Unexpected Early Exit

After moving so vigorously, Ensi once again put his pipe to his lips. Secretly, he repeatedly clenched and unclenched his numbing hands.

Because Ensi had refilled the pipe and smoked twice in a very short span, Agniell—who had been watching him closely out of concern—did not miss the gesture. Agniell reflexively reached out his arm, only to realize his action and pull back, clenching his fist.

“Are you in a bad state?”

“Ah—no need to worry. I’m fine now.”

Realizing anew that Agniell was right there with him, Ensi pulled the pipe away. Smoking Sun-grass had been a habit for so long that he had forgotten to maintain his composure. He usually took care not to bother others, but perhaps because he was with Agniell, his guard had lowered significantly.

Ensi discarded the nearly burnt-out herbs on the ground and stomped out the remaining embers. Putting the pipe back in his robe, he offered a faint smile to Agniell, who was looking at him with worried eyes.

Worry, pity, sympathy.

Ensi didn’t particularly like eyes that held those emotions. To change the subject, he reached out and plucked a fruit hanging from a nearby tree. It was a blatant attempt to distract him. Whether Agniell noticed the intent or was simply curious about the sudden action, he spoke first.

“Is that fruit edible?”

“Yes. If it’s well-ripened.”

Because of a mild toxicity, eating it before it was fully ripe could cause a stomachache or a fever. However, once ripe, the toxin vanished completely, leaving only a sweet taste. Despite the sweetness, it had a clean, moderately refreshing aftertaste, making it a fruit Ensi sought out often. After rolling the fruit in his hand to check it thoroughly, Ensi saw the stem was still green and clicked his tongue.

“It seems it’s underripe.”

“I should have checked before picking it. A waste.”

He swallowed his disappointment and tossed the fruit into the thicket. There was no reason to carry something he couldn’t eat.

“By the way, was the valley always this far?”

Or had they come further than he thought? It felt like they had been walking for a long time, yet he couldn’t hear the sound of water.

“If you are thirsty, would you like to use my canteen?”

“It’s not that. It’s just that time seems tighter than I expected. At this rate, it will be hard to find that campsite—if it even exists.”

He had miscalculated the time. While they had been walking leisurely, the sun was setting faster than anticipated. They could move after dark if they had to, but night inevitably made them vulnerable to ambushes. Not that he was worried about the skill level of the remaining students, but he disliked walking through unknown threats in the dark.

“We should give up on the place in the valley. Expecting to find a campsite that can ward off rain in an exam like this is probably being greedy.”

“I don’t mind either way. Are you alright with that?”

“It can’t be helped. We should secure water first and then move.”

He thought it would be fine since summer was approaching. He could only blame himself for being unskilled at these calculations; living with someone who always advised him had led to frequent elementary mistakes.

“You don’t need to worry about that. I saw a decent spot on the way to the valley earlier. It won’t shield us from rain, but it’s not bad for staying the night.”

Having reached a conclusion, the two moved quickly. Though “quickly” really just meant increasing their walking pace slightly. Ensi glanced at Agniell, who looked excessively fine considering he had been fighting continuously before they met and had clashed with a group afterward.

Truly, the difference in physical stamina was striking. Even though they had done nothing special but walk, Ensi’s legs were starting to feel heavy. Is sword mastery and endurance really separate things? Ensi let his mind wander as he busily followed Agniell.

“Is it difficult?”

“Pardon?”

Ensi’s eyes widened at the blunt question thrown without warning.

“It might be better to settle down and start a fire first. Since we can’t use the artifacts’ help for that.”

“But the water first—”

“I can handle that.”

Agniell naturally reached out and took the canteen hanging from Ensi’s waist. The distance between them closed so suddenly that Ensi’s shoulders flinched. He almost dodged.

“The place I found is nearby, so let’s gather some dry branches as we go.”

Agniell looked around to scout the path while carefully supporting Ensi’s back. His touch was hesitant—as if he would immediately retreat if Ensi pulled away. That very point bothered Ensi, so he forgot about wanting to dodge and actually leaned his upper body back slightly.

As the awkward gap vanished and Agniell’s palm touched Ensi’s back, Agniell looked at him.

“I suppose freshly snapped branches won’t work?”

“Yeah… they won’t.”

