Anyway, Svein acting independently was something for later.
All of us, including him, huddled together and moved in the direction we presumed the opposing team’s starting point would be. In one hand, we held our weapons, and with the other, we gripped the ribbons tied around our necks.
‘I won’t be able to keep holding the ribbon during combat because I’ll need both hands…’
Pret, who possessed the **[Camouflage]** skill, could create a screen of Aether to hide his teammates and himself. The moment we passed by, Fjodra and her familiar could use **[Space Leap]** to snatch our ribbons in an instant. This precaution was to prevent our ribbons from being taken in a hollow ambush before we could even fight.
“By the way, there aren’t as many traps as I thought, are there?”
About ten minutes had passed since we started walking, eyes peeled for the opposing team and any traps that might be hidden. Vigdis offered that observation.
On our way from the starting point to our team’s base, I had fallen into a trap, but aside from that, we hadn’t found so much as a trace of one since. It seemed the tension had loosened a bit.
“That’s possible. But maybe we just haven’t found them and were lucky enough not to trip any? The trap Karbaldr fell into earlier was hard to spot even when we knew it was there.”
“I see. Hearing that, I suppose you could be right.”
Reysir was likely saying that to encourage us to stay alert and not let our guard down, even if it was tiring. Vigdis nodded in agreement, but strangely, she reached a conclusion opposite to what Reysir intended.
“But if we can’t find the traps even when looking closely, does that mean we don’t have to walk so carefully while straining our eyes to scan the area?”
If this were a matter of life and death, her suggestion to ignore the traps despite knowing they were there would have been rejected immediately. But perhaps because this was merely training?
“Is… that so…?”
The Original Protagonist reacted as if he had just heard something very reasonable.
“Still, the opposing team could be hiding somewhere, so we can’t stop being on guard entirely…. But since we’re walking while holding our ribbons, maybe it doesn’t matter?”
Just by looking at him muttering those words while standing still, I could tell which way his heart was leaning. Sure enough, the following words came out of Reysir’s mouth.
“…We’ll be training on this mountain in the afternoon as well, and it’ll be too exhausting to stay on high alert all day, right? In that sense, it might not be a bad idea to move comfortably as Vigdis suggested. What do you all think?”
“I agree.”
Unlike me, who only gave a light nod, Svein answered vocally. Seeing that, I wondered if I should have said something too. However, since I had already expressed my agreement with a nod, I figured it would be a bit awkward to speak a beat late, so I refrained.
“Alright, then let’s pick up the pace!”
Reysir reached that conclusion and started moving again. He no longer scanned the surroundings. Despite taking large, bold strides, none of us tripped a trap even after another ten minutes had passed. At this point, I began to feel that the time we spent being cautious had been a waste.
“It really seems like there are only a few traps. Is it because we’re wandering around the outskirts instead of going deep into the mountains? Or maybe they only set a few because it’s only the first week?”
Judging by those words coming from the Protagonist of Another Novel, his tension had relaxed considerably as well. This meant one thing.
‘It means it’s about time we ran into the opposing team!’
I tensed up, tightening my grip on my whip. At the same time, I resolved to do my best and activated my **[Encourage]** skill, casting the **[Encourage]** buff on myself and Yor.
Less than three minutes later.
“U-Uwaaaah…!”
Liolikin’s massive frame suddenly burst from the bushes, charging toward us with his characteristically feeble battle cry. Since we were walking while protecting our ribbons with our hands, they must have decided that a surprise **[Space Leap]** to snatch them was impossible, and thus sent Liolikin out from behind the camouflage.
‘They’re probably aiming for the moment we let go of our ribbons to engage in combat!’
As that thought occurred to me, my **[Character Analysis]** skill activated naturally, making it feel as if every movement around me had come to a halt. I controlled the flow of Sky-Blue Aether to moderate my Mental Acceleration.
At the same time, I continued to predict how the opposing team would act as I swung my whip to grant the **[Elation]** buff to my team members.
‘As expected, Liolikin decided to mark Reysir intensively.’
Liolikin charged straight for Reysir without sparing a glance for anyone else. It was a situation where a coward had stepped up to fight the strongest person among us, but it wasn’t particularly surprising. Someone had to deal with Reysir, and it was a natural strategy to pit Liolikin, who had the lowest risk of having his ribbon stolen, against him.
