By Zephyria 
For that reason, I felt very good.
Cedric, who was in charge of the afternoon class, was a woman in her early fifties. Her brown hair and brown eyes reminded me of the wet nurse left at Young Count Ernhardt’s Residence. However, Cedric only resembled the naive wet nurse in the color of her hair and eyes.
Cedric had a very mischievous look in her eyes, making her seem like someone with a free spirit and demeanor. This was especially true of her attire: a large men’s shirt and vest, with the shirt sleeves rolled up to her forearms.
“Nice to meet you, my little friends. Or, no. You’ve made your debut in society now, so are you adults? Let’s mix it up, shall we? Then, my little friends. Let’s start by taking one of these, shall we?”
Her greeting was as cheerful and lively as her appearance. Professor Cedric grunted, then pulled a cart that seemed to have been prepared at the front of the classroom, gesturing to the students.
Students from departments other than the Swordsmanship Department were mixed in, and they looked frail at first glance. Since I was in a very good mood due to the realization from the morning, I naturally stepped forward to help distribute the bags from the cart to the students.
After distributing all the bags to students who received them with bewilderment, beamed with bright smiles, or bowed deeply, I took one bag for myself. I didn’t know what was inside, but the rather heavy backpacks were large enough to cover everything from my hip to the top of my head.
“You’re stronger than I thought. Thank you for your help, Lord Ernhardt.”
“Yes.”
“And quieter than I thought, too.”
What did she mean? Unable to come up with a response, I simply remained silent. Shayden, who was standing beside me, smiled kindly as if accustomed to this, and nodded. Following the professor’s instructions, we spread the contents of our bags on the spacious desks assigned to each of us.
I first examined what was attached to the top of the bag. It was a sleeping bag. In the Central Plains, we would simply sweep the dirt floor once with an internal energy-infused sword to clear it and lie down, or lean against an old, tall tree to sleep, so I had never used one before.
The sleeping bag looked like a quilt, enclosed on the sides and bottom, like a cocoon. It felt soft to the touch. It would be quite warm if it didn’t get wet.
When I opened the bag, there were bottles made of a strange material. They were as transparent as glass, but lighter. When I tapped one with my finger, it made a hollow sound. I had no intention of breaking it, but it seemed surprisingly sturdy.
Beneath that was a square box, made of thinly pressed iron. Inside, separated by fine cloth to prevent them from clanking against each other, were labels for various medicinal substances. It was fascinating to see a flint and steel tucked between them, and I stared at it for a long time.
From the bottom of the box came three pouches and two water bottles. Surprisingly, one pouch contained flatly rolled bread and biscuits, the second contained jerky, and the third contained salt. One of the water bottles was full of clear water, but the other was empty.
Once the students seemed to have finished their initial inspection, Professor Cedric began her explanation.
“This is a sleeping bag with lightweight and waterproof magic inscribed on it. It’s the most expensive item in the kit, so be careful not to tear it or lose it. You’ll be using it for the entire semester. If you want to wash it, ask someone from the Department of Magic to cast Clean Magic on it. Washing it with water tends to make this soft texture disappear.”
Her advice was more detailed than I had expected.
“It might look like your bags are almost empty, right? What you’re holding will be called your survival backpack from now on. I’ve packed the essentials, but you’re free to add or remove items according to your own strength.”
“Yes.”
“This semester, we will learn how to select camping spots and prepare the ground in classrooms, how to prepare meals, and what is edible and inedible in the wild. We will also have two outdoor classes, avoiding the midterm and final exam periods. If you have any allergies or physical issues, please let me know after class today.”
What is an allergy? I asked Shayden, and he replied, as if surprised I didn’t know, “It means they’ll take your preferences into consideration if there are foods you can’t eat.”
They’re even considering food preferences for a camping trip; this sounds more like a picnic than camping. I naturally recalled the summer hill where I used to spread a mat with members of House Ernhardt and bask in the sun every summer.
“As a bonus, we will learn about the value of certain ingredients and how to harvest them in the classroom, and then complete basic Alchemy practice with the ingredients you obtain yourself. That will be the entire semester. Next semester, I plan to schedule classes for two consecutive days each week, so interested students should plan their lives accordingly. We won’t be assigning more credits just because the number of hours increases.”
I didn’t understand half of what Professor Cedric said, so I remained silent.
Shayden would help me with scheduling, and I was already sufficiently interested in this class based on what I had heard so far. Distinguishing between edible and inedible things when entering a forest is extremely important.
The thought that I could learn how to survive no matter what situation arose heightened my Eye Force.
