Whether it was a good thing or a bad thing that Julius had stepped forward as leader...
At any rate, a headcount was taken, and food was distributed to everyone.
"You weren't even a student, and you got caught up in this? What bad luck."
That's what one of the teachers said as she handed me something — but it was so basic it made CalorieMate look gourmet.
It was portable rations in a packet, originally developed for labyrinth exploration.
In common parlance: Combat Rations.
The teacher, whose name was Irina, was a research faculty member at the NNU Academy of Magical Sciences.
The combat-oriented teachers and students had prudently brought along at least one day's worth of portable energy rations, but the research-oriented students had made no such preparations.
It was Irina who produced these Combat Rations from her Spatial Storage.
Apparently, she had been researching the flow of time within Spatial Storage and had taken out several food items in the process.
Unfortunately, with Spatial Storage powered by magic or skills, the flow of time inside remained unchanged.
However, if the space was kept in a vacuum and sterile condition, there was virtually no risk of spoilage. Still, it had been concluded that complete preservation was impossible due to insufficient processing or various other reasons. Heat dissipated too, and there was nothing to be done about that.
In truth, my Imaginary Space could achieve perfect preservation since it was不受 time's influence, but that was neither here nor there.
Not just the Combat Rations — all the food each person had been carrying was collected and put under the management of Julius and his group.
For over a hundred people eating twice a day, they had gathered a three-day supply.
There was extra that the combat-type individuals had brought along, so that gave them a bit of breathing room.
Taste aside, the nutritional value was perfect.
And as for water, magic could handle that, so without doing anything else, they'd probably avoid starving to death for about a week.
While I was eating my somewhat sweet but not particularly delicious meal, a delicious aroma drifted over from somewhere.
It was from the section where Julius's group was.
Those guys, despite the current situation, had prepared tables and chairs and were elegantly laying out a full lunch spread.
And not just any spread — it was a meal worthy of a top-class restaurant, prepared using a field cooking set.
"Lord Julius, given the circumstances, I must ask that you forgive the lowly quality of this meal."
"Hmph, it can't be helped. I understand that I must set an example for the people, even if it's not what I would have preferred."
"You are most gracious to say so."
I sat there sipping my Combat Rations, stunned and incredulous as I watched this exchange.
The butler who had been apologizing to Julius was, if I recalled correctly, the attendant of a female student named
One male and one female student also sat with them, and the two butlers served them.
It was like a completely different world.
Where had they procured those ingredients? Shouldn't everyone be cooperating right now? Do you even understand what "setting an example" means? There were a mountain of things I wanted to say, but this was more than enough to understand that Julius was the type who simply couldn't read the room.
Karuma watched them with a bitter expression, and Magnus wore a wry smile as he looked on.
Under normal circumstances, they probably would have confronted him, but the situation was so outrageous that perhaps even the energy to complain had run dry.
"This isn't enough... I'm still hungry..."
Next to me, a chubby student let out a sad sigh.
With that rotund frame, this amount of food probably felt lacking.
"Don't be selfish! The nutritional balance is optimized, and it's supposed to stimulate the satiety center to give you a feeling of fullness!"
A female student beside him scolded the grumbling boy.
She was right — this was Combat Rations of the highest quality, taste aside.
"Yeah, but I'm technically combat-type, you know... That kind of excuse doesn't work on me..."
The boy sighed sadly once more.
He seemed to have trained to resist hallucinations and neurotoxins, so much so that he had blocked out even effects that would have benefited him.
It might seem like he was just being a picky eater, but with the current food restrictions, it had to be tough.
"Here, I've barely touched mine — want half?"
I held out my packet with about half remaining, but...
"Huh, really? Then I'll — guh—!?"
"Oh my! Are you alright, Mondo? Let the teacher have a look — come here!"
A tree branch that suddenly fell from above struck the head of the boy named Mondo.
Young Mondo, his beautiful silver hair fluttering, was scooped up by the hastily arriving Teacher Pyuri.
"Hey, is he going to be okay?"
"Oh, um, you — are you?"
"Ah, I'm Satoru. Just an ordinary person who got caught up in this —"
"Um, yes. Satoru, listen — we're fine over here, so there's no need for you to worry, alright? That's right, that's right. In a situation like this, the teacher thinks it's not a good idea to give your food to others, you know?"
She looked at me through her glasses, hesitated for a moment, then said that.
Was she thinking I was being presumptuous, or was it a teacher's discretion?
