Trails with Cuddle-Cuddle Osbon
Translator: Tsukii
Editor: Helen
Read at Watashi wa Sugoi Desu!
Author Note:
This chapter begins in the afternoon and ends in the evening.
Thank you for the typo reports as always.
Chapter 048 – Fufufu, son. It’s the June Field Study⑥
The afternoon task was procuring wood.
Group B headed to an area with greenery and after they looked around, gloomy at the thought of their work ahead, the wood procurement went more smoothly than expected.
While it was only a faint difference, by using the power of ogre in his eyes through spiritual sight, Rean was able to tell which trees were affected by salt and which were not.
The affected trees were surrounded by a whitish aura, while unaffected trees appeared to be normal.
The annoying thing was that some wood that appeared normal had salt corrosion inside, but Rean had no problem identifying them just by looking.
Group B was skeptical at first, but after Sara, who was aware of Rean’s keen eye for quality and the fact she knew the sensation of dead wood, checked it herself and stood out for Rean, they were convinced.
So Sara’s blade and Fie’s twin gunswords cut down the trees, while Elliot and Machias would secure them in place with the ropes they had brought.
Since Loa Valimar was able to defeat the surrounding monsters by itself, the work progressed smoothly without anyone left idle.
Loa Valimar would then carry several logs in a bundle, and by repeating this process, the task was soon completed.
“Things are going so well that the threat of being sent back forcefully seems like a lie.”
“You’re just too anomalous in so many ways……”
“It’s nothing bad anyway, is it something to be concerned(ki) about? It’s tree(ki) after all.”
Sara sighed softly at Fie’s joke. She didn’t seem to have the energy to retort.
Elliot’s motivation had been restored after his conversation with Valerie earlier, and he was already returning to his task, working up sweat.
Although his task was easier than cutting down trees, fixing multiple logs together was still hard work.
“If it was bound by human power in the first place, won’t it come undone in the middle?”
“Then should I bind it to Loa Valimar?”
“Then it will be too hard to untangle.”
“I guess so. But Instructor, is it really okay to cut down North Ambria’s resources so easily?”
“……It’s a measure for survival, after all. There are many people who cannot use orbal machines properly, so it’s a necessary measure. Mira is converted into food when it’s earned, so it’s essential to prepare firewood before winter to stay warm.”
“It’s still June, though……”
“Change that to ‘it’s already June’. Time flies when you’re preparing everything.”
Sara’s words revealed the unique way of life in North Ambria to Rean and the others, who do not really understand.
With their doubts resolved, Rean and the others delivered the wood to their client.
By delivering more wood than what the Northern Jaegers usually harvested, they were thanked so profusely that they thought it was an exaggeration.
“It’s really helpful…… this will hopefully decrease the number of people who freeze to death this year.”
“……!”
Machias was left speechless by those words.
Elliot also had his eyes wide open, while Fie lowered her eyes as if saying how it stood through reason.
“After the Orbal Revolution, the energy problem may have been almost completely resolved thanks to Septium, but even starting a bonfire in North Ambria is a struggle……”
“Why not use Tactical Orbment……”
“Machias, we might take it for granted that we have these, but it’s still a valuable item, you know?”
“Uh, now that you mention it……”
The client smiled wryly at the exchange between Rean and the others.
The client seemed to notice that they were foreigners, but they didn’t ask anything or show any prejudice.
The wood procurement may just be one of their lifelines.
“No, we’re glad that we could help. Then, please excuse——”
“Are they here? The one who brought so much wood——”
Just as Sara finished her business and was about to leave,
A group of men in purple armor and helmets arrived.
Naturally, their eyes turned to Rean and the others —— and then their eyes were fixed on Sara.
“Sara Valestein……?!”
“Gh.”
“Instructor ……?”
The men —— the Northern Jaegers looked back and forth between Sara and Rean and the others, before their gaze stopped at Fie.
“Even Sylphid (fairy) is here…… what on earth is going on?”
“Sylphid……?”
“If I recall correctly, that is Fie’s nickname from her time as jaeger.”
“Yes. It seems her face was revealed.”
Fie buried her face in her scarf and looked at Sara as if to ask, “What are you going to do?”
Rean uttered the following words in a natural manner.
“Instructor, are you by any chance acquainted with the Northern Jaeger?”
