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

Chapter 214 – Glasses Boy Points Out the Worst Offender

The silence weighs heavily.

No one speaks, and nobody knows what to say.

… Anyway, since the humiliating defeat of the second day’s training ended quite early, we decided to engage in self-training until evening.

After being harshly scolded by Instructor Evanesque, it’s hard to say how much effort each of us put in, but there are still things we each have to do.

I hope everyone did their part properly.

Of course, that includes the Assassination Team.

Actually, they have no reason to worry.

We spent the afternoon like that, and now it’s dinnertime.

Gathered around one table at the invitation of the cook, Belge, to “discuss our reflections and tomorrow’s plans,” the atmosphere is tense.

Tonight, there’s a delicious-looking venison dish in front of us, but no one seems willing to touch it.

Well, that’s understandable.

After all, there’s a chance we’ll be kicked out from here tomorrow.

……If we do get kicked out, it’s not like it can be helped, but it does feel a bit pointless to have come all the way here just to get kicked out.

We decided to give it our all for a year and came all the way from the capital.

I don’t know what will happen afterward, but I definitely want to give it my all for a year. It’s something I decided for myself.

Besides, I want to master the Seven Secret Techniques and learn archery from Instructor Yorgo.

I finally have clear goals in sight.

I suppose getting kicked out at this point would be quite unwelcome.

“… In the end, who’s the worst offender?”

Unable to endure the silence any longer, or perhaps growing frustrated with the lack of progress, Chace finally spoke up. He’s impatient like that.

“I got one of those flare signals. Who didn’t get one?”

Yeah, that’s right.

Out of the nine flare signal balls, only one was taken by our Monster Hunting Team.

But if I had to say, I think Chace is the one at fault.

“N-No, that’s not the issue. That’s not it at all.”

Timid-looking Geodine spoke up against the irritable Chace.

“Then where’s the problem and who’s at fault?! Is it everyone?! All of you?! Tell me who’s to blame!”

Well, I think it’s you.

“U-Um…”

Looking quite flustered under the pressure, Geodine scanned the serious faces around him and then settled his gaze on me, who seemed relatively calm.

“E-Eil? Do you have something to say?”

Is he asking me…? Well, I guess it’s inevitable. Even though I might not show it on my face, I’m taking this quite seriously too.

But seriously, just keeping silent and facing tomorrow’s training like this is really bad.

Regardless of whether we’ll be kicked out or not, Instructor Evanesque was genuinely angry.

If his anger includes reasons like “lack of motivation” or “lack of initiative,” then it’s definitely partly my fault.

And… It’s a team competition after all.

I can’t just say I don’t want to stand out or interact because I don’t like it, or that I’ll just tag along without contributing. I have to cooperate at least to some extent.

“I think Chace is the worst offender.”

Asked for my opinion, I answered honestly.

It seemed surprising to everyone, as some of the serious faces turned to look at me.

“Huh?! Me?! Why me?!”

“Yeah. I think you’re the worst.”

“Me, the one who actually got a flare signal, is worse than those who didn’t get any?!”

“That’s what I’m saying. No matter how many times you ask, my answer won’t change.”

“You little—”

“Wait.”

About to retaliate, Chace was stopped by Belge grabbing his arm. With the difference in size and strength, Chace couldn’t do much.

“Don’t get angry until you hear the reason. — I’m not convinced either. I’m curious about Eil’s reasoning.”

Ah, right. He’s curious.

“Among us, Chace is the fastest… right? Why would someone like him be the first one to leave the front lines?”

“Ah… What?!”

“I thought we had a chance with you around. You were supposed to use that speed of yours to run around until the end. But you were the first to leave, right? You left us behind and ended up alone. There are many reasons for our defeat, but I think that’s the biggest one.”

I think Chace was genuinely surprised by my opinion.

He probably never thought he did anything wrong, so being told he did, and then… being explained this way, I think he’s really confused right now.

“The submission of the flare signals could’ve been done by anyone. There was no limit to how many could be submitted. If you had used your speed to secure not just one, but five flare signals for submission, you could’ve won on your own.

And to ensure no one interfered with that, we should’ve fully supported you. Think about it. Collecting scattered items over a wide area? Clearly, that’s your forte, right? You’re the protagonist at that, aren’t you?

But for us, our greatest asset was lost right from the start. The moment you secured and submitted one flare signal. That’s why I think you’re the worst. You didn’t even consider your role.”

I hinted at Chace’s “aptitude” to reach him, but for now, it’s enough if only Chace understands.

