When the “7-day trial” truly began, Seila had one request for Jermiel.
“Please don’t help me too much.”
“I thought you needed me….” Jermiel was a little taken aback by the request.
Seila wanted him, and he gladly wanted to be needed by her. But she was asking him not to help? Jermiel, if anything, felt impatient.
“If I help you, you’ll get good results.” Didn’t Seila maybe not trust me that much? If so, shouldn’t I show her what I can do at least once? If Hamun had been by her side instead of me, would Seila have said the same thing? Jermiel felt slightly unsettled by Seila’s unexpected plea.
“I know that. If I help you, this practicum will be much easier.”
“Then why?”
“That’s the problem. If you help me, I won’t learn anything from this class.”
“……”
“This place is an academy — the only place where failure and mistakes are allowed. Only here can I fail and learn. As you know, I’m Dvernonn’s daughter.” Jermiel’s smile faded somewhat.
Being Dvernonn’s daughter meant you couldn’t afford mistakes out in the world. The thought left a bitter taste.
“I want to do it myself.”
“……”
Seila tensed a little for no reason when the faint smile that always graced Jermiel’s face disappeared.
‘Is she going to ask why I put myself on the same team as her?’ she prepared what to say for that moment.
You know about my condition, right? I asked you for help because I was worried about possible danger. If it feels like I used you, I’m sorry. She had that kind of answer ready; it sounded dignified in her head.
‘You can’t read Jermiel at all,’ she thought. He smiles but might be angry; he looks angry but might be pleased. He’s used to masking his emotions, so it was hard to judge his mood from his face alone.
“I think I know why I like you.” The words landed like a punch to her heart.
‘Wow, could you not say something so nonchalant with such a calm expression?’ The power the protagonist of this world had was amazing — a single flirtatious line could make a character’s heart race like this.
‘Heart, don’t act up.’ She looked away from his hypnotic pale-lilac eyes.
‘Get a grip!’
If Seila had been any lesser character, she would be wobbling as if drunk, but she wasn’t. No matter how strong the male lead’s charm was, survival instinct trumped it.
‘And he’s the kind to deliver lines he doesn’t mean flawlessly!’ — a schemer adept at trickery and manipulation. Recalling that, she steadied herself. Though a thousand tiny explosions were going off inside her head, she showed no sign of it outwardly.
Seila calmly — if only on the surface — asked back, “Why?”
“You always do your best. That’s impressive. Before, you seemed like a racehorse running blindly forward; it looked dangerous.”
“……”
“Even that danger feels beautiful now. I think I was struck by how desperate you are.” Jermiel’s smile returned.
‘Pretty, so pretty.’ She almost understood why darkness existed in the world now — so that things like her brightness could stand out.
Hiding her little gush, Seila spoke firmly. “I’d rather you not throw around words like ‘I like you’ or ‘I’m smitten.’”
“Why?”
“Because things could be misunderstood.”
“What kind of misunderstanding?”
“That you like someone — meaning you liking someone else.”
“But the fact that I like you isn’t a misunderstanding, is it?” Jermiel kept answering with a sly turn of phrase, and Seila lost her retort.
Luckily, Dorphina stepped in at the right moment. “Jermiel! Seila hates that kind of thing. Don’t make Seila uncomfortable.”
The teleportation magic’s mana was green, indicating they’d been transferred to the Gospalto Mountain Range behind the academy.
‘There are three places in total where star badges are hidden.’ In the worst-case scenario — if the star badges they already had were lost or stolen — she already had plans in mind for how to recover them.
‘The baseline is a shelter that can last seven days. I need to find a suitable shelter.’ People are said to survive three minutes without air, three hours without temperature regulation, three days without water, and three weeks without food.
“Let’s find a cave or a hut to shelter from rain and wind nearby. If there isn’t one, we can build one.” There were many broadleaf trees here, so conditions were decent for making a temporary shelter.
“From how soggy and moist the ground is, it must rain here often.” Seila felt like she was reviewing in practice the settings she’d only known in her head — internalizing what she had learned theoretically by doing it physically.
Jermiel asked, “What should I do?” She had already asked him to minimize his intervention. She wanted to learn and acquire many things on her own, and she also wanted to keep Jermiel in a relaxed state in case something unexpected happened.
‘I need him fully charged nearby so I’ll be safe!’ “Dorphina and I will make a temporary dwelling. Dorphina, can you help?”
“Yes!” Dorphina was particularly handy and very helpful.
They used rocks and large leaves to construct a shelter that would keep out rain and wind, and just then a squall poured down. The shelter kept out most of the rain. Seila suddenly felt something strange.
‘Kind of…’ It was a feeling she’d never had before. ‘Is this fun?’ It felt like exploring a remote area, like enjoying raw camping. She’d made the shelter with her own hands and felt a strong sense of accomplishment.
After the rain stopped, she used what she’d learned to build a new hut. ‘Why is this fun?’ Seila found herself deeply focused. Sweat beaded on her forehead and nape, her clothes got dirty, but she smiled subtly without realizing it. It had been a long time since she’d been this absorbed in something.
Being deeply engrossed even let her forget, for a while, the ever-present threat of death. Jermiel watched her quietly.
‘Seila….’ He’d always thought every moment of hers was beautiful, but today she looked especially so. ‘Concentrating suits her best.’ He knew it was rude, but he couldn’t take his eyes off her. Her faint smile made him strangely fluttery; he liked that she finally loosened up a bit instead of clenching her lips and pushing forward.
‘I like that smile too,’ he thought.
“Seila. What are you doing now?” Seila was making early warning devices with ropes and noisy gourds.
“Thieves will pounce.”
“Seila, you’re really versatile.”
“I only suggested the idea. You made it. You’re the amazing one.”
“Hehe. I got a compliment.” Seila suppressed the urge to ruffle Dorphina’s hair.
“But where are the thieves?”
“The students who were transferred around here.”
“Students would steal ours?”
“They will, surely.” At the end, every team member must have at least one star. “It’s easier to destroy someone else’s star badge than find one yourself. Or even better, steal it.” The 7-day trial was relative evaluation: even if her own score wasn’t high, lowering others’ scores meant she could win.
“Those who realize that are probably already moving,” Seila added, sneaking a glance at Jermiel. He didn’t look surprised.
‘I know it because I experienced the game…’ Jermiel already made his own judgments and predicted what would happen; that made her slightly uneasy. Turning such a Jermiel into an enemy would lead to a terrible future.
“So in the early stages, instead of looking for other star badges, let’s focus on protecting ours.”
“Can’t we steal from others?”
“Of course that’s also an option.” But they should not forget the class’s name: “Survival Technique Training.” Stealing an opponent’s badge wasn’t a bad tactic, but surviving in a more productive way would be better for bonus points.
Instructors wearing armbands labeled “assistant” wandered around offering tips. “Oh, you already made such a decent hut, complete with warning traps. Excellent. Hmm, no need to teach you how to make a shelter.” Instead, they offered other lessons. “Want to learn how to easily secure potable water, or how to read a terrain map efficiently?”
It was exactly like the攻略 (strategy guide) for the game. Seila’s heart started racing. This wasn’t good — she felt surprisingly a little excited. It felt like she could enjoy her favorite 2D game in real life. A sensation she had deliberately rejected until now was awakening.
‘From here I can enter the “world where all beauty dwells” route.’ Seila stifled the urge to get carried away. ‘This isn’t a game, it’s reality, and I’m not the heroine — I’m the villain Seila.’
She reminded herself of that and calmly continued, “Then there’s one favor I’d like to ask.”