“Acquainted or anything, that woman is——”
“Okay, okay, okay, it’s against the rules to talk about a lady’s past without permission, you know? ……Sorry, we didn’t mean to get in the way, so please excuse us.”
“Wait, Sara!”
“…………What?”
“Thanks for accepting the request. That’s all I have to say.”
“I see. Well then, I’ll accept your gratitude.”
Sara waved her hand and started walking.
Group B hurriedly chased after her.
Meanwhile, Rean was stopped by one of the Northern Jaegers.
“By the way, you, boy in red, what’s your name?”
“Me? I’m Rean Schwarzer.”
“I see. Thanks to you, we were able to secure a lot more wood than we would have otherwise. Let me also express my gratitude. Thank you……”
“No, I’m glad it helped. Excuse me then.”
Rean bowed in response and Group B returned to Sara’s house around the evening.
Once again, the work of securing ingredients for dinner was divided up, and this time, Rean entrusted the fishing spot to Fie, who was excited to catch some, while Rean himself was in charge of procuring ingredients from the monsters they caught under Sara’s surveillance.
That said, Rean wasn’t allowed to move around on his own today, so he just stood back and waved his flag and cheered on for Sara.
Rean could use Brave Order itself without the use of flags, but it was just a matter of his mood.
Thanks to this, Sara was able to hunt monsters more efficiently than usual, which gave her an indescribable feeling over that, and she also managed to secure enough ingredients for dinner.
In the meantime, Rean discovered an abandoned drum barrel.
It was a little dirty, but it still looked usable, so at that moment as Rean thought about how it would be a waste to throw it away, something came to his mind.
“Instructor, may I tell you something for a moment?”
“What’s wrong?”
“Well, actually——”
After hearing Rean’s suggestion, Sara relaxed her lips and pointed firmly at the drum barrel.
“If that’s the case, there’s no problem. Feel free to take it.”
“Roger that.”
Rean used his power of ogre to drag the drum barrel.
It was possible to carry it without using the power of ogre, but considering the strain on his body, it was lighter to carry it this way.
When he offered to carry Instructor Sara as well, Sara lightly flicked Rean on the forehead and told him not to get too carried away.
But seeing how she didn’t stop him from carrying the drum barrel, it seemed Sara also looked forward to what Rean was about to do.
As they were about to head back to Sara’s house, she suddenly muttered something.
“Aren’t you going to ask? About my past, that is.”
“It’s unfair for me to be the only one to ask. If you don’t plan on telling us at dinner later, I was planning to ask about it after discussing with everyone, before going to bed.”
“I see. If you can now discuss things properly with others, then that means you’ve grown up.”
“That sounds like I have never consulted with anyone before taking action?”
“Am I wrong?”
“You’re wrong. I have consulted others on my actions properly before doing them.”
“That’s definitely a lie.”
“I’m serious.”
[“Fufufu, you’ve certainly grown, compared to April.”]
{“Umu. The fact both Rean and I could still grow is a happy thing.”}
They returned as they exchanged jokes and chatted, and with Fie successfully catching a fish, the members of Group B started preparing dinner. Toval asked them to eat first, so they made sure to leave his portion.
Originally, Rean wanted to catch another one for Celine as well, but unfortunately, Fie only caught one, so it was decided to be shared together within the group.
It was amusing to see Celine so obviously disappointed.
After finishing a meal that was considered extremely lavish by North Ambria’s standards, but perhaps a little disappointing for the people from the Empire, all eyes were on Sara.
Sara wasn’t so stupid that she couldn’t understand what that meant.
She took a deep breath and gulped down her remaining liquor.
“Well, I didn’t intend to hide it anyway, so I’ll tell you…… you see, I was originally a member of Northern Jaeger.”
“Instructor was a jaeger?!”
Machias exclaimed in surprise at Sara’s confession.
Smiling wryly at her student, Sara continued.
“Former, that is. From there, I became a bracer…… I guess that’s also in the past. Anyway, now I’m your instructor.”
“I’m surprised that you were a bracer, but why did you become a Northern Jaeger……?”
“Elliot, Instructor’s hometown is in North Ambria. And Northern Jaeger is earning mira in order to save their homeland…… I don’t think there’s anything strange about a local joining Northern Jaeger.”
“It’s as Rean said. I was an orphan due to the Salt Pale incident. Then, my father……one of the leaders of Northern Jaegers, Colonel Valestein of the Former North Ambria Principality Army, picked me up and raised me there.
