"Ugh..."
After a brief commotion, leadership in tracking the demonic beast had shifted from Camilla to me.
Trailing behind with a sullen look, Camilla trudged along, her usual confidence replaced by slumped shoulders and heavy steps—an unfamiliar sight from the proud "Camilla Vedice."
"She's kind of cute like that," Iris murmured beside me, glancing back with a hand over her mouth and a mischievous smile.
"She gets sulky when she loses. Very competitive."
"I didn't expect a next-in-line for the Holy Sword to sulk."
"It just means Dale's tracking skills are that impressive," Iris said, eyes sparkling. "How did you pinpoint its trail so quickly?"
I hesitated. The truth—years of relentless hunting in a former life—wasn't something I could explain.
"Just lucky, I guess."
"Hmm. Doesn't feel like luck."
She didn't press further, and we continued in silence until—
"There it is."
I crouched, parting the thick bushes.
Two meters tall, feline in form, but with a birdlike beak and a third, glowing red eye between the others—a three-eyed demonic beast. Early-stage mutation, still partially animal-like, but far more dangerous.
"Perfect for training," I murmured.
It squirmed irritably, clearly restrained and injured, likely part of the planned exercise.
Before I could act, Camilla stepped forward. "I'll go."
"Sure?" I asked. "Feline types are fast."
"Hmph. Don't worry. I'm not slow enough to let it escape."
Her confidence didn't feel like bravado. I nodded. "I'll cut off its escape. On your signal."
"Wait," Iris said, raising her hands in prayer. A gentle white light enveloped us. Warmth surged through my body, fatigue vanishing like smoke.
It had been so long since I'd felt her blessing—milder than before, yet still achingly familiar. My throat tightened.
"Dale? Something wrong?"
"...No. I'm fine."
I took position silently. Camilla waited for my cue, not rushing. That surprised me.
'So she can keep her emotions in check. Good.'
We waited.
The beast shifted, twitching irritably.
"Now."
At my signal, Camilla exploded forward, her form a blur.
Her kick landed square in the beast's gut with a sickening thud, sending black blood spewing.
The beast reeled but tried to flee.
"Not so fast."
Camilla struck its head with her sheathed sword. It crumpled.
"Well done, Camilla!" Iris beamed, hurrying over.
"Hmph. This was nothing."
"You were amazing!"
"I love you!"
"D-Don't say weird things!"
But Camilla was grinning from ear to ear.
"Isn't she adorable?" Iris whispered.
"You say that like she's a puppy."
...Actually, I'd been called a puppy before, too.
'Especially in bed—' Ahem.
I shook the thought away and scanned my Hero Watch over the restraints.
Beep.
[Capture by party: Iris, Camilla Vedice, Dale Han – confirmed.]
"Should we find the next one?"
We had time. In my past life, this hunt took cadets three days. If I wanted, I could wrap it up today—but...
"Thanks to you, Dale," Iris said, her smile radiant, "we caught it so quickly."
That smile stopped me cold.
Eyes clearer than the sky. A warmth I hadn't seen in years.
'Maybe... I shouldn't finish all of them today.'
Yeah. Wouldn't want to rob the other cadets of growth opportunities, right?
"By the way, if we don't find the others, do we have to camp out?"
"We do. They said training ends only after all three are caught."
Definitely not because I wanted to spend a night under the stars with my ex.
A few hours passed. No new trails. No demonic beasts.
The sky darkened.
"Looks like we're camping," I said, clicking my tongue. "A shame—I was hoping for a good night's rest."
"...You seem happy about this."
"What? Me?"
"Don't try anything funny," Camilla snapped.
I chuckled. "Trust me, once you're on this cold, rocky ground, romantic thoughts will be the last thing on your mind."
"Ugh…"
Camilla eyed the dirt with dread. This wasn't like previous training—this was real camping.
"The ground's rough, but I can ease the wind chill with my blessing," Iris said.
"Really? That works too?"
"Of course. I am a saint."
She puffed out her chest proudly. Her robes strained at the seams.
'Oh no. Focus, Dale.'
"You!" Camilla shouted. "Stop staring! Didn't I say—"
"It's strange… you didn't react that way when Camilla stretched earlier."
"I-I'm sorry!"
"Oh dear, I'm wounded," Iris sniffed dramatically.
Watching them bicker filled me with something I hadn't felt in a long time—peace.
Then—
Growl.
Iris's stomach betrayed her.
"Ahem… I didn't eat much breakfast," she said, blushing.
