Chapter 67
“Wait! I’m coming too!”
Elisha jumped onto the camel behind me. The camel flinched, but I pulled the reins to steady it.
“Why is Cadet Elisha…?”
“I’m an archer too! When it comes to vision and sniping, I’m second to none!”
Well, she’s not wrong. If she can contribute to our strength, there’s no reason she can’t ride along.
“What are you all doing?! Hurry up!”
We’d already caught up to Willow’s camel. As the camel galloped across the desert, Elisha, sitting behind me, wobbled.
Her attempts to balance quietly without making a sound were cute, but this wasn’t the time for childish pride.
“Cadet Elisha! Stop being a nuisance and hold onto my waist tightly!”
“H-Hold your waist?!”
“Or get off! You’re in the way!”
Elisha hesitated but soon grabbed my waist tightly. Then she started making excuses.
“I-I didn’t ask for help! I don’t need it, but since you’re so worried, I had no choice…”
When the camel made a big leap, jolting us, Elisha clung to me completely.
“Eek!”
After crossing a few dunes and climbing the highest sandhill nearby, the battle scene came into view.
“There they are! Too far! Gold Knight Faris, can you manage?!”
“Do you think I’m an eagle? It’s a whole kilometer from here to the battlefield!”
“Tch! We need to get closer!”
“The camp members, with the injured in the center, have formed a circular formation and are fighting a giant desert snake.”
“…What?”
Willow froze at my words. Faris and Elisha stared at me blankly.
“Cadet Martin, you can see that…?”
“Yes, Professor Faris.”
The desert snake, likely 30 meters long, was a beast you couldn’t escape or defeat.
“If we don’t support them now, they’ll be wiped out.”
I stopped the camel and pulled out my rifle.
I took a blue-glowing bullet from the ammo pouch, loaded it into the chamber, and aimed.
Elisha tried to stop me. Even she, a Harmadun, and Faris, a Gold Knight, had declared the distance impossible.
“Hey, Cadet Martin! Didn’t you hear?! It’s almost a kilometer away! Do you think you’re some Platinum Knight?! Sure, the target’s big, but from here…”
Before she could finish, a gunshot rang out. A bright blue streak shot straight, hitting the desert snake’s head.
The gem bullet, crafted by Nerjin from crystal, exploded, freezing half the snake’s head.
[■■■■!]
The shocked desert snake thrashed, letting out a monstrous scream, but with its brain frozen, it soon collapsed limply onto the ground.
“Uh…”
Elisha could only stare in a daze.
***
We successfully rescued the volunteer corps members threatened by the giant desert snake. A good debut, perhaps. I could feel the camp’s gazes toward me soften considerably.
Thankfully, the rescue was swift, resulting in only a few minor injuries, but they said a slight delay could’ve been irreversible.
With a potential crisis resolved well, the shooting club could fully participate in the volunteer corps’ reforestation project.
“Here’s how you plant a tree.”
Following the experienced instructor’s demonstration, the shooting club members began planting seedlings in the sand.
“It’s just sand… Will trees even grow from these seedlings?”
“Let’s try it first.”
As we planted the seedlings together, the waiting instructor cast nature magic. The seedlings grew, their roots supporting each other, and they began producing water.
“Wow!”
“That’s amazing!”
“The trees you’ve planted are terraforming plants that grow in great forests. They’re harmful plants that turn their surroundings into swamp-like terrain, but in the desert, they’re invaluable.”
It was just a tiny area, but greenery sprouted in the desert, and a land of life with flowing water formed.
Moved by the transformation of the barren wasteland, the cadets teared up or smiled.
Next, the instructor led the shooting club to a distant monster colony.
“Look over there. That’s a swarm of desert white ants. They’re the size of an adult man’s forearm, with jaws strong enough to sever that arm. Their numbers are their flaw.”
The instructor smiled at the shooting club.
“But that’s better for you all, right?”
Each member showed off their skills, firing magic and arrows. The white ant swarm, overwhelmed by the barrage, was annihilated.
Among the bombardment, three stood out: Elisha, Professor Faris, and Club Leader Nelson.
‘As expected from archery noble families.’
The Harmadun with their red bows need no mention, and the Quesharow family is famed for their secret technique of firing dozens of arrows like a bombardment.
“Now, shall we get to the main event?!”
Having warmed up with the giant white ants, the shooting club set up a shooting range to compete in accuracy.
“Targets are up! Shoot!”
The men’s and women’s divisions were held separately. The women’s top shooter was Elisha. For the men’s:
“Whoa, whoa! Martin hit the 700-meter target!”
“What?! How can a gun outshoot a bow at that distance?!”
Guns rely heavily on the weapon’s performance. They’re stronger than bows initially, but as skill levels rise, bows surpass guns, which is why they’ve been looked down upon.
The high dependence on the weapon’s power, rather than the user’s skill, is another reason warriors disdain them.
“Men’s division winner, Martin! Haha, the club leader came up short.”
“Haha, it happens.”
Faris and Nelson laughed and congratulated me. Professor Faris, with his slit eyes, clapped with a faint smile.
Wild Instinct (Lv 3) detects killing intent.
‘…As expected.’
A man consumed by jealousy and hatred, even toward his brother. Desperate to excel but plagued by inferiority because his talent can’t match his passion. The villain of EP4, awakened by that inferiority.