From there, Sara’s past was revealed.
Sara became a jaeger at the age of thirteen and was made a unit commander at the age of eighteen. However, during a major battle between a large corporation and a nobleman on behalf of a certain client, Sara’s decision caused a predicament, which she soon almost found herself lost in but was saved by her father…… and as a result, her father died.
Before she knew it, she was picked up by the Imperial Army who had come to investigate the progress of the battle, and was saved by Beatrix, who was the academy’s current infirmary doctor.
“I returned to my hometown without even expressing gratitude. Everyone in the town welcomed me warmly. In hindsight, the Northern Jaeger who won the proxy war was given a large amount of mira. Thanks to that, nobody starved to death that year…… as soon as I heard that, I didn’t understand what I was doing.”
After much deliberation, Sara decided to change her profession to a bracer in order to earn mira without any bloodshed, and after many twists and turns, she became an instructor at Thors Military Academy.
After hearing about their instructor’s horrific past, the students all had some thoughts in their heart.
“Well, don’t worry about it too much. The past can’t be changed, so just remember that something like this has happened. Well then, Rean, take care of that thing.”
“Ah, yes.”
“That thing?”
“Just wait, I’m sure everyone will be happy.”
With that, Rean headed outside.
The look of anxiety in the eyes of the other three excluding Sara, revealed their trust in Rean.
“I can understand your feelings, but there’s no need to worry. I know what Rean is trying to do, after all.”
“What on earth is that?”
“Fufu, that’s something you will look forward to. Well then, you guys should go write your reports until then. I’m going to take a nap.”
“Wai, how can you sleep right aft—— She’s already asleep.”
“She still falls asleep as easily as ever……”
“That’s pretty much an essential skill as a jaeger.”
“I don’t know if I should feel envious about it or not, considering how she came to have it……”
“——For the time being, I’ll go help Rean.”
“Fie?”
“I just feel that a word of gratitude is not enough to express my thanks to him for letting me meet the Commander. I have to repay him, even if it’s just a little.”
With that said, Fie left.
Seeing her leave, Elliot stood up to follow her.
“Elliot, you too?”
“Yes. When I was feeling depressed today, it was Rean who helped me out. He might claim how it was all thanks to Valerie, but I think it was all thanks to Rean.”
“Muu, if that’s the case, I’ll go with you as well.”
“Is that okay? I thought you had something to talk about with Instructor Sara. I’m sure she’ll wake up if you talk to her, you know?”
“……I feel like I want to clear my mind first.”
“I see. Then let’s go outside.”
In the end, the entire Group B followed Rean outside, where they found him polishing a large drum barrel that had been placed on its side.
While the other two stared blankly at it, Fie crawled out of the drum barrel.
She was holding a scrubbing brush in her hand and appeared to be cleaning the inside of the barrel.
“What on earth are you doing?”
“Hey, you could have just waited.”
“It looks like a drum barrel, right? And it’s quite large……”
“Heheh, I found this while hunting monsters. If we fill it with water and boil that water, it becomes a type of bathtub called a Goemon bath, in Ymir.”
“It’s like going inside a pot.”
“That sounds like we’re going to become ingredients for soup…… I see, we did only wipe our body with a towel dampened with hot water yesterday, rather than taking a bath, after all.”
“I realized that having a bath where I could stretch my legs is a luxury……”
“Let’s leave aside that we have to stretch our legs vertically instead of horizontally in this one.”
“But will you use valuable wood for firewood?”
“No, I have some myself, so it’s okay. I once adapted to a lifestyle for survival back in Sutherland Province, you see. Since then, I’ve always had the materials for making fire ready.”
“What on earth are you doing……?”
It was on the first day of school when a teleportation accident occurred due to a combined attack by Emma and Celine. It was an incident that later led to the discovery of the monster breeding facility.
Rean was sent to Sutherland with only the clothes on his back, and there he had an encounter.
It was a younger boy with excellent survival skills and was characterized by his white eyes.
He was a boy who laughed with fuhaha, had a unique hobby of eating insects, grass, and other peculiar dishes, but let’s leave that aside for now. 1
In any case, after meeting the boy, Rean learned some basic survival techniques from him, and began storing various items in his item stockpile via Osbon.
“ ’You like things like this too, Rean-san!’ said the boy who……”
“Rean, your topic has derailed.”
