Episode 37. Welcome, Is This Your First Time in My Room? (1)
“It must have flown here. Where did it go?”
“There are still signs of having fallen into the water. He couldn’t have gone far with his injured leg.”
A group of ghost-like monsters were inspecting the lakeside.
Those four beings are the Shadow Unit of the Kingdom of Papyrus.
It was also a mob that confused players with a pattern that transformed its body into shadows and fog.
The guys appear as mobs in the middle of this chapter.
This is the main enemy that the protagonists will face in the battle for the divine beast that will take place in a few days.
Why are the guys who were supposed to appear first already attacking Ruska?
It’s probably a time when there hasn’t been an opportunity for them to clash with each other yet.
“You were able to move even with that broken body? That’s quite annoying.”
I overheard their conversation.
There, something very shocking pierced my eardrums.
“She doesn’t seem like an ordinary woman. She has been following the prince all along, and she knows our password. She must know something. We must find her!”
Ruska knew the password?
She was also a soldier of the Kingdom of Papyrus, so it is possible that she knew about it from over his shoulder.
But how did they find out about that?
If you really had a hunch about Ruska’s true identity, it would be quite a headache.
Fortunately, since the location is the academy, they won’t kill witnesses like they usually do.
However, it would be possible to torture someone and then erase their memories.
If Ruska gets caught by them, there’s a high chance that her memories of revenge will be removed.
Then there’s a hitch in this final boss fight.
“What happened to our password? Did it get leaked? Did you check it correctly?”
“That’s right. When I was cleaning around the student union building, I heard that woman reciting the secret phrase in front of a student. Clearly!”
You cleaned up around the student union building?
It was as if the puzzle was being pieced together with just those few words.
I ran into Ruska in front of the hall over the weekend. That’s when she asked me.
-What is the angle of the sandstorm?
‘Surely it’s because of that… …!’
Things got really messed up.
The password I asked for as a final confirmation is causing such a stir!
I was so shocked that I held my breath.
-omg!
“Is it you?”
The guys quickly turned their gaze towards the bushes where I was hiding.
It was a reaction even to the sound of breathing that was made without thinking.
One of them transformed his body into a shadow and approached us in an instant. Then, he cut down the tree that was covering Ruska and me with one stroke.
“huh?”
There was no one there, even though I had definitely felt the presence there. There were only two logs where she and I had been.
“Did I misunderstand?”
He lamented that perhaps he had been oversensitive.
It’s only natural for there to be a piece of wood in the middle of a forest.
* * * * *
– Swap Lv2
If the skill activation had been delayed even a little, I would have been caught on the spot. As a result, I ended up consuming 90% of my magic power.
Even with that exhausted body, I turned my back on Ruska and reached my dormitory. If I had sustained such a serious injury, it would have been normal to run to the infirmary.
‘That professor has a really good eye for detail.’
Professor Stella, a medical expert, will figure out what caused Ruska’s injuries.
She realized that it was the work of a strange man and asked me, who had found Ruska, many questions.
It’s just a bother to me, and there’s no benefit to be gained by making things bigger.
When Jenny broke her ribs, it was an injury that could be covered up as the work of a monster.
On the other hand, Ruska’s injury is clearly a human’s doing.
Even now, I can see that there are numerous knife marks.
“Oh my. How did things end up like this?”
I sighed deeply and laid Ruska down on the bed. It was fortunate that there were two beds in the room.
Originally, this three-star building was not structured as a one-room apartment.
This is because there are only rooms that can accommodate two people at the least and four people at the most.
So my room is actually a double room.
There are furniture, including beds, installed on the left and right ends, and a curtain is drawn in the center.
The left and right sides of the room are completely divided like the 38th parallel.
Because of this, men and women often share a room, but this leads to frequent fights between roommates.
Looking at the rating and structure, it’s not bad, but the reputation that the 3-star rating is the worst is not an empty boast.
Unlike the 1-star and 2-star dorms… … the 3-star dorms, where you always have a roommate, are the most uncomfortable.
