The Protagonist’s Party is Too Diligent – 60
EP.60 Forced Training (3)
Spring? What a joke.
Winterfield was miserably cold, just as its name implied.
Even though it was called “Winterfield,” it wasn’t covered in snow all 365 days of the year. It was still part of the Empire’s territory, and unless you went further north to the Autonomous State of Rickland, there were still spring and summer here. But even in spring, it was just less cold than winter, and summer was merely cool, more comparable to fall in other regions.
Ironically, this made Winterfield a popular retreat for nobles. It was cool during the summer, so they would come to escape the sweltering heat of other regions. In the lower towns where people lived, the snow would melt in the spring, but up in the mountains, it was always snow-covered, making for a stunning view. It was a sight you couldn’t easily find elsewhere in the Empire.
Though there were ongoing conflicts between warlords, the Autonomous State of Rickland, and the imperial soldiers, those battles were far removed from the heart of Winterfield’s territory. Winterfield was vast, and its central area was located in the relatively warmer lower regions.
“So cold… is it still winter here even in May?”
While the snow did melt in spring, that didn’t mean it stopped snowing entirely. And even when it snowed, it didn’t melt right away. After all, even in places like Gangwon Province, it could still snow in May if it was extremely cold.
“It is Winterfield. For the locals, it might not feel like it, but for outsiders, this place might as well be winter all year round,” Leo said, trying to comfort a trembling Claire.
“Well, it’s not like it’s winter all the time,” Leo added, only to be startled by the voice that followed.
“There’s still summer. It’s just cooler than the capital. Honestly, from my perspective, the capital is unbearably hot,” Jennifer added with a shrug.
“It’s just turned into spring,” Claire muttered under her breath.
“Exactly, which means it’s too hot. It doesn’t even snow once in spring over there,” Jennifer replied, her voice firm.
“…”
At that, not only Leo and Claire, but also the noble students who had gathered there, were left speechless.
“Honestly, I worry about how I’ll survive when summer arrives… but I guess it doesn’t matter. We’ll be on summer break, anyway,” Jennifer added nonchalantly.
It did matter, though.
Jennifer always started sweating buckets before summer even hit. Not to mention, she wore rather revealing outfits, making her the kind of character people would say was “perfect for a figurine.” Of course, this game wasn’t exactly known for churning out figurines, which was a bit of a shame.
In the game, despite the cold setting and dialogue reactions, you could choose any outfit for the characters. If I didn’t manually change them, they’d all wear winter uniforms and coats, like the one I had on. But it didn’t mean I couldn’t dress them in the DLC outfits.
It felt absurd to walk around this snowy region with other characters in swimsuits, but with Jennifer, it didn’t seem that odd. After all, she was always complaining about the heat, even as summer approached in the capital.
“Alright, is everyone here?”
No matter what season Winterfield was in, it was still a vast and strategically important territory within the Empire. As such, more than just the noble Class A students were disembarking from the train. Businessmen in formal suits checked their pocket watches as they hurried along, and several officers in military uniforms could be seen walking in the distance. There were also soldiers, likely returning from leave, scattered about. No one paid particular attention to them. Jennifer, not dressed in her usual military uniform but in civilian clothes, didn’t receive any salutes. If they had recognized her face, perhaps they would have, but Jennifer was officially retired. Technically, she wasn’t someone who needed to be saluted anymore. That was likely why she chose to wear civilian clothing and tie up her hair.
“Yes, everyone’s here,” Alice, who had somehow taken up the role of the class president, answered promptly.
Jennifer gave us all a quick glance. Despite being an ex-soldier, she wasn’t the type of instructor who demanded we stand in neat lines or file ranks. She was different from our homeroom teacher, Carolyn Northwood, in a unique way.
“Before coming here, Carolyn asked me to take good care of you.”
Jennifer slowly began to speak as she looked around at us.
“I’m not particularly fond of high-ranking nobles, but Carolyn’s an exception. As you’ve probably already noticed, people like her, noble or not, are rare.”
Around me, several students nodded in agreement. There wasn’t a single one of us who didn’t appreciate Carolyn’s beauty, kindness, or her dedication to her students.
“So, I don’t want to cause any trouble for Carolyn. If any of you act recklessly or dangerously, I won’t hesitate to discipline you harshly. I can’t risk sending her students back injured.”
After another quick scan of the group, Jennifer continued, “There are many places in Winterfield that are far too dangerous for first-timers. I’ll give you a more detailed briefing once we gather at the lodging. For now…” She pulled out her pocket watch and glanced at it.
“You have about an hour. Feel free to explore for now. While this area is a little ways off from the heart of the territory, it’s not completely desolate, and it’s a good chance to get a feel for Winterfield’s atmosphere. There are plenty of soldiers around, so security should be decent.”
With that, she tucked the watch back into her coat and added, “Dismissed!”
Jennifer immediately turned on her heel and headed off in another direction, leaving us standing there.