“Oops, sorry. But anyway, you can rest assured about the fire source. I had already thought of shooting Fire Arts right after pouring the water, but then I thought about how it’s more interesting to heat it up with fire.”
“Either way, it’s a luxurious bathtub in North Ambria.”
“Now that we understand what Rean is trying to do…… is there anything we can help with?”
“Let’s see, in that case, please cut some firewood for me.”
With that said, Rean took out some firewood and an axe from the items he received from Osbon.
Looking at the same nonsensical scene as always, Machias dazed off into the distance.
“That, or you can clean up that drum barrel…… which one would you like?”
“Rean is still recovering, so I’ll do my best here.”
“Then I’ll help you with that as well. Let me organize the cut firewood.”
“Machias, you just chose the easier task.”
“That’s not my intention!”
Laughing at Fie teasing Machias, Group B worked together to create the Goemon bathtub.
Because it was dangerous to stand over an open fire, they decided to use some dead wood they had brought with them to make a lid.
Even though its nature of not being able to burn a bonfire could be taken as an advantage depending on how one used it.
Soon the Goemon bathtub was completed and the temperature of the water in it was adjusted.
“Okay, it’s done!”
“I’m tired……”
“I really feel the benefit of using a conductor to automatically boil the water now……”
“Rean, can I go in first?”
“I don’t mind. I thought the ladies should go first anyway. If Fie didn’t want to, I was thinking of waking up Instructor Sara. Oh, while you’re at it, please let Celine in too.”
“Hm.”
Partitions for changing clothes have already been installed, so there was no need to worry if someone came in from outside.
Machias pointed out that it was inappropriate for a woman to change clothes and take a bath out in the open, which was a perfectly reasonable point, but Fie didn’t seem to care.
Rean handed Celine over to Fie and asked her to help clean the cat. Celine looked like she felt bothered by that, but she didn’t mind getting her body cleaned, so she let herself be held in Fie’s arms.
Meanwhile, the three guys decided to write their reports and return to Sara’s house.
As they were writing their report, the door to the house suddenly opened.
The three of them looked in that direction—— then immediately looked away into the distance.
Because it was Fie standing there, wearing her bathing suit.
“Fie-kun! A girl entering a room with men inside while dressed like that is——”
“It’s an emergency.”
“E-Emergency?”
Saying that, Fie thrust out something she was holding in one hand.
In her little hands, another Rean was grabbed by the scruff of the neck.
“Isn’t that my clone?”
“I sensed a presence and went looking for it, and there it was.”
“I guess it caught presence detection because it gained substance. This needs to be improved.”
“I saw it during practice, and I was surprised at myself who wasn’t surprised by it……”
“It seems we’ve gotten used to it…… I’ve grown to understand Emma’s feelings.”
Ignoring the two who were saying something, the clone was absorbed back to Rean’s main body.
The Craft that created clones influenced by Loa Valimar’s Piece of Power allowed Rean to instantly acquire information obtained by the autonomous clone.
And as his clone absorbed back, Rean acquired new information.
“This is…… it seems like the clone found a strange place. The other clones are disappearing or something……”
“Since something so solid has disappeared, maybe it was under attack?”
“That possibility is high. Could it be Rutger-san……?”
“Commander?”
“I’m not sure. What I do know is that the clones were attacked and have disappeared. It’s late at night, so I’d like to search around again tomorrow, but……”
“It depends on our tasks, I guess.”
“It’s the last day, after all. We may have some time, but let’s wake up Instructor Sara and discuss it with her first.”
The four nodded, and Rean tried to tell Fie to either get changed or return to the bath, but Fie soon pursued matters to him first.
“By the way, if the information that the clone saw is passed to Rean, it means Rean indirectly peeked at me while I was taking a bath, right?”
“…………………………”
Rean wanted to make an excuse.
When the clone returned to report, it found an unfamiliar cloth and when it looked inside, it found Fie taking a bath, and the clone, which acted autonomously, didn’t notice that.
Rean decided that from now on, he would have to make modifications to his clones so that the information from the main body could be constantly sent to the clones as well.
But Fie didn’t allow this to slip.
“So, how is it?”
“I’m so sorryyyyyyyyyy!”
After that, Rean groveled a lot.
Author Note:
By the way, the starry sky event with Alisa, who was in Nord, ended up with everyone chasing after her instead of one person (Rean) to see what was going on.
In this fanfic, I would like to deepen the friendship between Class VII more than the game version.
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