Ch. 33

Night fell quickly in the mountains.

As the darkness deepened, the carriages came to a stop, and the sound of a bell signaled bedtime.

“It’s already night? Geenie, I’ll head back to my carriage now. Elizabeth must be waiting for me.”

I was half-asleep, exhausted from Iruze’s endless chatter. Finally, she was leaving. That was the best news I had heard all night.

Wait—Elizabeth? Did she have a carriage-mate waiting for her all this time?

“Elizabeth? Who’s that?”

“Oh, my personal silk-lace pillow. To be precise, Elizabeth III. Sadly, the previous Elizabeths have already passed on to the next world.”

“…I see.”

Was it that I attracted weird people, or was I the weird one?

Everyone around me seemed to have some kind of eccentricity.

Still, I enthusiastically waved goodbye as Iruze climbed out of my carriage.

Now I was sure—chocolate was great, but what I needed more than anything was alone time.

I regretted ever thinking I was lonely.

Some students chose to set up tents outside for the night, but I always slept in the carriage.

I wasn’t very tall, so lying on the sofa was just the right fit for me.

I grabbed a blanket and pillow from the storage compartment and started setting up my bed.

As I adjusted my sleeping spot for maximum comfort, something I had overlooked earlier suddenly came to mind.

“I forgot to use the bathroom…”

There were countless inconveniences in this world, but if I had to pick the worst one, it would definitely be the toilets.

Especially during travel.

Portable toilets weren’t really a thing, so most people just relieved themselves outdoors.

The best chance to go was when the carriages stopped for a break.

Otherwise, if someone needed to go while the convoy was moving, they’d have to make everyone stop and wait for them to finish.

I had no interest in announcing my bodily functions to the entire group, so that was not an option.

If I didn’t want to do it outside, there was only one other choice…

“Ugh.”

I glanced at the chamber pot stored in the corner of the carriage.

Even though it was tucked away, its presence was impossible to ignore.

No matter how bad things got, I never wanted to use that thing.

Who knew who had used it before me?

And the aftermath? Completely visible for far too long.

Maybe I was just too used to modern sanitation, but the thought alone made me shudder.

Looks like I had no choice. I had to step outside.

Groaning in frustration, I reluctantly pulled on my cloak.

My usual choice was the academy-issued uniform cloak—a good one, since it had a weak warming enchantment.

As I stepped out of the carriage, I glanced toward the sound of voices.

For a moment, I considered asking a teacher to come with me.

But over at the adults’ area, they were busy drinking.

“Hah… I’ll just go alone.”

It’s just a bathroom trip—I wasn’t a little kid.

I trudged toward the woods, calling for Ador as I walked.

He was actually useful in situations like this.

“Ador.”

A glowing mass of light appeared in the night air.

Summoning a spirit was always a fascinating moment, watching something emerge from nothing.

Rai was an exception, of course.

[Kwahaha! I burn with—huh? Master, do you need me? Shall I assist you?!]

The surroundings brightened instantly.

Ador was darting around wildly, full of energy.

“Ugh, stay still for a second. You’re making me dizzy.”

[That’s just my nature! Now tell me, how can I be of service?!]

“By staying still.”

[What?!]

“Just light the way properly.”

Ador clearly hated the idea of doing something so boring.

At first, he flitted around as if looking for an excuse to be busy.

But after realizing there was nothing else to do, he grumbled and floated steadily above my head.

[Tch. What a pointless task.]

His light dimmed slightly, as if sulking.

“What exactly do you want to do?”

[Something grand!]

“Grand, huh… Like hunting a dragon?”

[That sounds great! I’ve been restless since arriving in this world!]

I suddenly realized I had wandered too deep into the forest.

For a moment, I felt uneasy, but since Ador was with me, I figured I’d be fine.

I kept going.

It wasn’t uncommon to accidentally run into other people handling their business, and I really wanted to avoid that.

It happened more often than you’d think.

Finally, I found a secluded tree and crouched behind it.

“Keep watch for me.”

[Unbelievable. You’re making me—]

“Stop complaining!”

