Chapter 87
Apart from the uniforms worn at the school, there are clothes designated for exercises and expeditions.
A gray short-sleeved shirt and matching long pants. The front of the shirt is embroidered with three white lines, making it immediately clear that the wearer is not a soldier but a student of the military school.
Inside the backpack I'm carrying, there are a notebook, a pen, a light, tape, a tourniquet, a raincoat, and personal equipment. The long bag slung over my shoulder contains supplies for an overnight stay, as well as a military tent, making it quite heavy. The exercise involves carrying these two bags, heading to a campsite dozens of kilometers away, staying there overnight, and then returning.
"It'll take about six hours to reach the campsite on foot. We'll set out before the temperature rises and take several breaks along the way."
Before me lies a vast expanse of land. The paved road stretching toward the city gate is narrow, barely wide enough for a single carriage to pass. Looking at the distant mountains and forests, I feel my heart race with excitement for this exercise that involves walking tirelessly with my own feet and staying overnight at the destination, as I step forward.
The students move in groups, forming a line. At the head of the line are two instructors, and on either side are the instructors in charge of each group, positioned to respond immediately if anything happens.
"At the campsite, all you'll need to do is set up a place to sleep and start a fire, so you can rest your tired body."
Since this is our first exercise, the instructors walking beside us are carefully explaining things and taking questions. In our case, Instructor Doan explains a lot even before we ask, so all we need to do is listen attentively while gazing at the unchanging scenery.
"Contact with or attacks on military school students are prohibited in any country, so you can rest assured about that."
When Instructor Doan taps the three white lines on his shirt and smiles, a sigh of relief escapes from the students within earshot of his voice.
Given that nighttime raids and minor skirmishes occur regularly during warmer seasons, and the fortress alarm sounds echo throughout the city, it's natural for students to feel uneasy about being outside the city walls.
That's probably why Instructor Doan said what he did...
"It's true that contact with or attacks on military school students are prohibited, but whether that rule is followed depends on the other party."
"Instructor Tseri...!?"
Everyone's eyes turned to Instructor Tseri, who had casually mentioned something so alarming.
Instructor Doan, walking on the opposite side of Instructor Tseri, hurriedly called their name in a reprimanding tone, but the person in question continued speaking with a cheerful smile.
"Things may have been fine until now, but there's no guarantee they'll stay that way, right?"
"It's established by international law. I don't think they can afford not to follow it."
"That might be true in normal times, but during wartime, it's common practice to target soldiers on the front lines or military school students. Plus, there are plenty of people who operate in the shadows, aren't there?"
"Even so, I don't think it's right to scare students heading to an exercise with talk like that."
"Precisely because this is still training, we should teach them such things. Exercises aren't play; they're training for wartime. They need to think, predict, and be prepared to handle various situations."
"They can understand gradually. There's no need to deliberately scare them."
"Because it's safe?"
"Yes."
"But if you're saying it's absolutely safe, don't you think it's strange that soldiers from the fortress are stationed at the gate's waiting area while military school students are out on exercises or expeditions?"
"That's to prepare for unexpected situations..."
"So, there's no such thing as absolute safety, is there?"
"...Tch."
As Instructor Doan gradually lost his words, Instructor Tseri smiled and said, "I'm still a rookie here, so I'd appreciate it if you could teach me a lot." The other instructors listening to their exchange remained silent, which probably means Instructor Tseri's words hold some truth.
"The soldiers at the gate's waiting area, they're acquaintances of Celes, right?"
Sil, who was walking ahead, leaned close to my ear and asked in a whisper, so I nodded.
There are always a few soldiers stationed at the gate's waiting area, taking turns sleeping there. I've heard that guarding the gate, which is considered a key point of the city, is a task handled by mid-level soldiers with about five years of military experience. So, when I passed by the waiting area, I was surprised to see Rick and Dan come out from inside.
"That younger one, Dan, didn't seem very reliable, though."
As Instructor Tseri mentioned, while military school students are outside the city, several soldiers of considerable rank or skill are stationed, along with a rookie who runs messages to the fortress, ensuring the military can respond immediately if something happens. Rick told me this at the gate.
At that time, Dan laughed as usual, saying, "With me here, you can go without worry!" but to Sil, that apparently seemed unreliable.