"I didn't bring food either," Camilla admitted.
"I did," I said, pulling out my supplies. "Enough for two."
"Oh…!"
Camilla squinted at the red packaging. "What's that?"
"Ramen."
"Ramen? That cheap stuff from the Republic? You're feeding that to the Saint?"
"She'll love it."
"She only eats food made by top chefs from the Holy Kingdom—"
"You're welcome to skip it."
"…I'll eat. Sorry."
I lit a small fire and cooked the ramen. The smell made them lean in.
"It's ready."
"Wow…"
"Smells... spicy."
They took the chopsticks. Iris slurped first.
"Hmmmm!!"
Eyes wide, feet kicking—exactly as I remembered.
"This is amazing! What is this?!"
"…It's actually not bad," Camilla admitted, quietly devouring hers.
Correction: It was better than I remembered.
The next morning.
Contrary to my worries, the makeshift bed of leaves and branches I cobbled together—drawing on old mercenary instincts—wasn't as miserable as expected. Iris's blessing helped too, casting a subtle warmth over us that dulled the chill of night.
Not comfortable, but bearable.
And compared to what the other cadets were probably enduring out there in the wild? Luxury.
Most of them were likely half-dead from fatigue by now. With no camping skills and no proper preparation, a single night in the wilderness would've been hell.
'Then again… maybe that's part of the lesson.'
Considering the speed and elusiveness of the demonic beasts they released, I doubted this exercise was just about tracking. Feline-type demonic beasts with multiple eyes were notoriously difficult to catch, leaving almost no trace behind.
'They must've planned for this to stretch over several days. That's why they never told us to prepare thoroughly.'
This was more than a tracking exercise. It was a survival test—food, shelter, stamina, and resolve all bundled together. A lesson to show us that simply following orders wouldn't be enough out there.
I stood up early, stretching, and instinctively scanned our surroundings. Morning dew clung to the underbrush. The birds had only just begun to sing. At my side, Iris slept soundly, her chest rising and falling in slow, even breaths.
I watched her for a moment longer than I should have.
'Iris…'
The memory of her delighted grin from last night flashed in my mind—legs kicking like a child's as she slurped up her first bite of ramen. It had been stupidly endearing.
Even if she had no memories of our past, even if the timeline had changed…
'She's still Iris.'
And somehow, knowing that… was enough to make me smile.
"...Why are you smiling so creepily?"
Camilla's voice broke through the morning haze.
I didn't bother looking her way. "What? I can't smile in peace now?"
"That kind of smile always means you're up to something."
"Stop your nonsense and wake up Iris. We've got work to do."
"Ugh…"
Camilla trudged over and gently shook Iris's shoulder.
"Saintess… time to get up… Hyaah?!"
"Mm… five more minutes…"
Still half-asleep, Iris reached out and pulled Camilla into a sleepy embrace, nuzzling her cheek against Camilla's chest.
"S-Saintess! Please don't—!"
"Mmm… what's this? It's so firm…"
"…Wake up already."
Slap!
Iris blinked awake just in time to feel the aftermath of Camilla's light smack on her back.
"Ow… Huh? Morning already?"
"You slept on a pile of leaves. Your back hurting isn't exactly a mystery," Camilla muttered.
"Oh, right. We camped out. That explains why my cheek felt so hard and flat earlier…"
Camilla twitched. "Hold it in… she's your lord…"
"If you're up, let's move. I found tracks this morning."
At that, both girls snapped to attention.
We'd rested enough. It was time to hunt.
After a quick rinse in the nearby stream, we followed the trail I had found—a pattern of broken twigs, a patch of disturbed earth, and faint claw marks near a tree trunk.
We walked for hours in silence.
Eventually, we spotted our quarry: a feline demonic beast drinking from the stream, its four glowing eyes casting eerie reflections on the water.
'Four eyes. One more than the last.'
No beak this time, but its sleek body and gleaming black fur were unmistakably similar to yesterday's beast. More agile, more dangerous.
'The fast one…'
Back in my original timeline, this four-eyed variant had eluded capture for nearly three days. We hadn't even been able to track it—let alone catch it.
Now, it stood right in front of me.
"…It has one more eye," Camilla murmured, her voice tense.
"Should I handle it this time?" I offered casually.
"Hmph. Whether it has three eyes or four, I'll still bring it down."
With that, Camilla surged forward.
I darted off to the side to cut off the beast's escape.
"Haa!"
Thud-thud-thud!
Camilla's boots pounded the dirt as she charged. The demonic beast looked up, startled, and instinctively turned to flee—only to find me blocking its path.
