The Protagonist’s Party is Too Diligent – 67
EP.67 Deal (1)
After handling tasks all morning, I finally returned to my room. Walking around in the cold had caused me to sweat and then cool down repeatedly, leaving me in a terrible state. I managed to hide it from my expression, but… I couldn’t help but worry that Alice might notice.
Becoming part of the protagonist’s party was a good thing, but the problem was that my stamina couldn’t keep up with those kids. At least Mia Crowfield wasn’t the type to fight with brute force.
As for me… well, I was in a position where I could just shoot from a distance, but there was a vast difference between what they expected from Mia Crowfield and what they expected from me. I had the image of someone who could easily dodge close-range attacks.
“…”
Surely, Claire would come to wake me up again tomorrow morning. Not just tomorrow, but probably every morning from now on. Right now, I was taking a short break, but once this break was over, Claire would come looking for me again.
Of course, if I followed Leo and Claire, I would eventually meet the Sword Saint. But by then, it would be too late. The Sword Saint would be more interested in Leo, Claire, Alice, Charlotte, or maybe even Jake.
Mia Crowfield and I had nothing to do with swordsmanship, and we were unlikely to catch the Sword Saint’s eye.
But I couldn’t let that happen.
Until this morning, I had planned on avoiding the Sword Saint at all costs, even going as far as to try and skip out on mountain training. But after all that happened today, I realized how desperately I needed something beyond just shooting skills.
…Alright.
I shot up from my bed.
After all, I had the power to reset time. Resetting several weeks at once was too much of a burden, so I didn’t want to do that. But I had already used my ability to repeatedly reset a few hours, amounting to over a month of time. I had done this when I was preparing to assassinate Count Crowfield, trying different assassination routes and gathering information.
I was inexperienced in many ways, but time was on my side. Mistakes could be corrected. While I couldn’t build stamina through training, I could ingrain certain habits by repeating the same task over and over.
Luckily, the sun was still high in the sky.
I got up, opened the door, and headed straight for Jennifer’s room.
*
Jennifer’s room, for a noble, was surprisingly simple.
It wasn’t that it lacked luxury, but it was neat, organized, and sparsely decorated. There were no porcelain figures or small marble statues, and the only mirror in the room was the one hanging on the wall.
There wasn’t even lace on the bed.
To be blunt, it felt more like an officer’s quarters than a noblewoman’s room. Not that I had ever been inside an officer’s quarters, but you get the idea.
“You want to meet my master?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
When I made my request, Jennifer looked at me with a curious expression. Sitting in her chair, she appeared as composed and meticulous as the room itself. While she’d seemed more relaxed and free-spirited back at the Academy, here, she carried an air of formality.
“Hmm.”
Jennifer snapped her notebook shut.
“It sounds like you know who my master is.”
It seemed my request to be introduced to her master had piqued her interest. She looked up at me intently.
“Isn’t it the Imperial Sword Saint?”
Of course, it wasn’t just the Sword Saint, Jennifer had several masters. However, in the game, the two who were explicitly mentioned were the Sword Saint and her grandfather, Abraham.
Jennifer, who could wield a variety of weapons, had many people who had influenced her. But if you had to pick the two most significant figures, it would be those two.
“And you already know that I’m aware of where he is, don’t you?”
“Yes. I believe he’s in the Winterfield territory.”
“If that’s the case, why not go and find him yourself?”
Jennifer kept asking questions, clearly entertained. I glanced down at her and replied.
“I don’t know his exact location.”
In the game, the mountain area was simply depicted. But in reality, it wouldn’t be that simple.
“Hmm.”
Jennifer placed her hand on her chin, staring at me thoughtfully. Then she stood up from her seat and began walking toward me.
Though we were roughly the same height, her presence made her seem much larger than she actually was.
When she reached me—
Whack!
“Ouch!”
She flicked my forehead at lightning speed.
“Huh?”
She seemed puzzled even though she was the one who hit me.
…Again!
*
It took me three resets to dodge that lightning-fast flick.
I was proud of myself for managing to avoid it in just three tries. Apparently, the training I’d undergone when Lucas had been swinging his sword at me had paid off. Dodging Jennifer’s strike was much harder, probably because her strikes felt much more serious than Lucas’s ever had.
