Volume 5 Chapter 9 The Most Nervous Time Is Before Begins
The morning after Randy and the others arrived at Alcantara town. Even before the sun came up, students gathered in front of the lake in the suburbs. Edgar and the Crown Prince's group, along with Catherine's second team. And of course, Catherine and Cecilia's attendants, Leon and Luke, were there too.
...Lake Finnes. The reason they gathered by the shore of this lake, which serves as a reservoir supplying water to the great river, is simple. The ruins they were looking for are on a small island almost in the middle of Lake Finnes.
Maybe because it's a bit elevated, the winter chill at Lake Finnes is biting. You can tell it's cold enough for part of the lake to freeze.
With no sunlight to warm them and no trees to shield them, the harsh northern wind blows across the lakeshore. As the still surface of the lake ripples, a few students let out shivers, hugging themselves and exclaiming, "Brrr!" which reached Randy and the others.
Before joining the students, Randy and the others were busy doing final checks on their equipment and items. Of course, no one would be foolish enough to show up here without their essentials. Still, they made sure to check the equipment and confirm their items.
The members of [Iron Falcon Steel] checked their equipment with practiced ease, looking cool even to Randy. Their confidence resembled that of seasoned craftsmen.
It was like a routine. The same actions they took every day helped calm their minds and switch them into work mode, no matter the place or time.
In contrast, Randy and Liz, who had no such routine, tried to follow suit and do a quick check. But their unfamiliarity with the process only made them more nervous. As adventurers, this might be their first long-term mission. And being tasked with guarding their classmates was an exceptionally unique assignment, even Randy felt the pressure.
Now, a strange feeling of dizziness swept over him as if his feet were floating on air. Shaking off the sensation, Randy diverted his attention away from [Iron Falcon Steel].
Before him lay the vast lake. In the distance, the island they were heading for appeared as a faint shadow.
"...What a weird place to build a grave."
Randy let out a white puff of breath, and in front of him was the lake's surface shimmering as it reflected the dawn sky. As the ripples settled, the instructor began the final checks.
Verifying their health and equipment was crucial.
They were about to head to a small island. Once they got there, it would be too late to say, "I knew it..." The real training would start once they entered the dungeon, but if they were going to turn back, now was the only chance.
That said, these students had come here on their own. No one was going to say they wanted to turn back.
After finishing the formal checks, the instructor raised a hand towards Randy and the others. Seeing this, Leonard patted Randy on the shoulder and said, "Let's go."
"Alright!"
Randy slapped his cheeks and followed Leonard and the others from [Iron Falcon Steel]. In the end, he couldn't shake off the tension.
Of course, Liz felt the same. Walking beside Randy, her hand gripping the staff trembled slightly. The safety of not just themselves but also their friends weighed heavily on her shoulders. Thinking about that, it was impossible not to feel nervous.
On top of that, the other students noticed Randy and Liz, causing a buzz that only added to the tension. Seeing Liz like that made Randy regret imitating the members of [Iron Falcon Steel] earlier.
(Routine... our routine──)
After a moment of thought, Randy averted his gaze from the approaching students and whispered, "Liz..."
"W-what is it?"
Liz, still looking straight ahead, had a shaky voice. Seeing her completely overwhelmed by the atmosphere, Randy whispered to her.
"I feel like I'm going to throw up from the nerves."
Liz's eyes widened in surprise as she looked up at Randy, "Huh?!"
"I might have eaten too much for breakfast."
"Get a grip!"
As Liz hurriedly rubbed his back, Randy smiled and said, "Ah, I think I'm feeling a bit better now," as he stood in front of the students.
"...What are you doing?"
With an exasperated look, Instructor Burk asked, and Randy stuck out his tongue, saying, "I ate too much for breakfast."
"That's why you shouldn't eat so much!"
Liz puffed her cheeks out,
"Hey, you're not really full, are you?" Randy raised an eyebrow.
Liz pouted back, "Hey!"
But she swallowed the lecture that was about to follow.
She realized something. The tension had eased.
Liz noticed that, thanks to the topic Randy brought up, things had somehow returned to normal. She looked at Randy with a slightly embarrassed expression.
She felt like she had been played.
Like he could see right through her nerves.
Even though Randy was nervous too, Liz felt a mix of happiness and embarrassment that he was trying to help her.
But Randy didn't act just for her sake. He figured if Liz relaxed, his own nerves would ease up a bit too. It worked perfectly, and they both fell back into their usual selves.
"...Why?"
As someone muttered that, the students stood there with their mouths hanging open. It was more surprising that the two of them were here than any routine they had. In front of the dazed students, Instructor Gardo raised his voice.
"──These are the adventurers who will be accompanying you for your training this time!"
With a voice loud enough to ripple the lake's surface, Leonard stepped forward.
"We're [Iron Falcon Steel]. Looking forward to working with you for the next 2 days."
As expected, just the name alone stirred the dazed students into a buzz of excitement. This party was well-known, often taking requests from high-ranking nobles, showing just how serious the academy was about this.
But that excitement was short-lived...
"Uh, we're [Randy Exploration Team]. Nice to meet you."
Since Randy hadn't thought of a party name, this embarrassing title came out on the spot. Liz covered her face in embarrassment, Cecilia looked exasperated, and Luke stared at Randy like he was an idiot.
Still, even with a silly name, it didn't earn any laughs. The students present knew. They had heard the rumors about what Randy did during Winter vacation...
