CH 29

The cave was shrouded in silence.

In this place where no sound could be heard, the sudden roar of waves echoed. Soon, along with the raging torrents, furious waves swept through the cave.

Swooooosh!

Waves swept through every nook and cranny of the cave.

After a moment, three figures emerged — it was Ulan, Ibella, and the ashen-haired girl.

Ibella and the girl didn't even move, likely having lost consciousness due to the sudden torrent. In contrast, Ulan stood up nonchalantly as if nothing had happened.

Naturally, he hadn't lost his wits.

From the moment he was swept away by the wave until now, he had been holding his breath. As a result, he remembered everything that had happened.

‘The moment we entered the cave, the entrance closed.’

More accurately, it collapsed. Huge boulders blocked the entrance.

Afterward, with a loud rumble, the cave moved; as if sinking beneath the lake's surface.

At this point, a memory flashed through Ulan's mind.

‘It's somehow similar to the Trial of a Warrior.'

The Trial of a Warrior he had undergone in the grasslands.

The situation was similar then as it is now. Soon after he had set foot in the ruins of the Trial, all entrances were sealed shut.

'Then maybe this is…….’

Another Trial of a Warrior?

The thought crossed his mind, but he quickly realized it wasn't the case. He'd heard all about where each of his past life companions had taken the Trial of a Warrior.

'Not a single one of them said they took the Trial of a Warrior at Arsene Academy.’

Even Dilia Arpen, the famously distinguished alumna of Arsene Academy, had mentioned undertaking the Trial of a Warrior elsewhere.

‘Then what is this place?’

As he pondered his situation anew, Ulan's brow furrowed. However, he was soon pulled out of his reverie. The ashen-haired girl began to shiver uncontrollably. Ibella was the same. Perhaps their bodies had gotten cold due to being soaked. 

Furthermore, the cave's current temperature was lower than that of the outside, exacerbating the situation. Realizing this, Ulan surveyed the cave's surroundings —

— and in the process, he noticed something.

‘Is that debris from a boat?’

As he suspected, it was the remains of a boat.

Though it was wet, it wasn't a significant issue. By infusing the wood with spirit, circulating it quickly, and generating heat, any moisture could easily be removed.

Moreover, it had another advantage.

Fwoosh! Fwoosh!

The wood fragments quickly caught fire.

Boom! Boom!

Ulan collected other debris as well, ensuring they could be used as firewood.

‘Next……….’

It was time to remove their wet clothes.

With wet clothes, their body temperatures would drop rapidly. So, Ulan wasted no time in stripping.

Afterward, he moved them closer to the campfire. He spread out their wet clothes to help them dry more effectively.

‘I wish we had blankets…’

It was highly unlikely that they would find any here.

As Ulan lamented this, something caught his eye. A large bag. It was the backpack Noah had been hauling around with a grunt.

‘I wonder if……….’

Could there be something useful inside?

She has mysterious powers of foresight, he thought, and as he opened the backpack, his speculation quickly turned to certainty.

A towel wrapped around bundles of thick paper. There were also emergency rations and water.

‘She must have foreseen a situation like this with her foresight.’

Classic Noah.

After a brief moment of admiration, Ulan wrapped the towels around them both. After a while, as he listened to the crackling sound of the fire, he thought of Noah.

‘I hope she's okay.’

He saw Professor Miel use the stone.

In truth, Ulan's reason for saving Noah wasn't profound — she was just the closest, and therefore the easiest to throw.

Next, he tried to throw Ibella, but due to the wind created by the wave, he failed.

‘First, I need to find a way out.’

If Ulan had been the only one stranded here, he would have immediately searched the cave for an exit.

But he couldn't do that now.

He couldn't leave behind the two unconscious girls, and more importantly, he couldn't ignore what Noah had said.

Ulan glanced at the axe.

‘He said I'd find a use for it.’

In other words, there might be a battle. Even the stone-headed Ulan had guessed that much.

That was why he couldn't leave them alone.

If he left for even a short moment, and a monster were to appear, they would be in serious trouble.

As he whiled away the time in thought —

".....Ugh, ugh."

