—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Yuziro
—————————————————————–
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
“That damn kid is a constant liability!” Chatty exploded, unleashing a torrent of colorful curses.
He likely knew Gloomy’s tendencies well, being from the same dorm.
Yet, a sense of camaraderie, however flimsy, seemed to exist.
As soon as Gloomy stumbled, their advance faltered, their steps slowing.
Had Gloomy been more abrasive, more openly dismissive despite his lack of skill, they probably would have abandoned him without hesitation.
He was a kind person.
Timidity was his biggest flaw, but he was obedient and didn’t speak out of turn.
That’s probably why they hesitated, even for a moment.
…And so?
Ultimately, his clumsiness put them all at risk of being buried alive.
In fact, Gloomy was the one who had created the most dangerous situation.
I moved.
I couldn’t leave things like this.
The thought of dying here left a bad taste in my mouth.
I sheathed my sword, discarded my shield, and hoisted Gloomy onto my back.
Thankfully, he wasn’t heavy.
“Ah… Uh… Um…” he stammered.
“Focus on holding on tight instead of being embarrassed,” I retorted.
Even with his tight grip, his body bounced against my back as I increased my pace.
I registered the sensation of his soft body pressing against me, but this wasn’t the time to dwell on it.
“You’re getting ten flicks to the forehead when we get back,” I warned, outlining the punishment for his blunder.
I dodged falling rocks by a hair’s breadth, closing the distance between myself and the scouts.
“Ugh! Stop!!” Wolf yelled.
I halted, three steps ahead of them.
A pile of dirt and debris had cascaded down, blocking our path as if to trap us.
I checked behind us, but there were no signs of monsters.
They were likely already buried, struggling for their last breaths.
“Gloomy, can you use magic?” I asked.
“Uh… Sniff… I… I’ll try…” he whimpered.
“No. You’re better off staying put.”
A mage with a wavering mind was more dangerous than any monster.
It was better to rely on Wolf’s Magic Missile than risk another unstable spell.
“
…
…” Gloomy began chanting.
“What the hell is that kid doing?!” Chatty shrieked, trying to clamp a hand over Gloomy’s mouth.
I understood his frustration, but interrupting a spell mid-incantation was more dangerous than letting it run its course.
“
“
—Splat
Case in point.
A black, gooey byproduct of the failed spell plopped onto the ground, and Chatty froze.
Did he know what this byproduct did?
Judging by Prion’s reaction earlier, it seemed the first-years hadn’t learned about it yet.
It didn’t matter.
What mattered was how to utilize this unexpected development.
If used correctly, it could help us break through the debris faster.
“Prepare your magic. Fire when I tell you to.”
“Y-yes!” Wolf nodded, starting his incantation.
He wasn’t particularly talented in magic, so he recited the activation words slowly and deliberately.
With Gloomy still on my back, I kicked at the black blob, aiming it towards the earthen wall.
Just as my foot connected, the blob began to glow.
“Get down!!” I yelled, throwing Gloomy to the ground and shielding him with my body.
Chatty and Wolf hesitated for a moment, then quickly flattened themselves against the ground.
It was going to explode.
It had to.
An unstable substance, absorbing the surrounding mana and earthly elements, would inevitably transform, taking on the properties of the surrounding earth and stone.
Unable to contain the internal pressure, it would burst.
I was slightly elevated, shielding Gloomy, but even the uneven ground wouldn’t offer much protection.
I clenched my fists, the familiar tingling pain from the cursed area spreading through my body.
Watch closely, Gloomy.
This is the massive bomb you’ve created.
—BOOM!!
“Ah… Ugh… Uhh…” Gloomy’s muffled cries resonated against my chest.
Shrapnel sprayed outwards, stinging and embedding itself in my skin.
The deafening roar and the momentary flash of light subsided, but there was no time to recover.
The explosion had accelerated the cave-in.
“Is your incantation ready? Can you maintain it?” I asked Wolf.
He nodded.
Thankfully, the two scouts seemed relatively unharmed.
“Then fire. Aim for the area with the faint light.”
Wolf stood and aimed towards the source of the light.
He stumbled slightly from the tremors and the ringing in his ears, but the target was large enough that he couldn’t miss.
“
”
He shouted, as if to bolster his own resolve, and unleashed a concentrated burst of raw magical energy.
The blast tore through the weakened earthen wall.
The scent of vegetation and the touch of fresh air reached us.
The thought of escape was so close it almost made me falter.
No.
I couldn’t afford to hesitate now.
I hoisted Gloomy back onto my back and ran.
A rock slammed into the spot where I had just been standing, sending a shiver down my spine.
Ignoring the tingling numbness in my leg, I pushed forward.
