Chapter 89
At dusk, sitting on the ground in groups around a fire, I hold a cup with powdered coffee and wait intently for the water to boil.
Tonight's dinner isn't the solid ration I've seen at the fortress, but two sandwiches made in the cafeteria of the military school. The hard bread with salted ham prioritizes quantity over taste, being quite large. It dries out the mouth, so I'd like some soup, but that's a luxury at a campsite.
"Isn't it too dark...?"
As the sun begins to set, the surroundings quickly grow dark. Unlike in the city, there are no streetlights, so it becomes pitch black to the point where you can't even recognize someone's face unless you're near the fire. Normally, I'm in the safe confines of a city with a military fortress, so I wouldn't notice, but spending a night outside the city like this makes the darkness feel frightening for the first time.
"Do we have enough branches...?"
Turning around at the weak voice coming from behind, I see Billy, hunched over with knees drawn up, anxiously looking around.
During the day, he grumbled about whether the tent and fire were next to each other and boasted that he'd take care of things since there was no choice, but now that same man is cowering in fear. Seeing Billy like this, there's no way Sil would stay quiet.
"...Si"
"Billy, are you scared by any chance?"
Too late... I cover my face with one hand and peek through my fingers at Sil sitting beside me, whose eyes are sparkling like a child who found a new toy, with the corners of his mouth turned up.
Resigning myself to the fact that this is hopeless, I sip the coffee Finn poured for me.
"I-I'm not scared! I just said it's dark!"
"Oh... hey, Billy, behind you!"
"Uwaaah...! Hey...!"
"Ahahaha!"
The only sounds are the crackling of the fire and the chirping of insects.
Though the campsite is close to the city and accompanied by several instructors, most of the students who are outside the city for the first time are tense and frightened, keeping quiet or, like Billy, hunching over in fear.
That's why half of the students are startled by Billy's scream, letting out small cries of their own.
Turning my back on Sil and Billy while drinking coffee, I notice Finn, sitting diagonally in front of me, moving his mouth. He's not just mouthing words but also pressuring me with his eyes to stop them, so I reluctantly tap Sil's shoulder.
"Sil"
Calling his name in a flat tone, Sil immediately closes his mouth, understanding my intent.
It would be fine to stop here, but Billy is the kind of guy who always messes up.
"Hiding behind Celestia Rotisch and doing whatever you want, you coward."
Billy snorts derisively, but a similar snort comes from beside him...
"That's harsh. I always do whatever I want, though?"
Finn spits out his coffee at Sil's brazen statement, while Severi presses his forehead and hangs his head.
"Why do you always pick on me! My family is one of the baron families!"
"What a coincidence, so is mine."
"Don't lump me together with rural nobles who can't even attend the music festival!"
"Rural? But isn't Celes's family the only one governing the territory farthest from the Royal Capital?"
"Celestia Rotisch is from a count family."
"But didn't you mock Celes as a rural noble when we first enrolled?"
"Tch, don't change the subject...!"
I nod, recalling that I was indeed called a rural noble... Billy, flustered, turns to face me. His intense gaze feels so hot it might bore a hole through me, so I wave my hand to signal not to drag me into this.
It's not like I'd hold a grudge over a mistake made by an ignorant child over a year ago. Rather, I'm more concerned about how long Billy will keep calling me by my full name.
"Anyway, it's about time you changed your attitude toward me."
"But no matter how great your family is, you're not the heir, right, Billy?"
Sil laughs heartily, saying that noble children who have to leave their families end up in similar situations anyway, looking thoroughly amused.
"...You! Hey, what's this! Let go of me!?"
Billy trembles with anger and growls, but his friends from the same group restrain him in a full nelson and pull him away from Sil. It's a relief since it seemed like an instructor would intervene soon.
I give a thumbs-up to Billy's friends, who bow their heads, while Sil starts throwing thin branches into the fire.
"Don't sulk."
"Celes, you always take Billy's side, don't you?"
"I've never taken his side, though?"
"Didn't you call my name to stop me? Normally, you should support me since I'm your friend."
"You don't need support, do you? Who can beat Sil with words?"
"Hehe, maybe no one."
After being around Sil for over a year, you get used to handling him.
While watching Sil, who's in a better mood, I realize that even though we've been together for over a year, I hardly know anything about Sil or Severi.
