Chapter 83
"First, let me explain about the exercises. You've probably received some explanations from the instructors, but these are outdoor training sessions held over two days and one night in the summer. They avoid dense forests with poor visibility and take place in plains near the town. Multiple instructors accompany us, and everything is done according to their instructions. Think of it as gaining experience by following set procedures and carrying out missions accordingly. Since it's an overnight stay, you'll set up a campsite in the plains, and while you're supposed to gather necessary supplies yourselves, for the exercises, water and food are brought along... so I think the only thing you'll need to collect is firewood or something like that."
Roberto, my brother, spoke while occasionally tilting his head, as if trying to recall something from a long time ago.
Since my brothers, who are in their final year, will be joining the military next year, their last year at the military school is mainly focused on practical training. That's probably why their memories of the basic stuff are pretty vague.
"Before the exercises, there's a class on camping training. The content involves studying maps and information left by predecessors to determine suitable locations for a campsite. A campsite requires enough space, and you need to find nearby woods, rivers, or rocky areas to secure firewood, timber, and water for camping. You learn these things in classroom lectures."
Apparently, in this class, you're drilled so hard that you can draw maps from memory, but since it's something you'll need later, it's best to study seriously.
The exercises are short in duration, there are many instructors accompanying us, and since it's not too far from town, there's nothing particularly dangerous, so I was told to rest assured and nodded obediently.
"Next, about the expeditions. It's something for next year, so I don't think you need to hear about it now, but since we're graduating this year, I'll give you a brief explanation."
Saying that, Roberto, my brother, patted Liam, my other brother, on the shoulder, who had been silent until now.
"......Me?"
"Yeah. Both Liam and I are taking classes in both the Civil Officer and Martial Officer tracks, but Liam is top in both theory and practical skills in the Martial Officer class, so I thought it'd be better for him to explain."
"I'm not good at explaining though......"
"Think of it as doing it for your cute little sister, and you'll manage somehow."
Liam, my brother, who usually speaks little and has said he finds talking bothersome, reluctantly opened his mouth after being urged by Roberto with a "Hurry up."
"Expeditions are different from exercises; they're student-led. You're given mission details by the instructors beforehand, but it's up to the students to create a detailed plan to carry it out. For example, planning the travel route, unit formation, and campsite locations—all of this is done before the expedition, and you move to the designated destination. If you make a poor plan, your return to town will be delayed beyond the scheduled date. In that case, the ones held responsible aren't the instructors but the squad leaders assigned to each unit and the unit commander who oversees those leaders. So, choose someone capable of handling many tasks skillfully as the unit commander."
When Liam, my brother, mentioned squad leader, he pointed to himself, and when he mentioned unit commander, he pointed to Roberto, my brother.
"By the time you're in your final year, you're basically like new recruits in the military, so expeditions take you as far as the border areas. The destination is either the east, where the Kingdom of Dolce is, or the west, where the Kingdom of Srelan is, but it's usually the west with its forests. Though it's a country we'd rather not get too close to due to the current situation, international law doesn't permit attacks on military school students who are civilians, so there's not much to worry about......"
As Liam, my brother, closed his mouth and seemed lost in thought, Roberto, my brother, continued with "a little."
"There seem to be some strange movements on the Sleiran side. That's why we cut things short and came back early this time."
"Celes and the others won't be going near the border, so it should be fine, but no matter what happens, don't leave the campsite and stay close to the instructors."
The moment the name of Sleiran, the homeland of Sil and the others, was mentioned, Sil and Severi's shoulders trembled slightly.
I've heard that in Sleiran, the struggle for the throne has intensified, and the people affected by it are migrating to other countries. Even though Sil and his family have lived in this country since their grandfather's time, it's not like they don't have relatives over there, so they must be worried.
"Well, I guess that's about it for the explanations. We have the next two days off, so today we're going to sleep as much as we want......!"
