The Villain is Too Good at Sniping

64. Extreme Cold Weather Survival Training (4)

It was about an hour after Lara Steelhyden woke up.

She threw off the soft blanket covering her body, stretched her limbs, and yawned. Only then did she feel a strange sense of unease.

“……?”

She sat up and looked around.

The first thing she saw was a small magic lamp emitting a soft light.

The floor, covered with a mat, was cluttered with various miscellaneous items, and the ceiling was low and narrow.

The window, made from a wooden frame, and the curtain attached to it.

Lara Steelhyden took in the interior’s exterior appearance and deduced the result.

“A hut……?”

It was a somewhat crude, hut-like structure.

Not a normal rectangular building made from wooden planks, but a triangular shape with a sloping roof.

Lara checked her watch.

She thought she might have experienced a temporary reversal, but her watch showed the coordinates of the Forgotten Northern Region, Nilvania Mountain. Fortunately, she was still participating in the training.

But no matter how hard she thought, she couldn’t understand.

Other students were sleeping on trees or had found a cave. A few had even dug a hole in the ground and slept inside.

…Most students were surviving like this.

Building a hut like this in a short time was difficult, and even if it was built, where did all the magic tools and miscellaneous items inside come from?

It was more convincing that she wasn’t in a student’s residence but had been kidnapped and brought to a wild person’s dwelling. She had heard rumors about wild people living in the wilderness somewhere.

They attacked passersby, demanding valuables, and even committed more heinous crimes without hesitation, like savages.

I stretched out my hand and found my cane.

The thousand-year-old cane, engraved with a location-tracking spell, floated in the air and landed in Lala’s hand.

“What’s going on…?”

However, Lala Stillhaden was even more flustered. She had mentally prepared herself for the worst, but the cane had unexpectedly ended up in her hand.

This meant that the person who brought her here was someone who could casually bring an outsider into her residence, and even left a weapon that could harm her beside the owner.

It was unlikely that such a foolish savage existed. It was more natural to assume that there was another scheme at play.

“Is it…?”

Holding the cane, I summoned Elfin.

…I tried to summon him, but Elfin didn’t respond.

For the first time, the spirit who had always been by my side had left me. It was my second confusion.

During that brief moment, countless thoughts flashed through my mind and disappeared.

The first thought that came to mind was that I had to leave this hut. The savage who had saved me might return at any moment, and I didn’t know what other intentions they had.

However, I couldn’t just leave because Elfin, who wasn’t present, was on my mind.

“Could it be that he cancelled the contract and left…?”

But that couldn’t be.

It shouldn’t be.

I had spent a considerable amount of money to prepare the offering for the contract with Elfin. The money I received from the entrance exam had almost all gone to Elfin.

…Perhaps the water spirit Elfin had also considered his own situation and agreed to the contract.

Kiiik—

As I bit my nails in anxiety, the hut door creaked open.

The savage had returned. Lala Stillhaden gazed at the open door, holding the cane but not pointing it at the savage.

First, a thick pair of boots entered.

Snowflakes fell to the ground with a patter.

But the person who entered the hut was not the savage. Although they wore a cloak covered in snow, the person who emerged was wearing Arsen’s school uniform.

The man, dressed in school uniform with snow covering his head, brushed off the snow and looked up.

“…You should say something if you’re awake. Why are you just staring?”

“Uh… that’s…”

I was momentarily at a loss for words. It was because I had seen that face before.

“As I recall… you, Sion—”

“Sion Elrayonhart.”

“Ah.”

Yes, that was his name.

The name of the man who had visited me when I was hospitalized was Sion Elrayonhart.

At the time, I was unfamiliar and taken aback. A student I didn’t know had suddenly visited me, so I thought there must be some announcement to be delivered on behalf of the instructor.

-Why did you come to visit me?

-Just because.

-……?

-Just, I thought you might still be unconscious.

But that wasn’t the case.

It’s not that I have any grand business, but I just came to check if you’re still unconscious. As I looked again, the memories from that time resurfaced.

Back then, it was unfamiliar and hard to understand, but now it’s even more so.

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It’s too contrived to be a coincidence. It’s not something that could have happened if someone hadn’t been following me from the start.

“Ah…!”

In the midst of brief confusion, Lara Steillahyden, who had been lying down, suddenly sat up, and a blue swallow flew in from the open door.

“Elphin…? Where did you go?”

Elphin, who had disappeared, reappeared with Sion Illeonhart. Elphin sat down beside Lara and rubbed her face.

Sion Illeonhart left the two to greet each other and then dragged in a large, rolled-up cloth, which he spread out in the hut.

Lara flinched at the faint smell of blood.

“What’s that? What is it?”

“The beasts that were chasing you.”

“……?”

Before answering, Sion unfolded the cloth.

Inside were the corpses of various beasts, including the Snowy White Tiger.

The beasts’ corpses, with their still-open eyes, looked quite gruesome.

Especially the one with fangs as long as a human thumb.

Just looking at it, you could tell it couldn’t be defended against with a student’s uniform.

The only question was, why had Sion brought this into the hut?

“I didn’t want to leave it outside, but if I did, other beasts might be attracted by the smell and cause more trouble.”