"You said you have siblings, right?"
"Huh, that's sudden..."
"I heard you have an older brother by blood and another brother with a different mother, but do you have any sisters?"
"...This is the first time you've asked something like that, Celes."
I give a wry smile to Sil, who looks genuinely surprised, and mutter, "I guess so."
I thought I knew a lot from the training at the fortress, but even after entering the military school, there's so much to learn and little time to spare. My interest in those around me faded, and I never even tried to understand the people close to me until now.
"I don't have an older sister, but I do have a much younger sister. However, she just exists, and I'm not close with any of my siblings except my real brother."
Sil frowns while snapping the wooden branch in his hand into small pieces with a crack... It's not an exaggeration; he really doesn't get along with them.
"Didn't you say you came to the military school to support your real brother?"
"That's right. My brother is smart, skilled in swordsmanship, and even better-looking than me, so the other siblings often envy him and try to drag him down. That's why I decided to take action."
"Does coming to the military school help him?"
"I'd like to say it does, but I'm not sure. This was the only thing I could do."
"He must be important to you."
"Yeah. He always puts me first, and he's a kind, beloved brother."
I'm surprised to see Sil's furrowed brows relax into a soft, happy expression. Finn, equally surprised, slips out, "Huh, is this a fake Silvio...?"
"Finn, you're really careless, aren't you? Do you not need that mouth of yours?"
"Eh, but Silvio always has this annoying smirk on his face like this."
Finn pulls the corners of his eyes and stretches his mouth into a wide grin with a "Nii..." sound.
Realizing there's another guy here who never learns and always messes up, I exchange a glance with Severi and slump my shoulders. Unlike Billy, Finn doesn't get completely dominated by Sil, so it's fine to leave them be.
As Finn and Sil start grappling, the instructor's angry shout echoes through the campsite upon hearing the commotion. Severi and I continue chewing on the hard bread until then.
※※※
The culmination of the exercise is standing watch during the camp.
Standing watch means taking turns in pairs for about two hours to guard the fire. Though it's just two hours, it's apparently more exhausting than expected, so they plan to ease us into it with short shifts for now. After the students finish their four-hour shifts and go to sleep, the instructors take over, and only then do they get to eat dinner, as Instructor Doan said with a wry smile.
Two people from each group are assigned, starting with Sil and Severi, followed by Finn and me.
Despite being tired, my eyes are wide awake, and I can't sleep, so I just lie down for two hours. Stretching my stiff body, I step out of the tent and blink at the pitch-black darkness where nothing is visible.
"If your night vision isn't good, you can't see anything... I can barely make out the tent next to us."
"I can't see anything at all..."
The area around the fire is visible, but beyond that, it's completely dark. We're told to stay alert to sounds and smells while guarding the fire. It's said to become second nature with experience, but at first, you waste energy being overly cautious in every direction, so it's natural to feel exhausted.
While talking about this with Finn, we head toward Sil and Severi, only to find Instructor Doan there as well.
"It's time to switch."
The three of them, who were deep in serious conversation, didn't notice until Finn spoke up. Perhaps we startled them, as Instructor Doan turns around with a cold gaze, causing Finn to flinch.
"Sorry, did we startle you?"
"No... I didn't realize it was already time. We got caught up in conversation. Were you able to sleep?"
"I'm tired, but I couldn't sleep."
"That's normal at first. Once you've done enough exercises, you'll be able to lie down and fall asleep in seconds."
"In seconds..."
While Finn talks with Instructor Doan, I stand beside Sil, who sits quietly without turning around. Bending slightly, I peer at his face.
Sil, who would usually be the first to speak up, and Severi are both silent and motionless, so I wonder if they're asleep. Seeing Sil's face, I catch my breath.
"...Sil?"
Illuminated by the fire, Sil's face is strangely pale and tense. When I grab his shoulder and shake him lightly, he slowly raises his head, and our eyes meet.
"Celes..."
"What's wrong...? You look pale."
"It's just the darkness."
"The fire makes it clear enough to see. Are you feeling unwell? Should I get Instructor Doan?"
"It's not that."
As I'm stunned into silence by the strong grip on my arm, Sil mutters, "I'm fine."
Sensing something is off, I lean closer to Sil and ask, "What's wrong?"
"...It's just hot, that's all."