‘But I am an exception.’
I was a lucky case.
Since there were an odd number of cadets in the three-star school, I, being the last in line, was able to avoid having a roommate.
It was thanks to Radon Crawler before the ice age, to be exact, but I was grateful to have a double room all to myself.
I was happy because there was no conflict or fighting like in the next room.
But, because of the patient we just brought in, we don’t know what will happen in the future.
“Ugh… … !”
It took about five minutes after laying her down on the bed for Ruska to come to her senses. The pain from the Shadow Troopers still lingered, and she grimaced as soon as she woke up.
“Are you in your right mind?”
“Here… … ?”
Her eyes met mine as she regained her sight.
The staring contest continued for several dozen seconds, and then he immediately opened his eyes narrowly and stared at me.
“How did this happen? I definitely… … .”
“It was floating around in the lake, so I picked it up. It flew at me so fast that it fell in with a splash.”
“… … .”
She silently recalled what had happened to her.
I sensed someone following me on my way home from school and moved to a forest where there were no people. As soon as I did, the strange men attacked me.
Wearing a ghostly black robe… …the shadow troop he had been searching for.
When Ruska recognized them, he was delighted and rushed at them.
However, each of them was a skilled individual.
It was a huge forced march to take on six of them, and I was fatally wounded by their unorthodox techniques.
After that, my thoughts stopped.
“Don’t you have anything to say to me?”
“What is it?”
“Thank you.”
When I asked her casually, Ruska looked up at the ceiling without changing her expression. She was intentionally avoiding my eyes by looking away.
I also noticed it vaguely.
The fact that Radon Crowler saved him from danger.
If it weren’t for him, there’s a good chance he would have been silenced by those guys or had his memory erased.
but……
“Who asked you to save me?”
“Oh my. What a bunch of nonsense you are talking about.”
Ruska answered coldly and turned around to lie down in the opposite direction.
He is openly showing that he doesn’t want to make eye contact with me.
But that was already expected.
It’s unimaginable that she would ever express gratitude to anyone else right now.
She was a young fox.
We have lived in a time of war where only those who shed blood can survive.
The fox, who was taken away by adults and used as a tool of war, and felt a great sense of betrayal from his colleagues, came to never trust others.
No matter who feeds it, pets it, or tries to take it in, it just growls and chases it away.
The defense mechanism was so extreme that it created the current situation.
So, it might seem quite strange that I saved you like this.
“Why did you save someone like me?”
“If I had to be specific… … Because I wanted to become close with you?”
[+100 Credits]
“Don’t talk nonsense. Have you already forgotten about the actual exam? Have you forgotten who attacked you and Jenny?”
“If that’s the case, you already apologized. And you even paid the appropriate price by being suspended, so isn’t that enough?”
“But it’s not like I’m at a level where I can easily say I want to become close with you.”
To be honest, it felt quite unnatural even though I said it. She’s not yet close enough to be able to talk freely like Jenny or Mary.
Given her personality to begin with, the possibility of them becoming gentle with each other is like trying to reach for a star in the sky.
Because I see no meaning in life other than revenge.
“I should go… … Ugh!”
“Don’t move. Your whole body is covered in wounds. If you move any more, you might bleed.”
“Get out of the way! Who are you to worry about me and cause trouble? I don’t have time to dawdle around in a place like this.”
Ruska, who had shaken off my hand, tried to move her legs, but instead let out a groan and said, “Haauk!”
Looking closely, the wounds on his lower body were the most severe. Walking like this was impossible.
“Where are you going with those legs?”
“shit!”
“And this scarf.”
“Oh, that’s… … !”
When she saw the muffler I always wore around my neck in my hand, her eyes widened.
I tried to move my legs to intercept it, but… … as expected, I cried out in pain and failed.
“Give it to me now!!”
Instead of moving, she raised her voice and screamed. She couldn’t stay still after having her precious possessions taken from her.
-Be quiet. I can hear you in the next room.