He doesn't know how true that is, but at least everyone understands that the academy has sent them here as guards because they recognize his skills as adventurers.
...At the same time, he can feel some jealous glares, but still, not a single student is acting foolishly like going on strike at this point. They all know it would mean nothing.
"Alright, everyone, board your ships."
At Burk's signal, the first group boarded the [Iron Falcon Steel], and the second group got on the [Randy Exploration Team] ship.
As the eastern sky began to show a hint of color, the ships glided across the lake's surface toward the training site──
About an hour after boarding, the group arrived at a small island in the middle of the massive lake. Even though it's called a small island, it's about the size of a decent uninhabited island floating in the huge lake.
The sunlight that barely peeked through illuminated the island covered in strange trees, sparkling like diamonds. The occasional northern wind rustled the leaves, creating a sound that echoed across the island like ringing bells.
"Wow, it's so majestic."
"I'm surprised you know the word 'majestic'."
Randy and Luke stared at the forest covering the island. Next to the two of them, the members of the second group were lined up, taking attendance.
Once again, the northern wind blew, filling the air with the sound of bells.
"That's a tree called the Silver Chime Tree. They say it honors the souls of kings and is the sound of a requiem. By the way, it's also said to be a warning sound for grave robbers."
Randy and Luke both exclaimed, "Oh, really?" as they looked up at the trees.
"Such a welcoming vibe."
"You're so positive, huh? They probably called us complete fools."
As Luke showed a look of disbelief, it seemed the attendance was finished, and Burk led the second group deeper into the forest.
With the sound of bells ringing occasionally as background music, Randy, Liz, Luke, and Leon followed behind the students.
The sound created by the swaying trees. Other than that, the quiet forest was magical, with the morning sun shining through and reflecting off the Silver Chime Trees.
In this rare sight, every student couldn't help but smile and look around in wonder. Of course, Liz and Leon were just as captivated.
In such a dreamy scene, only Randy and Luke looked a bit off.
"What's wrong?"
Noticing the two, Liz asked. Luke shrugged and said, "Well..."
"I mean, we talked about a ship, but 'Exploration Team'... that's just dumb──."
"Shut up. You think a cool name just pops into your head?"
Randy pouted.
"But still, 'Exploration Team' is just lame."
Luke snorted, and Randy clicked his tongue.
"Then, do you have any ideas?"
Furrowing his brows, Randy waited as Luke thought for a moment, then snapped his fingers.
"How about 'Twin Shadows of the Flame Moon'?"
Nodding in satisfaction, Luke said, "Flame Moon?" and Randy tilted his head, sounding confused.
"Your standout head and Miss Elizabeth's beautiful platinum blonde. We can think of them as fire and the moon──."
"What's that? Sounds cool."
With a serious look, Randy said, "Alright. Let's go with that," and turned to Liz.
"If it's not 'Exploration Team'..."
With a wry smile, Liz replied, "Then, let's start over," and Randy grinned, glancing at Instructor Burk, who was leading the way.
"Wait, start over──."
Without waiting for Liz to finish, Randy dashed over to Instructor Burk.
"Idiot. There's an idiot over there."
Luke's voice trailed behind.
Randy ran up to Instructor Burk, and after a moment of chatting, he returned, looking dejected.
"Ah, it didn't work."
"Looks like it."
"Did you really think it would?"
Muttering harsh words, Randy came back with a sigh, saying, "I told you it wouldn't."
"Of course."
"Right."
"Yeah."
Receiving such obvious responses, Randy clicked his tongue and fell silent.
For a while, only the sound of bells, students chatting, and footsteps echoed through the forest... Luke seized a moment when Liz was talking to Leon and lowered his voice to speak.
"So? How was it?"
"This is what's normal."
Randy shrugged, and Luke's eyes widened for a moment. Randy didn't rush to the instructor just to ask for a redo of his introduction... though he was half hoping for that possibility.
Anyway, the real reason was to ask the instructor about the weirdness of this forest.
Both Randy and Luke noticed something was off as soon as they entered the forest. It might not be that deep, but the lack of life made it feel eerie to them.
That's why their expressions weren't great, but they were trying to find a reason to share that feeling with everyone here. If students are coming for training, it's normal for there to be no danger. If everything was fine, there was no need to scare everyone for no reason.
So, while joking around to cover it up, they were on high alert, but in the end, they couldn't figure it out. That's why Randy went directly to ask Instructor Burk, thinking this was the normal thing to do.
(I heard Alcantara had a quiet forest)
But this silence was anything but peaceful; it was painfully quiet. A 'forest of death' with no signs of life, and a dungeon right beneath it.
"Do you think it's possible?"
In response to Randy's question, Luke shook his head. There was no life above ground, yet beasts were lurking in the dungeon below. It could be due to the food chain in the dungeon, but where did those beasts come from?
"If I had to guess, it's probably connected to another place... that's the most likely scenario."
"Since there was a [Tower of Time], I wouldn't be surprised if it leads to another dimension."
As Luke gave a wry smile, a massive church appeared before the group.
Morning sunlight streamed into the forest, illuminating the white stone church. Parts of it were covered in moss, but the strange patterns carved around it glimmered mysteriously in the sunlight.
What spread out before them was a fantastical sight... even in another world, it felt like a different realm, but the chilly atmosphere made both Randy and Luke catch their breath in silence.
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