《That looks nothing like she's trying to stop Master from giving away his food.》 That's what I thought too.
This meant, in other words, that my identity had been seen through.
As evidence, the branch that had fallen bore a perfectly clean cut surface.
《Given that she's a teacher, it wouldn't be surprising if someone knew what Master Rimuru looks like. Changing your hair and eye color only goes so far as a disguise. I'd expect them to approach you eventually.》 When I heard
In that case, maybe I should just come clean tonight — and with that thought, I watched as Mondo was dragged away.
◇◇◇ It seemed the others resented Julius's group for eating luxurious meals by themselves while everyone else went without, but no one voiced a notable complaint on the spot.
After the meal came the announcement of their plan.
There would be no discussion — they would simply execute what Julius and his group had decided.
Julius had become, without question, the undisputed leader of them all.
"So what's the plan?" Magnus asked.
Julius responded with a scoff.
"That should be obvious. Only the upper echelons of the combat-type students will head for the edge of the island. If we can call for rescue from there, that's that. Even if we can't, we'll still be able to earn points."
He stated this as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Julius's reasoning was as follows: Several students could use Transfer Magic, so they would set this location as their base.
Research, economic, and political students would establish camp at this location. Given the uncertain food supply, procuring as much as possible was also part of their job.
In doing so, they would act while checking their point totals whenever possible.
Information had been made public that even helping to set up a tent earned points, and the goal was to investigate whether there were other ways to earn them.
"The stay-behind group should also try to earn points wherever possible. If we've blown away the magicule storm, there won't be a problem, but if we fail, we'll have no choice but to comply with their demands. Being stranded on this island and forced into labor — we absolutely cannot allow that. Earning points so we can at least leave the island, even in the worst case, is critically important!"
Julius's trusted aide rallied them with a rousing speech.
This was a man who called himself Clad, one of Julius's knight escorts.
Clad had apparently been entrusted by Julius with the task of directing the students.
It seemed part of his role was to assess the upper-tier combat students.
Once the explanation was over, he began evaluating the students, selecting those who looked promising as fighters, and organizing them into squads of five.
"That's a more reasonable plan than I expected. I was worried they'd just try to work us to the bone..."
"Karuma, you always complain about everything but end up doing exactly as you're told. From Julius's perspective, even though he dismisses you as a stinky beastman, he knows your strength can't be ignored."
From nearby, I overheard the voices of Magnus and Karuma talking.
Perhaps because of inter-academy exchanges, they weren't just acquaintances — they seemed surprisingly familiar with each other.
That said, they didn't exactly seem to trust each other from the bottom of their hearts.
I quietly listened in on their conversation.
"I'll cooperate, of course. What matters is everyone surviving. If Julius is going to take charge properly, I won't hesitate to follow."
"I see. Then I'll observe the situation as well."
Serious Karuma aside, even Magnus didn't seem inclined to openly oppose Julius.
It was true that making a fuss now wouldn't serve any purpose, but...
Even more surprised than me by Magnus's words was Karuma.
"That's unusual — you following Julius?"
"Not really. His logic is sound, after all. If we earn enough points, we won't be kept on this island. And once that happens, we can keep up the pretense of being at the kidnappers' mercy while looking for an opportunity to send out a rescue request."
"In that case... let's work together for a while, shall we?"
"Sure. I'm counting on you, Karuma."
"Likewise, Magnus."
Karuma asked again in surprise, and Magnus shrugged as he responded.
Even Karuma seemed satisfied by that reasonable answer.
In the end, while there was still some dissatisfaction with Julius calling the shots, they agreed to follow along for the time being.
It was a more rational response than I'd expected — they weren't completely devoid of cooperativeness.
I had a slightly improved impression of them, but there was still a week to go.
There was no need to rush, so I'd take my time observing.
Well, I hoped this cooperativeness would last until the end — but I decided to hold off on my assessment until I'd seen the results.
The squad assignments were complete.
Five squads of five.
The wristband could register up to five people, so squad members registered each other.
And someone in Julius's squad had registered all five members of each squad.
This way, even when separated, they could monitor the situation between squads — a well-thought-out structure.
Julius's squad couldn't register each other this way, but since their guards never left his side, that wasn't an issue.
Julius himself had registered with the teachers for communication purposes.
This way, the people left behind could track the exploration squads' status, which would ease their anxiety.
This Julius — his aristocratic attitude was annoying, but he was surprisingly quick-witted.
He hit all the right points and made precise judgments.