“…I see.”
I wasn’t sure what she read from my expression, but something must have clicked for her. She studied my eyes and seemed to make up her mind about something.
“Then, how’s your stamina? Frankly speaking, getting to where he is requires quite the trek. You can take a carriage to the base of the mountain, but after that, you’ll have to hike quite a while. By the time you arrive, it’ll probably be midnight.”
…So, it’s that far, huh.
Well, in the game, I did have to spend the night at the Sword Saint’s cabin before coming back down.
Hearing my response, Jennifer smirked.
“Even if you plan on learning properly, a few days wouldn’t be nearly enough… Ah, but I suppose that doesn’t really apply to you, does it?”
For a moment, a chill ran down my spine, wondering if she had somehow figured out that I could turn back time.
“You seem to have some basic talent, though. If you’re just seeking advice, a day or so might suffice.”
Jennifer continued, her tone taunting as if she were daring me.
“Or is it not even at the ‘basic’ level?”
Not even at the basic level? That’s true. In fact, I didn’t even have the basics to begin with. Of course, I couldn’t just admit that outright.
“A night should be more than enough.”
“…”
Jennifer stared at me for a moment before shrugging.
“Well, there are many things I’d like to ask, but I suppose we can save that for when you come back down. It’s not like you’re leaving right this moment.”
But she wouldn’t have time to ask me those things. She wouldn’t even remember that I said this either.
Jennifer was the type of person who, once she decided to do something, would act on it without hesitation. As expected, she immediately brushed past me and walked towards the door after deciding to visit her master.
I turned to follow Jennifer, but just before opening her door, she stopped as if she had remembered something.
“Oh, right.”
She glanced back at me.
“Now that I think about it, the Winterfield family’s pride would take a hit if we just offered help to a daughter of the Imperial Family without getting something in return.”
…She usually didn’t care about such things.
“In exchange for introducing you to my master, there’s something I want you to do.”
“…”
“I know you’re not an ordinary teenage girl. This will be much easier and more honorable than assassinating a count.”
Jennifer’s expression made it clear—she was certain I had killed the count. But it wasn’t as if she planned to blackmail me with that knowledge. There was no leverage to begin with. This was, in every sense, a deal.
“Can I hear the details of this request first?”
I asked cautiously.
“There’s a troublesome warlord at the border causing us a headache. I want you to take him out with a sniper shot. Imperial soldiers have been dying for months.”
“…Is it the battlefield I was originally supposed to go to?”
“Yes.”
Jennifer nodded seriously with a solemn expression.
“I’m pretty sure the reinforcements His Majesty promised to send were supposed to be you.”
“…”
I couldn’t be certain, but that seemed very likely. After all, before the Academy, I was supposed to head to the northern front.
In the original story, it was probably Claire who took on that mission. Though the details weren’t explicitly mentioned, she likely played a major role in dismantling the warlord’s forces at the border.
“I understand. I’ll take care of it.”
“Thank you.”
Jennifer nodded and opened the door.
*
Leo and Claire were in the dining hall, while Alice and Charlotte were in their rooms. Mia Crowfield was also in her room, and as for Jake—who knew where he was, but it didn’t seem like he was planning any major mischief. That’s why we didn’t run into anyone as we made our way outside. There were a few other noble students, but none of them dared to speak to a princess and her instructor.
Then again, it wasn’t just any princess and any instructor. Considering I was suspected of being an Imperial assassin and Jennifer was a former military officer known for her feats on the northern front, it made sense that no one wanted to interrupt us. It probably looked like we were off to have a serious discussion.
“At least there’s a road leading to the base of the mountain. Unlike the capital, there’s no speed limit ordinance here, so no need to worry about that.”
In the capital, fierce opposition from coachmen had resulted in a law that prevented steam cars from going faster than 20 km/h. That’s why I never bothered getting a driver’s license. Hardly anyone used cars in the first place, and learning to ride a horse was far more practical.
“I’ll be driving, is that alright?”
Jennifer said casually as she got into the driver’s seat.
“That’s fine.”
I nodded and got into the passenger seat.
It wasn’t until I was seated in the car that I realized there were no seatbelts.
Ah.
But by the time I noticed, Jennifer was already pressing down hard on the accelerator.