Chapter 12

What Will You Do Without Me?

‘Why does this chill run down my spine?’

There’s no status ailment, but my shoulders feel heavy. Should I get some herbal medicine or something?

“Yo! Loser Monkey!”

“Good morning, Ms. Claretta.”

How long is she going to keep calling me “Monkey”? Sure, I’m not the most handsome guy around, but I’m no monkey. Monkeys have smushed-up features, you know.

“Monkey, you don’t look so good.”

“Seems I didn’t sleep well.”

“That won’t do! We’ve got field training today, Monkey.”

Yeah, I know. That’s why I’m a bit on edge—not because of me, though.

“Don’t worry, I’ll cover for you.”

How about you worry about yourself? Today could very well be Claretta’s memorial day. 
This is my first time seeing the effects of an “Aggro” artifact. Sure, Claretta has potential, but at the end of the day, she’s still an early-stage character.

‘…She won’t actually die, right?’

That’s what I’m here to prevent, after all.

“Huh?”

A familiar face entered the classroom. Scratch that—it’s more like a familiar mess walked in.

“Wow, did she not sleep either? Total disaster.”

Claretta’s observation isn’t an exaggeration. Even on a normal day, Laura Freeze looks ghostly pale, like she’s barely alive. Now, with those sunken, dark circles under her eyes? She’s a walking corpse.

‘Wait, what?’

A cadet walked past Laura Freeze and headed straight for me.

“Hey, I think Laura Freeze is looking for you.”

“Me?”

“Yeah, she keeps calling for you.”

A quick glance revealed Laura Freeze mouthing something over and over. Not to me, I hope. Maybe she’s summoning some god of the underworld?

“Monkey, weren’t you close with that psycho?”

“We’re not close.”

“Really? You’re always hanging around where she is.”

“Pure coincidence.”

It’s just how things work—incidents always happen around the protagonist. That’s the way it should be; otherwise, things get messy. Someone needs to take the heat in my place.

“Hey, that psycho’s glaring at you… Is she actually a monster?”

“Haha…”

The saying goes, “Someone can kill with just a look.” For the first time, I wholeheartedly agree. 

What does she expect me to do? It’s her own fault.

“Ms. Laura. Do you need something from me…?”

“……”

Without a word, she walked past me to the back of the classroom. Somehow, that was even scarier. If this were a horror story, I’d be doomed to a bad ending for sure.

“Attention! Today’s training is off-site. Make sure your cadet-grade equipment is in order!”

Off-site training—

During the lower-level sessions, we used an illusory space created with a “Curtain” spell. 

Like a simulation arena in a video game. But this time, the training would take place in an untamed, natural environment, untouched by artificial methods.

If the previous sessions built our foundational skills, this was our chance to put them into practice.

“Form groups of four.”

There are 24 people in the class, so that’s six teams. However, my group is short on members.
“Cowards. Not that I need weaklings anyway.”

“……”

I looked around at the members gathered in my group. Not that there was much to look at—it was just Claretta and me. Damn it. No one else was coming. Meanwhile, Laura Freeze was the star of the class. Probably because of the “skills” she demonstrated during her sparring match with Claretta. Everyone wanted her on their team, while they actively avoided Claretta’s wild energy.

“Would you consider joining our group?”

“Can you save me?”

“What?”

“Save me.”

Nope. This conversation isn’t going anywhere. Everyone’s avoiding Claretta. 

I had a vague suspicion this would happen, but it’s worse than I thought.

“Let’s just go as a duo, Monkey.”

Oh, so now she’s shortening “Monkey”? I swear, I want to punch her so badly right now.

“That’s not possible. All training sessions are graded. If we don’t form a proper group, we’ll get penalized.”

“So what if we lose a few points?”

Expulsion, you idiot.

Instructor Geoffrey is as harsh with penalties as his oversized muscles suggest. Not out of malice—he just has no sense of proportion. The bigger the number, the better, in his mind.

“You absolutely must form a team.”

“Fine. Then anyone’s okay, right?”

“Anyone is fine.”

Claretta Barriette, looking triumphant, patted her chest loudly before striding off somewhere. I wondered where she was going, only to realize the answer when she returned with her “recruits.”

“Monkey, I brought us teammates. A clean two-man team.”

“Incredible.”

“Right? I’ve got some flair.”

Incredible indeed. She brought back Instructor Geoffrey and the assistant instructor.
This is a disaster.

“Yuto… Claretta Barriette… What kind of joke is this?”

“I’m sorry.”

Why am I apologizing? Damn it.

“I see what’s going on. Don’t worry. Cadets are trained for real-world combat. Unexpected formations are common on the battlefield. This isn’t your fault.”

He’s right. But please, just help us find actual teammates.

“Still, it’s strange. There should be enough people left over… Why are we missing members?”

I pointed to the corner of the classroom, where two cadets were busily filling out “early leave” forms.

“……They must really hate this.”

Can’t blame them. I completely understand how they feel. But what choice do we have?

Don’t worry—I’ll make it work somehow. Thanks to Geoffrey’s “assertiveness,” we managed to secure two more teammates. The male-female pair bowed their heads in defeat, their hands pressed together in silent prayer. Feeling a bit sorry for them, I decided to keep an eye on them.

