"You stay and guard the bear. I'll be back soon."
"Hey, you can't go off on your own."
"10 minutes should be enough. I have my own training grounds, after all. Any decent catch will do."
Helmut's focus was more on other matters than the competition itself. Just having a catch to show for his participation in the competition was sufficient.
Even with the incident, it would be awkward for the top student of the swordsmanship department to return empty-handed.
"10 minutes for hunting?"
"Didn't you say there are plenty of animals near the water?"
Helmut nodded nonchalantly.
"First, let's head back to where the bear is. It would be troublesome if another animal got to it."
"That's right! It's my catch, after all."
They hurried back. Concerned that the bear might have mysteriously disappeared like the trap did before, they found, fortunately for Asuka, that his bear was still right where it was.
"I wonder if bear meat tastes good?"
Asuka mused happily as he tried lifting the bear. Although lifting it completely was impossible, using his beast, he could drag it back.
"Then, I'm off."
Before leaving, Helmut issued a firm warning.
"If anything happens, yell. I'll come running."
"I'll just be sitting here. Nothing's going to happen."
Asuka sat down on the bear carcass.
Helmut licked his lips, feeling the need to issue a warning.
"Those guys who targeted you before might try again."
"The Black Hawk guys?"
"Yes, this is outside the academy."
"What, are you scared? This is an official Greta Academy event. How would they know where we are? Besides, the guys who hired them aren't even at the academy anymore. What's the point?"
Asuka snorted. He didn't seem interested in listening.
'It's better to hurry back.'
Helmut decided to hold back on explanations. At this stage, telling Asuka might only excite him unnecessarily and possibly lead to mishaps.
After all, they were targeting him. If a fight broke out, he would sense it, not too far from here.
As Helmut was leaving, Asuka called out.
"Where are you going?"
"Towards where Basil said he saw something."
The trap's placement had been too perfect. There must be something beyond it.
"What? What if you step on a trap too?"
"That won't happen. I'll be back soon, so stay put."
Leaving Asuka behind like leaving a child, Helmut issued one more warning. Asuka reluctantly nodded.
"Got it."
Helmut quickened his pace and soon reached the spot where Basil had been trapped.
Faint bloodstains on the ground. An enticing scent for drawing in animals. But the forest was quiet. It wasn't the time of day when animals were most active.
'It was over here.'
He proceeded slowly. He was aware that the opponent was skilled at concealing their presence.
Helmut was a human raised in the Forest of Phae. Not having the tough hide or tremendous healing ability of a demon, a moment's carelessness could result in a fatal wound. Naturally, he was always on guard.
'There's something there.'
Something that looked like fur moved between the trees. It wasn't an illusion that Basil had seen.
However, it was problematic that it only became visible to Helmut now, when he was alone, and not when Instructor Patricia and Professor Dwayne were present.
'Is it not an animal but something hung up?'
The movement was irregular. Approaching, a sudden noise erupted from the side.
Helmut's sword was drawn in an instant. It wasn't a trap aimed at the ankles this time. He cut through something flying rapidly towards him.
Slash! A tightly stretched wire was cleanly cut and fell to the ground.
"A wire?"
A sharp, finely honed wire that could easily slice through flesh had been launched at him. If Basil had encountered this instead of the trap, he might have suffered fatal injuries to his neck or head.
"If some unlucky fellow had come this way, they might have been killed."
Leaving the wire where it lay, Helmut moved on. There was no sign of anyone nearby, but he couldn't overlook the possibility of more traps.
'That's it.'
Helmut soon discovered what had lured Basil. It was a doe tied with a rope, struggling to free itself. The rope was long enough for its movements to catch his eye.
It appeared to have struggled for quite some time but ultimately couldn't escape the sturdy rope.
The doe's eyes were so pitiful they could stir sympathy.
But not for Helmut. He aimed his bow and shot an arrow in one swift motion.
Thwack! The arrow pierced the doe's neck, and it collapsed. Helmut murmured.
"Thanks to this, I got a good catch."
He might even rank in the competition. With most of the students congregating near the campsite, it was unlikely anyone had caught something better.
Approaching the doe cautiously, Helmut scanned the surroundings. Someone who had set up this device must be nearby, yet he felt nothing.
'But they must have been here until recently.'
Traces of someone passing through the forest were inevitable.
Helmut noted a spot where the grass was trampled.