— a faint moan came from nowhere.

It was Ibella. She blinked her eyes open, her eyelids trembling. Eventually, she fully opened her eyes and glanced around in a daze.

"Where am I………?"

"A cave," Ulan replied briefly.

Her gaze soon shifted to this direction. Since she didn't seem to grasp the situation yet, Ulan continued to explain, "We were swept away by a wave and landed here."

As Ulan's explanation concluded...

Ibella had barely regained her composure. Then, her eyes widened like lanterns.

".....Wha-!?"

She realized she wasn't wearing any clothes; all her clothes were gone, except for her underwear. As if someone had taken them off.

"I took them off," Ulan gave a calm answer.

The nonchalant manner in which Ulan said this only fueled Ibella's flustered expression. She asked in a small voice, "Did you, um, see...?"

"What?"

"The underwear and …….."

"I saw it."

Ulan had excellent eyesight, after all.

He had seen every inch of smooth skin, every curve of her well-defined figure.

Yet, despite his bluntness, Ibella's flustered reaction only intensified.

"But don't worry. Nothing has happened to cause you concern."

"Yes, huh?"

"Even barbarians know when and where to draw the line. Pouncing on an unconscious woman is for cowards, not warriors. It's not something a true warrior would do.

Ulan was a strong man.

And, naturally, he had a lot of sexual desire.

But at the same time, he was a warrior.

An honorable warrior. He respected honor and, by extension, the honor of others. He respected theirs just as he valued his own.

This was why he spoke with such a serious expression.

"I swear on my name as a warrior."

"........."

Was it because of his confident demeanor?

Ibella felt her shame and embarrassment gradually dissipating as she sensed the sincerity in Ulan's unwavering voice and gaze.

She nodded her head firmly, indicating that she believed Ulan's words. She was expressing her trust in him. After wrapping herself in a warm towel, she glanced at Ulan once more.

"You seem surprisingly calm………?"

"It’s because I'm used to it."

Considering what had happened in his past life, this wasn't anything too extreme. After all, he had faced all sorts of traps and trials back then.

‘Thinking about it, I did experience things like this before.’

It had only been a short time since he met his past comrade. At that time, he had been isolated in a labyrinth with a Saintess who despised him; the conditions too harsh to even light a campfire.

And eventually, the Saintess lost her mind due to the harsh conditions.

Her body grew colder and colder. Unable to stand by and watch, Ulan had no choice but to press his bare skin against her…

"I wanted to……" 

As he reminisced about his past, Ibella suddenly spoke up, her expression slightly flustered. 

Meanwhile, Ulan, who was out of the reminiscence, looked puzzled. It was because he didn't quite hear the previous content.

"What?"

"F-full name!"

The full name? Was that even necessary?

Then it dawned on him.

‘We've never said hello in this life.’

The first time they met, they just looked at each other.

And the second time, they just bumped into each other while running through the woods and he gave her some swordsmanship advice.

He didn't recall ever speaking to her.

Which meant that it was normal for Ulan to not know Ibella's name at this point. So he nodded wordlessly. It was a sign of approval.

"Ulan Bator. Call me Ulan."

"Ibella Elearde. I study swordsmanship at the Military Studies Department, hoping to become a knight of the Empire. Feel free to call me Ibella, too."

After a brief handshake.

Ibella glanced at Ulan's hand.

Hands as large and hard as rocks. Was it the warmth she felt beyond them? It made her body tingle.

"Oh, right. I, uh, excuse me but..?"

"Why?"

"M-may I speak casually?"

"Of course. We're the same age," Ulan nodded in agreement.

Ibella, on the other hand, looked surprised.

"Huh? You know my age?"

It was then that Ulan realized his mistake.

He realized that it was in her last life that he knew that Ibella and he were the same age, so he decided to play it cool, "I guessed from your face."

"...... Do I look that old?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, in the first place, you have this look in your eyes that makes me think you're older…... It's nothing."

Ibella coughed and looked away.

Then her shoulders shook slightly. Probably because she'd been keeping her distance from the campfire ever since she'd woken up.

"If you're cold, you can come closer."

"I, I wish I could," Ibella pouted.

