes happened to overlap on the way back.
“Isn't that the top student of Class E···?”
“Looks like he came to the beach too.”
The students whispered among themselves when our eyes met.
Some of them even deliberately frowned.
“Tch··· A mere commoner.”
“How arrogant. He turned down our offer to recruit him.”
“And Lady Glacia herself went to him personally···.”
Perhaps they had heard about it a few days ago.
They must have learned that I had rejected Rin's offer to recruit me.
Maybe their pride had been scratched, because the looks in their eyes were anything but friendly.
“What does Lady Glacia see in a guy like that···?”
“Exactly! He's got nothing but strength, good grades, a nice personality, a promising future, and a cool mask···.”
“And he dares reject the young lady's offer?”
Of course, they weren't picking a direct fight with me.
They were merely whispering loudly enough for us to hear, as if they wanted us to listen.
Caitlyn must have heard them too, because she frowned and spoke up.
“They really have nothing better to do. They got their asses handed to them, and they're still acting like that.”
“Huh? Isn't that exactly what Lady Caitlyn does?”
“Shut up.”
Caitlyn responded to my crystal-clear facts with a curse.
I snickered but shot a sidelong glance at the group.
Well, all I had to do was respond in kind.
“Haa···.”
We drew closer to them.
Casually, as though it were merely an offhand remark, I muttered to myself.
“It's lamentable to see such small fry running their mouths. Well, with a top student like that, I suppose it can't be helped. Rin Glacia is, after all, a loser from the previous era···.”
““······.””
Halt-
Whether they had heard me or not, the group came to a stop where they stood.
They trembled and turned around.
Every one of them had blazing eyes.
“A loser···?”
One of them let murderous intent seep out.
Suppressed fury radiated toward me from between his tightly clenched lips.
“Take it back···! Those words you just said···!!”
Apparently, I had touched a sore spot.
I answered lightly.
“Take it back.”
“You basstaaaard!”
The student charged at me as soon as he heard my answer.
No, why?
I took it back, didn't I?