After completing three days of humanities research classes, we boarded the carriages we had arrived in and headed back to the academy.

This task had been at least two to three times harder than the game’s original difficulty.

I couldn’t help but wonder how the eight members of the hero party would have managed without Ethan and me. No matter how I thought about it, I couldn’t picture them defeating Hankerton and Mel on their own.

‘From what I heard later, the village chief Rombel’s side was at least spared a boss battle.’

The twin bandit bosses Ockam and King of Bandits Huma had already died during the bandit raid event, so it made sense that they didn’t reappear as bosses. Unless Rombel suddenly turned out to be a necromancer, there was no way someone who had died could pop back up as a boss.

Still, the narrative didn’t change much: Rombel was ultimately betrayed and killed by the remaining bandits. In the end, none of the three collaborators in Bridget Village met a pleasant end.

‘I’m so exhausted.’

But at least no one died this time. That was a relief.

As for the grade reports and bandit bounties, we found them outside the inn door when we woke up. The professor hadn’t shown his face once, even at the very end.

「Class Results – Everyone: A+」

「Reason for Grade: Difficulty adjustment error」

「Upon review, I, the professor, have determined that this class suffered from an error in difficulty adjustment, making it impossible for the current academy students to complete. As such, all students who completed the primary task and survived will receive this grade. Class dismissed.」

「Bandit Bounty」

「King of Bandits Huma – 100 gold coins」

「Ockam Twins – 50 gold coins」

「Human Hunter Berry (alias Hankerton) – 80 gold coins」

「Black Vixen Ranathel (alias Mel) – 50 gold coins」

「Other bandit bounties – 20 gold coins」

「The bounty will be distributed among the party members based on individual contributions. The professor will not intervene in the distribution.」

…I was momentarily furious that the professor didn’t even show his face after nearly getting us all killed, but the heavy pouch of 300 gold coins in my hands was enough to calm my anger.

Money always has a way of making things right. Plus, normally, we’d have had to go through the hassle of identifying which bandits had bounties, bringing their heads to the guild, and collecting the rewards. The professor had saved us that trouble.

I almost felt like bowing to the professor in gratitude. Though, with my injured calf, I couldn’t physically manage it even if I tried.

“So, it was Lil… Lady Rosewood and Ethan who took down the Ockam twins, right? That means 50 gold coins for you two… And Mel was defeated by Lady Rosewood and Agnes…”

“Do we really need to split it that precisely? There are 300 gold coins total, and there are ten of us. I think it’s fair to just divide it evenly, 30 coins each.”

“…Are you sure? Lil… Lady Rosewood, you took down the Ockam twins and Mel, so you could easily claim 50 coins yourself.”

“I don’t think I did enough to claim that much for myself. When we were fighting the Ockam twins, the hero’s party was handling Huma, which allowed Ethan and me to focus on our battle. The same goes for Mel. If we calculated everything like that, we’d have to give all of our share to Saintess Celestia, who practically saved our lives.”

“No, no, I didn’t do that much…! I was only praying while you were all fighting for your lives, and I only helped heal you afterward… I-I don’t need any of the reward…”

“Looks like Lady Rosewood is right. We’ll split it evenly, 30 gold coins each. Anyone object?”

“No objections here!”

And that’s how I ended up with 30 gold coins—essentially the equivalent of a year’s salary in one go.

A pierced calf for 30 gold coins. It had been rough, but all things considered, it wasn’t a bad deal. Though, it wasn’t something I ever wanted to experience again.

‘Adding this to what I’ve saved so far, that makes about 120 gold coins. That’s probably enough to buy a decent-sized building in a large town, though the capital’s out of reach.’

If I wanted, I could probably buy a two-story building and use my knowledge from my previous life to start a business. Or, I could buy a spacious house and use it as a base while adventuring. That kind of money would certainly give me options.

Though, investing in real estate in a fantasy world was far too risky. I’d have to think of something else.

‘At this rate, I should be able to save up about 200 gold coins by the time I graduate.’

With pleasant thoughts in mind, I drove the carriage, though the sight of the slightly red plains caught my eye.

It was the place where Ethan, the hero’s party, and I had camped before the bandit attack. I couldn’t help but feel uneasy looking at it.

It seemed I wasn’t the only one with those thoughts, as the others decided to continue past the open plain that would’ve been ideal for camping.

After traveling a bit further, we stopped in a suitable meadow and began preparations for an overnight stay.

“Where are Ethan and Lady Rosewood setting up their tent?”

“…If you don’t mind, we’d like to set up a little closer to you this time. Last time, we camped farther away and nearly ran into trouble.”

“Sounds like a good idea. We usually set up in a circle around the campfire with three tents. You can set up yours in the last spot. And Ethan, you’ll be helping with the watch tonight.”

“…Understood.”

Just days ago, this kind of offer to camp together would have been unthinkable, but now Ethan gladly accepted the invitation to join the hero party’s camp.

It seemed nearly dying had given him a lot to think about.

‘It almost feels like Ethan and I are part of the hero’s party now.’

Honestly, based on our actions in the past few days, there wasn’t much difference between us and the actual members of the hero party.

The men and women had separated into different tents, shared information and held strategy meetings, cooperated in battle, and received healing together from Celestia afterward.

In the original game, the hero’s party was limited to eight members for balance reasons, but now that we were in the real world, there was no such restriction.

‘Not to mention, in a world where multiple bosses appear at once, how are eight people supposed to handle it?’

At least there weren’t any more multi-boss scenarios after the fourth act, but the problem was this third act, with its multiple story branches and boss fights every semester.

We had barely survived this time, with two bosses at once. Next time, we’d have to be even more prepared.

‘Maybe I should shadow Gepmajo’s movements more closely, even if it’s a bit reckless.’

But if I made it too obvious that I was following the hero’s courses, Ethan might get suspicious.

Still, leaving the hero party to face similar dangers without any help wasn’t an option either.

‘Well, there’s still time before the next semester. I’ll figure it out then.’

With that thought, I began unpacking supplies from the carriage to prepare for dinner, when the pink-haired devil… I mean, Saintess Celestia, quietly approached me.

“L-Lady Lilith… I-I mean, Lady Rosewood, I found you…”

“…Saintess Celestia?”

“I-I was wondering if you could help with dinner tonight? Lady Agnes and Miss Silena mentioned they really wanted to try the meal you made last time…”

“I don’t mind, but do we have the ingredients? I’ll need chicken and garlic to make the same dish as before…”

“We w-we got some supplies before we left Bridget Village… A-and we have plenty of rice as well…”

“Alright then. I’ll prepare the same meal as before, and while I’m at it, I can teach you how to make it. It might come in handy if you ever need to cook for the hero.”

“Ah, y-yes, please! Thank you so much…”

For now, I’d be content with the peace we had earned without anyone dying.

No point in worrying about problems that hadn’t happened yet. All that would do is waste time.