HTACS 49

Chapter 49

1-4 Eastern Forest Treasure Map Episode.

I don’t know how this map ended up with Nephti—but in the main story, Kelterus finds it in the common dormitory hall. Then he picks four friends he’s gathered so far and sets out on an adventure.

And this episode is quite symbolic.

Before explaining why it’s symbolic, we need to understand the position of Act 1 in this game.

From the protagonist Kelterus’s perspective, D/Z SAGA Act 1 unfolds as follows:

A country boy is born with the potential to become a hero, and enters Zephrin’s common department with overwhelming grades.

In the tutorial, he lands a hit on a third-year vice-top senior who should be absolutely untouchable.

In 1-1, he liberates the vengeful spirits of freshmen who wanted to graduate from the common dormitory.

In 1-2, he sneaks out of the dormitory with friends at midnight to buy late-night snacks and returns.

In between, an extra named Mille-feuille loses to Kelterus in a mini-test and gets expelled.

In 1-3, he clashes with classmates who envy him—the top student—in sparring, but new friendships are born as a result.

In 1-4, he heads to the Eastern Forest with those friends using the treasure map they obtained.

Looking closely, Act 1 delivers a clear message to the player—and to Kelterus.

This academy is by no means a place filled only with friendship and love.

You part with friends, become enemies, and someone may be expelled because you rise.

It throws a quite spicy theme at you from the start—and because of that, from Act 2 onward, the weight of choosing party members and routes increases dramatically.

Because—a friend who dies in 1-4 disappears from D/Z entirely.

It’s an episode where they actually die. That’s why Eve—the heroine—cannot be chosen as a party member at this time.

That’s how strong the boss was. That’s how fearsome it was.

Yes. The boss ‘was.’

Why past tense?

“It’s been a while since I’ve been on a walk. Under the premise that we clear the secret mission together, hmm…”

Unfortunately—I’m not the type to be scared of that guy.

—

Since we decided to go on the adventure over the weekend, I needed to steadily prepare during the week.

First—I made buff-type snacks with Magical Pâtissier.

But for this mission, potion crafting is the most important skill.

**【Potion Crafting skill activated.】**

**【Checking the input materials.】**

**【Mana Water + Lightning Powder】**

**【Potion crafting successful!】**

**【Paralysis Potion crafted.**】

“Phew. Next, I need to make some trash potions.”

Mix Mana Water with mud. The system window chimed and the result appeared.

**【Lowest-Grade Poison Potion crafted.**】

After making several types of potions, I barely straightened my screaming back and wiped the sweat away. I’m dying, really.

“What are you doing?”

“Preparing.”

“For the treasure?”

Without answering, I took the pile of potions to the yard in front of the convenience store.

Then, after steadying my throbbing arm—I threw a potion at the target board.

The distance was about ten meters.

With a *ting*, the potion bottle hit the target board and—*splash*—spread everywhere.

“…You went to all that trouble to make them and now you’re throwing them. No—discarding them? …No, there’s meaning in the act of hitting the target, isn’t there.”

Patrasche muttered, and his observation was sharper than I expected—I laughed despite myself.

After about a hundred throws, I clutched my aching arm. I didn’t need to throw hard, so toward the end I just rolled them roughly. Still, it seemed the throwing judgment registered.

**【Skill acquired.】**

**【Potion Pitcher】 【9T】**

**【You can throw potions more accurately. As proficiency increases, opponents will find it harder to dodge. The effect of potions increases when thrown.**】

I nodded.

I’ve secured the most important skill first. Next—I’m waiting for the materials to arrive.

“Wolfram—your order has arrived.”

At that moment—the person I’d been waiting for.

Aila Triesta arrived.

—

*Phew.* Aila gently set the items she’d brought down on the floor.

“Couldn’t you have used people from the Triesta Trading Company? I didn’t expect you to bring them yourself.”

At my words, Aila’s eyes went wide—then she smiled brightly.

“Oh my—I couldn’t do that. What if Wolfram von Lohengrin’s great rebellion were to leak out?”

“……”

Seriously, just tell me what this rebellion is already.