Ulan quickly realized why.

"If my gaze is the reason, I'll look elsewhere."

"No, it's not that, it's……," She shook her head vigorously and muttered to herself as she glanced at Ulan's muscles in the firelight, "I'm having trouble with the …….stimulation."

"Stimulation?"

"There is such a thing."

My heart was pounding wildly. Somehow, if she went to Ulan's side now, he'd hear it, so she kept a reasonable distance from him.

Tadak! Tadak!

The sound of wood burning.

Around the time when the warmth of a bonfire spread around —

— Inella pursed her lips, "Thank you."

A sudden thank you.

Ulan replied nonchalantly, "Never mind if it's from the water."

"That's not it," Ibella shook her head, "Your advice on swordsmanship."

"Oh, that was the other day?"

"Yeah. I took your advice, and it made me feel so much better. So I thought I'd thank you if we met sometime."

"That's good to hear," Ulan laughed softly. 

It was a relief that the lingering resentment Ibella had harbored from her past life had been resolved.

Meanwhile, Ibella, who had been staring at him, looked at him curiously, "Is…that all?"

"What do you mean?"

"Are you going to ask me for something or...?"

"Why would I?" Ulan repeated, puzzled.

All he'd done was relay the conversation from future Ibella to present Ibella. And he received a thank you. That was enough.

She looked at him, a little dazed, as he responded in kind.

It was natural. Because she got over the wall thanks to Ulan's advice, and that was a great favor to her as a swordswoman.

So, of course, she thought he would want something in return.

But Ulan was different. In the meantime, she heard the reason he showed a calm reaction.

"We are friends. A simple greeting is enough."

"Friends…..."

Ibela mumbled, dumbfounded.

She'd never had a friend in her life, and the word was foreign to her. But it was only for a moment, and she suddenly broke into a bashful smile.

"......Hehe."

A laugh that escaped her without her realizing it.

If she had heard the word ‘friends’ from anyone else, she might not have been moved. But for some reason, when she heard it from Ulan's lips, it felt surprisingly sweet.

Perhaps because of that, Ibella found herself wanting to continue the conversation. So, she spoke up again, "Hey, Ulan?"

".........?"

"Can I ask you what field of study you are going to major in?"

"What is a major?"

"Huh? Didn't you hear? Professor Miel mentioned it. Starting next week, we have to choose our major and minor subjects."

"Students get to choose their own courses?"

"Yeah, that's right," Ibella smirked, "I'm planning to take Professor Ethan’s Survival Tactics, Intermediate Swordsmanship, and Martial Skill course. Then, I got curious about what kind of classes you're planning to take."

"Where can I find the list of courses?"

"In the orientation brochure. You must not have looked at it yet, because the list of courses starts on page 60."

As soon as she finished speaking, Ulan replied confidently, "I'm on page 11."

"Huh?"

"That's 49 days left."

He had successfully performed a subtraction in his head.

Ulan's eyes narrowed.

Sequentially speaking, there were 49 days left, but come to think of it, there was no need to read the orientation brochure in order.

‘I will start reading from page 60 when I go back.’

He had to choose his courses for next week.

Just as he was making that decision, Ibella nudged him in the side, "Or should I just tell you the course list?"

"Do you have the brochure?"

"Not exactly, but I remember some of it."

"Then I'll ask for it."

Ulan nodded his head slightly.

Then, one by one, Ibella then began listing the courses she remembered, mostly focusing on the ones she intended to take.

A little while later, Ulan had a thoughtful expression.

‘I'm not particularly drawn to anything.’

In reality, he didn't really mind which courses he took. Ulan was a monster who had reached the realm of a Master without learning from anyone else.

'Except…….’

If he had to choose, he did have some degree of interest in a few courses. So, he gave his answer with a murmur, "Hunting and Martial Skill would be good."

{T/N:- Martial Skill - the skill of fighting using weapons such as swords and spears.}

He chose Hunting because he suddenly remembered Stella. She was the test supervisor for the Monster Hunt test. He recalled her confident attitude vividly.

The next reason he was interested in Martial Skill was even simpler. The professor in charge of the course would probably have extensive knowledge about the various weapons in the world.