He might have a brain trust around him, but the fact that he could incorporate their input and put it into action was praiseworthy.
These three might not be mere troublemakers after all.
I'd need to watch them carefully.
◇◇◇ The twenty-five-member combat exploration squad departed in high spirits.
The remaining people split into two groups — one to prepare dinner and the other to secure sleeping quarters.
We were currently in a grassy clearing nestled among hills, spacious enough to land an airship.
The area was surrounded by hills, and beyond them lay mountains and deserts.
Head toward the center and you'd reach mountains; head for the island's edge and you'd find desert.
Rulers would preside over each of those territories. Or rather, the Demon Aura leaking from those rulers had warped the terrain and created these abnormal environments.
On one side stretched a small forest, but even that connected to the dense jungle where another of the island's rulers dwelled.
To be blunt, there were rulers on all four sides, so the exploration squad had it rough.
They were the upper third of the students, but the ones staying behind would definitely have it easier.
So here I was, part of the stay-behind group.
The exploration squad had Tiare watching over them from the shadows, so there was no role for me.
In truth, with my human-level abilities, I'd struggle not just against Demon Lord-class opponents but even against Special Individuals.
To be precise, the moment I went all out, there was a risk of my position being pinpointed, and the game would be over.
So I was planning not to fight.
I want to be clear — it wasn't because it was easy.
Now then, what about the stay-behind group's tasks?
The easiest job would be assembling the supply tents.
One well-prepared teacher had stored field training equipment in their Spatial Storage.
Perhaps they had just found it troublesome to put away in the warehouse, but best to leave that unsaid.
They were already looking at me with respect, so I'd let them think I was simply the cautious type.
The tents also had insect-repelling effects from a simple magic formation, and spatial magic made the interiors slightly more spacious — perfect for this situation.
There were enough for three hundred people — thirty ten-person tents — so even divided by gender, there would be plenty of room.
Assembly was simple: lay out the tent materials on flat ground by breaking the magic seal, then put them together piece by piece.
However, since I wasn't actually a student at the academy, I shouldn't know the magic seal-breaking procedure.
Breaking the seal was simple, but doing so would make me extremely suspicious.
And so, I inevitably ended up in the food procurement squad.
With a third of the students assembling tents, our group headed for the forest.
Beside me was the chubby student from earlier — Mondo.
Nearly thirty students were led by two teachers, but that wasn't enough to ease concerns. Therefore, each squad had at least one combat-type member mixed in.
Following Julius's example, we too formed squads of five.
To protect the medical team at the center, the gathering squads formed four groups.
Each squad also had a liaison to the medical team, so for an impromptu arrangement, it was appropriately structured.
Since the teachers weren't included in the squads, there were twenty-seven of us in total.
Mondo, being combat-type himself, had apparently been selected as one of the guards for those heading into the forest.
I didn't know all the students, so I had to trust the teachers' judgment on abilities.
Well, Ciel hadn't objected, so it was probably fine...
"Ugh, this is the worst. Of all people, to be protected by Mondo..."
The girl complaining next to me was named Masha.
She had been with Mondo earlier and turned out to be his childhood friend.
Despite her complaints, she seemed to be having a reasonable amount of fun.
However, Masha's other friend didn't feel the same way.
"Hey, hey, I'm here, so relax! Sure, my scores are worse than the exploration squad's, but when it comes to actual combat, I'm not half bad!"
"Hmm, compared to Mondo, George is still better."
"Hey, what do you mean 'better'!? Sure, I'm average, but being compared to this bottom-feeder hurts!"
A boy named George spat those words out.
The one nodding in agreement was a red-haired girl named Aina. She had freckles but was a cute-looking girl.
George and Aina, along with Mondo and Masha, were my squad members.
I'd been observing to get a sense of the gathering squad's dynamics, and it seemed Mondo wasn't highly regarded by the others.
Among the four excluding me, he probably had the lowest scores.
But he didn't seem to be disliked — if anything, he was more of a mood-maker.
The reason no one in this squad showed any anxiety might have been because Mondo was there.
Having people make fun of himself to distract from everyone else's worries — that might not be what Mondo wanted, but still.
"Even so, I have my strong points! My stamina might be lacking, but my explosive power is above average!"
"Dummy. The teacher said what matters in a fight is staying power, didn't they?"
George dismissed Mondo's excuse with a snort.
It was true — being the type to immediately complain about hunger didn't inspire confidence in one's endurance. But as Mondo himself said, his explosive power did seem noteworthy.
