The Villain is Too Good at Sniping

63. Extreme Cold Weather Survival Training (3)

Nights in the snowy field fell early.

The sun began to set around afternoon, and by dinner time, the entire area was shrouded in darkness. The nocturnal demons that roamed at night were an added threat.

The daytime was dangerous, but the night was even more perilous.

Here, the cold was a secondary problem. The demons were a greater threat. The demons in this area went berserk when the moon rose.

As Sato had told me… the werewolves reacted to the moon’s magic power or something.

Most of the students who would drop out of this survival training would likely do so on the first night. I quietly mourned for them.

In any case, the Watch’s function was remarkable, and the moment a student was eliminated, they would automatically be returned to the starting point. In the original story, there were no casualties during this training.

“It’s a bit chilly…”

The night of the full moon.

The soft, cloudy moonlight filtered through the window.

I placed a coffee cup on a heated lamp. This magic-powered lamp was one of the magic tools I had discovered in the Nilvania Mountains a long time ago.

As for where I got the coffee cup, I had actually found it in the Nilvania Mountains too. I had obtained it by chance when I was leaving the cave with Camille Esperanza.

“…Is anyone there…? Please help. Someone’s injured.”

…A group of merchants I had encountered by chance at the foot of the cliff.

They had miscalculated their route and ended up climbing the Nilvania Mountains, only to get stranded.

One of them had even injured their leg. If I had found them a little later, they would have become the demons’ prey.

“I should help them out…”

“…Are you crazy?”

Camille Esperanza was skeptical at the time. Her reaction was, “What’s the point of helping others when we can barely take care of ourselves?”

“Well, it’s understandable.”

Considering I had been bitten by a demon and had my leg injured, it was no surprise.

Even so, I willingly lent a hand, and the merchants safely escaped the mountain. In the process, they abandoned all their luggage.

As Camille had said, taking care of ourselves was more urgent at the time.

Camille didn’t know, but my actions were also calculated. In a way, we were no different from them.

If there were injured people, it was better to work together. Numbers were a weapon in themselves, and if we had four or more people together, the snowy field demons wouldn’t dare to attack us recklessly.

…Anyway.

Thanks to the merchants’ abandoned luggage, we were able to create a simple camp.

The abandoned luggage was filled with various magical tools, and from that day on, our survival training in the snowy mountains took a different turn.

While other Esperand’s children were running around the snowy mountains, Camil and I set up a simple camp and spent most of our time here.

The genre had changed from survival to a healing lifestyle in the snowy wilderness.

With the dark snowy mountains as the background, I leaned on the chair and tilted my coffee cup. I felt a little regret that there was no sugar.

“…Why is it like this.”

I put down the coffee cup and looked out the window, and suddenly a thought occurred to me.

What if the Nilvania Mountains and Arsen’s Gate were connected?

If this fact were to be revealed to the higher-ups, it would definitely cause a huge stir. It’s fortunate that the two groups haven’t clashed yet.

Considering that the Nilvania Mountains in this world are treated similarly to Earth’s Everest and the Himalayas, it might just be a coincidence.

The camp, shaped like a tilted hut, was hidden among the trees, making it difficult to spot from the outside. With the camouflage tent, it was even less likely to catch anyone’s attention.

This was my own shelter.

It felt similar to returning to my old villa, but thinking about the other students running around outside made my conscience prick.

This was also part of the survival training, so what could I do?

Since I was the one who discovered it, it was mine.

If another student had found it first, I would have handed it over. Since I created it, I couldn’t claim ownership in this situation.

From noble mtl dot com

As the faint wind blew, I opened the curtain, which I had left half-closed, and put down the coffee cup. Suddenly, a thought occurred to me.

“I wonder if Kailne is doing well.”

However, that thought only flashed by for a moment.

“He’ll be fine on his own.”

Kail was different from me, having a good relationship with his peers, and his innate willpower was stronger than mine. Just looking at Kail, who had already gathered a group of three or more in the snowy mountains, was enough to confirm this.

The confirmed members included Kail, Ellyn, and Eshell Silver…… The main characters who would lead the story in the future had gathered in one place, and they would be able to take care of themselves without me.

Here, it was better for me to step back. If I kept supporting them from behind, they would never grow.

So, I decided to take a step back during this training.

This survival training was all about the main characters figuring things out on their own.

…That thought didn’t last long.

On the third day of the survival training…

I heard a rough magical power wave coming from far away and picked up the Glock I had placed on the table.

***

The source of the sound was not far away.

I followed the faint magical power flow visible through the [Observer’s Eye].

It was an unusual magical power reaction. The dense magical power was enough to make my whole body tense, and if someone had wielded this much power, they would have stimulated all the magical beasts around here.

Even with the Watch’s exceptional abilities, there was no guarantee it could block 100% of the attacks. If I faced countless magical beasts at the same time, I could be attacked before I could even use the Watch’s functions.

Usually, students would voluntarily use the Watch’s functions to avoid attacks, but…

Click—

Just in case, I gripped the Glock and patrolled the area. It was possible that a dormant magical beast had awakened.