“All right, is everyone here? Let’s move out!”

Unaware of the situation’s gravity, Claretta Barriette shouted enthusiastically, marking the start of our march toward the field training.

Upon arrival at our destination, I gathered the team for a quick equipment check. The training site was in the western forest of the Empire’s third sector. The Vitras Empire is divided into five sectors, but explaining all that would take too long, so let’s skip it.

Anyway, somewhere in this vast forest, six teams were scattered. The goal of this exercise? 

Collect three monster trophies per team.

“Let’s get this over with. It’s just trolls, anyway.”

Thud!

Claretta slammed her shield down confidently. The Troll Forest, as the name suggests, is full of trolls. They range in level, but near the forest’s entrance, all you’ll find are low-tier trolls. While Claretta’s dismissive attitude was understandable, she was overlooking a critical fact.

“Claretta, you shouldn’t let your guard down.”

“Yessir, yessir.”

I meant it.

The instructors’ control only extended to the forest’s entrance. Beyond that boundary, we’d run into the higher-tier trolls—massive, ogre-like monsters far beyond a cadet’s ability to handle. I knew. While the other teams would be busy hunting low-level trolls, our team was going to end up facing those things.

Grrrnnng…

“Huh? What’s that noise?”

“...Doesn’t it sound like something’s coming?”

Claretta and the two other teammates gripped their weapons tightly.

“What are those things…?”

From every direction, the sound of footsteps grew louder:

Thud. Thud. Boom. Boom.

Ssss! Ssss!

Then, they appeared—creatures emerging from the bushes.

Low-tier trolls, hunter trolls, high-tier trolls, and even a troll leader. The last one wasn’t even a troll anymore—it was a monster that had long surpassed the category.

“Humans! Kill them!” Ssshhk!

It had begun.

“What the hell? This is the forest entrance! Why are they all here?!”

Why? It’s because of you.

This is the price of underestimating the curse of “Aggro.” Like it or not, it was time for them to realize it.

“Everyone, hide behind me! Hey, Freckles, you’re a caster, right? Start preparing an area spell!”

“An-area spell?! I can’t do that!”

Like a B-class cadet could manage that. Even if by some miracle she succeeded in casting an area spell, her mana reserves would be too low to deal any significant damage. In other words, the moment we encountered these monsters, their deaths were already written in stone.

Whoosh!

Clang!

Claretta’s large shield shattered under the force of a hunter troll’s thrown spear. A predictable result, given the limitations of cadet-grade equipment and her lack of refined skill.

Whoosh.

Thud!

“Sh—! …Damn.”

A high orc’s fist sent Claretta’s small frame flying like a crumpled piece of paper. She slammed into a tree and collapsed to the ground, twitching intermittently—likely from the sheer pain causing her body to convulse.

“P-please… save me…”

One of our teammates fell to their knees, staring in horror at the pool of blood spreading around Claretta. No doubt they saw their own death in that crimson reflection.

“Ssss! Humans taste good. I’ll chew you down to the bones. Ssss!”

The freckled cadet let out a scream as the troll leader’s massive arm grabbed her leg, lifting her off the ground.

“Ahhh! Let me go! Somebody, please save me!”

Even while dangling upside down, she managed to scream at the top of her lungs. Her uniform skirt flipped upward, revealing damp underwear. Liquid trickled down her pale stomach, dripping onto the ground. Whether it was tears or urine didn’t matter; the ground was wetting with her despair.

As the scene unfolded, I silently drew my sword.

Shink.

“Dante, I’ll need you to treat Claretta.”

“W-what? Huh?”

Dante gaped, his lips quivering as if unable to distinguish whether this was reality or a nightmare. I placed a firm hand on his shoulder. He was a minor character, but I knew he had some basic healing abilities.

“Just focus on healing her. I’ll handle the rest.”

“You? You’re going to handle this?”

No answer was needed. I’d prove it.

“Stop… it… M-Monkey… you’re… going to die…”

She’s persistent, even when she’s on the brink of death. Still calling me “Monkey.” I gave her a small wave with my sword, as if to reassure her.

“Don’t worry. We’re all going to survive.”

Because I’m here.

These small fries aren’t even close to being dangerous. To me, their movements were as sluggish as turtles, while mine were far beyond anything they could track.

Slash!

“Graaagh! My arm━━!”

I severed the troll leader’s arm first, freeing the freckled cadet. Carrying her, I moved her to where Claretta and Dante were. The trolls couldn’t even keep up with my movements; they barely registered what was happening, blinking in confusion as they struggled to locate me.

“Ssss… Human… I’ll get you!”

Go ahead. That’s your role—to charge forward even after understanding the gap between us.
But hold on a little longer. I’m waiting for something, too.

Ah, there it is.

[’Claretta Barriette’s obsession grows stronger.]

...

[Experience points have increased significantly.]

...
Ah, delicious.

Even that cocky little brat must understand by now—she can’t live without me.

Until she learns to tame the curse of Aggro, she’s stuck like this.

She’s become someone who can’t survive without me.

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