The Only Male Student in the Academy

160. To the Earldom (4)

Actually, I think I’m being overly sensitive.

Unknown Saga Chapter 2 is divided into three routes.

When Lucius heads to the County of Findel Nerka, the way he proceeds varies depending on who he goes with.

1. Going with Benit

2. Benit goes with Nina

3. Going with Nina

The first route is the Benit route.

This is a route that automatically proceeds when your relationship level with Nina is lower than level 2. Lucius leaves for the County of Findelnerca with Benit without speaking to Nina.

Take the warp gate on the Marbella Coast hidden by Benit and attack the Eastern District – Southern District – Western District – Northern District – Central District in this order.

And when he arrived in the Western District, he was belatedly joined by Nina, who had been chasing him.

The Benit route is the most common route that most users encounter in their first playthrough.

The second route is the Benit & Nina route. It is also called ‘Benina Route’ among users.

It is released when your bond level with Nina is level 2 or higher, and your bond level with Benit is also level 4 or higher.

Before Lucius goes to the County of Findel Nerca at Benit’s request, he stops by the library and talks to Nina.

After reconciling Benit and Nina, they all board the warp gate on Marbella Coast.

And like the Benit route, attack in the following order: Eastern District – Southern District – Western District – Northern District – Central District.

There isn’t much difference from the Benit route, but the fact that Nina joined from the beginning is a big deal.

Because Nina, a tier 1 thief, is with you, the difficulty is significantly lowered, and your bond level with Benit increases significantly after the story ends. Additionally, the probability that Nina will be with you in the final battle increases.

The Benina route is usually treated as a true route because it is often played in the second playthrough.

The third and final route is the Nina route.

This route is possible if your relationship level with Nina is level 3 or higher.

After leaving Benit alone until he leaves for the County of Findel Nerca, you can proceed by speaking to Nina, who remains in the library.

Benit goes alone through the warp gate on the coast of Marbella and goes to the county, and the story becomes about chasing him with Nina.

The process is Western District – Northern District – Eastern District – Southern District – Central District.

It is not until we arrive at the final central district that we barely meet Benit.

In the Benit route, enemies you encounter in the latter half appear from the beginning, or you have to defeat boss monsters that have never appeared before…… This is the so-called hidden route.

This is a route prepared solely for multiple playthroughs, so the difficulty increases and the rewards also increase.

At the same time, we are also considering the risk that Nina’s favorability may rise rapidly…… In one word, it can be said to be a high-risk, high-return route.

It should be said that it is a route dedicated to stagnant water.

The story is long, but in the end, what she wants to say is that no matter which route Nina takes, she meets Lucius.

Of course, just because Nina and Lucius meet each other, it cannot be said that they will unconditionally fall in love and become yanderes.

In fact, most first-time players cleared Chapter 2 without even knowing that Nina was a yandere.

So, I think it will be okay, but… This world is a one-time life with no save or load.

I couldn’t send Nina to Lucius’ side because I couldn’t give up this one possibility.

‘… I never thought it would be this successful.’

When Lucius stopped by the County of Findelnerca, it seemed that he did not become very close to Nina.

Maybe it’s because Marie survived.

Since Rose is working so hard to restore Marie’s body to its original state, she may have paid less attention to Nina.

Thanks to this, Lucius proceeded with his first route, the Benit route.

In that case, I can separate them by proceeding with the third route, the Nina route, at the same time.

Of course, Lucius might be in danger as Nina prevents him from joining Benit, but that problem was solved by Andy accompanying him.

Andy and Nina’s roles are different, but they will still fill in the gaps to some extent. Anyway, Andy is strong enough to be the valedictorian of the 4th grade.

In the meantime, I can eliminate the bad ending trigger by taking the hidden route with Nina, and I can pick up the items that Lucius will pass by instead.

Because of these various calculations, I am also heading to the Count of Findelnerca, but concerns still remain.

Just as Nina awakened as a Yandere against Lucius, wouldn’t she happen to become a Yandere against us…… Called.

So she left it up to Rachel to seduce Nina, and she left her on the floating island to prevent Rachel from getting murdered.

And the future response to Nina is left to Claire, who has had no contact so far, and if the two feel like they are getting too close, Nana Marie responds again.

If you become friends evenly so that no one’s favorability is concentrated, you will not reach relationship level 7.

That’s how I plan to prevent Nina from becoming a yandere.

“Did I overthink it…?”

I don’t think there will be any problems.

I am the only male student and idiot who was shunned at the academy. There are no elements to like.

The same goes for Marie. Not only does she have a tendency to stutter, but her body is already beyond that of a human.

Besides, I’m already in a relationship, so I don’t think Nina will attack me.

Claire is a completely different type of person than Nina. It’s hard to say that she fits her ideal type.

So, there is no way Nina will like us, but in the end, she is a helpless person.

Don’t you think you need to prepare thoroughly to avoid any setbacks?

“Here.”

From noble mtl dot com

There is a large mountain range in the northwest of the County of Findelnerca.

Because it is so high, wide, and rugged, the only people who enter this mountain are local residents. Even then, most of them usually only come to the foot of the mountain.