“Don’t worry. I don’t intend to use this as an excuse to harm you. I just need to keep it with me to keep you quiet.”
As I said that, I placed the muffler on top of the drawer at the opposite end.
Ruska reached out towards it, but couldn’t reach it.
In anger, he slammed his fist on the bed.
… … !!-
Fortunately, the impact was absorbed so no loud noise was heard.
Only then did she give up and lie down, covering her eyes with her arms. Crunch- She gritted her teeth in helplessness at not being able to do anything.
“How long do you plan on leaving me alone?”
“I’d like to send you back when you’re fully recovered, but I don’t know how long that will be, and I’ll only let you see me until this weekend. If you really don’t want to, I can take you to Instructor Stella.”
“That won’t do.”
When I rejected him outright, he asked me why.
Then Ruska said.
“You must have seen at least one wound when you brought me here. Even if you’re not a professor, you should be able to tell that this wasn’t caused by a monster or something.”
I didn’t say much because I already knew. Even a mediocre cadet would notice that the wounds on her body were caused by humans.
The fact that someone in the bachelor’s department intentionally attacked Ruska.
If you injure a cadet without fear, even though you didn’t apply for a formal training session, the professors won’t stay still.
“Of course, if the professors overhaul the entire bachelor’s degree, they can detect it. If they invest a lot of time. But do they have the luxury of doing that during the final exam period?”
There’s no way.
What if the entire school is raided and the exams are disrupted during that important period?
“Besides, think about who’s at the Academy right now. That vice principal probably doesn’t want Elder Enviel to see his Academy in disarray.”
The process of catching them is also quite complicated.
Since it is perfectly camouflaged, we must do our best to search for it.
They are so clever that they even ignore lie detectors by temporarily manipulating their own memories.
If I put all my effort into fighting off those annoying bugs, how will I prepare for my final exams?
Ultimately, not only will it cause disruption to the academic operations, but it could also create variables in the main story.
“I don’t know how this school is run, but even if I tell people, I won’t get my money’s worth. Are you okay with that?”
“The more I listen, the more I wonder who made you like this.”
[+100 Credits]
“There are those. Those you must never know about. And the obstacles I must overcome.”
“That means they’re after you too.”
“… … .”
Now that there’s armed conflict, they’ll definitely be targeting Ruska.
She’ll probably be sneaking into her dorm by now and causing a ruckus at the Academy, so she’ll need a place to hide.
“It would be best to hide here for the time being. If they catch you, you’ll most likely get punished.”
“what?”
“It just so happens that your room was originally a double room. Even though you’ll be missing class, since you’re in class A anyway, you’ll probably get less of a penalty.”
“What good is that! If you do that, you’ll be in danger too!”
Ruska’s screaming words are not wrong, as long as the guys don’t catch on.
I took the back road to get here so I didn’t catch anyone’s eye.
So, there is no need to worry about witnesses.
“Didn’t you tell me? You said that you wouldn’t care about the means or methods to achieve your goal. So why are you suddenly worried about me after telling me that?”
“… … .”
“You must have your own reasons for entering the academy. So get some rest. I’ll go out and buy you dinner.”
There is only one serving of food in the room. I put on my shoes to go out.
At that moment, Ruska stopped him with a sharp question.
“Wait a minute! Why are you helping me? What good have I done that you’re doing this to me?”
When I heard that, my hand that was about to open the door stopped for a moment, but I soon decided to put it on the back burner.
“That… I’ll tell you when I get back.”
“hey……!”
Suddenly-
When the sound of the door closing stopped, Ruska lay down in a desolate state.
It felt really strange. How long had it been since I received help like this?
I have no choice but to help Ruska.
Because you can’t clear this chapter without her presence.
The only key to stopping Angela, who has awakened as a nine-tailed fox. And a descendant of the ‘Yoko Tribe’ who inherited a strong body from the Millennium Tiger long ago.
That is the role of the being called Ruska.
Surviving as an Academy Fraudster
