Episode 129: Is it Wrong to Look Forward to the Off-Campus Training Exercise?
The 〈Brainwashing〉 Skill that I received from God. Just how much is this power capable of, and what can it accomplish?
I strongly felt that I had to confront what I had been turning away from all this time during the incident at the Grand Cathedral. If I had been able to use the 〈Brainwashing〉 Skill more skillfully, I might have been able to prevent Lecty’s kidnapping and save Rosalie before she turned into a monster.
Until now, I had avoided using the 〈Brainwashing〉 Skill as much as possible due to my aversion to it, but it would be completely self-defeating if I couldn’t protect someone important in a critical moment because of that.
“I want to know what I can do. So that I can protect the people important to me when the time comes. That’s why I want to ask for your help.”
The three people here accepted me after learning about my true Skill. I’m relying on them too much, but I want them to give me ideas that I wouldn’t come up with on my own, and to be a safety net in case I start to go astray. And in the worst-case scenario…
“I see,”
Lily nods, folding her arms and putting her fist to her mouth.
“Indeed, I think I should know what I can do now as well. Your Skill seems difficult to control, and the ways to apply it are probably infinite. That’s why we need to increase the number of things we can do one by one.”
Lily understood my worries accurately. By using the 〈Brainwashing〉 Skill on myself, I can change my Skill into any Skill. It seems convenient at first glance, but it’s not actually the case.
All Skills probably have names. When you want to fly in the sky, you can’t switch Skills with the 〈Flying Skill〉, you need to use names like 〈Flight〉, 〈Aerial〉, or 〈Levitation〉. And it’s not clear what kind of power those Skills have until you actually switch to them.
For example, if you use 〈Flight〉 when you want to float indoors, you might jump up with such force that your head hits the ceiling. Conversely, if you use 〈Levitation〉 in a situation where you need to jump up to avoid something, you might only float a few inches and not be able to avoid the approaching object.
Because you can switch to Skills infinitely, it’s difficult to choose the right Skill for the situation. I’m not quick-witted enough to switch to the optimal Skill on the spur of the moment, so I need to prepare in advance by anticipating various patterns and switching to the appropriate Skill.
Like when I rescued Rouge who had been kidnapped on the day of the entrance exam, things don’t always go so well. In fact, I got into a lot of trouble when I tried to increase the number of targets for the Brainwashing Skill at that time. I was hiding, so I only suffered intense pain, but I shudder to think what would have happened if I had been found at that moment.
“Of course, I’ll cooperate, Hugh.”
“Hugh-san, please tell me anything I can do to help!”
“It’s a request from you, of all people. This Idiot Hortness will go the extra mile!”
“Thank you, Lily, Lecty, and Idiot.”
I am endlessly grateful to the three who readily agreed to cooperate. I’ll repay them in some way someday.
“Speaking of specific plans… we can’t really do that here, can we?”
Lily looks around and lowers her voice. The school cafeteria is most crowded at this time, so you never know who might be eavesdropping. For now, we decided to continue the conversation during lunch break.
After finishing breakfast, Rouge and Rosalie joined us (Cicely-san headed to the faculty room ahead of us), and we headed to the classroom together.
“I’m so excited for the off-campus training exercise!”
Along the way, Rosalie claps her hands and says dreamily. Rouge’s wry smile suggests that she had been talking about this since breakfast.
“Today is the day we’ll hear about it, right?!”
“Yes, that’s what I heard.”
The off-campus training exercise is coming up next week. Today, we were scheduled to have a preliminary explanation about it in the morning. It reminds me of the time when I was a student in my previous life and we had to decide on groups before a school trip.
“We’re not going to play, Lady Rosalie. This is just an exercise and training.”
Idiot scolds Rosalie, who seems to be in high spirits. Certainly, the exercises at the Royal Academy have a strong military training aspect. It seems like you’d be in for a rude awakening if you thought of it as a school trip.
“I know that much. But I’m still looking forward to it. Lecty, you think so too, right?”
“Huh? Me?”
Lecty’s eyes widen as she’s suddenly brought into the conversation. However, she quickly agreed with Rosalie, saying, “That’s right.”
“I know it’s a serious exercise, but I’m also a little excited. It’s my first time going outside the Royal Capital, and I’m happy to be able to travel far with everyone.”
“Indeed, Lady Lecty is right!”
“Inconsistent men are disliked, you know?”
Rosalie gives Idiot a cold look as he easily changes his mind after hearing Lecty’s opinion. Well, Idiot aside, I feel the same way as Lecty. I’m getting so excited that it reminds me of a school trip.
“Come to think of it, we still don’t know where we’re going, do we?”
“Yeah. The exercise is held in a Dungeon that corresponds to the class’s ability, so apparently each class goes to a completely different Dungeon every year. I don’t know which Dungeon the A-class seniors went to last year, but I think it’ll probably be a different Dungeon this year.”
“Depending on ability, huh…”
Our first-year A-class is full of talented people, so much so that we’re a favorite to win the Inter-Class Tournament even against the upperclassmen. On top of that, our homeroom teacher, Alissa-sensei, is a self-made Knight belonging to the Royal Knights Order. Idiot probably sensed it somehow. It seems like we should be on our guard.
“I think Alissa-sensei will explain that kind of thing later.”
“I hope we don’t get taken to some weird place.”
I’m also concerned about the story that Alissa-san was called back to the Royal Castle by Prince Lucas yesterday. I hope it’s unrelated…
With a hint of anxiety, we arrive at the classroom. After sitting down and talking for a while, we hear the bell signaling the start of class. A little later, Alissa-sensei appears in the classroom accompanied by the vice homeroom teacher, Cicely-san.
“You’re all here, huh, you little chicks? Well then, I’m going to announce the Dungeon you’ll be heading to for your off-campus training exercise!”
With that, Alissa-sensei takes a piece of chalk and writes the name of the Dungeon on the blackboard.
『Drefon Great Labyrinth』
It seems my anxiety was right on the mark.