“A sleeping bag is quite bulky. However, if you’re planning a camping trip, it’s one of the essential items. Most camping trips involve walking, walking, and more walking. What if you encounter a monster in the middle? If you’re exhausted and can’t sleep, you might get snatched by an passing Orc the next day without even realizing it.”
Professor Cedric made a growling sound like a tiger, waving her clawed hands in the air, and then continued speaking on her own. No students responded, making me wonder if I should answer, but seeing her speak in such a theatrical tone, as if performing a mask play, I assumed she was just like this and remained quiet.
“The second most important thing is fire. Even if you succeed in hunting a rabbit or a deer, you absolutely must not eat it without fire. No one knows what kind of illness you might contract if it’s not cooked properly. The reagents in the wooden box and the flasks above them are for collecting samples. These are difficult for students to obtain on their own, so be sure not to lose them.”
“Why is one of the water bottles empty?”
“Good question. Ten points for the Administrative Faculty. Water is quite heavy, so you can’t carry a lot of drinking water with you. That’s why it’s important to find a water source wherever you go. In very dire situations, you might have to gulp down stream water as is, but you can also use a simple purification device like this. Shall we open the cap at the bottom of the empty water bottle?”
I didn’t know what the points were for, but the student who asked seemed pleased. Following instructions, I opened the bottom cap of the water bottle and saw a spout that perfectly matched the opening of the full water bottle.
“The bottom half of the empty water bottle contains layers of charcoal, purified fine sand, and very fine cloth. This structure is designed to filter out impurities that might be mixed in the water. Filtration takes some time, so let’s try it when you have plenty of time. For today, shall we form teams that will stick together for the entire semester?”
Professor Cedric looked around with a playful glint in her hazel eyes.
The camping class seemed like a trip, so about forty students from various departments had apparently signed up. Students who had signed up together were already murmuring, saying they shouldn’t be separated or that they had to be together, trying to form teams.
“I’ve explained this and that, but the easiest way to camp, of course, is to travel with a Wizard, isn’t it? They’ll start a fire for you, pour you water, and even blow a cool breeze if you’re tired.”
Was this also part of the performance? A droplet of water appeared on Professor Cedric’s left index finger, and a flame sparked from her right. A gentle breeze swept through the air above the now-noisy students.
Magic might be something more integrated into daily life than I had imagined.
Compared to the functions of the formations of the Jegal Noble Family, which I remembered as creating shelters, trapping intruders in mazes, and securely maintaining caves where criminals were imprisoned, I was constantly amazed whenever I encountered magic that wasn’t a weapon.
“Department of Magic students, raise your hands. Good, all of you will be in separate teams. Let go of each other’s hands, I won’t eat you. We’ll assign one Swordsman to protect our fragile Wizards for each team…”
Complaining groans were heard from various places. I watched from afar as children clung to their companions as if saying eternal goodbyes, or caused a commotion while holding hands.
“Alright, now let’s have one student from the resourceful Administrative Services Department join each team. We’ll make eight teams of five students each. Why are you all so reserved? You haven’t even been here a week yet. Think of it as making friends and relax.”
Before I knew it, Shayden and I were in different teams.
Facing two unfamiliar boys and two unfamiliar girls, I awkwardly nodded and greeted them. It reminded me of Shayden’s instruction not to do more than a slight bow.
After exchanging greetings one by one, we followed the professor’s instructions and pushed our desks together to sit in a circle with our teammates.
The two girls had purple and blue hair, and the two boys had dark chestnut and dark gray hair. As I diligently looked at their faces to avoid mistaking them for children from other groups, some of them started to avoid my gaze, making me feel awkward.
“I wasn’t trying to be scary.”
“No, no… it’s not that you’re scary. Shall we introduce ourselves first?”
“Okay. I’m Marianne Philodendore. I’m from the Department of Magic, and I’ve just mastered 1st Circle. I’m not sure if I can be of much help.”
“Jenny. You can just call me Jenny, as I don’t have a surname. I’m from the Academic Department… I’ll do my best at anything!”
“Ivan Holmes. I’m from the Business Department, and I’m the fourth son of Viscount Holmos… I have twin brothers in the Administrative Services Department, so if you see me on the street and pretend not to know me, you can think, ‘Ah, that’s not Ivan.’ It’s nice to meet you.”
“My name is Damian Christopher. I’m from the Law Department… I’m taking this class because I’m interested in survival travel.”
“⋯Danbi?”
“⋯As far as I know, Danbi is from the Business Department, Damian Philoroi…”
“Hmm.”
Feeling awkward and embarrassed, I looked away into the distance.