With a groan, Roberto, my brother, stretched his arms above his head, while Liam, my brother, rubbed his sleepy eyes with his fingers. I watched as the two of them, with unsteady steps like Dan and the others before a holiday, headed back to the dormitory.
——That was probably around last month, wasn't it?
"We...... were wrong."
——Squeak, squeak, squeak......
I've been squatting at the water area behind the school building for about an hour now, standing a stick on a board at my feet and spinning it quickly with my palms.
"Instead of asking about exercises or expeditions, we should've asked our brothers how to start a fire."
——Squeak, squeak, squeak......
Without stopping the movement of my hands, I sighed like that, and Sil, who was doing the same thing in front of me, nodded silently.
Starting a fire is part of camping training.
Without a fire, you can't camp, so this skill is mandatory for all military school students......
But for noble sons and daughters who've always had dedicated maids or attendants by their side, who've had everything done for them just by sitting or standing, there's no way they can start a fire after just one verbal and practical explanation.
As expected, except for one person, all the nobles in the special class had to stay behind until they could start a fire.
"......People living in town learn this from a young age, apparently."
"Severi, who did you hear that from?"
"I heard it from Finn, who's over there smirking while watching us."
"Hey, I'm not smirking, am I!?"
"Ah, Finn is a traitor, huh."
"Silvio......!? I've been right beside you teaching you all this time, haven't I!?"
——Squeak, squeak-squeak-squeak......
While listening to the lively exchange, I kept silently spinning the wooden stick, and for the first time, something like smoke appeared.
"Alright, a fire......!"
The moment I raised my voice while having my self-proclaimed assistant wipe the sweat from my forehead......
"......It went out."
As the eyes of the group staying behind focused on me, the smoke I had finally managed to see disappeared immediately.
"Will this really start a fire?"
Renato, my self-proclaimed assistant squatting beside me, picked up a spare board rolling on the ground, flipped it over, and muttered, "It's just a wooden board."
Over the past six months, he's grown taller and his build has become sturdier, yet the way he peers intently at the board with focused eyes is just like when we were at the Fortress, and it's somehow adorable.
"In theory, it should work."
"Not just in theory, it will definitely work. Harrison, the instructor, and I both managed to start a fire."
The moment Finn, who had been holding a wooden stick and making squeak...... squeak...... sounds, produced smoke in just a few dozen minutes and said, "See," the wooden stick I was holding snapped with a crack.
Blinking at Finn's odd scream of "Hieek......!," I tossed the broken wooden stick into the stone-made stove.
"Looks like the reason the fire didn't start was because the wood was bad."
"Eh, that's definitely not it, right?"
"Since it broke like this, isn't it the wood's fault?"
"Celes's stick was a size thicker than everyone else's, so it shouldn't have broken......"
"I never thought that poor-quality wood wouldn't produce smoke...... That was a blind spot."
"Severi actually believed that."
Noticing Sil subtly swapping out the wood while muttering to himself, the others hurriedly began replacing their wooden sticks as well. After more than an hour of this task with nothing happening, I nodded, thinking it's about time to suspect the tools.
"Hey, Celes."
"This wood is sturdier than that one."
"Can Tseri, the instructor, start a fire too?"
As I handed a new stick to Renato, who was mimicking me by spinning a wooden stick on a board, he took it and mentioned Tseri, the instructor's name, making me blink in confusion as to why that name came up here.
"A Knight should be able to start a fire, but...... I wonder."
"Since Tseri, the instructor, is going on the exercises, they should be able to, right?"
——Squeak...... squeak......
Tseri, the instructor, on an exercise?
Surprised by this new piece of information, I looked around, but everyone shook their heads in unison.
"Who did you hear that from?"
"From the person themselves. I met them earlier while looking for Celes, and they told me then."
If it came directly from their mouth, it must be true, but......
"An exercise led by the former Knight Commander? That's quite luxurious."
"Does that mean the situation is that precarious, or is it the school's consideration for the special class full of nobles?"
"This class has Celes and quite a few influential nobles, after all. Right, Billy!"
