After making a strong first impression on the day of Mezlena’s arrival at the academy, about a week has passed since the start of the new semester, and I could say that Mezlena and I have become somewhat friendly.

…At least, in her mind, I was now someone “worth remembering by name.”

“So, you know, Antonio was nagging me again today….”

“Is that so?”

“I told him I had no intention of participating in the royal power struggle, but he kept bringing it up… Of course, I can’t blame him for being aware of the charisma my beautiful appearance naturally brings… And then Seraphine, my sister, also….”

“You always have it so tough, Princess Mezlena.”

It was a conversation where I was half-heartedly agreeing with her, just going along with what she was saying. There wasn’t much point in taking her ridiculous complaints seriously.

Besides, what she really needed wasn’t someone to earnestly listen to her, but just a person to echo back that she was right. That way, Mezlena could restore her self-esteem.

Of course, such a relationship wouldn’t last long in the future, but I didn’t care much. My role, after all, was just to help Mezlena meet someone she could genuinely fall for, and once I fulfilled that role, I planned to quietly step back.

Even if I remained in her memory as just the “maid who said what she wanted to hear,” it wouldn’t be a problem.

‘It’s best not to get too entangled with royalty anyway.’

After graduation, I intended to draw clear lines not only with Ethan but also with Seraphine. The same went for Lize or anyone else with enough power to restrict my freedom.

Isabelle and Katarina belonged to the Blackwood family, so naturally, they would distance themselves once I created some space between myself and Ethan. The only people I might stay in touch with after graduation would be Agnes and that reckless guy.

Of course, both of them would be busy with the Hero’s Party after graduation, so it’s unlikely I’d see them often. In essence, I was destined to be alone after graduation.

“…So I decided to forgive Antonio this time, just this once… Because unlike him, I’m a forgiving person….”

“You’re truly remarkable, Princess Mezlena. Commoners like me would have long since lost our temper in such a situation. But to show such graciousness… it’s inspiring.”

“Hmm, I like that… Praise me more.”

‘…So easy.’

Building shallow rapport was progressing smoothly, so it was time to start considering Mezlena’s ‘match.’

From what I remembered, Mezlena’s fiancé wasn’t revealed in Luminor Academy. Not just during the main storyline, but even after the endings.

Given her personality, it was likely that she either didn’t have a fiancé, or the engagement had been annulled, perhaps due to the fiancé’s death.

As I mentioned before, if that were the case, one of the most likely candidates was Ethan. He met two important conditions: being from a family high enough to marry into royalty and dying in the original story.

Up until about half a year ago, Karahem was also a candidate, but after he casually accepted Lyria’s confession, I naturally excluded him from consideration.

If he were engaged to Mezlena, accepting Lyria’s confession would have been impossible.

“Princess Mezlena, if I may, could I ask you something?”

“It is indeed presumptuous for you, a mere baronet’s daughter, to ask a question of me, but… With my magnanimous nature, I shall overlook your impertinence just this once….”

“Then, if you’ll excuse my impudence, I have a simple question out of curiosity. Do you, by any chance, have a fiancé that is not widely known?”

“Hmm, no? No…?”

“…I see. Thank you for answering.”

Her response came as a smooth, natural shake of her head.

Such a natural reaction could only come from someone who truly didn’t have a fiancé. Especially given Mezlena’s inability to lie well, it was even more convincing.

Although I was slightly disappointed that Mezlena wasn’t engaged to Ethan, I also felt a sense of relief… At least, it meant I wouldn’t have to go through the ordeal of making Mezlena fall for Ethan.

‘Looks like I bought myself some time.’

If Mezlena had been Ethan’s secret fiancé, I would have had to start toning down my relationship with Ethan. But since that wasn’t the case, I could maintain the status quo for a while longer.

…Well, it wasn’t like we could sleep in separate rooms now, anyway, since we were using the marriage-engagement dorm this semester. But at least I didn’t have to restrain our displays of affection on the off chance that Mezlena was watching.

‘I still don’t know what Princess Rainie’s relationship with Ethan is, but… that can wait for later.’

There were still many things I hadn’t been able to do with Ethan yet, and now, I didn’t have to stop those things prematurely.

There was even a beach trip (Marine Studies) planned for the end of this semester.

I worked to calm my slightly flushed face, trying to maintain a poker face. Smiling too much might cause Mezlena to misunderstand and start to view me with suspicion.

“Oh, time’s already….”

“It’s about time for the next class. I enjoyed our time today, Princess Mezlena.”

“I did as well… Oh, and tomorrow I have my fifth period class, so how about we meet an hour later than today…?”

