Ch 15
For that reason, I felt very good.
Cedric, who was in his early fifties and in charge of the afternoon class, had brown hair and brown eyes, which reminded one of the governess who remained at the Ernhardt estate. However, the only thing Cedric resembled the simple governess in was the color of her hair and eyes.
Cedric had very mischievous eyes, giving him the appearance of having a free-spirited nature and behavior. Especially the way he wore a large men’s shirt and vest, with the shirt sleeves rolled up to his forearms, gave that impression.
“Nice to meet you, our little friends.” No, no. Now that I’ve made my debut in high society, am I an adult? Let’s just mix it up halfway. Then, our crooked friends. “First, shall we start by taking care of this one by one?”
The greeting was lively and bouncy right from the start. Professor Cedric grunted and pulled over a cart that seemed to have been prepared in advance at the front of the classroom, then gestured towards the students.
There were also students who were not part of the swordsmanship club mixed in here, and they looked weak at a glance. I was in a very good mood due to the realization I had in the morning, so I naturally stepped forward to help distribute the bags from the cart to the students.
After distributing all the bags to the students who were either bewildered, smiling brightly, or bowing politely, I also grabbed a bag for myself. I didn’t know what was inside, but each of the quite heavy backpacks was large enough to cover from my hips to the top of my head.
“You’re stronger than I thought.” Thank you for your help, Sir Ernhardt.
“Yes.”
“More taciturn than I thought.”
What does it mean? I couldn’t come up with a response, so I just kept my mouth shut. Shayden, who was standing next to me, gave a kind smile as if he was familiar with the situation and nodded his head. Following the professor’s instructions, we spread the contents of our bags out on the spacious desks assigned to each of us.
First, I looked at what was hanging at the top of the bag. It was a sleeping bag. In the Central Plains, I had never used a sleeping bag because I would just sweep the dirt floor with my energy-infused sword to clear it and then lie down, or sit against a long-grown pine tree to sleep.
The sleeping bag looked like a cocoon, with its sides and bottom closed off like a blanket, and it felt soft to the touch. If it doesn’t get wet, it would be quite warm.
When I opened the bag, there were bottles made of a strange material. It was transparent like glass, but a bit lighter. I lightly tapped the table with it, and it made a hollow, ringing sound. I never intended to break it in the first place, but it turned out to be tougher than I thought.
Below it, there was a square box, and it was made of thinly spread iron. The fine cloth was divided into sections to prevent them from bumping into each other, with the names of the medicines written on each. In between, there was a flint stone wedged in, and I stared at it for a long time, fascinated.
At the bottom of the box, three pouches and two water bottles came out. Surprisingly, one pocket contained flat, dried bread and biscuits, the second pocket had jerky, and the third pocket had salt. One of the two water bottles was full of clear water, while the other was empty.
It seemed that the students had finished their checks adequately, so Professor Cedric immediately began the explanation.
“The sleeping bag is a lightweight and waterproof one.” It’s the most expensive item in the bundle, so be careful not to tear it or lose it. You’ll be using it for the whole semester. If you want to do laundry, just casually ask your friends in the Ministry of Magic to cast a cleaning spell for you. If you wash it with water, this soft texture disappears.
It was more detailed advice than I expected.
“Doesn’t the inside of the bag look almost empty?” What you’re carrying is going to be called a survival backpack from now on. The essentials have been packed by me in advance, but feel free to add or remove items according to your own strength.
“Yes.”
“We will learn during this semester how to choose a camping site and select a spot in the classroom, how to prepare meals, and what can and cannot be eaten in the wild.” We will also have two outdoor classes, avoiding the midterm and final exam periods, so if any students have allergies or physical issues, please let me know after today’s class.
What is an allergy? When I casually asked Sheiden, he replied as if to say, “Don’t you know? If there’s food you can’t eat, I’ll take care of it.”
Camping, while also considering people’s food preferences? Isn’t this more like a picnic? I naturally recalled the summer hill where every summer, I would lay out a mat and bask in the sun with the Ernhardt family.
“After learning which materials are valuable and how to collect them in the classroom, the semester ends with basic alchemy practice using the materials we gathered ourselves.” Next semester, I plan to schedule classes two days in a row each week, so students who are interested should start living a more organized life in advance. “Just because the number of classes increases doesn’t mean you’ll get more credits.”
I didn’t understand most of Professor Cedric’s words, so I just remained silent.
Sheiden will help with creating the schedule and other tasks, and just from what I’ve heard so far, my interest in this class has already increased significantly. When entering the forest, distinguishing between what is edible and what is not is very important.
The thought that I could learn how to survive in any situation motivated me.