"Even so, he's a promising talent."
"Him?"
"He may have some personality flaws, but he graduated at the top of his class from the military school, and during practical training at the fortress, he outperformed his superiors, ranking among the best."
"Huh, so appearances can be deceiving..."
"Just remember, though, he does have personality flaws."
When I emphasized this point, Sil nodded repeatedly, then suddenly his eyes sparkled.
"Hey, Celes. Maybe soldiers with slightly odd personalities are the ones who excel... Wait, why is everyone looking at me?"
Not just me, but everyone around us was staring at Sil all at once.
Visibly sulking, Sil clung to Severi's arm, complaining as he continued walking toward the campsite.
Seeing him like this on a daily basis, it's no wonder people think he has personality flaws. I ended up having to scold Sil while walking.
※※※
After walking for a long time, we finally reached the campsite. Without even a moment to rest, we immediately started preparing for camping. First, to secure a place to sleep, we spread out a large piece of cloth and set up a military tent. I made space for myself and my buddy, and once that was done, we divided the supplies we brought by the number of days and started a fire.
"It was surprisingly easy, wasn't it?"
Sil, who had finished setting up our military tent, said this while preparing to start a fire.
"This time, we only had to walk, and we brought water and food, so it is easy. But didn't Silvio complain earlier about his feet hurting?"
"This is the first time in my life I've walked for so long. Even Finn was stumbling while setting up the tent, right?"
"Th-that's because I didn't expect it to be so big! I wasn't tired or anything!"
"Sure, sure, I'll let you have that."
"Silvio...!"
Leaving Sil and Finn to bicker while starting the fire, Severi and I headed to Instructor Doan to report.
"The tent is set up."
"Ah, good job! The fire... is being handled by those two, huh."
Instructor Doan, who had been crouching in front of the bushes, stood up and gave a faint smile as he saw Sil and Finn still arguing behind me.
"The tent, yeah, it's set up properly. For your first time, it's well done. During exercises, we only use simple, lightweight cloth, but there are specialized ones for superiors and strategy meetings, which are set up during expeditions."
Perhaps intrigued by Instructor Doan's words, Severi let out a "Hmm" and began asking for a detailed explanation about what these specialized tents were like. Severi seems to have an interest in military equipment and facilities, as his eyes always light up when such topics come up.
Looking around, I saw some struggling to set up their tents, while others who had finished looked completely exhausted.
"...Hah, phew."
After stretching my arms upward, I took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.
My legs are a bit tired, but I can still move. Compared to our usual training, which feels tougher, I must still have plenty of energy left.
"Alright, I'll explain a few things while we walk. You two playing around by bumping shoulders over there, come here!"
"Ah, we're not playing!"
"Huh...!?"
Instructor Doan beckoned to Finn and Sil, who had simultaneously raised their voices and stopped moving, then pointed toward the direction of the forest.
"Can you see the forest over there? A few kilometers from here, inside that forest, there's a riverside where we draw water during exercises or expeditions. Depending on the season, the fruits growing in the forest change, but the ones at this time of year are sweet and delicious."
Smiling as he explained, Instructor Doan taught us with gestures that we should pick up branches near the edge of the forest, and for food, we can set traps in the bushes to catch small animals.
"Traps, you mean these?"
When Finn peered into the bushes, Instructor Doan nodded. Sil, excitedly shouting "Traps!?", crouched down in front of the bushes. Beside him was Instructor Doan, and on the other side, Finn crouched down just like Sil. While the three of them seemed to be having fun tinkering with the traps, Severi had somehow caught Instructor Tseri a little distance away and was talking to them.
"Still, it's amazing."
The forest, said to be a few kilometers away, is clearly visible from here, almost as if it's right in front of us. I've heard at the fortress that the forest is untouched by human hands, with no proper paths, so even heading to Sleiran for reconnaissance from there is quite a challenge.
Entering such a forest just to fetch water and return would be a task in itself, and as for food, if no animals get caught in the traps, wouldn't that day's meal just be water?
"Really, this exercise is an easy one."
In this relaxed atmosphere, the tension in my shoulders unknowingly melted away. After rotating my neck and giving a wry smile at the realization that I had been tense, I tapped the small dagger on my thigh and turned my back to the forest.