My Glasses Will Be Able to Conquer the Whole World, I Suppose

Chapter 222 – Glasses Boy Admits to Being a Little Sneaky

“… Don’t move, everyone!! …Oh, is it already over?”

It was right after Florentine had submitted the smoke signals, determining the outcome.

As the sandstorm settled after accomplishing their tasks, Hydra rushed over, intimidating everyone present―seemingly sensing the situation.

Silent, Shuren lowered the black cloth covering his mouth and sat down without uttering a word, assuming what would follow, like the traditional Japanese seiza posture.

“Yeah.”

Hydra responded solemnly, seemingly understanding the conclusion from the serious demeanor of their allies.

“Huh? It’s already settled?”

Cherry arrived slightly late, followed by the even later Caro-something.

Even Lisse and Marion, who had been lurking near the tower, emerged.

It seemed they emerged in response to Hydra’s earlier shout.

Their timing indicated they likely hadn’t seen anything due to the sandstorm―not me climbing the tower, not the smoke signal flying overhead, not even Florentine and me setting up the trap from the tower window.

Of course, they missed the incident between me, who descended from the tower, and Shuren, who took the smoke signals.

Despite the abundance of information, the passage of time was remarkably short.

In the time it takes to eat lunch, everything had ended.

“Hey! What’s happening now!? Or rather, what happened!?”

Chace, Harriatan, and Trawllul also returned. For some reason, even the assassin team’s Eorazel was with them.

“… Is it over already?”

Belge also returned, carrying Geodine on his back.

Geodine, who had been causing the sandstorm until a moment ago, seemed to have exhausted his magic and passed out. I knew it from experience.

For some reason, everyone was looking at me, so I just looked at Evanesque, not saying anything. Looking at me wouldn’t provide any information, after all.

The leather bag handed to Shuren earlier was now held by Instructor Yorgo.

He received it when he received Florentine’s item.

“The submission of the smoke signals has already been completed. We will now open and inspect the contents. The one Mr. Yorgo is holding was submitted by Shuren of the Assassin Team―please.”

Upon a nod from Instructor Evanesque, Instructor Yorgo turned the leather bag upside down and emptied its contents onto the ground.

It was clear at a glance.

Four balls emitting red smoke. The remaining five were potatoes.

“And this is what was submitted by Florentine of the Monster Hunting Team.”

Instructor Evanesque said, mirroring Instructor Yorgo’s actions by turning over the leather bag he had brought.

This, too, was clear at a glance.

Five balls emitting red smoke. By the way, there were no potatoes in this one. They weren’t necessary for the main event.

… By the way, Florentine lost on the first day of training and has been on a week-long cooking duty. That’s why she was able to get potatoes from the food storage in the basement.

Access to areas other than the kitchen is prohibited, you see.

“… Today’s training will be deemed a victory for the Monster Hunting Team.”

With the official declaration made… I felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

“Alright!”

“Heh, it’s only natural since I gave it my all!”

“Nyahahaha. This is the strength of a cat beastman!”

Chace, Harriatan, and Trawllul seem to be delighted… I’m more relieved than happy. Well, it’s over. That’s a relief.

“Geodine! Your plan was a huge success!”

Harriatan and Trawllul rush over to Belge, who pretends to be our leader, with excitement. He seemed really happy.

Well, that’s really great.

Now I won’t be pursued.

“… It was you, right?”

Oh, that surprised me.

Hydra, who somehow appeared beside me, whispered to me.

“Wasn’t it your plan?”

“No, it wasn’t. Not at all. It was all Geodine’s plan. Well, if I have to say, maybe I contributed like ten percent, but the rest was all thanks to Geodine.”

I’m not lying.

For me, managing the team as a leader is ten times harder than coming up with a plan.

So, if you weigh it, it’s like I contributed ten percent and Geodine ninety percent. Without a doubt.

“We won’t lose next time.”

Yeah, right. Hydra surprisingly hates losing.

But this could be bad.

If some strange rivalry forms now, there’s a high chance of them causing trouble for us in the future.

…Should I aim for a strategy where I put in some effort but still lose to Hydra without getting scolded by the instructors?

…No, that won’t work.

Instructor Sorichika knows my personality, and the instructors are likely to see through my slacking off.

… Attention! The training is not over yet!

Yorgo instructor’s heavy voice echoes through the group, who are either rejoicing, feeling down, fainting, or sitting in the traditional posture.

That’s right.

Although the outcome has been announced, the signal for the end of training hasn’t been given yet.

As everyone pays attention, instructor Evanesque speaks up.

“Monster Hunting Team. You’ve shown remarkable abilities compared to yesterday, and I acknowledge that. Especially the advanced tactics utilizing the characteristics of team members deserve a certain level of recognition.”

…So, it seems like there’s no need to worry about being kicked out after all. Phew, that’s a relief.

“Assassin Team. You’ve demonstrated a consistent performance over these two days. Regarding this round, I judge that many of you were defeated by the strategy rather than individually. However, if you reflect calmly now, there were several moments where the strategy could have been halted. Each of you should reflect on where you think you failed and use it to move forward.”

Failure, huh?

My biggest failure was probably when I confronted Shuren.

I had a lot on my mind at that moment.

I had anticipated that he would come once I descended from the tower, so I had thought of countermeasures…

First, act as a decoy.

This would keep Shuren away from the tower and allow Florentine to deliver the package.

That was the main plan.

However, Shuren’s speed was unexpectedly fast, and I couldn’t even initiate the fleeing action. He must be quite formidable in combat.

Since I was the decoy, it was okay for me to lose.

Having the leather bag with the smoke signals taken away was also within expectations.

But what if the same situation arises again?

What if I face Shuren again and find ourselves in a hostile relationship for some reason?

… This time, we won because there was a method and rules of the game regarding the retrieval of the smoke signals, but in terms of content, I clearly lost in a one-on-one confrontation.

Even if I can’t win, maybe I should learn more about close combat.

Or should I work on improving my speed?

Will mastering the Seven Secret Techniques solve the issue?

“You should all understand now. What you lack at the moment and what you need or desire. The team competition this time served as both a practical introduction of yourselves and a chance to reassess what you lack. Neither team had balanced strengths and abilities; they were makeshift teams. There were advantages and disadvantages, I believe. Although we may have another form of competition in the future, it won’t be anytime soon. Use this time to reflect on your individual challenges and spend your days meaningfully. … That’s all, dismissed.”

And thus, the team competition came to an end.

It’s been quite exhausting, huh?

“… You’re the one who came up with the plan, right?”

“… Nope. It was Geodine.”

“… You expect me to believe a seemingly innocent kid like him could come up with such a devious plan?”

“… That’s rude. Don’t make it sound like you think I’m devious.”

“… But you do think of pretty devious things, don’t you? You used to come up with all sorts of devious plans back in the village.”

“… Right? Despite my appearance, I can be quite devious.”

What harsh words.

I’m not necessarily devious.

…

…Well, if I had to say, maybe just a bit…

I guess you could say I’m… somewhat devious.