‘Perhaps I could gain some clues about a very powerful weapon.’

A weapon powerful enough to fight a Giant King and not break. That, too, was one of Ulan's goals.

Meanwhile, after hearing Ulan's words, Ibella shouted with a momentary smile, "You're going to learn Martial Skill? Really?!"

"If there's nothing else I feel like learning, then why not?"

"Wow, then we could take it together."

"I suppose we could."

Ulan nodded his head again. As Ibella's eyes sparkled with anticipation, she let out a suppressed laugh.

"Mmm, mmm."

There was a faint groan.

The ashen-haired girl who had been passed out all this time.

When she showed signs of opening her eyes, Ibella returned to her expressionless face, as if she hadn't smiled since when? As if she were wearing a mask.

'This is similar to the past life.’

When she spoke to the warriors, including Ulan, she took off her mask. But when she spoke to strangers, she always wore her mask.

Knowing this habit, Ulan didn't mind, and by then, the ashen-haired girl had finally opened her eyes.

"Huh, where am I……!?"

Wide eyes and a startled expression.

The two explained what had happened.

Meanwhile, Ibella took responsibility for undressing the girl. Probably to save some unnecessary trouble.

After all the explanations were done, the girl burst into tears, "Huk! Ugh! Mommy...!"

To be honest, this was a normal reaction. She had been suddenly swept away by a wave and isolated in an unknown cave. After some time, the girl managed to calm down somewhat.

Then, she introduced herself.

"I, my name is Sylphie."

Sylphie Rudhina — a student who entered the Academy with the goal of majoring in Ancient History and Archaeology in the General Studies Department. She was sixteen years old; a year younger than Ulan and Ibella.

Meanwhile, clinging to Ibella's side, she kept glancing at Ulan. Was he bothered by her repeated glances? Ulan asked straight away, "Do you have something to say?"

"Uh, yeah, I was just wondering."

She seemed to have many questions.

Ulan nodded his head, indicating that she could go ahead and ask. Sylphie, sensing that she had the opportunity, asked with a trembling voice, "......why were you screaming in the auditorium?"

She was probably curious about what happened at the entrance ceremony.

Ibella, too, gazed at Ulan with curious eyes. With both sets of eyes on him, Ulan answered as if there was nothing to hide, "To convey sincerity."

"Sincerity?"

"Yes. I wanted to express my sincere desire to get along with everyone, so I shouted from the heart."

His gaze remained steady and unwavering. He wasn't lying.

Sylphie had a blank look on her face, and Ibella was barely able to contain her laughter.

"So let's get along."

"Y-Yes, of course!"

"Just speak your mind."

"W-Well... that's a bit... It's scary..."

Sylphie awkwardly forced a smile.

As the atmosphere eased a bit, Ibella, who had been silent, spoke up, "So, what should we do from here?"

"Using common sense, the best course of action would be to wait here until rescue arrives."

It was Sylphie who answered the question.

Professor Miel had said that if anything happened beyond the boundaries of Zone One, the Guardians of Fountain would act. And this cave was located within Zone Two, so it was reasonable to assume that the Guardians would take action.

However, Ulan shook his head, "That seems a bit difficult."

"W-What? Why...?" Sylphie asked with a puzzled expression.

In an instant, a chilling coldness enveloped the area. Turning his gaze reflexively, he noticed that the water had risen up to ankle level. It seemed that water was continuously pouring in from outside.

Sylphie looked bewildered, "Uh, uh, what do we do?!"

"We need to move."

A quick glance around revealed what appeared to be a passageway in the back.

Ulan lit a thick piece of wood to make a torch, then stood up, "Let's find a safe place and wait for the Guardians to rescue us."

"Sounds good. I'm in favor."

"Me, too!"

Ibella and Sylphie nodded.

Unanimity of purpose.

After putting on the slightly damp clothes, the three of them started to move. Their objective was to find a safe area and wait there for rescue, while avoiding the rising water.

(End of Chapter. . . . . . . .)

T/N:-

If anyone has updated chapter-wise segregated raws for the novel, please do share.