At least, having high resistance was significant.
His body seemed immune to neurotoxins and the like, and if he specialized and trained in that area, he could achieve some interesting growth.
"So what do we do?"
Once we'd gone a reasonable distance into the forest, George gathered the squad members and asked.
George was this squad's leader.
"Shouldn't we look for a water source first?"
"Yeah — the teachers mentioned that too. Securing water is top priority. I can see water flowing from the mountains into the forest, so let's head that way!"
Masha answered, and Aina agreed.
And so we set off toward the water source — in other words, a river.
◇◇◇ "Woo-hoo! This fishing spot is amazing!"
The one who cheered was me.
I was enjoying fishing for the first time in ages.
How had this come about?
We'd secured water and used magic to verify it was safe to drink.
There were trace toxins and some parasitic magic bugs, but boiling magic handled them perfectly.
The four others — George and the rest — were students of NNU Academy of Magical Sciences, so combat magic wasn't their forte. However, they seemed to have done research on improving daily-use spells, and to my surprise, they managed to secure water quite efficiently.
Magic could produce water too, but not having to worry about the available quantity was a significant advantage.
Securing water was a stroke of luck.
And then: "Alright, perfect!" Masha said with a bright smile.
This girl, Masha, was still only in her fourth year of enrollment, yet she was a user of Spatial Expansion.
It was a degraded version of Spatial Storage — it could only increase capacity, nothing more. But Spatial-Type Magic was extremely difficult, so being able to use even this was impressive.
Compared to the well-established Transfer Magic, the still-under-research Spatial Expansion was actually more difficult.
This alone proved that Masha was remarkably talented.
George and Mondo worked hard drawing water, Aina handled the magical purification, and then Masha packed the treated water into an ordinary survival canteen, cramming it in over and over.
Despite their bickering, their teamwork was actually quite good.
As for me— "Oh, Satoru, you can't use magic, right? And you don't seem very physical either, so why don't you search around here for anything that looks edible?"
George had told me that.
"Here" meant within their line of sight.
I wasn't a child and had no intention of wandering off on my own, but...
Apparently, I looked young even to them.
I'd set my apparent age at around fifteen, yet here I was being treated like this.
Well, complaining wouldn't change anything, so I decided to start doing what I could.
And so, I tied string to a branch and crafted a simple fishing rod.
To avoid suspicion, I unraveled a sleeve from my shirt to get the string.
Clothes with woven-in thread were convenient for situations like this. I was making up the difference myself, but it was easy enough to pass off.
For bait, I used bugs found under rocks by the water's edge.
Normally, bugs that dared show their faces were enemies — targets for annihilation, things I wouldn't touch or even look at — but in a place like this, the fact that I was actively seeking them out was rather ironic.
As an emergency measure, I'd scattered the trap balls meant for catching dangerous beasts and kept only the net. I'd use that as a makeshift net to throw caught fish into.
Preparations were complete.
With my gear and bait ready, I began fishing.
How long had I been at it when— "What are you doing?" Masha asked.
She seemed to have finished her water-storing task.
I glanced over and saw that the other three had collapsed from exhaustion and sat down.
They'd probably run out of stamina and magic.
"Fishing! I'm catching fish to add to dinner."
I'd already caught about thirty.
This fishing spot, perhaps because no one had fished here before, was producing catches at a remarkable rate.
Twenty fish per hour — a new personal best.
Well, technically it was my first time fishing since reincarnating.
"Fishing? That sounds fun! Can I try too?"
Masha's eyes sparkled as she asked, and I happily handed over the rod and gave her a quick lesson.
Masha had apparently never fished before and was full of curiosity.
After teaching her for a while and telling her to try on her own, she immediately became absorbed in fishing.
Even though the other three had burned out, Masha — who should have used the most magic — was still full of energy. Impressive.
While giving Masha advice, I set about crafting a second fishing rod— But— By the time the second rod was finished, Aina had joined us, and by the time the third was done, George was in on it too.
In the end, Mondo started fishing as well, so my final count for the day was thirty-three fish.
Still, with the water secured and everyone's combined catch exceeding a hundred fish, it was quite a productive outing.
On the way back, if Masha hadn't compressed and secured the fish with spatial magic, Aina hadn't used weight-control magic to float them, and George and Mondo hadn't used physical enhancement to carry them, we would have wasted all the fish we'd caught.
But it all worked out in the end.
And so, the first day's gathering operation in the forest came to a close.