"......What? Did you say something!? Right now, I finally got smoke...... Phew, phew!"
Billy, running around frantically, and the entourage assisting him.
Even so, they're sons of families whose wealth rivals that of high-ranking nobles.
"I don't think it's just consideration. I think Tseri, the instructor, came to the military school specifically for the special class."
Stopping the spinning of the wooden stick and tapping the board with it—tap, tap......—Renato tugged at the hem of my clothes and said so.
"What do you mean?"
"Tseri, the instructor, deliberately retired early to come to the military school. Originally, they were supposed to spend a few more years handing over duties and showing up at the Knight course at the Academy for my older brother's sake. Yet, they completed the handover in just a few months, retired as a Knight, and briskly moved back to their own territory, according to my father."
"And that was for the special class?"
"The year after Celes entered the military school, I, a member of the royal family, enrolled. Probably, my father pressured Tseri, the instructor, to retire early. They've been complaining to my father for a while that it's unfair for only the Marshal to enjoy a leisurely retirement, so it must've been convenient for them too."
"Tseri, the instructor......?"
"Yeah. Father and my older brother said they throw tantrums at that age......"
Imagining the gentle, middle-aged beauty that is Tseri, the instructor, I felt perplexed.
"I've never seen it myself," Renato said, looking just as perplexed as I was. I patted his head and decided to pretend I hadn't heard it, thinking it must be some kind of mistake.
"Alright, let's get serious now."
Yes, I have to deal with the task at hand before I can return to the dormitory......
——Squeak, squeak, squeak......
"Did you know, Renato? Commoners can all start fires, and they use that fire to cook."
"All of them......"
"But Finn, even though he's a noble, can easily start a fire and bakes bread as a hobby on holidays."
"Bread......!?"
"The other day, I got some handmade sweets from him, and they were incredibly delicious."
"Even sweets......?"
"Celestia! Stop it already, it's embarrassing......!"
Since it's something impressive, I was bragging about it, but when Renato looked at Finn with sparkling eyes, Finn turned bright red and shouted.
Though I stopped when he told me to, Sil took over after me, saying Finn is even good at making stew, and got hit by Finn for it.
"During the exercise, will Celes be cooking too?"
"I heard she just grills the ingredients she brings along. So, she has to be able to start a fire."
——Squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak......
Though the conversation is lighthearted, their hands are moving at a tremendous speed, and Billy and the others are saying they might not just pulverize the wooden stick but even the board next, though there's no way that would happen.
"Even if it's just grilling, that still counts as homemade cooking, right? If so, we'll get to eat Celes' homemade dishes. Lucky us, Billy!"
"H-H-Homemade cooking? Who said I wanted to eat that......! Ah, the fire!?"
As I glare at Sil, wondering why I'm the one who has to grill, someone tugs at my hem again from the side.
"Homemade cooking...... that's unfair."
Staring at Renato, whose eyes are moist with a pleading look, I reflexively pat his head.
Sil and the others often say "You're too soft," but it's already a conditioned reflex, so I have no choice but to give in.
"Renato, haven't you eaten my homemade cooking before?"
"......When?"
"Back when we were at the Fortress. When Dan and the others brought back wild herbs, didn't I strip off the unnecessary parts?"
"......Ah, those bitter leaves we boiled and ate!"
Renato nods happily, but the onlookers are getting noisy.
Did I say something strange......? I glance at Severi, who has been quiet for a while, and just then, Severi looks up and says, "How does stripping leaves count as homemade cooking?"
"......If grilling counts as homemade cooking, then stripping leaves should count too, right?"
"Uh, does that really make sense?"
"If that's the case, then where do you draw the line for what counts as homemade cooking?"
"That's a difficult question......"
Everyone present is seriously pondering this, but if even one commoner were here, they'd probably interject with "What are you even talking about?"
However, there are only children here who know nothing but noble common sense, and they continued debating about homemade cooking while moving their hands endlessly until Instructor Harrison came to call them.