Chapter 98: Lies (1)
The place I had asked Amy to investigate was where the divine beast resided.
Although I doubted anyone else knew what was there, given that the future had changed, being careful wouldn't hurt.
...My thoughts didn't last long, however.
Because Amy's voice came through the crystal orb almost immediately.
─Leave it to me, young master. I'll do my best.
"Okay, you need to look into..."
I shared most of the information I knew with Amy.
Of course, I left out the specifics about the object at that place and how to acquire it.
─Understood, young master. I will depart immediately.
"Alright, do your best, Amy. If anything strange happens, stop the investigation and retreat immediately."
With that as my final statement, I ended the call with Amy.
Today's meal is a pre-packaged one, so it shouldn't take long to prepare.
I guess I should return to my teammates now.
Our group had just finished eating.
Travis patted his belly, saying,
"Ah, that hit the spot. This is way better than eating out. Hehe."
"Right, right. As they say, nothing beats a home-cooked meal. We only have enough for one more meal, though..."
Monica rubbed her belly as she commented.
'It doesn't taste good.'
Maintaining a calm exterior, I simply critiqued the food as bland.
This is the first time I've ever missed the food from the Hero Department's student cafeteria.
However, for the sake of maintaining my physical condition, it's unavoidable.
I have to force myself to eat.
I mechanically finished my meal.
But Andrew's expression doesn't look good.
"Andrew, are you not feeling well?"
"No, it's not like that."
"Your complexion doesn't look good. Could it be... mana exhaustion?"
With that, I stared at Andrew.
He looked unhappy.
The pride Andrew wore after clearing a zombie horde with a Fireball and receiving praise was nowhere to be seen now.
'If it's mana exhaustion, that's a problem.'
If Andrew is hit with mana exhaustion, we'd have to seriously revise our current strategy.
Andrew looked at me with a strange gaze and hesitantly said,
"It's not that... I just feel uncomfortable."
With that, he glanced at his dirt-covered uniform and wrists.
"Hmm, just wait a moment."
So it was just discomfort.
Fortunately, I have just the right thing.
I rummaged through my bag and took out the appropriate item.
"Wipe yourself with this."
I handed a small wet towel to Andrew.
Just like the heat packs and blankets I had prepared before coming to Fosspatil Pass, it was a magic item.
"This... towel?"
"As you can see, it's a wet towel. It's imbued with magic, so after use, it'll become clean again when mana is infused into it. Of course, it'll take quite a bit of mana to clean every bit, but you, Andrew, should have enough."
"Th-thank you, Theo."
Andrew accepted the wet towel I offered.
He then sneakily glanced at the other team members.
Probably because he felt awkward being the only one using it, and even though the towel would become clean again after infusing mana... being the first to use it would still make him feel a bit self-conscious.
But it's alright.
"You guys should each take one as well."
I took out the same type of wet towel from my bag and handed them to the other team members.
...I had prepared at least five of every item.
Because of this, I even had to purchase a separate bag imbued with a weight reduction spell.
"Oh, thanks, Theo! You really prepared thoroughly. I should've done the same... Anyways, I'll use it well!"
"I'll use it well too~ You're really the leader."
"Thank you."
Travis, Monica, and Piel accepted the wet towels and wiped their faces with them.
At that moment, Piel, who had been squinting at me, said,
"Theo, what about you? You don't have any mana. And you're already so clean."
"...I used a disposable wet towel."
Piel, she's sharp in unexpected ways.
At times, I'm confused whether the game I've found myself in is an RPG targeted towards men or a spy thriller game.
Piel gazed at me momentarily with a look before speaking.
"...Is that so? You don't have to do that. I saw extra towels in your bag earlier, so you can use those from now on. I'll infuse them with mana for you."
"...Thank you. I'll request your help when the time comes."
I replied composedly, nodding my head.
As we were chatting, Monica, who was cleaning the exposed skin outside her uniform, chimed in.
"Um, I'll go clean up a bit with Piel."
"Go ahead."