It hesitated for just a second.
Then it made its choice.
It lunged at Camilla.
The gleam in her eye was fierce. She raised her sword high.
The stigma on her chest glowed—white light flaring as she prepared to cleave straight through the beast's neck.
Beep-beep!
A sudden red warning screen blinked across her Hero Watch.
[Warning: Killing a training demonic beast will result in disqualification for bonus points.]
"Ugh—!"
Camilla's expression twisted. She tried to redirect her swing at the last second—
But momentum was a cruel mistress.
Clang!
The blade glanced off its target, narrowly missing its vital points.
"…Damn it! They should tell us this stuff ahead of time!"
But Camilla hadn't noticed what she had actually hit.
The collar.
The magic restraint around the demonic beast's neck had snapped clean in two.
Its four eyes gleamed with red malice.
"…Grrr!"
Freed from its limiter, the beast exploded forward in a blur of speed, straight past Camilla—
—and straight toward Iris.
"A-Irisssss!"
Camilla's panicked scream shattered the moment.
Iris spun around, eyes wide, but her foot caught on a root. She staggered.
She couldn't dodge.
—But I could move.
"Tch. I said I'd handle it."
Sky Flip.
Berald's old martial arts technique.
I flipped through the air, landing between the demonic beast and Iris.
Thud!
Its momentum collided with me, but I swung the sheathed blade upward, slamming it down on the creature's skull.
Whack!
A dull crack. The red gleam in its eyes dimmed instantly.
The beast slumped, unconscious.
"You alright?"
I reached down. Iris, still trembling, took my hand.
"…Y-Yes."
"Oh, Iris!" Camilla ran up, examining her like a worried mother hen.
"You're not hurt, right?"
"No… I'm okay."
Camilla exhaled shakily, then bit her lip and bowed.
"I'm so sorry, Saintess. This will be formally reported to the Holy Nation. I accept whatever punishment—"
"That won't be necessary."
"But—!"
"I said it's fine."
Iris smiled, placing a calming hand on Camilla's shoulder.
"It was an accident. We didn't know. Let's not dwell on it."
"…Still."
Camilla turned to me.
"…Thanks. I'll repay you for this one day."
"Oh?" I smirked. "Repay me? How exactly?"
"Anything within my power."
"Even dung-eating?"
"No! Nothing like that!"
I laughed. "Well, how about we just call it even—for last week?"
"Th-that doesn't count! I was caught off guard—!"
Leaving her flustered, I stepped over to the broken restraint.
Would the system still register the capture?
Ding.
A clear chime rang out as a hologram appeared above my Hero Watch.
[Party of Dale Han, Camilla Vedice, Iris confirmed for final capture.]
[Practical Combat Training: Complete.]
[All cadets, return to the entrance.]
"…Looks like someone else caught the third beast before us."
I clicked my tongue.
If we hadn't stopped to let Iris rest yesterday, we might've been the top-scoring party.
Too late now.
"Let's go."
As we walked, I noticed something.
Two shadows followed me.
"…Iris?"
She had stopped walking, her cheeks tinged pink.
"S-Sorry. I was just… thinking."
"Y-you're hurt, aren't you?!"
"No, that's not it!"
"Then what?! Your face is bright red!"
"I said it's nothing!"
She rushed ahead, flustered. Camilla chased after her, shouting.
I stared after them, frowning.
For just a moment… her eyes had looked the same as before.
The same as in that other life.
I shook the thought away.
'Don't overthink it. Just move.'
I followed.
Later that night.
In a quiet room.
Iris sat alone, staring down at her clasped hands.
Why did he cry in front of me?
Why… did it feel so familiar?
The memories she had buried—fragments—began surfacing, uninvited.
That scolding voice…
That childish pout…
That warm hand reaching for hers in the dark…
None of it made sense.
And yet…
"Even if it was only one day… I was happy."
She whispered to herself.
Then, her eyes widened.
A flicker.A flash.
She was standing in a ruined chapel, Dale's bloodied hand in hers—his lips moving as if to say something… before fire consumed the world around them.
Snap.
Iris jolted upright, breath catching in her throat.
Her heart thundered.
That wasn't a dream.
She gripped the edges of her chair, trembling.
That was real.
Another memory surfaced—blurry but vivid.
Dale, back turned to her, flames swirling around his body.
And her voice—crying out his name.
"…Dale Han…"
She stared at the floor, eyes wide in disbelief.
"…Who are you really?"