Seeing that Ensi didn’t seem to mind the hand on his back at all, Agniell turned his head back toward the front. In this manner, the two reached the campsite while collecting materials for the fire.

Every time they bent to pick up a branch, the distance between them grew, but only for a moment. By the time they took their next step, Agniell was right there supporting his back again as if they had never moved apart.

While Agniell headed to the valley with the canteen, Ensi neatly started the fire. Listening to the crackling of the bonfire, he leaned his back against a tree trunk.

How did he know? He thought he hadn’t made it obvious, but apparently, he was wrong. Thinking back, Agniell seemed to realize things Ensi thought he had hidden well with ease.

No, is it just today?

He slowly retraced the past and pulled out his pipe. Filling it with leaves and putting the mouthpiece to his lips, Ensi’s eyes wandered. Perhaps giving him the hairpin was part of that too. While he often found his long hair inconvenient, Ensi had never said it out loud.

Or maybe I’m just interpreting it the way I want to. A case of ‘better the interpretation than the dream’?

As Ensi inhaled deeply, the embers caught on the herbs. Inhaling again, the hot smoke traveled through the stem.

“……I don’t know.”

“Don’t know what?”

“Ah.”

Before he knew it, Agniell had returned and caught the words Ensi had exhaled with the smoke. Ensi shut his mouth with a small groan. A troubled smile lingered on Ensi’s lips. Agniell looked at him intently but didn’t pry further, simply handing over the canteen filled with water.

“Thank you.”

Agniell gave a light nod as Ensi took the canteen and sat down across from him. Keeping his eyes fixed on the bonfire, Ensi chewed on the mouthpiece of his pipe. Now that they were settled at the campsite, the reality of spending the night with Agniell finally sank in.

Actually, they had spent many nights together during the practical training, so it wasn’t a new occurrence—but perhaps because Ensi’s heart had changed a bit, it felt different.

“—Hm?”

While Ensi was deep in thought about how to pass the night, an unpleasant sensation suddenly surged. He recognized the violent, inconsiderate fluctuation of mana. It was something he had experienced only half a day ago; there was no way he could forget it.

This was Teleportation.

But why had it started so suddenly? The brooch on his chest hadn’t turned black yet. Nothing special had happened. Ensi was flustered by the abrupt transfer, but Agniell, sitting opposite him, remained composed.

“It seems only five people are left.”

“Did they say the exam ends when only five remain?”

Ensi tilted his head in confusion at a rule he hadn’t heard of, causing Agniell to pause.

“They did. Did you perhaps not hear it?”

“I must have missed it while thinking about something else.”

Is it a relief that I don’t have to sleep in the woods?

Replying with an embarrassed laugh, Ensi hid a strange sense of disappointment. As he closed his eyes to prepare for the dizziness, he heard a small voice whisper from in front of him.

“A shame.”

“Pardon?”

“I wanted to be with you a little longer.”

Ensi’s eyes snapped open in surprise at Agniell’s honest, unfiltered confession. He wanted to see the other’s face, but he was a second too late; by the time he opened his eyes, the teleportation was already over.

It was a teleportation that already felt violent. Having experienced it with his eyes wide open—though not intentionally—Ensi felt a wave of nausea as a reaction. The rejection response was worse than it had been at noon, making him stumble. Unable to find his balance, someone caught him from behind.

“Ugh—!”

Ensi let out a small groan and reflexively tried to shake off the hand, but relaxed as a familiar scent brushed his nose.

“Are you alright?”

The familiar voice reached his ears. It was the person he expected.

“……It seems we were teleported to the same place.”

“This is the assembly area from before we moved to the island. More importantly, are you dizzy?”

Ensi squeezed his eyes shut, took a deep breath, and barely managed to speak. Seeing him in a state clearly worse than before the transfer, Agniell tightened his hold on the arm supporting him.

“What’s wrong? Are you unwell?”

A teaching assistant who had been waiting to organize the situation noticed Ensi’s pale face and approached.

“It looks like you have a constitution that doesn’t handle teleportation well. Some people are like that. Do you want to sit on that chair for a moment?”

It wasn’t so much his constitution as it was the poor quality of the teleportation the Academy provided, but Ensi swallowed his words. Arguing about a method that wouldn’t change anyway was just a waste of energy.

“Can you move?”

As Ensi gave a small nod, Agniell carefully helped him walk.