The Last-Seat Hero Has Returned

12. First Lesson (4)

The next day.

Contrary to my worries, thanks to the makeshift bed (made of branches and leaves) I made using the know-how I gained from my mercenary life in my previous life and Iris’s blessing, the sleeping arrangements weren’t too uncomfortable.

Well, I could endure it, but I could never say it was good.

‘Still, it’s much better compared to the other cadets.’

By now, everyone else must be half-dead from exhaustion.

Originally, camping without know-how could drain your stamina to the point where it was better not to sleep at all.

‘Well, that’s probably one of the purposes of this lesson.’

The types of beasts released were too wicked for a class meant to simply teach practical tracking skills.

Beasts of the feline family were known to be faster and leave almost no traces compared to beasts with the same number of ‘eyes’.

‘They must have anticipated that the cadets wouldn’t be able to capture all the beasts in a single day.’

Why else would they not warn us to prepare thoroughly for something that might take several days?

The true purpose of this class was not just to track the beasts released in the mountains, but to make the cadets realize on their own how to solve camping and food issues necessary for survival.

So.

“Hmm.”

Waking up early in the morning and checking for any dangerous elements around while watching Iris sleep soundly was also part of the class.

‘Iris.’

Recalling her excited expression as she cutely kicked her legs while eating ramen last night, I became even more certain of one thing.

‘Even if all memories of being with me disappear, Iris is still Iris.’

How could such an obvious fact feel so overwhelmingly heartwarming?

‘I can’t wait to see the others too.’

Yuren, Berald, Senior Sophia.

How are they all doing now?

While I was lost in memories of old comrades.

“…Why are you smiling so unpleasantly?”

Camilla’s voice came from beside me.

“What, can’t I smile as I please?”

“Hmph! It was definitely a smile with some ulterior motive!”

“Stop talking nonsense from the morning and wake Iris up. We need to get moving.”

“Ugh.”

Camilla approached Iris and gently shook her shoulder.

“Saintess. It’s time to wake up… Hyak!”

“Just a bit more…”

Iris, in a sleepy voice, hugged Camilla.

Pulling Camilla closer, Iris rubbed her cheek against Camilla’s chest like a spoiled child.

“Se, Se, Saintess. You can’t do this!”

“Hmm… What is this…? It’s too hard.”

“Wake up already, you brat.”

Slap.

Camilla struck Iris’s back, which was stuck together.

Iris, who was still drowsy, slowly opened her eyes.

“Are you awake, Saint?”

“Yawn… I’m awake. But my back feels sore…”

“You slept on the dirt floor with some leaves, so it’s no wonder your back hurts.”

“Oh, right, we camped out. No wonder something hard and flat was touching my cheek earlier.”

“……”

Hold it in, Camilla.

She’s your master.

“If you’re awake, let’s get going.”

“Get going? Where to?”

“I found traces of a beast while wandering around here this morning.”

We had experienced camping as part of the lesson.

It was time to resume tracking the beast.

* * *

After a quick wash at a nearby stream.

Our party moved steadily, following the traces of the beast.

How many hours had we been moving?

In the distance, we spotted a beast drinking water from the stream.

‘Is it the same feline beast?’

It didn’t have a beak-like mouth like the first beast we caught, but its overall appearance wasn’t much different.

The one difference was that it had four eyes instead of three.

It was a more powerful creature than the one we caught yesterday.

‘Now that I think about it, I remember hearing about this.’

One of the three beasts released into the forest was particularly swift and difficult to catch.

It took three days to capture all the beasts because of that four-eyed beast.

‘Back then, our party couldn’t even catch a three-eyed beast, let alone a four-eyed one.’

Seeing a four-eyed beast right in front of me made me realize how much had changed since I returned.

“…It has one more eye.”

Camilla, noticing that the beast had four eyes, spoke in a slightly tense voice.

“Shall I catch it this time?”

“Hmph, whether it has three eyes or four, it makes no difference.”

Camilla stepped forward as if she couldn’t back down.

I shrugged and stood by the retreat route as I did yesterday.

“Haaap!”

Tatadak!

As I signaled like yesterday, Camilla quickly dashed forward.

“Kruruk?!”

The beast, distracted by drinking water, suddenly lifted its head.

It hurriedly turned its body to flee towards the retreat route, but I was already blocking the way.

The beast hesitated, glancing back and forth between me and Camilla, then kicked towards Camilla.

‘Is it trying to break through?’

Looking towards Camilla, she had drawn her sword with a contemptuous expression.

“Come if you dare!”

Camilla raised her sword towards the charging beast.

The holy mark engraved on her left chest radiated light, and a white halo enveloped her sword and flared up.

Just as she was about to slash the beast’s neck,

Beep beep!

[Warning. If the training beast is killed instead of captured, bonus points will be canceled.]

A red warning screen appeared on the Hero Watch on her wrist.

“Ugh…!”

Camilla urgently twisted her sword path.

But it was impossible to completely stop a sword once swung.

Kakak!

Her sword barely grazed the beast’s neck.

“Damn it! They should tell us these things in advance!”

Camilla yelled angrily at the red warning screen on her Hero Watch.

Was it because she was momentarily distracted by the warning screen?

She didn’t realize what she had ‘cut’.

“Rrrrrrr.”

The restraining magic tool that had been fastened around the beast’s neck split in half and fell away.

Four eyes gleamed with a chilling red light.

“Rrrng!”

Freed from the magic tool, the beast dashed past Camilla at a speed even faster than before.

“Huh?!”

