Chapter 37
The next day was Wednesday, a raid class day.
Sigrin asked Wearin to gather materials listed on a paper.
[…That’s it?]
[Yes.]
[Good. I’m not great at big stuff, but I’m confident with small errands. How many of each?]
[As many as you can get. At least 30g of Spirit Sprout Dewdrops, 15 Water Elemental Orbs. The orbs are in the Sereb Hunting Grounds—okay?]
[Of course!]
[This is a request as a friend, not a subordinate, so don’t feel pressured.]
[Don’t worry!]
Wearin, the eldest daughter of a poor commoner family, had wide connections among other commoner students.
Their informal social group was known as “Dandiraon.”
Wearin gathered her Dandiraon friends.
“Wearin, is it true Ebenkera helped your brother for free?”
Wearin nodded and split open her piggy bank.
“Here. The money Sigrin didn’t take. Take it back.”
To save Cardin from noble bullying, all Dandiraon members had pooled their allowances.
They’d offered it as payment, but Sigrin refused.
“Did the pitiful piggy bank strategy work?”
“No, she said she was concerned because she has a brother too.”
“…That’s a very human reason.”
A strange silence fell among the students.
“Considering the Nipi Mafia built their faction from a poor vigilante group, it’s not that surprising.”
Wearin was secretly pleased to be part of Sigrin’s faction, even at the bottom.
“Anyway, I owe Ebenkera a huge debt. I want to repay it.”
“I’m in.”
“Wait, if Dandiraon follows Sigrin’s orders, do we become her sub-faction?”
The unexpected suggestion made others ponder.
“…I’m not against it. We’re a small group.”
“Exactly. …Isn’t the Mafia on the side of commoners over nobles?”
“We need a godfather to back our weak voices among nobles and rich bourgeois students.”
All Dandiraon members leaned favorably toward Sigrin.
“Calm down, guys. I got permission to pledge loyalty, but you haven’t.”
“…Really?”
“Individuals aside, a group can’t just join as a sub-faction. She’s an Ebenkera. Her standards for talent are sky-high.”
“True.”
“This mission is our chance to prove our worth! Then Sigrin will give us more tasks, and naturally take interest in our group.”
Convinced by Wearin’s logic, everyone listened.
“Let’s plan the mission. Split into Team 1 for sprouts, Team 2 for orbs.”
The plan was systematically organized.
“But what are these materials for?”
“…I don’t know. Feels a bit off, but let’s not overthink it.”
✦ ✦ ✦
What’s a friend?
Someone who helps without conditions when needed, right?
Sigrin was thrilled to grow closer to her new friend Wearin.
By clearly calling her a friend, Wearin would see her as one too.
Sigrin whistled, strolling along the pathway.
[Listen, use that beast lure you got as a gift to drive him into the Cardia Beginner Hunting Grounds.]
She recalled the middle schoolers’ scheme.
With time to spare, it’d be good to cleanly wrap up her mess.
She had personal business too.
“Sigrin, they’re really starting to bully the transfer student. How’d you hear about it before me, a middle schooler?”
Cardin was amazed. Was this mafia intel?
“No, I overheard during probation. Cardin, can you tell me exactly when they’re executing the plan?”
“I eavesdropped—they’re heading to the back path of the Cardia Beginner Hunting Grounds at lunch tomorrow.”
“Hm…”
Sigrin had memorized the Cardia Hunting Grounds map, so she knew roughly where it was.
“Thank you for easing my guilt, Sigrin… I didn’t expect such detailed care.”
“It’s fine. Cardin, you’ll be twice as busy because of me.”
Sigrin patted Cardin’s shoulder and smiled, and he nodded vigorously.
✦ ✦ ✦
The next day at lunch.
At the time Cardin mentioned, Sigrin went to the back path of the Cardia Beginner Hunting Grounds and saw a group of middle school boys.
Having seen them endlessly during probation, she knew their names.
Among familiar faces was an unfamiliar one.
That must be the transfer student.
A boy with striking black hair stood out among the group.
In the sunlight, his hair shimmered with a hint of purple, very mystical.
“Hehe, you said you’d show me something cool! What is it?”
The boy’s crescent-shaped eyes curved with a goofy smile.
His eyes stayed crescent-shaped—naturally squinted.
With a smiling face and refined features, he made a great impression.
“You said you wanted to be friends with us, right?”
“Yeah, being friends would be great!”
“To hang with us, crawl through this doggy door into the hunting grounds and circle that big tree ten times.”
“Cool, just ten laps?”
“Yup, exactly ten.”
He pretended to put an arm around the transfer student’s shoulder, attaching a round patch.
Probably the beast lure.
Gus Ogile…
The more she saw, the more obsessed he seemed with the number ten. He’d told Cardin to fetch a shoe in ten seconds too.
The transfer student squeezed through the doggy door under the iron fence into the hunting grounds as Gus instructed.
Gus' gang giggled, pulling out video orbs to record him. Sigrin recorded them from behind.
One lap…
Two laps…
Soon, beasts started gathering around the transfer student.
Thud! Thud!
Pebble Golems, waist-high to an adult, formed a circle and closed in.
“Eek! What’s that?”
The transfer student gasped at the approaching golems.
But he didn’t run.
He just diligently ran the ten laps as told.
“Pfft, look at him freak out!”
“You can’t leave until you finish all ten laps, got it?”
Gus Ogile smirked, hands in his pockets.
That’s enough.
Done recording, Sigrin put on a face-covering mask and a robe.
She equipped a shield artifact ring and two short-range teleport bracelets, then stepped forward.