"I see."
Aisha's voice, tinged with gratitude, broke the silence.
Her cheeks were a vivid red, likely from the biting cold.
I had delivered it at the right time.
'Hehe.'
Smiling inwardly, I maintained a stoic expression.
The intricacies of 'Kyren Zena Chronicles,' a game I've poured nearly 20,000 hours into, were firmly within my grasp.
No one could rival my mastery.
I had to keep Aisha in good health; she'd be of great use to me in times to come.
I cheered inwardly but externally, I was calm, nonchalant.
After a brief, indifferent glance at Aisha, I turned away.
"Then Aisha, take care of yourself... Huh."
Out of nowhere, a weight pressed against my back.
Sturdy, yet yielding.
It made itself known despite my thick uniform.
"Theo, how could you just leave without saying a word to me? Isn't that too cruel?"
The owner of that weight was Siena.
'Ah, damn it.'
I knew what was coming.
The first-year students were all staring... in a situation like this.
Now I can predict exactly when the pain will come.
'Argh, ugh!'
Right on schedule.
Pain sparked throughout my body.
A level of agony I'd never felt before.
It was unbearable.
But I couldn't cry out.
The enhanced [Twisted Noble's Dignity] made me bear the pain with a silent dignity.
Barely managing to suppress a grimace, I squeaked out my words like a broken toy.
"...It's late, I just wanted to deliver a message briefly."
"I get it for now. But Theo, I have a question."
Regardless, Siena nuzzled her face into my back.
... The feeling of guilt I had in the restaurant disappeared in an instant.
Siena was the same carefree soul.
'Just as I expected.'
I needed to find the hidden piece soon.
I licked my trembling lips.
"...At least stay a little away. You're embarrassing me, Siena."
"Hehe, I don't want to. How much I missed you over the weekend? You said it's late at night, right? Then I should make the most of it now. We might not be able to see each other for days~"
And so, Siena clung to my back for a while, burying her face into it.
Like a statue, I remained motionless.
Unable to move from the pain.
Finally, Siena detached herself and stood in front of me.
"Hehe, as always, you were cool today."
"......"
I fought off the lingering pain by mentally humming the national anthem at eight times the speed.
"Anyway, I have a question, Theo."
"...What is it?"
"Why did you give the heat packs to Aisha, not me? Is it because she's the leader? Or do you like Aisha more than me?"
As she spoke, Siena placed her hands on my cheeks.
...Ah, I don't even have the strength to answer.
Instead of answering, I just nodded my head low.
Satisfied, Siena flashed a smile.
"Good. That's the right attitude. That disgusting purple fox is your fiancé, so I can reluctantly accept it for now—"
Siena put some pressure on the hands she had on my cheeks.
"But not the other girls, okay?"
"......"
“Answer me.”
I nodded my head low again.
Siena smiled with a 'hehe', and took her hands off my cheeks.
Then she took something out of her possession.
My eyes widened.
'...That is!'
It was the [Elixir of Stamina Recovery] she'd given me before.
A rare, hero-grade item.
This elixir could counteract the penalties of [Overload]—it was a treasure to me.
"I heard the last one was helpful, so I got you another. Here—"
She took my hand, lifting it gently.
She placed the elixir in my palm.
"We might not be able to see each other for a few days, right? Think of me when you see this. Got it?"
"......I got it."
"You're quick to answer. Hehe, cute. Why is Theo so cute~? I really want to keep and raise you somewhere. Anyway, this is enough for today... I'll leave now. Oh, and.”
She paused mid-sentence, looking at me with a soft gaze.
“Even if you fail, don’t give up, okay? Theo, you shine brighter than all the people here combined.”
With a final pat on my head, Siena returned to her team.
...What is she saying?
First, she brings me pain, and then she gives me medicine?
I pocketed the [Elixir of Stamina Recovery] Siena had given me.
'With this, I can use [Overload] in an emergency.'
So it's true that good fortune comes at the end of a struggle.
...Good.
Let's just hand over the heat packs to Jang Woohee & Noctar's team and quickly return.
After giving the heat packs to Jang Woohee & Noctar's team, I returned to my own team.
'It's regrettable that I couldn't give any to my orc friends.'
But the heat packs were in short supply.
The thirty I had were procured by Amy from the academy's alchemy shop.
Heat packs.
They're easy to get in the modern world, but it's a different story here.
They're quite pricey and not in high demand at the academy, so there's limited stock.
In the end, I could only secure thirty.
Now they were all distributed.
I had none extra.
I gave the heat packs to entire teams, not just Aisha, Siena, Jang Woohee, and Noctar, to boost their standing and respect within their groups.
Moreover, I also handed them a note detailing the location and characteristics of the dungeon entrance, which should be of great help to them.
All that was left was a good night's sleep, followed by an early morning expedition to the dungeon.
Even though Aisha & Siena and Jang Woohee & Noctar's teams have the information, my exploration speed would certainly outstrip theirs.
The note didn't contain all the details like the surprises inside and the layout of the dungeon.
However, just knowing the location of the entrance and general characteristics would be a tremendous advantage over other teams.
I addressed my team.
"Sleeping here is not a good idea. I know you're tired, but we need to move a little."
"Okay, Theo!"
"Uh... Alright!"
Travis and Monica responded energetically, falling into step behind me.
Andrew, looking somewhat bored, and Piel, still looking sad, also followed without saying anything.
After about a 20-minute walk towards the dungeon entrance.
This put ample distance between us and the other students.
I pulled out some extra blankets from my backpack.
Travis's eyes grew wide.
"Wow! You thought of this too?"
"Take one each."
I handed the thin, yet highly insulating blankets to my teammates.
Like the heat packs, they required regular infusions of mana but should last about a week.
Monica glanced anxiously around.
"But don't you think we are too far away from the others...? It's kind of creepy."
"It's okay. Trust me."
With that, I enveloped myself in my blanket and settled down.
There was no need for a guard shift.
The Fosspatil Pass was devoid of monsters.
Even though Rok and the instructors seemed to have vanished, it was just a ruse.
They'd protect us from the 'Turning White' rats that was targeting the students.
I was told this from Rok himself.
'Phew, I'm exhausted.'
Sleep and rising early was the plan.
Even if Piel was tailing me, she wouldn't dare jump on me without reason with the other kids around.
I drifted off to sleep.
The next day.
I woke early.
At 5 am, the sky was still dark.
Cloudless.
After casting a glance at my teammates, slumbering under their blankets, I moved to a secluded area.
'Hmm, no one around?'
I scanned the vicinity.
The reason for this was simple.
To use magic to wash.
There's no need to let others know that I can use magic.
They would likely fuss over wasted water here where even drinking water was scarce... but [Twisted Noble's Dignity] couldn't bear the grime.
I don't want to suffer all day.
Quickly undressing, I cast the [Clean] spell.
Mana flowed out from the [Magic Cartridge] engraved on my left side, and the spell was cast immediately.
"······ Ah."
Refreshing.
I quickly dried the moisture on my body with magic and got dressed again.
Then, through a communication crystal, I relayed to Amy the exact location and characteristics of the dungeon we'd be exploring, and the intended time of entry.
I then returned to my team.
Hmm, everyone still seems to be asleep.
No sense in returning to bed; better to warm up.
With this thought, I reached for the practice longsword strapped to my waist, but...
"······Where have you been?"
Piel, who had clearly woken up at some point, was staring at me.
