30 Years Have Passed Since the Prologue

“Shall we go down for now?”

Ecdysis cautiously expressed her opinion. It was his first remark since they had been given two days’ rations, and all that came out was ‘Uncle Brick’.

The brick that Elpheira claimed was dog food was a sticky, slippery, bizarrely squishy and foul-smelling object.

“Does anyone know the name of this mountain… or at least the geography around here?”

“….”

Everyone fell silent at Oscar’s question. None of the foreigners from various countries, who were not even from Krasilov, could be expected to know the geography of this rural mountain.

Oscar narrowed his eyes and said, “Then just descending blindly will be difficult. If you get lost on the mountain at night, the problem becomes serious. At least, you should move while reading the direction when the sun is up.”

“Do humans have trouble seeing and feeling in the dark?”

“Yes?”

“Since we fell on the way up the mountain, why not just go down the same way?”

“The mountain isn’t a ladder, what kind of…?”

“Elves are naturally children of the forest. Humans should be prepared to be amazed when they see us.”

Elpheira chuckled confidently and stood up. She shook off her clothes and looked down at the sitting students.

At that moment, Isabelle furrowed her brows and said, “Wait a minute. Elpheira, everyone. Isn’t something strange?”

“Huh?”

“Do you remember what uncle said when I told him, ‘I’ll just go back the other way’? He said, ‘That could also be a way.’ Remember?”

“He did?”

“That sounds like, ‘If you can, give it a try.’ Am I the only one who thinks this?”

Isabelle looked at the dark forest.

“Look. He deliberately erased the path and even brought a horse. Even though it’s obvious he won’t send us off, he said, ‘Give it a try if you can.’ Isn’t this a trap?”

“Isn’t that too speculative? What’s the point of Uncle setting a trap?”

“I’ve never successfully predicted the meaning of what uncle does.”

At Isabelle’s words, Ecdysis and Elpheira nodded unknowingly.

That’s true.

“So blindly going down could also be some absurd ‘training’ planned by uncle.”

“Training?”

“The uncle probably thinks there’s nothing else to do but training if he brings us to the middle of the forest.”

Except for Elpheira’s disgruntled expression, everyone seemed to somewhat understand.

“Really out of the blue, suddenly starting training that nobody asked for. So what kind of training is it exactly…?”

“Considering uncle’s style, this is definitely an ambush.”

“An ambush…?”

“Yeah. If it’s similar to the training we usually do, then it’s likely. So if we try to find the way and descend the mountain, someone will definitely ambush us.”

Isabelle drew the hesitant students’ attention and took the lead in continuing the conversation.

Oscar nodded silently, deep in thought.

Yeah, just looking at her like that, it’s like that confident little girl from the palace days is still here.

“Did we even have a reason to receive this kind of lesson in the first place?”

“Uncle must have thought so. Since he used to be friends with a party of heroes, maybe he thought we seemed a bit lacking…”

“That’s strange.”

Oscar raised his head, cutting off Isabelle’s words.

“By the time the hero party was our age, I mean, around our parents’ childhood, wasn’t it a time of war? Do we have justification to secure that level of military force?”

Unless the Demon King resurrects, well.

And even if the Demon King does resurrect, wouldn’t the active-duty members of the hero party gather again?

Putting aside whether the Demon King can be resurrected or not, the current era has an abnormally high level of military power compared to the national power of each faction.

Not only the hero parties, but all the heroes of the wartime era are still active. Each country is leading the strongest armies and generals in history.

That in itself was a deterrent to war. If a war were to break out at this point, mutual destruction would inevitably follow.

Therefore, the United Kingdom enjoyed the most peaceful era in human history because no one desired war.

Therefore, even if the Demon King were to have thoughts, they would not attempt to act in this era, as they could be annihilated immediately upon emergence.

So, the children of the hero party do not need to possess strong military force.

“Does Krasilov really want war?”

Unlike these foolish university students, Oscar was an intelligence agent dispatched from Tylesse to Krasilov. He thought while staring beyond the edge of the forest with a stern face.

If the children of the hero party die or get injured, there will definitely be a diplomatic disaster. Direct declarations of war may not erupt immediately, but an equivalent level of turmoil can be easily anticipated.

Therefore, assuming that Krasilov is preparing for war somewhere.

