Watching the pathetic fox rub her face against my leg was one of the most unpleasant experiences of my life.
There’s a saying that eccentricities can be charming, but if they cross a line, they become disgusting. Anyone who saw that pitiful fox rubbing her face against my leg would feel the same. At least my party members did.
Joy stood frozen in disbelief at the sight, and even Faybi closed her eyes and began praying the moment she witnessed the fox's antics.
While everyone else was shocked, Frey was the only one who remained calm. Being someone who could match the fox in insanity, she crouched in front of the fox and reached out to pat her chin.
“Good girl, good girl.”
“Hey! Get away from me! I want to be treated like a dog by someone truly beautiful, not by someone who’s just moderately pretty like you!”
The fox might be a pervert, but she had her principles.
She slapped Frey’s hand away and crawled over to me, whining as if begging to be stepped on.
The whole thing was so disgusting that I didn’t want to touch her, even with a finger. But if this was the only way to give Faybi her blessing, then I guess it was worth it.
I just had to sacrifice my dignity. It was fine. This was still better than wearing the bunny girl outfit, right? I clenched my teeth and placed my foot on the fox’s head.
“Excuse me, little one, but could you take off your armor and step on me with your bare foot instead?”
“Shut up♡ You pathetic pervert fox♡ How dare a dog like you talk back to your master?♡ Just wag your tail and be satisfied with what I give you♡”
I pressed her head harder with the cold metal of my armor, and the fox obediently barked and wagged her tail, clearly enjoying it.
...I’m definitely cleaning this armor later. Especially the part that touched her.
‘Please don’t say anything.’
“Pathetic saint? Be quiet. I have no interest in hearing the complaints of someone so incompetent.”
“I-I’m sorry...”
Stop reminding me of what just happened! I’m trying my hardest to forget, but you keep bringing it up!
If I endured that humiliation to give you a skill, just take it, say thank you, and keep your mouth shut!
After being stomped on and insulted for quite some time, the fox finally got up with a flushed face and declared that she would grant everyone—including Faybi—a blessing.
She looked like someone who had just returned from a drug trip, drooling and eyes glazed, devoid of any dignity. Still, she gave us the rewards.
The system message confirmed that we had gained a new skill, so at least that part was done right.
After that, the fox tried to convince us to stay a bit longer, but we all worked together to firmly reject her offer.
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Everyone understood that nothing good could come from sticking around with that perverted fox.
We escaped her mansion and returned to the forest where the field trip was still ongoing.
It seemed we had spent quite a bit of time with the fox. The moon now hung high in the sky, sharing its light with the stars.
The field trip had started around noon, so by now, the first-year students from the academy were probably exhausted and resting.
I’m sure they’re all having fun. Other than the fact that there are monsters in the forest, it’s essentially a camping trip with their closest friends.
By now, they’re probably patting each other on the back, saying, “You did great today!” while praising each other’s achievements.
Sure, they’ll be on guard for monster ambushes as they’ve been taught in class, but do you really think those overexcited little kids will have proper defenses up? I bet there’ll be plenty of holes in their security.
This is the perfect time to teach those first-year academy students a harsh lesson about reality.
I feel bad for them, but I’m stressed out to the max because of that stupid fox. I need somewhere to release all this tension.
‘Everyone...’
“Pathetic fools, it’s time to do what I first mentioned. Surely none of you have forgotten, right?”
Let’s begin the hunt.
I’m going to take out all this pent-up frustration on some innocent students.
“Matthew, you really live up to the reputation of someone being noticed by the Holy Church. The timing of your holy magic was impeccable.”
“Haha, it’s all thanks to Vigo holding the front line so well.”
“Oh, no, no, I couldn’t have done it without you. He’s the real...”
Arthur’s party had had an extremely successful day. While each member was talented in their own right, it was largely thanks to Arthur’s leadership that they achieved such great results.
As soon as Arthur had learned that this academy field trip would take place in the Sytil Forest, he began preparing thoroughly.
To beat Lucy Alrn. To finally surpass her.
He studied the geography of the forest, learned which monsters lived there, how to hunt them, and even how to attract more monsters. He gathered various items to ensure his plans were executed flawlessly.
Thanks to all this preparation, Arthur’s group had managed to kill fifty monsters on the first day alone. Without Arthur’s meticulous planning, such a feat would have been impossible.
The process had been grueling and exhausting, but the rewards made it worth the effort. The atmosphere in the group was bright and lively.
As Arthur watched his party members laughing and chatting, he began to plan for tomorrow.
In his mind, this field trip was designed to benefit whoever took the lead early on.
Since there was a limited number of monsters in the forest, those who hunted the most early on would leave the rest of the students with nothing to hunt, making it impossible for them to catch up.
No matter how skilled Lucy Alrn was, if there were no monsters left for her to hunt, she wouldn’t be able to score well.
That’s why this field trip was the perfect opportunity for Arthur to finally defeat Lucy. Here, strategy mattered more than individual skill.
By continuing the aggressive pace and securing all the monsters in the forest, he would guarantee victory.