The students, who had been a bit excited about their first field training, were now murmuring amongst themselves, clearly not expecting such sudden freedom.
“Sylvia.”
Among the murmuring students was Alice. She was fully dressed in a coat this time, unlike her usual attire. While the uniform beneath it still resembled the standard school uniform, her coat looked much more like a military one. If you saw her from a distance, you might easily mistake her for a cadet. After all, this academy did serve dual roles, including military training. Alice, however, had removed the fur trim from the collar, finding it uncomfortable.
“Want to grab something to eat? It’s lunchtime anyway.”
“Indeed, it’s about time we get our meal.”
Charlotte interjected at Alice’s suggestion.
“A meal, you say?”
“Yeah, we haven’t eaten yet, have we?”
“……”
Hmm.
Jennifer might have acted like she was just letting the students roam freely, but there was an underlying intention for us to familiarize ourselves with the area. The problem was that most noble students’ idea of a “meal” wasn’t available here. This wasn’t a place frequented by nobles, after all.
It wasn’t a particularly dangerous area, but it also wasn’t a wealthy one. Most establishments here catered to soldiers, serving basic and plain food. Just like in the northern region, the food was simple, under-seasoned, and quite bland. And, of course, being part of an Empire inspired by the notorious “British cuisine”, especially in the northern areas, meant the food here wasn’t exactly what nobles were accustomed to. Honestly, it was questionable whether they could even stomach the local fare.
“Oh, really? Then let’s eat together!”
“Yeah, it’s more convenient to eat as a group than alone.”
As Alice and Charlotte discussed the plan, Leo and Claire approached them.
“Sounds good.”
Suddenly, another voice cut into our conversation.
“I didn’t have anyone to eat with either. Lottie’s in a different class, after all.”
It was Jake Lindbergh.
Although Lottie had come to the academy as Jake’s maid, she was in a different class. After all, she was technically a commoner, and the academy’s rules dictated that all students were equal—no one was allowed to have servants or maids, especially if they were fellow students. Jake and Lottie were, at least in name, equals here.
“Lindbergh?”
Alice looked at Jake with a slightly surprised expression. Charlotte seemed displeased with his casual demeanor.
“Is it okay, Sylvia?”
“Sylvia?”
Alice’s eyes widened even more.
“We talked the other day and became friends,” Jake explained with a casual shrug.
Alice’s expression was one of pure shock as she looked at me, and it wasn’t just her—everyone around was staring at me in disbelief.
I mean, I could understand why. To them, the quiet girl who usually sat in the corner without a word suddenly hanging out with someone like Jake, the carefree, tanned, blonde troublemaker, must have been a huge surprise.
But that’s not how it was.
“Huh? What?”
When I looked at Jake, he just shrugged his shoulders slightly and said, “Aren’t we friends?”
No, this was literally the first time we’ve talked in two weeks. And that conversation two weeks ago wasn’t even a proper one—it was more like Jake greeted me out of the blue. So, if I had to clarify, it’s more accurate to say we’re just acquaintances rather than actual friends.
“Sylvia.”
Charlotte approached me, noticing my hesitation about how to respond.
She gently grabbed my arm, tugging me slightly as she whispered, “You probably don’t know much about men, which is why you’re brushing this off, but you really shouldn’t get too close to someone like him. Come, this way.”
No, I mean, we were not really close. He was just acting like he knew me.
I glanced behind Jake. There were a few girls looking at us anxiously.
…Ah, I see.
Jake was fleeing from the swarm of girls that usually hovered around him. The ones here, on the other hand, were all daughters of powerful and influential families—beautiful, no less. So, if he stayed with us, those other girls would naturally shy away, unwilling to compare themselves to us.
“……”
Charlotte had clashed with Jake. Well, to be precise, it wasn’t exactly a clash. Charlotte had disliked Jake’s casual and carefree behavior, which was far from what she considered noble. Especially his tanned skin—that seemed to bother her the most.
However, once she learned about the person Jake truly liked, her attitude toward him softened. Though she still found his laid-back manner off-putting, she no longer judged him as harshly. She came to understand why Jake acted the way he did.
“Oh, I see.”
Unlike Charlotte, Alice seemed to quickly pick up on my expression. She probably realized that I wasn’t close to Jake, and that he was the one pushing the conversation on me. Maybe my annoyance had been visible on my face. Even if no one else noticed, Alice surely did.
“I’m not sure it’s a good idea for you to approach Sylvia without any context.”
Alice said, stepping between me and Jake and staring at him firmly.
“Sylvia isn’t the type of person you can just approach casually like that.”
“……”
What exactly was my reputation among these girls?
I mean, I went through all this trouble to turn back time and build a perfect image—
—just as that thought crossed my mind, I accidentally locked eyes with Mia Crowfield, who had been silently standing nearby the whole time.
“……”
“……”
Hmm, okay, maybe not completely perfect.
Let’s say “close to perfect” instead.
At least no one else, except for Mia, had figured it out yet.