The children of the hero party must secure the means to protect their own lives even in crisis situations. That would serve as a kind of safety mechanism that Krasilov could prepare.

The ‘virtual enemy’ that the Krasilov military is targeting, the easiest way to secure Krasilov’s multiple fronts, would be assassination attempts against us.

“A peaceful world has lasted for just over four years.”

Oscar closed his eyes with a grim expression. It had been only four years since the Demon King had died and the demons had been expelled. It was a time when risking one’s life for reconstruction was more appropriate than claiming to have regained peace.

In just that time, his homeland had to plant spies in neighboring countries. Because all nations of humanity were still projecting momentum into their militaries.

The current United Kingdom was like a parched field. Forgotten of its past prosperity, it was miserably withered, so that even a tiny spark could ignite everything.

So, we must see what preparations are being made.

Whether Krasilov is truly preparing for war, and if not, what schemes Ivan Petrovich Yermov, that enigmatic man, is plotting.

Training.

Fine. He had been a lifelong guardian of the homeland and a knight trained in the Order of the Knights. The traditional knightly practice in Tylesse was closer to this side than the mild environment of a university.

So, it’s only fitting for the occasion.

With a determined expression, Oscar raised his head and stood up.

*

“Aaaah–!!”

It hadn’t even been five minutes since the talk of gathering branches for splints had scattered everyone.

Amidst the screams echoing through the forest, Oscar reflexively got up and ran, wielding his sword.

“Help meee–!!”

“Miss Ecdysis…?”

In the direction of the sound, Ecdysis was hanging upside down from a tree. She was struggling, pressing down her fluttering skirt with both hands. With a deep sigh, Oscar rushed towards a nearby tree trunk.

There, he saw a trap made of rope tied around the trunk. Oscar cut the trap and caught Ecdysis as she fell.

“Thank you! Thank you!!”

“What on earth happened here?”

“The branches were neatly piled up and looked perfect, so I picked them up, and then suddenly…”

As he set Ecdysis down and turned his gaze, he saw exactly what she described: branches perfect for splints piled up high.

And even traces of swept leaves nearby.

It was a trap set in anticipation of people picking up splints. Oscar let out a bemused laugh and looked away.

Attached to the tree trunk where the trap was connected was a small note.

-There are no straight lines in nature.

“What’s this now…?”

Oscar tore open the note and examined it before taking a step forward.

With a sharp snap, the sound of the rope breaking, the rope suddenly wound around his ankle.

“Aaaah–!!”

“Mr. Oscar!!”

***

Oscar, caught in a trap despite reading the field survival rules. Minus 1 point.

Ecdysis. If something essential appears without any warning signs, one should be suspicious. Minus 1 point.

Elpheira. Despite suggesting to make a camp, she’s resting in the carriage. Lack of teamwork, minus 3 points.

And….

*

“Can we eat this?”

I’m hungry, but I never want to eat ‘Uncle’s dog food’. First, I need to secure some ingredients.

Since I can’t just hunt in the forest in the middle of the night, it ultimately comes down to gathering.

The problem is, Isabelle has never once engaged in gathering activities in her life. After all, all the children of the hero party members come from noble families.

Especially in Isabelle’s case, she has never ventured outside the Tylesse palace.

Even if she claims to know about ingredients, she ultimately only relies on familiar, well-prepared items. She boasted of being a good cook, but that didn’t necessarily include sourcing and preparing ingredients directly from their origins.

So, for now.

“It looks… like a mushroom.”

Start by securing what looks familiar.

Since it’s dark and I can’t see any fruits, and there’s no way to distinguish edible greens in the absence of visible vegetables.

Isn’t it common sense to start with mushrooms that seem edible from their appearance?

Smelling it, it seems similar, and even if there’s something bad about it, most of the time it’s fine once cooked.

Isabelle chuckled as she gathered plenty of large mushrooms.

*

– Bang!

Ivan glanced over to confirm the hit and lowered his gun. After tucking the smoking gun back into his belt, he took out a notebook.

Isabelle, attempting to consume wild mushrooms. Lack of common sense. Minus 1 point.

– Didn’t I tell you I’d really kill you, Uncle?! I mean it!!

Isabelle’s voice echoed from afar as she clutched the bullet-riddled mushroom and screamed.

The first night was passing.

Since they probably roughly learned the survival tutorial, it was time to start with sniper detection training.