Perhaps because he knew how strong Reysir was? Assuming his attack wouldn’t work anyway, Liolikin swung his mace with all his might, not holding back at all. Even though the movement looked slow due to the Mental Acceleration from **[Character Analysis]**, I could still feel the heavy power behind the mace.
It seemed even the Original Protagonist found it impossible to block that with one hand. Reysir gripped his spear firmly with both hands and took a defensive stance. Despite the fact that he had to let go of his ribbon to do so, no other opposing team members showed themselves.
They were likely waiting for a more decisive moment, since only Reysir had entered combat while the rest of us were still guarding our ribbons.
‘If the opposing team has any sense, they wouldn’t have hidden together in the bushes where Liolikin was… But still, should I tell Yor to attack that area once?’
The thought flickered through my mind for a moment, but a better plan soon occurred to me.
‘The Original Protagonist asserted that the opposing team would prioritize my ribbon. The moment I let go, Fjodra will surely appear before me using **[Space Leap]**.’
I didn’t think there was any chance Lausa would appear instead of Fjodra. Lausa, being a familiar, didn’t wear a ribbon, so like Liolikin, there was no fear of hers being stolen. She would likely target Reysir’s side.
After finishing those calculations in my head, I readjusted the flow of Aether to slightly increase my Mental Acceleration and slowly let go of my ribbon with my left hand. Just as I looked toward the bushes as if targeting them and drew a dagger from my **[Inventory]**, a faint teal light flickered in the corner of my vision.
‘They reacted immediately, as expected.’
They must have been waiting for the moment both Reysir and I let go of our ribbons. If one of us lost our ribbon to **[Space Leap]**, it would only heighten the vigilance of the other. They must have judged that targeting both simultaneously was the best strategy.
As I increased my Mental Acceleration, the amount of thought required to maintain the **[Character Analysis]** skill increased. I had to think hard, but I was able to watch the small, faint teal light grow in size and brightness and respond immediately.
Just as the teal light began to fade, I completely released my grip on the dagger and the whip handle.
‘Based on Fjodra’s height, her neck should be around here.’
The moment Fjodra appeared after leaping through space, I grabbed my own ribbon again with my left hand to secure it and reached out with my right.
‘I guess you didn’t expect to be the one caught.’
In the instant bewilderment bloomed on Fjodra’s face, my hand had already caught the tail of her ribbon.
“H-How…?”
As I pulled the teal ribbon loose and ended the **[Character Analysis]** skill, those words reached my ears. If someone asks for a reason, it’s a villain’s virtue to provide a detailed explanation, but since I had no intention of becoming a villain like Karbaldr, I gave a simple answer.
“I simply anticipated that the Imperial Princess would use her **[Space Leap]** skill to target my ribbon.”
“Still, even so…”
As Fjodra muttered those words with a dazed expression, a sudden gasp came from behind.
“Gasp!”
I turned around reflexively and saw Svein standing there with a look of despair, holding a severed purple ribbon. Beyond him, I saw Pret’s back as he scrambled away.
Since Fjodra’s ribbon had been taken, Pret must have judged that even if Liolikin marked Reysir, he couldn’t face the rest of us alone.
‘Even so, to approach Svein from behind and cut his ribbon with a dagger before fleeing…’
Combat might not be his specialty, but someone who had trained for a long time was certainly different. Whether in terms of skill or decisiveness.
“…Fortunately, it seems we’ve maintained a tie.”
I could feel genuine relief in Fjodra’s voice as she said that. She must really hate the idea of losing the game and having to eat preserved rations for lunch.
‘Anyway, a tie means Reysir managed to protect his ribbon safely.’
If Hailga and Risi had been nearby, Pret wouldn’t have fled alone and Fjodra wouldn’t be relieved. As Reysir had guessed a few chapters ago, those two must be waiting at the Teal Team’s starting point.
Since there were no more threats to be wary of in the vicinity, I finally felt at ease to look toward Reysir. Liolikin was just standing there, looking at Fjodra with an expression that asked what he should do now. Reysir was holding his own ribbon with his left hand while keeping Liolikin at bay by pointing the tip of his spear at him with his right.