Placing my hand on Sil's cheek as he says this with a face that looks like he might cry, I notice that despite saying he's hot, his body feels cold and is even trembling slightly.
"Sil"
"It's nothing."
"But......"
Since this isn't getting anywhere, I cast a glance at Severi, who is sitting next to Sil, but the moment our eyes meet, he looks away. Seeing their behavior, which clearly indicates something has happened, I'm not foolish enough to believe their words that everything is fine.
"Sil, just nod if it's true. Did something happen?"
"......"
"Sil"
"Is something wrong?"
The grip on my arm doesn't loosen, and as I stare into Sil's eyes while he hesitates to speak and then closes his mouth, Instructor Doan taps me on the shoulder, and I look up.
"It seems Sil isn't feeling well."
"Not feeling well? Then let's head to the tent right away. Severi, you come too."
The moment Instructor Doan reaches out to support Sil, the grip on my arm tightens.
"......Sil"
"We're heading back to the tent. Instructor Doan, could you lend a hand?"
"Of course. Put your arm around my shoulder."
Touching the arm that was gripping mine, I watch Sil and Severi head back to the tent with Instructor Doan's assistance, while whispering to Finn, who is standing beside me, "Something seems to have happened."
"Looks like it...... but what?"
"Well...... he wouldn't tell me."
"It doesn't seem like he's just in a bad mood, though."
"It doesn't feel like he's unwell either."
"......"
"......Finn?"
Sitting down where Sil and the others were, Finn stares into space while lightly tapping their knee with their fingers. When I call out to them, Finn claps their hands with a "Maybe."
"When we arrived at the campsite, Silvio and I were looking at the traps, right? At that time, Instructor Doan whispered something to Silvio. I think he was acting strange back then too, just like now."
"Whispered only to Sil?"
"Yeah. After that, he didn't say a word, and I thought it was odd, but Instructor Doan was acting normal, so......"
Back during the trap incident and now, Instructor Doan is always near Sil when he's acting strange.
Earlier, the three of them seemed to be talking about something, but could Instructor Doan be the reason for Sil's current state?
"I believe the first time Instructor Doan and Sil met was before the exercise."
"Sil said he doesn't like people he doesn't know well, so he was gathering information on Instructor Doan, but I don't think he knew him beforehand."
"Isn't Instructor Doan well-liked by students?"
"That's supposed to be the case, but......"
Unable to figure it out, I stare at the fire with Finn, letting out a groan, when I hear coughing nearby. I've heard it a few times before, but since it wasn't the priority, I deliberately ignored it.
"......A cold, Billy?"
"That's the first thing you say......!"
"Hey, Billy, weren't you on watch earlier, so it's time for you to head back to the tent and sleep? You should hurry back after the shift change."
"......Tch, that's why I came to warn you before heading back to the tent."
If it's not a cold, then what's with that cough? I glance at Billy sideways with a glare, and after looking around, they quickly crouch behind us and whisper, "Just listen like this."
"While I was tending the fire, Silvio and Severi were arguing. I don't know the reason, but it seemed like Severi was trying to calm an irritated Silvio......"
"And then?"
"After a while of silence, Silvio stood up and started walking in the opposite direction of the tent."
"Leaving your post means punishment......"
"So I chased after him. I called his name several times, but whether he didn't hear me or pretended not to, he kept walking toward the forest, so I grabbed him by the neck to stop him."
"Maybe he had a stomachache and was in a hurry?"
"Even if it's a stomachache, you need an instructor's permission to leave your post. Whether he acted out of anger or out of curiosity toward the forest, that guy's hard to understand sometimes. But if something happens, it becomes the squad's collective responsibility. Keep an eye on him or make sure to warn him properly."
Nodding at what is indeed a warning, I turn around and say "Thanks" in gratitude, only to see Billy, mouth wide open, lose their balance and fall to the ground on their backside.
"Billy, your face looks really weird right now."
"......H-Hey, there's no way it's weird......! Don't look at me."
"Your face is bright red, though."
"It's not red......!"
Waving at Billy as they stand up abruptly, shout something, and run off.
"Finn, you've been acting a bit like Sil lately."
"Huh, no way......"
Letting out a wry smile at Finn's genuinely displeased tone, I resolve to confront Sil and Severi tomorrow morning.