This is because monsters appear from the moment you cross the foot of the mountain. Unless you are a herbalist who is confident in your fighting skills, climbing a mountain is tantamount to suicide.

Therefore, we have arrived at a place where people cannot help but reach.

There was a small cave that only one person could pass through.

“Cave?”

“Yes. The entrance is only small, but once you go inside, you will see a fairly large space.”

Saying that, Nina put her body into her cave.

“It seems like it happened before I was even born. Do you know anything about Youngjipojutsu?”

“I heard about it from Ariel, so I know something about it. I guess it’s a technique to get lost, right?”

“Yes, it is just as Claire Entirus said. Territory Defense is a high-level art that distorts space, disorients sense of direction, and destroys concepts. So, once you activate it, you can protect your territory from enemies, but At the same time, the lord’s family and the people are also embracing the risk that they will not be able to escape.”

Nina said that there are several emergency exits for such worst-case scenarios, and this cave is one of them.

“Hundreds of years ago, the cave was somewhat forcibly connected to the county. If you use this, you will be able to reach the ‘commercial district’, the western district of the county.”

“It’s going to be quite a walk. Isn’t there somewhere I can go a little faster?”

“There are a few more places, but they may attract the attention of lords from other territories. Also, considering safety, this cave would be the best.”

“Hmm.”

Claire shrugged her head as if she had no choice.

After seeing that, Nina goes into the cave first, and we follow behind.

Marie also took out a lantern to match the movement.

Light comes from the lantern and illuminates the cave, and we walk carefully to avoid falling.

It’s dark and damp.

Up to that point, one might think of an underground waterway, but the atmosphere is completely different. While the underground waterway is unpleasant due to its smell, the inside of the cave has a strange sense of mystery and coolness.

A feeling similar to a pleasant sense of liberation, but also a sense of fear as if walking inside the belly of a huge beast.

We advanced without thinking and being wary of our surroundings.

“Please wait a moment.”

How long did it take? Nina, who was walking in front of her, opened her mouth.

It wasn’t a loud voice. It was a voice that surprisingly did not echo even though it was inside a cave.

However, it was also a voice that was strangely catchy. It’s like an awl suddenly stabbing you.

“There is something.”

Claire also lowered her voice and spoke.

Clair also seems to have sensed something through .

“Yes. There is an enemy. It seems to be an infectious agent.”

“…It’s quite far away. Did you figure that out?”

“I haven’t heard it much, but I hear a sound that is not unfamiliar. The way it moves seems similar to a human, but it doesn’t feel like a zombie.”

Nina said so.

Nina has a skill called .

It is a much higher level detection skill than Claire’s .

Simply put, it is a skill that can almost unconditionally detect any enemy that is affected by the five senses.

In particular, enemies that generate sound are always found, and the efficiency is greatly increased in indoor spaces.

In addition, there is a high probability of finding mobs that generate a specific smell or mobs that generate a specific temperature.

It even identifies monsters that have been frequently encountered in the past.

Could it be that what Nina can’t find are very special mobs such as ghosts?

Even this can be supplemented if there is a priest in the party with Like Della before.

“There are only two in number. They probably came here from the county by chance.”

“What are you going to do, Ariel? You’re not going to kill me like last time?”

“…Too much time has passed. There’s no way it can go back to the way it was.”

What if the infection situation in the County of Findelnerca is resolved quickly?

Unfortunately, it takes a lot of time for this infection to be resolved.

“It’s different from the situation on the floating island. That’s why we have to kill it.”

“I understand.”

Nina bowed her head as if she understood.

And then Nina’s figure disappears before her eyes and the wind passes by her cheek.

I realized what had happened a beat later.

“…No, why did you jump out first?”

Sighing, I looked at Claire.

Claire nods her head and begins to walk ahead at a fast pace.

Soon after, the horrors were revealed.

A humanoid monster with numerous tumors on its body is rolling on the ground with its head cut off.

One of the remaining infected animals was dying with a dagger stuck in its chest.

“Are you here? The danger has been eliminated first.”

“Who told you to go?”

I asked.

Nina pulls out the dagger with an expressionless face.

Blood of an unpleasant color flows out from the chest of the infected body as if bursting out,

Nina just kicks the infected body as if she is not bothered by the blood on her cheek.

A body is buried in a corner of a cave.

“I acted first because it was a number I could solve in my own way.”

“So, who told you to do that?”

“Are you displeased?”

“It’s not such an emotional issue.”

I pretended to fold my arms and tapped Claire who was standing next to me.

Claire seemed to understand and took a step forward.

“Nina, are you taking the class on understanding party combat?”

“…I took the course in the first semester.”

“Is that so? Were you in charge of the party at that time?”

“Someone else took charge.”

“So, Nina, do you want to be the party leader?”

“I don’t think she particularly wants to take charge.”

“In that case, please give priority to Ariel’s instructions, the party leader. You did well at Ariel’s party last summer vacation, right? There were a lot more people there than last time.”

Clercigon A soft voice.

However, I could feel the intention from the strangely standing edge of the blade. ‘Don’t act alone, just follow the party leader.’