—By the way, I later learned that Chace had already demonstrated his gift during the initiation ritual.

Everyone already had a basic understanding that “he can move quickly.”

“Is your speed only for picking up pennies? When there’s a fortune waiting ahead, you didn’t aim for that? That’s the point.”

I wanted him to aim for bigger prey. Chace could’ve done it.

I don’t know about Belge, Harriatan, Geodine, and Traowlowl, but I knew about Chace and Florentine.

Even with just that understanding, we could’ve won.

Even if Chace didn’t want to reveal his gift, we could’ve come up with many ways to support him without looking at him directly.

Because he rushed ahead without any coordination, no one could do anything.

—In other words, it also means that nobody could keep up with Chace. It wasn’t wrong to see him as our greatest asset.

“Hey, Zero Points, why didn’t you say that earlier? And why didn’t you take command when you anticipated all of that?”

Harriatan glared at me, his expression turning complicated as he sat back silently in Chace’s place.

“I’m not leadership material. Besides, you never listen to anything I say and always oppose it, right?”

I understand that Harriatan dislikes me. He doesn’t seem like the type to listen to someone he dislikes.

“With this group, Chace and Florentine might have listened to me, but if opinions diverged and the team split, it would’ve been chaos, not training. Plus, I don’t know what you’re capable of. I don’t know your ‘aptitude.’ Without knowing that, I can’t lead. At least, I can’t.”

Hydra or Lisse might be able to pull it off, but not me.

Honestly, I’m not used to giving orders, and I’d rather not have that responsibility. I’m not cut out to lead or control others. I have enough on my plate as it is.

“So, what’s the point? Do you have a plan to win?”

I shrugged at Belge’s question.

“I don’t know. I have a few ideas, but we won’t know if they’ll work until we try.”

It’s not just about the strategy; it’s also about whether everyone will cooperate. And the abilities of the assassin team will play a significant role.

With Hydra and Lisse as opponents, half-baked plans won’t cut it.

Especially considering Chace’s strategy of taking the lead might have been anticipated.

During today’s training, I hardly moved from around the tower.

I thought even if I went, I wouldn’t be able to get a flare signal, or if I did, it would just be taken away. So, I spent the whole time watching the situation.

Well, I was planning to ambush members of the assassin team carrying flare signals if the opportunity arose. In other words, I was lurking near the tower.

However, in the end, I couldn’t move.

The reason? Well, they had ambushes set up too. Two of them, in fact.

Maybe it was because they were wary of Chace’s speed. Otherwise, there’d be no reason to set them up right at the beginning of the training. They were clearly wary of someone fast.

And indeed, Chace blitzed past the ambushes and submitted his flare signal.

“What about what you said earlier, about using Chace’s speed? Can’t we use it tomorrow?”

“We already used it today.”

Chace’s Fast Boots are a one-shot wonder.

They have a tremendous effect on opponents seeing them for the first time.

And today, he already showed them.

—One of the reasons why I said Chace was the worst. I didn’t say it because there were other people around.

He really went for it.

But it wasn’t just a loss; it was a catastrophic failure to show his hand. Frankly, I can’t find the words to describe how big of a mistake it was.

But still.

Even so, his aptitude remains terrifyingly consistent in its advantages and usefulness.

If it were to be revealed, there are plenty of ways to work around it, and there are also ways to use it without it being a problem if it is known. In that sense, Florentine is also strong.

Everyone probably already has a rough idea, like, “Oh, it’s probably a strength enhancement gift,” but there are still ways to use it. He’s just straightforwardly strong.

If we were to play our hand now, Chace and Florentine would undoubtedly be key players, but there’s one more.

“Geodine. You were thinking the same thing, right?”

“Uh?”

He seemed surprised by the sudden question. Well, wouldn’t you be? I’ve been on the receiving end of lectures countless times.

“When I pointed out that Chace was the worst, you didn’t show any particular reaction. Because you shared the same opinion as me. Isn’t that right?”

“N-no, I just… thought, maybe, a little.”

Ah, I see. Well, then it’s settled.

“Tomorrow, you’re the leader.”

“Huh!?”

“… Any objections? Anyone think there’s a leader better than him?”

Looking around at everyone, there were no objections.

“It’s settled. Good luck.”

All that’s left is to discuss with him and plan tomorrow’s strategy.

“Florentine. Trawllul. You can start eating.”

I thought they were pretty quiet, but it seems like these two were just too focused on the food in front of them. Once permission was given, they started devouring it voraciously.