'Probably a man. A well-muscled one, given the weight. That's all I can infer.'
'Were they waiting for the group activity?'
Then, consider this a sort of greeting.
Helmut lifted the doe. Carrying it on his back, he returned to find Asuka, who had been dozing off on the bear, now waking up.
His senses were sharp. Despite being warned to stay alert, he had dozed off in that short time, which was absurd.
"Oh, you're back already?"
Asuka stood up.
"You're quite the hunter. Catching a deer so quickly. You wouldn't starve even if left alone in the forest."
Asuka clicked his tongue, looking at the deer on Helmut's back with awe.
"Caught it in one shot?"
"It seems what Basil saw was this deer."
"Lucky for him he didn't see things. It'd be a shame for a young guy to get hurt over an illusion."
Asuka scoffed dismissively, confident he would never fall for such traps.
'He's quick on his feet.'
"Didn't encounter any more traps?"
"I did, but I avoided them. There was a wire flying at me."
"What? A wire? That's almost meant for hunting people. What kind of ruthless person does that in a forest! If I catch that poacher, I swear I'll break every limb of theirs."
His outrage seemed more about his own safety while wandering the forest. Helmut didn't bother to ask further.
"Let's head back."
At Helmut's gesture, Asuka asked.
"But won't it be hard to win first place with that?"
"It doesn't matter."
"Alright."
Asuka managed to half-lift, half-drag the bear. Though shorter in stature, he couldn't fully lift the bear. The fur might get damaged, but that was unavoidable.
The return journey took much longer than the trip out. Having to pass the same path twice, Asuka appeared somewhat tired by the time they arrived, with sweat beads forming on his face. Yet, he didn't seek help.
Asuka's independence, preferring not to rely on others, was similar to Helmut's in some ways.
"Ah, I'm exhausted!"
Upon reaching the campsite, Asuka exclaimed.
Instructor Patricia and the members of Group 9, already back at the campsite, widened their eyes at his catch.
"Is that a bear?"
"Wow, Asuka, you caught a bear?"
"Lucky shot."
Asuka scratched his nose with a triumphant expression. The mood, dampened by Basil's incident, was lifted again as everyone crowded around to see Asuka's bear.
"Wow, this could be a winning catch!"
"Looks like the trip to the water's edge paid off."
Though Helmut's deer didn't attract much attention, he scanned the surroundings.
Not many people were left at the campsite. Only the three members of Group 9, Instructor Patricia, and Professor Dwayne who had recently returned.
Instructor Alan had gone to check the surroundings after hearing about the incident.
A large cloth was spread out in the center of the campsite, seemingly for placing the catches. Helmut also laid his deer there.
"A doe, huh? Deer meat is delicious."
Instructor Patricia finally turned her attention to Helmut.
"Well done, soldier!"
He might just make it into the rankings. Helmut decided to look forward to whatever he might receive. Since he was participating in the competition, it was better to win something.
The members of Group 9, returning late, headed out again from the tent to try their luck at hunting.
Asuka, having left his bear at the same spot, sprawled out inside Group 9's tent.
"Ah, I'm beat. I need some sleep."
Helmut found a spot and lay down as well, taking the time to sort through his thoughts.
The traps scattered around, the suspicious campsite manager, the Forest of Pedica, and Black Hawk. A tension that seemed about to erupt but never did.
What was clear was that his enemies were putting effort into their plans. For some scheme.
'It feels like solving a riddle.'
But Helmut was determined to find the answer. The answer his enemies didn't want him to discover.
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As the afternoon approached, second-year students began to return with their game.
After eating inside the tent with Asuka, who seemed to recover quickly after a nap and a meal, Helmut watched.
"Let's see if anyone caught anything better than me."
Asuka kept an eye on the catches placed in the center from the tent's entrance.
Luckily, only small animals like rabbits, raccoons, and birds were added there.
As 5 p.m. neared, every student had returned.
Instructors Patricia and Alan checked the roster, finding Basil as the only incident. Wesley and Mitchell, who had left with him, hadn't returned yet.
The two instructors and one professor gathered the students to announce the awards from fifth place up.
"Second place, Asuka!"
Surprised to be named second, Asuka had been certain of his victory, especially since no one seemed to have caught a predator like a tiger or leopard.
'Who won first place?'
The answer came immediately.
"First place, Bruce!"