“If you don’t like it, you can take charge of the party and give instructions to others. What can you do, Nina?”

“…….”

Nina shook her head silently.

Nina doesn’t have the skills to be the party leader. In the first place, she probably never gave instructions to others.

“If you, a thief, make your own judgment and conclusion, we cannot follow. At least consult with us before heading out.”

“I understand.”

“And don’t try to handle things on your own. Even if there were only two, your choice just now was wrong. The four of us should have worked together to take them down just now.”

“…Why is that?”

“It’s a matter of physical strength management. Do you think this trip will end with defeating two infected entities? There will be countless battles in the future.”

It is a long-term race that takes about 2 to 3 weeks. And our party has too few people.

Since the importance of each person is so large, the burden placed on party members must also be shared.

If one person ignores the burden and later becomes unable to fight, it is a huge loss.

If one of the four is missing, just by simple calculation, combat power decreases by 25%.

“Two dogs are not a big burden. Also, I recover my stamina quickly, so there is no problem.”

“So, I’m saying don’t judge that. Even if there are no problems with physical strength, what about risk management? Defeating two monsters by yourself, or defeating two monsters with four people. Which is better? Do you think it would be much safer?”

So, the correct answer to the battle just now is as follows.

Nina has excellent hiding abilities. Use its hiding ability to quickly cut down an infected animal.

At the same time, Claire, Marie, and I attack the remaining one and take it down.

“Can you say for sure that you will never fall as you take down one and move on to take down the other? Can you say for sure that your hand holding the dagger will never slip? Infection Have you ever considered the possibility that the dagger you stabbed at Che might not be pulled out properly?”

“That’s….”

“Can you say 0% with certainty?”

“……But not to 0%.”

“Yes. That’s why.”

Even if Nina makes a mistake, she can quickly cover it up if the three of us are by her side.

The opposite is also true. If the three of us make a mistake, Nina can cover it.

“Listen carefully. Even if it’s temporary, once you join my party, I won’t forgive you for any arbitrary action. Please know that our party will focus on stability over speed.”

I spoke strongly on purpose.

It may not be a big deal, but we are in a position where we have to act together against each other for a while. This is something that needs to be taken care of in advance before it becomes a problem later.

“I understand. I will be careful in the future.”

Nina bowed her head deeply.

After that, she encountered several monsters in the cave, but Nina never rushed out on her own.

“The number of enemies is three. It appears to be two infected humans and one infected animal.”

“What kind of beast is it?”

“It looks like a dog.”

“Nina is the first to cut down the dog. At the right time, Marie and I quickly kill one of the human infected animals with a long-distance burst. Claire blocks the remaining one and holds it down.”

In that way, when Nina relayed information using detection skills, I established a link to issue orders.

It was truly a clean process.

Although there were some problems, Nina is basically an obedient character.

She has low self-esteem and is a human being who was born accustomed to receiving instructions and carrying out orders. So there is no need to rebel against my thoughts.

After that happens, Nina is left with nothing but her strengths.

Mobility, evasion, attack power, hiding ability, and even detection ability.

Of course, Nina is not completely without weaknesses. Stamina management is required, one-shot damage is strong, but continuous damage is ambiguous, there is little AoE, and the throwing ability is weak, making long-distance control very weak.

However, aside from the insufficient throwing ability, this is a weakness of the thief profession itself. Nina simply has the same weaknesses that other thief characters share.

Nina is a character who originally had restrictions on the composition of party members.

Because she is a character with so much risk, she is set up so that she has no such powerful merits.

Thanks to Nina’s powerful performance, we walked around her cave for several hours.

Sometimes I take a break while having meals.

Because we couldn’t tell what was going on outside, we camped out a little late without even knowing it was night.

When we reached the end, we used the Warp Gate Order to supply items.

“Maybe this will be the first and last supply.”

Although there are points in each village where you can supply items, in the worst case, you may end up having to pass even those places before proceeding with the strategy.

Since this is a place where you might end up wandering forever once you enter, we even had to carry our camping equipment with us.

Luckily, I had a bag from the Ancilla family, so it wasn’t that heavy.

With a large number of items stored without any major problems, we came out of the cave.

“We have arrived.”

As you climb up the ladder, you can feel the smell of dirt and grass.

When you step on the ground and stand up, the surroundings are a forest.

At first glance, the tunnel we came out of appears to be nothing more than a hole dug by an animal.

As soon as Nina muttered something, the entrance to the tunnel disappeared and looked like nothing more than a flat surface. It is a kind of witchcraft.

“This way.”

Following Nina’s guidance, we walked there for another 10 minutes.

Soon you come out of the forest, and what you see from afar is a cityscape.

And a giant.

-Gooooo… ….

A huge humanoid monster the size of a two-story house was walking.

It had tumor-like growths all over its body, so anyone could tell that it was an infectious agent, and although it had muscular muscles here and there, it was skinny, making it an extremely repulsive creature.

‘Commercial district’ in the western part of Findelnerca.

It is the third boss you will face in the Benit route, and the first boss monster you will face in the Nina route.

It was given the name ‘Wandering Giant’.