As we emerged from the labyrinth, sunlight washed over us.
The clinging dust and dirt seemed to be swept away by the wind, and fresh air filled my lungs.
It was over.
It had been… interesting.
Though the other two probably didn’t share that sentiment.
I set Gloomy down, and Chatty and Wolf immediately turned their attention to him.
I couldn’t see their expressions, but I could sense their frustration and anger.
I didn’t feel particularly inclined to defend Gloomy.
He had made countless mistakes in a relatively simple labyrinth.
If I had to clear every labyrinth this week with this group, I would have a heart attack on the spot.
But whatever.
I wouldn’t be seeing them again after this.
I had already mentally deducted enough points from Gloomy that he was out of the running.
I didn’t even bother learning his real name.
In my mind, they were already permanently labeled: Gloomy, Chatty, and Wolf.
Leaving the collapsed labyrinth behind, we waited in silence for our professor’s recall signal.
The unsettling gaze I had felt earlier had vanished.
Oh, and I had debated whether to deliver the promised ten forehead flicks to Gloomy.
I decided against it in the end.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
—BAM!
The spacious Headmaster’s office shook.
Books, neatly arranged by height, reflecting the meticulous nature of the room’s owner, tumbled from the shelves, disturbed by the sudden tremor.
Rain Garden, the room’s owner, watched the fluttering pages and scattered books, then clutched her head with a groan.
Anyone who knew her well would have been shocked by this uncharacteristic display of agitation.
What kind of person, what kind of being, could have driven her to this state?
It wasn’t a demon.
Nor was it some ancient, unknown entity, or a divine being.
The one who had so thoroughly frayed her nerves was one of the students assigned to the same labyrinth exploration group as Ron: a timid, gloomy student.
With long, limp hair and a perpetually hunched posture, he practically screamed, “I lack confidence.”
He possessed considerable magical potential, but his passive attitude towards combat and labyrinth exploration had landed him in the lower ranks.
‘There’s nothing more troublesome than an incompetent person suddenly finding their fighting spirit… late.’
The problem wasn’t his incompetence, but the fact that he was in the same group as Ron.
Assigning students to groups was a delicate task.
Those in the same dorm as Ron would likely avoid him after the incident with Sola.
So, she had no choice but to pair him with students from other dorms.
She had been preoccupied with other matters and hadn’t checked the exact group composition, delegating the task to another professor.
And this was the result.
At least the assigned labyrinth wasn’t particularly difficult.
…Or so she thought, until that timid student started causing trouble.
He tripped over rocks, cowered during combat, and whimpered instead of casting spells, despite being a mage.
But Rain didn’t care.
It didn’t matter if he contributed nothing to the labyrinth’s conquest, or if his actions nearly led to their demise.
What mattered was that he had been carried on Ron’s back.
That was eighty percent of the reason she had slammed her fist on the desk.
“Haa…”
But there was no point in dwelling on what had already happened.
She took several deep breaths to calm herself.
‘If the best isn’t possible, then the second best.’
She recited her motto, then indulged in a small fantasy.
She imagined herself in the gloomy student’s place, carried on Ron’s back.
His well-defined muscles.
His broad, sturdy back.
She pictured herself wrapping her arms around his neck, nuzzling her face against his skin.
She imagined rubbing against him, and Ron blushing at her boldness.
Flush
The vivid imagery made her blush even more intensely than usual.
This wasn’t right.
She chided herself, but soon continued the fantasy.
She pictured herself apologizing for her forwardness, and Ron smiling reassuringly, telling her it was alright, that he didn’t mind, that he would always carry her like this.
The sweet, romantic fantasy escalated, becoming more passionate.
The act of being carried was now irrelevant.
“Hmm…”
A soft moan escaped her lips.
Startled by the sound, she abruptly stood.
The heat that had spread through her body didn’t subside.
Deep breaths couldn’t quell the burning sensation emanating from her core.
Her heart felt like it had dropped to her stomach, pounding against her lower abdomen.
The Headmaster’s office door was open.
It was a symbolic gesture, meant to signal her open-door policy, but no one ever came anyway.
Whether it was open or locked made no difference.
But just in case… Rain quickly locked the door, adding an extra lock and a locking spell for good measure.
Her earlier confession about her secret had been entirely truthful.
Once a day, sometimes more.
Always about Ron.
She continued her fantasy.
Their bodies intertwined, their mouths locked in a passionate embrace.
This space was hers, this time was hers.
No one would know what she was doing.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
[Not Rain being jealous over a teenager which doesn’t even like Ron LMAO]
So gloomy is a she?(few chaps ago it was she) if not Rain’s reaction doesn’t make sense and MC talking about that sensation while carrying gloomy on his back seems weird…unless this novel is turning into BL