Avoiding Death in an Otome Game

Chapter 51: Chapter - 51: Too Many Couples

*D@mn this couple! It was actually their fault that the group split!*

Kai thought in his mind, though he didn’t let it out in his expressions.

"Good to see that you all are also safe. Sorry for leaving you all behind before."

Kai said to Lucian as he didn’t even give them the time to reply when he suddenly declared that he was going forward without them.

"It’s fine, I would have done the same.... Only if I could." Lucian replied with a faint smile, though there was a trace of regret in his expression.

His eyes subconsciously drifted toward Hina, who was standing a short distance away. Hina happened to be looking at him at the exact same moment, but as soon as they made eye contact, both turned their head away.

*These two are still trying to act like the whole academy does not know that they are a couple?*

Kai thought in amusement over seeing the duo.

Technically, they were not officially allowed to announce their relationship yet. Lucian was a member of the royal family, and a relationship involving him would eventually require the approval of the royal household before it could become public.

But keeping it a secret inside the academy was becoming increasingly pointless. Their behavior around each other was not exactly subtle. Even the way they looked at each other was enough for most students to understand what was going on.

Kai decided not to comment on it. There were already enough troublesome things happening around him without becoming involved in someone else’s romance.

"Return to the academy’s temporary camp immediately. With all of you together, it should be safe."

Instructor Ben Said after looking at the group of probably the strongest students of the first year and after seeing what they had managed to accomplish against the earthworms, Ben apparently decided that escorting them personally was not necessary.

So he jumped in the air as a smaller version of the slab of magic barrier reappeared under his feet, letting him float away with it. Maybe he is going to look for if there are still some students remaining in the forest as he went in the direction opposite to the camp.

"What!? How can you leave, we got a royal family member among us!" Luna shouted towards the leaving figure of the instructor but it does not seem that her words have any effect as the figure of the instructor slowly disappeared in the distance.

Luna stood there with her mouth slightly open. "...Did he really just leave?"

"It seems so" Ray replied. "Apparently we’re trusted enough to survive on our own."

"That’s not reassuring!" Luna complained.

"It is fine Luna. There can’t be more than one of these things. Besides now we have more fighters." Elena told her as she herself has seemed to be calmed down after the battle.

"Wait! Guys look what I found!"

They suddenly heard Grusha’s voice who now hold a round shiny dark brown crystal in her blood stained hands. The crystal radiates a strong magic energy.

"Is that a magic core of that huge monster?!" Ray replied in a surprise tone.

Magic cores are rare treasures which every magic user whether a mage or a knight needs to grow their strength but not every monster produces a magic core, because of which there’s always a short supply of magic core in the market.

Actually Kai got one more magic core in my storage device which he retrieved from an armored spider he killed not long ago and some of them also got a magic core from all those killed monsters but all of them were just low level monsters so their cores were low ranked.

Meanwhile this magic core belongs this giant blackskin earthworm is one of the higher level than most available in the market.

"But who should take it? Although the instructor killed the monster, it was their fault that we were stuck in such a deadly situation." Luna asked the question, still displeased by the teachers.

"Mmm.... I think lord Kai, lady Elena and lady Hina deserve it the most, because without them we might have become those earthworm’s lunch. What do you say?"

Candice said as she looked at Grusha for answer because she is the one who dug it out of the corpse.

"I think you are right. We already owe them a favor, especially lord Kai who saved us from the monster at a critical moment."

Grusha replied after contemplating over it, while Luna and Lily also gave their agreement.

"Well, we have already absorbed our first magic core and even if we have not, this earth type magic core is incompatible with all of us." Kai replied, knowing that the core is not of much use to any of them.

"Then how about selling it and treating us all to a party" Ray said half jokingly.

"Good idea. What do you say Hina?" Elena said clapping her hand and asked Hina, to which Hina also nodded.

Of course the money they will get from selling such a high level core will be much more than they might need for a party.

"But for that, we should first get out of this forest quickly." Hina said nervously, still worried after seeing so many changes from the game event.

"...Can we sit down for five minutes?" Ian said with a tired look.

"No!" Lily, Candice and Grusha said almost simultaneously. Maybe the experience earlier was a little too much for them.

"If more of those worms appeared then who will protect us!?" Candice said, almost frustrated or maybe afraid that the earthworms will come after her for revenge.

"...Fair point. Let’s head back immediately" Kai said as he himself is inclined to leave the area and return to the safety zone.

Although everyone was exhausted, standing still inside a dangerous forest didn’t seem like a particularly intelligent decision.

*Fortunately no one was critically injured*

"Besides, what are you tired of? We were the one fighting the creature" Candice asked the boys who had just arrived not long ago.

"We were also being held back by groups of several monsters. And then there was also a Datura Snake which almost strangled Kevin."

Ian justified himself as he pointed at Kevin who was already sitting on the ground tired from the experience.

"....I should have not joined this team." Kevin muttered in regret as he felt pain on his left shoulder and arm which he was almost about to lose to that Datura Snake.

....

The return journey felt considerably slower than before, not because they didn’t know the way. But because nearly everyone had reached their limit.

Kai’s mana reserves had almost dried up and even his legs felt strangely heavy after repeatedly using Wind Steps and aerial movement.

Elena wasn’t in much better condition either as using the Wings of Nightmare so many times in a single battle had drained both her mana and stamina.

"Are you alright?" Kai asked Elena as they finally got the time to talk with each other.

They are in the furthest back of the group, walking side by side, like someone has deliberately arranged to let them have a chance to talk.

"Y-yes, I am fine...." Elena replied as it seems she has been thinking about something...which was making her smile.

"....Kai, thank you for coming." Elena said with a faint but genuinely happy smile.

Kai didn’t know what to say as he kept looking ahead and finally replied after some thought "It was a natural thing to do."

"You know what? I have seen plenty of romantic couples...." Candice walking ahead of the duo suddenly said with a grin.

"But watching lord Kai come flying across the forest just to save his fiancée..."

She clasped both hands together. "...might be the most romantic thing I’ve ever seen."

"..."

"..."

For a brief moment, the atmosphere of the group suddenly became silent with some of them glancing at Kai and Elena, making the duo feel a bit of embarrassment.

"I agree with your words and it kind of makes me jealous. I also want a caring fiance." Grusha said as she glanced around at the unusually high number of couples in the group.

Though only two are official, being in the same teams everyone knows who is with whom.

Ignoring the remarks of the two girls, Kai kept walking at an even pace when he suddenly felt a tugged on his sleeve. He looked at Elena but she didn’t say anything, just walked while holding onto his sleeve.

Kai also didn’t utter a word as they kept walking like that, ignoring the occasional glances from others.

.....

Meanwhile in a dark corner of the forest, a figure is sitting silently, completely unhindered by the poisonous bugs around it like them being all around it is completely natural.

"The talent is not bad, maybe the best so far...." The person picked up a small ladybug-like creature whose eyes were shining unnaturally different from the rest.

"Here’s just one problem." It fondled the small bug with its fingers "you are too attached to your loved one..... It needs to disappear."

The person smiles as they crushed the bug between their fingers, letting the blood stain the hand.

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