“It wouldn’t wake up from a student-level magical power reaction, would it?”

Right now, the snowy mountain’s guardian, the white tiger, and the black panther were dominating the scene, but there were magical beasts in the Nilvania Mountains that shouldn’t be awakened. They were hiding deep underground, so there was no sign of them on the surface.

A representative example was the high-ranking magical beast, the “Giant Leiker”.

It was a magical beast that resembled the Yeti, but despite its gentle appearance, it was a carnivore.

The solid leather could withstand even a trained hunter’s attack, so it was no wonder that ordinary hunters would hesitate to face a Giant Laker.

If that guy woke up, I’d have to call the professors immediately and stop the training.

But my [intuition] was growing duller as I moved forward. Instead of warning me of danger, it was starting to fade away.

Thud-thud-

The snow fell, and my feet sank into it, even with thick-soled boots on.

I lowered my gun and took a closer look around. I had walked quite a distance, so I should be able to see something with my [clairvoyance].

It wasn’t far away.

In the midst of the snowy plain, which seemed to have been ravaged by a snowstorm, I saw something resembling a small boundary.

I saw it with my [Observer’s Eye].

A water-constructed boundary. It was a water screen.

Considering that this was a high-mountain region filled with perennial snow, this was an extremely artificial sight.

I holstered my gun and approached cautiously. I didn’t sense any threats nearby.

…Or rather.

[…….]

I heard a sound similar to a biological creature’s cry. When I realized it was the voice of a high-ranking spirit, I was already reaching out to the water screen in front of me.

At that moment, the entity within the screen saw me.

The water screen, which was naturally covering the surroundings, was not a naturally formed boundary. The high-ranking spirit I was seeing now had created it with its magic.

It was a spirit resembling a blue peacock.

I had seen this spirit before.

“…Elfin?”

As I called out its name, the peacock-like spirit spread its wings. It didn’t seem threatening. If anything, it was more like a gesture asking for help.

Elfin couldn’t speak like other high-ranking spirits. It communicated with people only through its gaze and actions.

However, the fact that Elfin was here was strange.

Elfin chose its contract partners carefully. Especially if the partner was a first-year student, it was even more so.

Unlike other spirits, which considered a student’s abilities, attributes, or the medium of their contract…

In other words, Elfin chose its contract partners based on their character. That was one of the conditions rumored in the community.

The conditions for contracting with Elfin were unprecedented among all spirits. It was impossible to understand its conditions.

Elfin would suddenly cancel a contract or unilaterally terminate it if it didn’t like the partner’s mind.

So, in the community, it was believed that Elfin simply chose its contract partners at will.

The fact that Elfin was here meant that the student Elfin had chosen was here. If that student was being protected by a boundary like this, the number of suspicious students dwindled to just one.

…It wasn’t Esili Silvergarden, at least.

Esili also handled spirits, but that guy was currently with Kyle. In the end, there was only one suspicious student.

I placed my hand on the water screen. The boundary trembled and strongly warned me, refusing to allow my approach.

Just as Elfin’s feathers were about to become razor-sharp, I lowered my body and locked eyes with it.

“What do you want me to do?”

There was no response.

It was only then that I realized Elfin’s gaze was fixed on the gun in my hand, not on me. I holstered the gun and looked at the water spirit Elfin again.

“Do you want me to call out a reverse summon instead? Or do you want me to bring someone else to help?”

Elfin’s eyes grew moist and cloudy.

It’s as if I’m trying to protect a baby bird. Whatever the case, I’m aware that I’m treating this idol with special care.

However, staying here like this is dangerous in itself.

If I, who am not specialized in magic, can be led astray to this extent, there must be others who are more powerful than me who will be led astray as well.

For now, I can protect myself with a shield, but I can’t guarantee how long I can hold out against the blizzard raging outside. First, I need to stop this intense magical reaction.

To do that, I need to make it clear that I’m not a dangerous person.

“…….”

I lightly drew a cross and took out a sacred artifact from my pocket. It’s a relic used by the Holy Order, which I received from Isabelle, a priest, in preparation for an emergency.

I carefully placed it on the ground. For a moment, a warm aura spread from where the artifact was placed.

“Is this enough?”

In the snowy field, where not a single blade of grass grows, a small sprout began to sprout.

It was a miraculous manifestation of holy power. This is why the Holy Order was reluctant to release it to the outside world.

As I tried to communicate again, my senses were on high alert.

I sensed the approach of a group of demonic beasts through my [intuition]. They’re not far away, and even now, they’re closing in on this snowy field. They’ll probably arrive in a few minutes.

I spoke to Elfin in a slightly stronger voice than before.

“They’ll be here soon. Are you going to stay here like this?”

[…….]

There was still no response.

Instead of dispersing the shield, Elfin created a small opening for me to enter. I pushed my body through the opening and got on Elfin’s back, who was protecting the idol.

It’ll take some time to walk to the camp, but at least we’ll arrive before the demonic beasts do.