“A sleeping bag is quite a bulky item.” However, if you’re not suddenly stranded but are planning to camp, it’s one of the essential items you should pack. Most camping trips consist of walking, walking, and more walking. Even if you encounter a monster along the way. You’re already exhausted, and if you can’t even get a good night’s sleep, it’s not surprising if you get snatched by an orc passing by the next day.
Professor Cedric, imitating a tiger with a “roar,” waved his claw-like hands through the air and continued speaking to himself. There were no students answering, and I wondered if I should respond, but seeing him speak in such a theatrical tone as if he were in a play, I thought maybe he was always like this, so I stayed silent.
“The second most important thing is fire.” Even if you succeed in hunting a rabbit or a deer, you must never eat it without fire. If you don’t cook it properly, no one knows what kind of disease you might catch. The reagents in the wooden box and the flasks on top are for sample collection. These are things that are hard to obtain on your own, so make sure you take good care of them and don’t lose them.
“Why is one of the water bottles empty?”
“That’s a good question.” Plus ten points for the Department of Public Administration. Since water is quite a heavy burden, you can’t just pack a lot of drinking water if you need it. So, it’s important to find water sources wherever you go. In an emergency, you might have to gulp down the stream water as it 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 don’t know what score they received, but the student who asked the question seemed to be in a good mood. As instructed, I opened the bottom cap of the water bottle, and a spout that perfectly fit the opening of the water bottle filled with water was revealed.
“In the bottom half of the empty water bottle, there are layers of charcoal, fine purified sand, and very fine cloth.” It’s a structure designed to filter out impurities that may be mixed in with the water. Since filtration takes some time, let’s try it when we have plenty of spare time. “First, shall we form a team to stick together for the upcoming semester today…?”
Professor Cedric, with his hazel eyes gleaming playfully, looked around.
The camping class, which looked like a trip somewhere just by looking at it, seemed to have about forty students from various departments mixed together to sign up. Even now, the friends who had already signed up for the class were bustling about, saying things like, “We shouldn’t be separated,” and “We should stick together,” as they tried to form a team.
“I explained various things, but the best way to camp comfortably is, after all.” Isn’t traveling with a wizard the best? Light the fire, pour the water, and sometimes, when you’re tired, the wind will blow gently for you, right?
Could this also be a form of drama? A droplet sprang from Professor Cedric’s left index finger, and a spark from his right index finger. A wicked breeze swept over the heads of the now noisy children.
Magic might be something more life-friendly than I thought.
As someone who remembers that the main tasks of the Jeonggalsega’s formation were to create hideouts, trap intruders in mazes, and maintain the solidity of the caves where criminals were imprisoned, I was always fascinated and at a loss whenever I encountered magic instead of weapons.
“Students of the Ministry of Magic, raise your hands.” Okay, students, everyone is on a different team. Let go of each other’s hands, I’m not going to eat you. “Here, let’s assign a knight to protect our fragile wizard one by one…”
I heard resentful groans coming from all around. I watched from a distance as the children, as if saying goodbye forever to their companions, hugged or held hands and caused a commotion.
“Alright, now we just need to assign one of our resourceful administrative staff members to each team.” We’ll make eight teams with five members each. Why is everyone being so awkward with each other? It’s not even been a week since you started school. “Think of it as making friends and move around comfortably.”
Uh, in the meantime, I ended up in a different group with Shayden.
In front of the two unfamiliar boys and two girls, I awkwardly nodded and said hello. It was because I remembered Shayden’s admonition not to do anything more than a nod.
One by one, we greeted each other, and as the professor instructed, we pushed the desks together and sat in a circle with our team.
The two girls had purple and blue hair, and the two boys had dark brown and dark gray hair. To avoid accidentally confusing them with the members of other groups, I was intently examining their faces, and some of them started to shyly look away, making it awkward.
“I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“No, no… it’s not scary.” Shall we each introduce ourselves first?
“Alright.” I’m Marianne Philodendor. The Ministry of Magic, I’ve just mastered the first circle. I don’t know if it will be of much help.
“Jenny.” Since I don’t have a surname, you can just call me Jenny comfortably. I came from the academic department… I’ll do my best at anything!”
“Ivan Holmos.” I come from the management department, and I’m the fourth son of the Holmos family… I have a twin brother in the administrative department, so if you happen to pass by and ignore him, just remember that this isn’t Ivan. Nice to meet you.
“My name is Damian Christopher.” I come from the Faculty of Law… and I enrolled because I’m quite interested in survival travel.
“⋯Danbi?”
“As far as I know, Danbi is in the management department, Demian Pillaroy…”
“Mm.”
I felt awkward and embarrassed, so I looked away into the distance.