Twenty-four hours had passed since the beginning of the fourth scenario, which also meant we were now four and a half days into my highly anticipated yet very disappointing school camp. After killing a fair bit of time wandering around and foraging, I’d returned to my post near the cliff with a plan to cook up a soup (for me) and a nasty surprise (for Godolphen). One way or another, I was determined to get my revenge.
The concoction was something Reed had taught me, intended for use against monsters. Using it on humans was actually against Yugrian law, but personally, I thought turning what should have been a fun school camp into a literal military exercise was clearly a far worse crime. Besides, the dosage wouldn’t be lethal or anything, and I was pretty sure Godolphen wouldn’t think it was a particularly underhanded move either. Of course, there was a good chance that the other teachers wouldn’t feel the same. If anything, they’d probably start going on about disqualification or expulsion or whatever.
I didn’t care, though. I’d gone off the rails.
Hee hee hee... Mwa ha ha ha ha!
Drunk on the thrill that apparently came with one’s rapid descent into evil, I was actually having quite a good time preparing the ominously colored concoction. Right until three of Godolphen’s stupid “spies” showed up nearby, that was.
Seriously? I was pretty sure they wouldn’t be using this route in the first place, but three out of the five of them? There’s no way. The geezer’s going senile if he thinks anyone’s gonna believe this was the plan all along. This scenario is rigged!
Thanks to the wonders of Scouting Magic, I could easily hear their conversation.
“Huh? Why is that kid all alone out here? And also, why the hell is he sitting around cooking?”
“Well, judging by his uniform, he’s another one of those Academy kids...”
“He’s in the way. We can get onto the Demon’s Path from here without being seen, but if he looks up at any point, we’re done for. The brat’s got a shortbow too.”
Er... Did Godolphen forget to tell them about my Scouting Magic? They may as well be talking right in front of me... Idiots. Well, they’re clearly gonna try to “cross the border” here, aren’t they?
“He looks so lonely, though... I almost feel like crying just looking at him. Maybe he’s just lost?”
What’s his freakin’ problem?! Did Godolphen specifically tell them to rub salt in my wounds or something?! Stupid jerks...
I could easily strike first, but if I couldn’t take them all down in one go, it would be difficult to round the others up after they fled. I was alone out here, after all. The smarter option was to continue presenting myself as an easy target to lure them in and then beat them to a pulp. For the time being, I continued tending to the bubbling concoction while keeping one ear on their recklessly loud conversation.
“What’s the plan, Zetz?”
Zetz—who I assumed was the ringleader of their little theater troupe—took a moment to reply. “It’s late. He probably won’t move until morning...” He sighed. “These mountains are a lot busier than we accounted for. We’ve escaped notice so far, but if we hang around for much longer we’re gonna get caught... It’s a little cruel, but the kid’s gotta go. The monsters around here are always hungry at this time of year. They’ll take care of the evidence for us before the sun comes up.”
Apparently Godolphen had told them about me, because “Zetz” (obviously a fake name) had remembered to lower his voice while laying out the narrative of our upcoming encounter. Oh, so now he’s trying to play his part properly...
He slowly raised his shortbow, aiming an arrow right at me. The other two spies spread out slightly, before—much to my surprise—Zetz suddenly let the arrow fly. Though dumbfounded, I still managed to roll out of the way just in time to avoid being skewered. I hadn’t expected him to actually take the shot, much less when it was aimed directly at my vital organs.
What was he planning to do if I hadn’t dodged?!
“Damn it! Quick, get him!”
Seeing that I’d avoided the arrow, the three spies moved to a more direct approach. They lunged out from the cover of the trees with identically nondescript daggers in hand, all held in an uncommon reverse grip.
Huh. Guess they all trained under the same instructor or something? They don’t seem particularly strong, but their coordination’s pretty impressive...
More impressive, though, was their acting. It was hard to believe they weren’t actually trying to kill me. Godolphen probably told them not to hold back, but just to be sure...
“Excuse me, but, um... You guys are just assistants, right?”
“Assistants?! You don’t know who you’re messing with, brat!”
Wait, they’re not part of the scenario?! What kind of terrible coincidence is this?! Guess it explains why it feels like they’re actually trying to kill me, though... Well, they’re clearly up to no good, which means as a member of the Royal Order it’s my duty to apprehend them!
Seizing the opportunity presented by their confused rage, I nocked and loosed three arrows in quick succession, each dipped in the sedative I’d concocted. All three struck true, piercing them each in the leg, and the spies promptly crumpled to the ground.
“Sorry about that—I just don’t have any rope on me, unfortunately. It’ll wear off eventually though, so you’ll just have to be patient, okay?” I said, approaching the trio to inspect my work. Two of the three spies had been rendered completely immobile, though the third—Zetz—was still twitching as he glared at me.
“Right, the geezer will probably have a pretty high tolerance too... I’ll need to make it a bit stronger.” I gave the sedative another stir and adjusted the pot, moving it slightly farther away from the flames. I then picked up the other pot—something I’d prepared earlier—and returned to the trio, snatching up a suitable stick along the way. “Looks like I’m all out of healing salves, but luckily for you, I’ve got a freshly brewed batch of sleeping medicine! You won’t feel a thing once this kicks in, okay?” I said reassuringly. Using the stick, I transferred a few drops of the rather potent medicine into their open mouths, then stepped back to observe. Seconds later, they were fast asleep.
“Hmm...” That’s promising.