Sion pulled out a large piece of cloth from among his miscellaneous items and used it to cover the beast’s corpse.

“It may not look good, but please bear with it. This will keep the smell from spreading.”

At first glance, the cloth looked old and worn, but upon closer inspection, it wasn’t.

The cloth had various magical symbols, including an identification seal, drawn on it. It was clearly a magical artifact, the kind that artifact merchants often carried.

Indeed, as soon as Sion covered the corpse with the cloth, the smell disappeared, as if by magic. Sion then rolled up the cloth and put it aside, and operated the lamp.

Sion’s actions, like those of an experienced adventurer, looked surprisingly natural.

***

As I poured magic into it, the lamp lit up. The almost-extinguished flame began to burn brightly again.

“Let’s take a look.”

As I warmed my hands on the heat from the lamp, I saw Lara Steillahyden, who still hadn’t gotten out of bed.

The coffee I had given her was still in her hand, untouched. It seemed she was still uneasy, lost in thought. Perhaps she was thinking about something else.

Maybe she thought I had saved her for a reason, or that I would demand something in return, like points.

Of course, I had only saved the student who was about to collapse. It just so happened that the person was one of the main characters, so I had prevented her from being summoned back.

“…Wait a minute…”

As I thought about it, I realized there was another intention behind my actions.

Growing up well, progressing through the main story, defeating the villains, and graduating safely.

That was my wish, and the reason I had saved Lara.

Of course, it was my own secret.

“Thank you for saving me, but Steillahyden doesn’t owe anyone debts. I’ll definitely repay this favor someday.”

In a way, it was a line that drew a boundary. That’s why Lara Steillahyden had no friends.

Of course, if you give something, you should receive something in return. That’s the way it is. Even before the concept of money existed, there was bartering.

However, I felt a bit uneasy.

“…That’s right.”

“Why are you staring at me like that?”

Lara Stillhiden had already stacked up two favors.

I thought this was my first time helping her, but unfortunately, it wasn’t. There was a precedent where I had helped her all the way to Arphen before the entrance exam.

If I were to follow Lara’s words, I should be the one receiving compensation.

Of course, I don’t plan on boasting about it now. Galion has disappeared, and I’ve become Sion Illeonhart, receiving Lara Stillhiden’s welcome. Compensation is honestly the last thing on my mind.

However, if I were to repay her, it would be enough if she just grows well after this training. I don’t want anything else.

But Lara Stillhiden seemed to interpret my gaze in a different way.

“Where did you get that coffee?”

“If you’re not going to drink it, just return it.”

“…Uh, I don’t have it, but I’ll think about it later.”

As I tried to take the coffee cup away, Lara turned her body.

Well, I guess I have to live with it for now.

If I hadn’t lit the lamp, Lara would have already dropped out due to hypothermia.

Elpin, who had been stuck to Lara’s side, turned his head to look at me. We had hunted together and confirmed each other’s intentions, so it seemed like he had relaxed his guard a bit.

I poured cold water into the remaining empty cup. I placed it on the lamp and waited for it to warm up.

In fact, the coffee I gave Lara was the last item I had. I thought it was unnecessary to mention, so I just kept my mouth shut.

Outside, the snowstorm was still raging on.

The remaining task could be done tomorrow afternoon.

***

It was the fourth day since we fell onto the Nilvania mountain.

I took out the beast’s corpse that I had temporarily placed in the shack and dissected it. As it turned out, there were few edible parts, but it didn’t matter since we only had three more days of training left.

“Can you help me with anything?”

“What can you do?”

“…….”

“Sit down, watch, and learn.”

We had one more mouth to feed, but since we had received supplies from Arsen before coming here, we had more than enough food.

However, if we had one more person, it would be difficult. This camp was designed for two people.

Lara Stillhiden quietly sat down and helped with the beast dissection. At first, I had her help with putting away the knife, but when the leather tore, I took over.

Instead, Lara took charge of guarding with Elpin, patrolling the surrounding area, and portioning the meat.

…And most importantly.

“There’s not enough water.”

“Already?”

“There are more mouths to feed. The water stored here is only enough for one person.”

“Then… um.”

When it came to water supply, Lara Stillhiden’s efficiency was surprisingly high.

Whoosh!

“Good job, Elpin!”

There was no need to go far. Elpin was a water spirit, after all.

With one flap of Elpin’s wings, a gentle rain poured down from the empty air. Thanks to that, our water supply became more convenient.

Originally, we had to go all the way to the distant river to fetch water, but after Lara joined, unnecessary detours decreased, and we even had some spare time.

“Before coming here, I saw a party carrying a deer.”

“A different party?”

“Yes, it was a party of four. I don’t know if the leader was Kail or Kai, but they kept heading north.”

“If it’s north, wouldn’t it just be a barren land no matter how far we go?”

“Yes, that’s what I mean. There are also wandering students who don’t settle in one place.”

During the remaining time, we admired the scenery of the snowy field or chatted to pass the time.

As the sun began to set, we took turns keeping watch and even broke the ice on the stream to go fishing.

“…What are you doing here? Sion Illrayonheart and Lara Steelhyden.”

The instructor, dressed in winter gear, visited our camp the day before the training ended.