“…As much as I’d love to meet your expectations, unfortunately, starting tomorrow, I’ll be away from the academy for a week due to my ‘Natural Studies Exploration’ course.”

The exploration courses for third-year students lasted a week, making it harder for underclassmen and upperclassmen to interact.

“Oh, I see… Now that you mention it, you’re in your third year, Lilith…”

“That’s right, Princess Mezlena.”

“Hmm, well, there’s nothing to be done… I’m not particularly disappointed or anything, so don’t worry… I have plenty of other friends besides you, after all….”

“I’m sincerely grateful that you’ve taken time out of your busy schedule to talk with a lowly baronet’s daughter like me instead of spending it with other distinguished figures.”

“Well, yes… Lilith, you always know just what to say….”

Her claim of having many other friends didn’t fool me in the slightest, considering what I knew about the original Mezlena, but I pretended to be convinced.

Regardless of whether Mezlena was Ethan’s fiancée or not, I still needed to maintain a good relationship with her.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

From the third year onward, Luminor Academy shifted from the internal events of the academy seen in the second part to more external activities.

Unlike the second part, which focused on daily life and events within the academy, the third part mainly dealt with external episodes and activities.

From the third year’s timetable, except for the first day of each week, all other classes involved outdoor activities. Or, occasionally, the classes were simply canceled.

For example, the ‘Natural Studies Exploration’ course that Ethan and I had enrolled in took place during the second week of the semester, starting on the second day and lasting until the weekend—a total of six days.

During that time, we would move to the ‘Hobgoblin Forest,’ the course’s location, where we would hunt monsters, learn how to camp in the wild, and survive through self-sufficiency.

You might think this course was too harsh for students, but this was a medieval fantasy world. After graduation, students had to be capable of surviving such challenges to proudly display the ‘Academy Graduate’ title in society.

Unless they were from the engineering or pharmaceutical departments, all combat department students were expected to be proficient in surviving monster battles.

“The resources provided to students will be a single meal’s worth of rations and a bottle of water each. The rest must be sourced from the forest over the next five days, or, alternatively, you may complete the course early by gathering the necessary resources before running out of food and water.”

“Wait, what?”

“Five days in the forest? You expect us to survive for four nights and five days?!”

“No. You need to survive for 120 hours. That’s five nights and six days.”

“What… how is that…?”

The students who hadn’t realized the true nature of the course started grumbling. Those who remained quiet must have been aware of what kind of course it was through senior students or other sources.

While some exploration courses changed their assignments annually, the ‘Natural Studies Exploration’ followed the same format every year. Since its primary goal was to develop each student’s survival skills, there was no need to change the curriculum.

Ethan and I were already aware of this, so we didn’t react. We were simply assessing how we would spend the next five days and deciding where in the forest to settle.

“What do you mean by a single meal’s worth of rations? How are we supposed to get the other 14 meals?!”

“You will gather them yourselves. The forest contains fruit, mushrooms, fish, and wildlife. You’ll need to ‘figure it out’ by foraging or hunting for your meals. Didn’t I tell you to bring your personal weapons?”

“But what if we eat poisonous mushrooms or something?!”

“That’s unfortunate. If you can’t distinguish them, don’t touch them in the first place.”

“...What?”

“And where do we get water?”

“There’s a river somewhere deeper in the forest. You can either gather water from there, find a lake, filter the water, dig for groundwater, or collect moisture from plants. There are many options.”

“But what if we get dehydrated…?”

“That would also be unfortunate. If you’re worried about that, I suggest locating a water source before your rationed water runs out.”

“What about where we sleep…?”

“You should have figured that out by now, shouldn’t you? Sort it out yourselves.”

“….”

The professor with the green hair dismissed the students’ questions one by one, and the atmosphere grew even more somber.

About a third of the students had planned ahead and were already forming teams, discussing how they would survive. Another third, though displeased, scrambled to gather people and come up with plans. The remaining third sat helplessly, sighing in despair.

However, there was one variable even the well-prepared students hadn’t anticipated: all of the students would be forcibly separated upon entering the forest.

“Before you enter the forest, look over here. I need everyone to make eye contact with me….”

“I’ll set up camp near the river. Hopefully, we’ll meet in the forest.”

“I’ll find you somehow. See you later, Ethan.”

“…Alright. Take care, Lilith.”

Snap!

“Wha—what the?!”

“Aaaah! Te-teleportation magic…!!”

The moment the professor snapped his fingers, a ‘random teleportation’ spell was cast on the 100 or so students.

After a flash of white light passed before my eyes, I found myself deep within the forest.