“And that’s not all. If I come in person like this, I can also hear why you need these items. It’s like eavesdropping on the answer? Hehe. So—why do you need these? Can you tell me just a little about what material they’ll be for your rebellion?”

“Just a little?”

“Yes—to be precise, I’d like you to tell me just enough so I can maintain my excitement while amplifying my anticipation.”

……You might end up being called “Ah-ssi” after Nee-ssi, if you keep up that speech habit.

Whether she knew my inner thoughts or not, Aila glanced at the items she’d brought and smiled.

“Lightning Ore. Flame Ore. Various other elemental stones. Recovery-focused items as well… Are you going on some kind of expedition? That can’t be—Wolfram’s frail stamina…”

“Correct.”

“…Huh?”

“I’m going outside Zephrin for a bit. There will be fighting.”

“…Wolfram? Are you okay?”

“What do you mean?”

“No—no matter how many mysterious secret arts you use, if combat breaks out, there’s no such thing as a completely safe area.”

“Have you ever been on an expedition, Aila?”

“Dealing with the grievances of territory residents is the most basic duty of a noble, isn’t it? Before entering Zephrin, I accompanied my father on a goblin subjugation force.”

“……”

Aila answered while staring intently into my eyes.

Eyes like amethysts, without a trace of a lie.

Even in a world like this, Aila had fulfilled her duty as a noble.

“I see. You’re right. In combat, there’s no such thing as a completely safe zone.”

“…Should I come with you?”

“No. I’ll be fine. We’re only heading to the Eastern zone. If it gets dangerous, we can return quickly. You’re busy too.”

“But.”

“Midterms are coming up.”

“……”

“This time, you need to show that annoying Regina Ciella what rebellion really is.”

“Rebellion. Yes. That’s right. That’s true, but…”

When Aila didn’t retract her worried gaze, I could only shrug.

I appreciate it, but Aila can’t come.

This time, the enemy’s compatibility with Aila is terrible.

So now—I need to dodge the topic somehow.

“You’re certainly strong. But that doesn’t mean I need to be protected.”

“…Wolfram.”

“Aila Triesta—if you always claim to be my comrade in rebellion, then accept that you and I are equals.”

“Ugh.”

“So—I don’t need one-sided protection.”

At these words, Aila’s eyes went wide—then she shook her head.

“Fine. Let’s do that. Well—if I, your comrade, don’t believe in you, who will?”

“That’s right.”

“Then at least tell me a little about what you’ll use and where before you go.”

“That’s not difficult. First—I’m going to make potions.”

“Rebellion potions?”

“…You can call them that if you want.”

We chatted for a while like that.

Nothing special—just Aila’s usual chatter about rebellion.

Aside from the laughter being a bit loud, it was no different from usual.

—

And the next day—the noisy duo arrived.

“Wolfram! Rudika is here!”

“Senior! Nephti is here!”

Bringing together these two—the noisiest people around me besides the colorful fledglings—the decibel level exceeded the convenience store’s capacity.

Thankfully, at least the chirpies didn’t come.

“So—did you prepare everything I told you to?”

“Yes! I borrowed status-effect resistance potions and artifacts! Not me—Rudika Senior did!”

“It was pretty hard to find, but the Hassan Shadow family has a lot of loot!”

“……”

Loot—from whom did you defeat to get that loot?

I didn’t bother asking. Make an enemy of the Hassan Shadow and I’d get solo-dueled to death by Professor Rudika that very night.

She’s a genuine assassin who can kill even Eve with a surprise attack—limited to that.

“I see. Good. Then let’s begin the strategy meeting.”

“Strategy meeting?”

“At the end of this treasure map, a quite dangerous monster awaits. You need to know at least the basic strategy for it.”

“…Huh?”

“Hm?”

“What’s wrong?”

“Senior—how do you know there’s a monster? I mean, there are monsters in the Eastern Forest, of course—but how did you specify which monster?”

“Yes. Rudika is curious too. You mentioned having a similar treasure map before—but you never said what monster was there.”

Hmm.

Nephti’s gaze—fine. She’s an idiot, so I can fool her.

But Rudika is different.