A startled Camilla turned her head, but the beast had already passed her.

The beast, now free from its restraints, charged in the direction where a crimson light was shining…

“A, Iris!”

Camilla shouted urgently, forgetting the honorific title of ‘Saint.’

“Ugh!”

Iris tried to dodge the charging beast, but it was impossible for her, who was not skilled in close combat, to avoid such a sudden rush.

Just as the beast’s fierce teeth were about to reach Iris…

“Geez, I said I’d catch it.”

Beryl’s martial arts.

Sky Flip.

Thud!

“Kyah!”

The beast, which had been charging, crashed to the ground with a scream.

I swung my sword, still in its sheath, and struck the beast’s head as it struggled.

Whack!

The beast’s eyes lost their red light after being hit on the crown by the sheath.

“Are you okay?”

“Ah… yes.”

Iris nodded with a dazed expression and took my hand to stand up.

“A, Iris!”

Camilla, who had run towards us, approached Iris.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

“No. I’m fine.”

“Sigh.”

Camilla, who let out a sigh of relief, bit her lip and bowed at a 90-degree angle.

“I’m sorry, Saint! This matter must be formally reported to the Holy Nation and punished….”

“No, there’s no need for that.”

“B-but!”

“It’s fine.”

Iris smiled faintly and grabbed Camilla’s shoulders, straightening her bent waist.

“I didn’t know we weren’t supposed to kill the demon beasts either.”

“…….”

Camilla, who had been biting her lip with a gloomy expression, turned towards me.

“…Thank you. I will definitely repay you for this later.”

“Hmm. Specifically, how?”

“I’ll do anything I can.”

“Oh. Really? Anything?”

“Just, as long as it’s not eating poop!”

“No.”

What does this woman think of people?

“Well, forget the repayment… Let’s call it even with this.”

“Call it even?”

“For blowing you away last week.”

“Ugh. Th-that was…!”

Leaving behind Camilla, who was making excuses with a flustered expression, starting with ‘I was caught off guard then…!’, I approached the split and scattered restraining magic tool.

“Will it still be recognized in this state?”

Tilting my head, I brought the Hero Watch close, and with a clear bell sound, a hologram window appeared.

[‘Iris, Camilla Vedice, Dale Han’ party’s capture confirmed.]

[All demon beasts have been captured, ending the ‘Practical Combat Class’.]

[Candidates, please move quickly to the training ground entrance.]

“Looks like another party caught one.”

Clicking my tongue as I looked at the hologram window floating in the air.

If I had given up camping with Iris yesterday and moved more diligently, we could have caught all three, but it was already a thing of the past.

“Let’s head back.”

“Got it.”

Camilla nodded and followed behind.

So the two of us walked towards the training ground.

‘Huh?’

Two?

“Iris?”

“Oh, sorry. I was just lost in thought for a moment.”

“Hey, is it because you got hurt earlier…!”

“It’s not that.”

“What do you mean it’s not! Your face is all red!”

“It’s really not that!”

Iris hurriedly moved her steps, hiding her blushing cheeks.

“Ah! Lady Saint!”

Camilla ran after her.

“…What?”

I tilted my head as I watched Iris’s retreating figure.

Why was it?

For a very brief moment, Iris’s gaze looked similar to hers when we were lovers in a past life.

‘Stop thinking about useless things and let’s go.’

I erased the thoughts from my mind and followed the two women.

* * *

The reason I suggested the party to him was pure curiosity.

– Really… I’m glad.

Why did he.

Cry so sorrowfully in front of me, someone he had never even spoken to.

The feelings that were initially filled with discomfort gradually faded over time.

When curiosity arose among the settled emotions, my mind was filled with the man who had looked at me that day and said he was glad.

‘What exactly was he glad about?’

I kept questioning, but the answer never came.

Instead, as I continued to think about him, a completely unrelated thought came to mind.

‘Something feels familiar.’

Even though I know I’ve never spoken to him before.

The way he looks at me.

The sound of his voice directed at me.

It didn’t feel entirely unfamiliar.

No.

Was it just that it didn’t feel unfamiliar?

I felt a sense of joy so strong that my heart started pounding without me realizing it.

‘Why am I feeling this way?’

Isn’t it like meeting a lost lover from a past life?

When such a ridiculous thought crossed my mind.

– In this class, we’ll form parties of three, so gather your party members freely.

As soon as I heard those words.

I stood up from my seat and approached him without realizing it.

‘Thinking back now.’

I moved too impulsively, not like a saint at all.

But I didn’t particularly regret it.

Even though it was just for a day, the time spent with him… wasn’t so bad.

No.

To be honest.

– Are you okay?

I was happy.

Much more than I had expected.

When we searched the forest path together, tracking the beast.

When I ate ‘ramen’ for the first time in my life.

When he blocked the ferocious beast charging at us.

When he reached out his hand to me as I fell and asked if I was okay.

With a tingling sensation running through my body, I felt an emotion I had never felt before.

An emotion that a ‘saint’ should never dare to harbor.

Such an emotion.

“Sigh. What am I going to do from now on….”

As I continued to worry, letting out a sigh.

Suddenly, memories flashed through my mind.

– Hey, why are you talking down to me? Do you know me?

– Yeah, well, we’re in the same grade, so I guess it’s fine. But what about yesterday? Huh? Why did you hit my friend without permission, you X-b*stard?

– Oh, by the way, you must forget everything that happened today, okay? Otherwise… you’re dead.

– Kyaa! What is this? It’s freaking delicious! Are you crazy?!

“What the hell?”

What should I really do?