While Faris genuinely congratulated me, Nelson was subtly directing malice toward me.
‘I’m sorry for Professor Faris. If there’s any consolation…’
…It’s not time yet. To kill, I need to wait for the perfect moment. And Nelson will likely set the stage himself.
***
“Now it’s dinner time! Today, we’ll cook for the hardworking volunteer camp members ourselves!”
The planned menu was ‘Glory Imperius.’ Developed as a war ration during the Universal Independence War, it’s now refined into a luxurious stew.
“Let’s divide into groups. This group washes vegetables, this one preps the washed vegetables, this one makes the base sauce, this one handles the meat…”
But Faris soon hit a snag.
“Professor, how do we wash vegetables? Do we throw out these black spots?”
“Rinse them under running water. The black spots…”
“Professor, Professor! How do we prep them?”
“What? Uh, um… You shouldn’t cut it like that…”
“Professor! The base sauce?!”
“Professor! I can’t handle the meat!”
“Professor! I put in too much salt!”
“Professor! I did it like this, but it’s weird!”
“Professor!”
“Professor!”
Faris was thrown into chaos.
Elisha wasn’t much better. Born a noble lady, had she ever held a kitchen knife? Still, for the sake of noble pride, she was trying not to give up. While holding a carrot.
“…Uh… So…?”
She racked her brain, one of the four pillars to lead the Imperium Empire, thinking of ‘Glory Imperius.’ A stew of meat and vegetables, eaten often for breakfast, lunch, or dinner…
‘…And?’
That’s all she knew. She’d seen chefs grate Petrakpadano cheese over prepared dishes but never the cooking process. She never even tried to.
Chop, chop, chop, chop.
Looking around, the other female cadets were frozen, holding knives, buffering like dolls.
Chop, chop, chop, chop.
This was hopeless. She had no choice but to turn to Professor Faris…
Chop, chop, chop, chop.
“…?”
Noticing the sound, I turned to see the only chopping board making noise. A male cadet, wearing a black apron, skillfully prepping vegetables…
“Hey, Cadet Martin.”
“…What is it?”
“You can cook too?”
“To an extent.”
Elisha looked at Professor Faris.
“Professor! Professor! I don’t get this!”
“Professor! Profeeessor!”
No, that wasn’t the way to go.
Elisha sighed. I’m not asking Martin for help for personal reasons. This is a purely public act to ensure the shooting club’s peace and stability and to reward the volunteer camp’s efforts with a delicious dinner.
Elisha steeled herself.
“Then, Cadet Martin, do you know how to prep this too?”
Handing over a carrot, he placed it on the board, cut it crosswise into four, diced it into large cubes, and tossed it into the ingredient bin.
Chop! Chop! Tatatatatatang!
It happened in an instant.
Elisha couldn’t hide her shock. What can’t this man do?
Cooking (Lv 4) is going wild, claiming it’s its first time stepping up.
Know-It-All (Lv 3), Wild Instinct (Lv 3), and Movement (Lv 3) begin assisting toward the ultimate ‘Glory Imperius.’
Elisha made excuses beside me.
“I-I didn’t ask for help! I just asked for the method. Hmph!”
But I had no time to care.
The rampaging Cooking skill wouldn’t stop.
I immediately snatched vegetables from a female cadet holding a knife, prepped them at lightning speed, and finished in no time. Then the next, the next, the next cadet’s, and the one after that!
“Amazing…!”
“Even a slug has a knack for rolling.”
“Wow…”
“He’s better than our maids at home…”
“He was great at shooting too. Trash Martin’s got some skills…”
As the cadets marveled at me, Elisha muttered to herself. Absolutely to herself.
‘Well, he’s got some ability.’
Who’d think this guy’s a trash villain? In this moment, everyone was friendly toward me.
‘Huh?’
It was by chance that Elisha saw Nelson. His eyes, staring at me, held a light that could hardly be called kind.
‘Does Senior Nelson have a grudge against Martin too? No, the old Martin only bullied minor nobles or commoners.’
“Oh, wow!”
Professor Faris, swamped by questions, let out a gasp upon seeing my exceptional performance.
Faris dragged the comet-like cooking prodigy—me—into every step of the process, and finally, the ultimate stew, ‘Glory Imperius,’ was completed.
***
Camp Leader Willow was the first to taste it. She eyed the stew sharply, stirred it with a spoon, sniffed it, and took a bite.
“Delicious!”
“Yesss!”
“We did it!”
“Wooo!”
The volunteer camp and shooting club gathered to eat. Everyone praised the taste without holding back.
Thanks to this, I realized Cooking (Lv 4) was more than adequate for serving others.
“Mmm! So good!”
“I’m having two bowls.”
“Why does it taste better than at home?”
“Heh, because we cooked it ourselves!”
Amid the lively chatter, I sat alone by a bonfire, eating my stew. Mingling with others… isn’t exactly my thing. My presence here was already tainting the mood.
I should finish quickly and leave. As I scooped a spoonful, Elisha approached.
“Hey. Can I sit here?”
“…Do as you like.”
Elisha sat beside me with her stew bowl. She ate a few bites quietly, opened her mouth, hesitated, then resolved herself.
“Hey, can I ask something?”
“No.”