It was amusing how different spirits could be.

Rai was fiercely loyal but sometimes disobedient.

Undine was loyal but shy and passive.

Ador?

He was eager but had absolutely no sense of loyalty.

Still, he listened when given orders.

[I am far too great for this kind of task. My previous summoners—]

Why was he so loud about this?

Not like I needed commentary while using the bathroom.

Since he was just a glowing ball of light, I couldn’t even tell if he was looking at me or away.

“Ador, let’s go.”

[Where to?]

“Back to… uh… this way, right?”

Was it just me, or was it too dark to see the other campfires?

Still, I was sure this was the right direction.

I remembered passing a tree shaped like that one on the way here.

I trusted my instincts and walked forward.

…But I had a terrible sense of direction.

After a while, it became clear—I should’ve already reached the carriages.

“Ahem. Uh, Ador? Can you find where the others are?”

[Me?]

“You’re the only one here.”

[That’s not my specialty. Tracking life forms has nothing to do with electric spirits—]

“Rai’s good at it.”

[W-What?! This body can do it too! Just… hold on… Ngh! That way!]

See? He could do it if he tried.

Since Rai was usually the one finding the way, I trusted Ador completely and followed his lead.

It had been about five minutes.

“Are you sure this is the right way? The carriages should’ve appeared by now!”

[It should be. I detected heat signatures.]

“Really? Something feels off. There’s no way I walked this far…”

I tilted my head, feeling increasingly uneasy.

Then—I froze.

For a split second, I heard something I shouldn’t have.

A rough, snorting breath.

A sound I knew from somewhere before.

A wild boar? No—

“Wait! Ador, stop!”

I quickly halted Ador, who was floating ahead.

Then, I listened carefully in the direction of the sound.

Maybe I misheard? Maybe it was just the rustling of leaves?

[What’s wrong, Master?]

“I swear I just heard something… like a pig being slaughtered. Almost like an… orc.”

The moment those words left my mouth—

A massive, dark figure burst out from the bushes.

It was easily three times my size, reeking of foul stench—

An orc!

“Screeeeech!”

“Aaaah!”

[Ah. So that’s the heat signature I detected.]

Are you kidding me right now?!

The orc locked its eyes on me and charged.

Even in the dark, I knew—it was coming to kill me.

“Human! Delicious human!”

“I’M NOT TASTY!”

Oh hell no!

Orcs eat people?!

This one looked even bigger than the ones I had seen before.

I didn’t have time to think—only to run.

This world is seriously dangerous!

I sprinted through the undergrowth, barely managing to avoid tripping.

But the orc was faster.

That was weird. I thought orcs were supposed to be slow.

…Oh.

I wasn’t fast—I was just really slow.

I was running for my life, and yet, that thing was closing in.

Ador, meanwhile, was just floating leisurely behind me.

“HEY! YOU USELESS BALL OF LIGHT! DON’T JUST FLOAT THERE—ATTACK!”

I was out of breath but had no choice but to scream.

[Hmm? I can’t use my power unless my master gives me a clear command!]

“You’re a lightning spirit! Just zap something! Do something! Anything!”

[Zap something? That’s not a real command. Be more specific—Wait, Master, look out!]

Damn it!

I did not have time to word a proper command!

I changed directions, focusing only on one goal—getting back to the carriages.

‘If I came this way and met the orc here, then heading back should take me—wait… was it the other way around?!’

The problem was—I wasn’t sure where I was going anymore.

But standing still and figuring it out wasn’t an option.

The orc was right behind me.

“Stop running! Human!”

“Hhrrrgh!”

The sheer pressure of that thing chasing me was overwhelming.

The ground trembled with every step it took.

If I tripped now, it was over.

[Master! A single Thunderbolt would—ah, right, you can’t use that yet.]

“Are you mocking me?!”

[Well, you are still a child. I agreed to this contract because it seemed interesting, but in truth, you’re still inexperienced and—]

“SHUT UP! YOUR MASTER IS ABOUT TO DIE!”

This idiot!

Instead of leading me to safety, he had guided me straight to an orc!