As soon as I finished speaking, Monica grabbed Piel's wrist and they both vanished into the distance.
With the two girls gone, Travis turned to look at Andrew and me.
"Um, may I clean myself here?"
"Go ahead."
"Alright."
With the approval of both Andrew and myself, Travis quickly removed his uniform, revealing his muscular, well-conditioned body.
Even though Travis is one of the lower-ranked students, he's still part of the Hero Department.
I shifted my gaze to Andrew.
"And you, Andrew?"
"I'll... be right back."
"Do as you see fit."
Such a delicate guy.
Despite his reputation as a prodigy who achieved the 5th circle before admission, it seems he didn't bother to learn the [Clean] magic.
Both senior students receiving outside training and active-duty wizards found the spell quite useful.
Seria was the unusual case, who despite being a freshman, learned a variety of things, including this.
Anyway, [Clean] is a 2nd Circle support spell.
However, if you can use a few representative spells of that circle, you're considered as belonging to that circle.
For example, knowing just [Fireball] and [Barrier] would be sufficient for one to be acknowledged as a 2nd circle wizard.
Andrew, who had stood up from his seat, asked me.
"Ah, Theo, do you know of a good place to clean oneself? I'd rather avoid a spot that's... too open."
"....Hmm."
He sure is sensitive.
Such a hassle.
"If you walk a bit to the right from here, you'll find a clearing surrounded by rocks. You should be able to find it quite easily."
"...Theo, did you clean up there too?"
"Yes."
Of course, I didn't actually clean myself there and used magic instead, but I decided to tell him a white lie.
As I've noticed before, Andrew is as conscious of his surroundings as Aisha.
What a headache-inducing pair they are.
He could simply undress and clean up like Travis, without any hesitation.
And it's not like he has a trait like my [Twisted Noble's Dignity].
"Thanks, Theo. I'll be back then."
Andrew gave me a slight bow and disappeared.
As I waited for the others to return, I struck up a conversation with Travis. In the middle of our talk...
─ Kuh, Kuaaaaah!
A distant male scream echoed in the air.
I wasn't sure whose voice it was.
'It's not Andrew or Noctar or the orc friends.'
I was mulling over it, Travis approached me.
"Te, Theo? Did, did you not hear that? It was a person's scream..."
"I heard it."
I nodded in response.
If Travis had heard it, it meant that the others likely heard it too.
I quickly reached a conclusion.
'It seems like Rok and the instructors are dealing with the infiltrators from Turning White.'
Among the instructors and Rok, the weakest one was a lower-rank active hero.
Although most members of the infiltrators from Turning White are also lower-rank active heroes, they are significantly outnumbered.
Unless something unexpected happens, they should be disposing of them quite easily.
'I wish the others would return quickly.'
Hearing a scream like that and doing nothing is unnatural.
We need to move.
After all, the other students are unaware of the cooperative relationship between Rok and me.
"As soon as the rest of our team returns, let's head towards where the scream came from."
I relayed my decision to a visibly anxious Travis.
"O-okay! Let's wait then!"
Travis nodded his head in agreement, multiple times.
About five minutes later, Monica, Piel, and Andrew returned.
All three of them confirm they also heard the scream.
"Let's head towards the direction of the scream."
Leading the team, I took us towards the scene of the incident.
They arrived at the source of the scream.
A significant number of students had already gathered nearby.
"What's going on? Does anyone know?"
"I'm not sure either. Is there anyone who knows?"
"Damn it... We haven't even found the entrance to the dungeon yet, and now there are screams. Is this some kind of twisted test from the professor?"
"Ah, our supplies are almost out. There's just enough for one more meal. We can't venture too far because of the time limit, it's frustrating..."
"I desperately need a bath, a thorough one..."
The students that had already gathered were having depressing conversations in small groups.
Excluding Theo's team, everyone else appeared scruffy and noticeably tired.
After observing the students, Piel covertly glanced at Theo.
'Did I overthink things? Really... I'm not sure anymore...'
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