She’s the real deal. If she starts suspecting me, she’ll dig in endlessly.

And then—I’ll be sent to heaven by a single blow from Rudika—Dexterity 22—who infiltrates in the middle of the night.

“Wolfram—are you hiding something?”

“……”

“Do you have something you’re hiding from Rudika—your friend? Wolfram?”

Rudika’s eyes grew cold.

But don’t worry—I, Lee Young-jin, possess hell-level smooth-talking skills that would make even a certain blonde ninja without parents go running.

“Of course I’m hiding something.”

“Wolfram…”

I shrugged and continued.

“I don’t know if you realize this, but my position in Zephrin right now is quite dangerous. Eve aside—do you know how many of her subordinates, how many people hostile to Wolfram von Lohengrin, there are? I have to keep a few trump cards hidden.”

“Wolfram and Rudika. Weren’t we friends…? Rudika doesn’t oppose Wolfram.”

“I think so too.”

“…Even so, you’re hiding things?”

“That’s why I’m showing you this specially. 【Patrasche】”

At his master’s call, the red wolf stretched and approached me.

“Why that doggy?”

“…Nephti. Step back. That’s not a doggy. A wolf—no, something even more foreign.”

As expected of Rudika—who has a passive 6T presence-sensing skill. Her intuition is insane.

“Allow me to introduce him. 【The Forest Guide】, 【The Fairy Queen’s Emissary】, 【The Red-Maned Fairy】—Patrasche.”

“A f-fairy…?”

“Yes. ‘He came from the Eastern Forest and formed a contract with me,’ ‘He’s lived for over three hundred years,’ ‘His knowledge is exceptional.’ ‘And now he’s my subordinate.’ ‘There is not a single lie in these words.'”

I spoke exactly five statements without a single lie. Rudika listened to my words—and then, “Aha,” she laughed.

Rudika’s 6T presence-sensing skill can tell whether the person she’s focused on is lying.

In other words—from those five statements I just made, Rudika couldn’t find a single lie.

“A fairy…? Really?”

“Patrasche—flame.”

At my command, Patrasche’s mane glowed red, and a flame the size of a finger flickered.

“Wow, wow… A real fire fairy?”

“I didn’t lie.”

I really didn’t lie.

Unlike Nephti’s level of seeing something wondrous, Rudika’s reaction was intense.

“I see! So you contracted with a fairy who’s lived three hundred years and gained that knowledge! Wolfram! Amazing!”

Saying that, Rudika laughed heartily, clutching her belly and even wiping away tears.

“Tch. Don’t suspect people carelessly. I would have told you anyway.”

“…Yeah. I’m sorry. Rudika sincerely apologizes. This Rudika Hassan Shadow—to atone for the sin of doubting a friend—will accept one request from you.”

Saying that, Rudika extended her hand to me.

“Forget the request. Just do me one small favor later.”

“Not difficult. Because we’re friends.”

“…Ahem. Then let’s begin the strategy meeting. The boss that appears is as follows.”

As the strategy meeting progressed, the expressions of the two gradually hardened.

“…According to Senior Wolfram’s knowledge, the two of us definitely need to go together.”

“But isn’t this a strategy where one person is guaranteed to be in danger? Still—there’s no other way.”

“Yes. And the most dangerous part is…”

The two looked at me intently.

Yes—in this strategy, if anyone becomes the most dangerous, it’ll probably be me.

“Let’s scrap the plan. Sell the treasure map and forget about it.”

“That might be a good idea. Senior Wolfram getting hurt is a bit…”

No—what are you saying?

The items you get from there are amazing.

I’ve already ordered the materials and I need to pay for them.

“I’ll be fine.”

“Wolfram?”

“I have the protection of nature with me, don’t I?”

“Ah—you don’t mean…”

“That’s right.”

“Yes. If things get dangerous, Patrasche over there will take the attacks instead.”

The three of us quietly looked at Patrasche. Caught off guard by the sudden attention, Patrasche froze mid-yawn.

Then—hesitating—he raised a front paw and pointed at himself.

“Shield?”

“Shield.”

“…Me?”

Yes.

You.