His team might complain, but once they saw the overwhelming results and got some well-deserved rest afterward, they would understand.
Yes. This time, I’ll defeat Lucy Alrn. I’ll engrave the taste of defeat on her arrogant face.
As Arthur clenched his fists with determination, he heard the snap of a branch from the bushes beyond.
What? Is it a monster?
“Everyone, get up!”
Having grown accustomed to Arthur’s commands throughout the day, his team immediately snapped into combat mode without hesitation.
“Well, well, looks like it’s Prince Pathetic’s party. I thought I smelled the stench of losers.”
Arthur let out a dry chuckle as he recognized the infuriating voice that came from the shadows.
Lucy Alrn. In some ways, she’s worse than a monster.
“Hello, Prince Pathetic.”
“Yes. Nice to see you, Lucy Alrn.”
Arthur lowered the sword he had raised as Lucy, dressed in her armor, emerged from the bushes.
Lucy Alrn, Joy, Frey Kent, and even the Saint herself.
This is absurd. It’s basically the best team you could put together from the current first-year academy students.
There’s no way we could beat them. Even if I added Jaqal to the mix, a direct confrontation would be impossible.
It’s hopeless. We’d need professional knights just to stand a chance against them.
“What are you doing wandering the forest at this late hour? It’s dangerous out here at night.”
“Don’t compare my party to your pathetic excuse of a group, Prince Pathetic. It’s insulting.”
Is she continuing the hunt even at night, relying on the sheer power of her team? Well, of course, Lucy Alrn could pull something like that off.
She’s always leading her party on forced marches to practice their endurance.
With her constant training, Frey Kent and Joy would’ve built up significant stamina by now. Staying up all night wouldn’t be a problem for them.
Even the Saint seems to be holding up well, showing little sign of fatigue.
Arthur had hoped to keep up such a grueling pace himself, but that was impossible for his team.
Unlike Lucy’s party, which was used to her intense routines, Arthur’s team had clear limits.
Even with all the preparation I’ve done, I can’t be sure of victory now. There’s just too much difference in the overall hunting time.
Damn it. I should’ve prepared my team in advance, even before this event.
“We’ll be taking a rest now. You should move on.”
Feeling his shortcomings acutely, Arthur urged Lucy to move on, but she didn’t budge.
What now? Does she have something more to say?
“Dull-witted noblewoman.”
“Yes?”
At Lucy’s call, Joy cast the spell she had prepared earlier.
A blast of ice magic shot directly at the campfire, snuffing out the only source of light in the dark forest.
What the—?!
“Guh?!”
As Arthur struggled to comprehend what was happening, a heavy blow struck his abdomen, knocking him to the ground.
The surprise attack left him with no chance to react. All he could do was claw at the dirt as he tried to pull himself up.
While Arthur fought to regain his footing, he could hear the sounds of chaos erupting in the darkness.
The sounds of people grappling.
The screams of men.
One by one, the thuds of bodies collapsing to the ground.
When the dust settled, and only the groans of defeated men remained, light finally returned to the forest.
It was only then that Arthur, still struggling, managed to lift his head. He saw his companions writhing on the ground in pain.
“Lucy Alrn! What are you doing?! Attacking fellow students?!”
“What’s wrong with that? I just reminded these pathetic fools of their place.”
“What’s wrong with it?! How can you say that?!”
“Look around. Do you see any of the academy’s professors stepping in?”
Arthur froze, realizing what she meant.
Even though the professors were hidden, they should have been patrolling the forest to ensure the students’ safety.
So why hadn’t they intervened during this commotion? Could they not have noticed?
Impossible. Look at who’s here.
A prince. A saint.
The daughter of a duke, and the daughter of a count.
Not a single one of them is unimportant.
There’s no way they would have slacked off in monitoring us. Especially after all the issues we’ve had this year.
So, this means...
“The academy is allowing this to happen?”
“Are you stupid, Prince Pathetic? It’s not that they’re allowing it. This is what the field trip is all about.”
Lucy Alrn spoke as she kicked Arthur’s sword out of his hand, sending it flying.
This is what it’s all about?
The academy is encouraging fights between students?
Looking back, it all makes sense.
There were no rules against attacking other students.
The limited number of monsters in the forest.
The rewards for collecting a large number of trophies.
I see! That’s what this was all about!
“You may be stupid and pathetic, Prince, but you’re not entirely slow on the uptake.”
“You’re going to steal our trophies.”
“Steal? No. This is tuition. You should be grateful that I’m educating you. Don’t make me out to be the villain here. The real villain is you, Prince, for being such an idiot.”
As Arthur looked at Lucy’s smug, mocking grin, he couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh.
His blood was boiling.
“Now, hand over your trophies. I’ll leave you with just enough to meet the minimum requirements.”
As much as it enraged him, Arthur knew he had no other choice. If Lucy wanted, she could easily wipe out his entire party.
With trembling hands, Arthur had no choice but to hand over the hard-earned trophies he had spent all day collecting.
“I will get my revenge, Lucy Alrn.”
“Pffft. You? Revenge? Go ahead and try. But you’ll never get past writhing at my feet.”