Chapter 254: Squad #4 (2)
’Ergh... why did I react like that?’
Vanessa buried her face in one hand, still feeling the lingering warmth on her cheeks.
She wasn’t usually this easy to startle.
Well... maybe sometimes.
But letting out a tiny squeak like that? While being caught doing something suspicious? That was a level of embarrassment she would rather erase from existence.
After letting out another sigh, she lowered her head and looked at the small notebook resting on her lap.
Perhaps...
Perhaps she had simply gotten a little carried away.
A faint smile unconsciously tugged at her lips.
It had been quite a while since someone genuinely relied on her.
That feeling...
Her thoughts naturally drifted toward her older sister.
Back then, it was fun. Anastelle would always give her some small tasks that she can handle, and then praise her when she did her jobs well.
Maybe because of that, these small things made her... happy.
’Haha... I was thinking of you again, Anna...’
For as long as Vanessa could remember, her sister had always seemed... older than everyone else, even when she was still young. Even when things became chaotic, she never lost her composure or let her emotions take over.
There was a calm steadiness in the way she spoke, acted, and treated others — a presence that made people instinctively feel they could rely on her.
Ruvian...
He strangely reminded her of that too.
Not in personality.
The two were completely different.
But still the same.
Anyway, it was difficult to put into words, but whenever Ruvian spoke, he rarely let his emotions get the better of him, carrying himself with a calmness that felt strangely out of place for someone his age too.
It was... odd.
The more she thought about it, the stranger it became.
Futhermore...
’We’ve barely known each other for that long...’
Yet every now and then, she found herself forgetting that Ruvian was only another first-year scholar like everyone else.
Sometimes, he gave off the impression of someone much older. Which inevitably led her to an uncomfortable question.
’...Huh? Does that make me the immature one then?’
Vanessa blinked.
"...No."
She immediately shook her head.
’That’s impossible.’
She had grown up already. She was practically an adult now. Well... an adolescence — no, an adolescent becoming an adult.
Well, close enough.
She had survived academy life, after all — made her own decisions, and could take care of herself just fine.
Besides, if anything, he was the weird one!
’Hmph! After everything I do for him during this Vazrun Island Test, he’d better return the favor properly!’
With that, Vanessa slipped the [Farscribe] into her pocket before pushing herself to her feet. She brushed the dust from her clothes with both hands, then walked toward the campfire where the others had already gathered.
The warm smell of stew filled the cave.
Freya had already served everyone a bowl, and Arrin and Talon were quietly eating beside the fire, their tired faces finally starting to relax.
Vanessa accepted the wooden bowl Freya handed over, then her eyes swept across the cave.
"...Rosalin isn’t joining us yet?"
Talon scooped another spoonful of stew into his mouth before answering. "You know her, she’ll probably come over after she’s done."
Vanessa gave a small nod.
She turned her head toward the far corner of the cave.
Rosalin was still sitting cross-legged with her eyes closed, completely unmoving as she quietly focused on her meditation.
’She’s really dedicated...’
Her gaze lingered on the red-haired girl for another moment. It had already been 2 days since the Vazrun Island Test began, yet Rosalin’s routine hadn’t changed in the slightest.
Before the exam even started, during every squad training session, Rosalin always stayed behind after everyone else finished.
Even during the long voyage to Vazrun Island, she never wasted a moment.
If she wasn’t training her body, she was meditating. If she wasn’t meditating, she was reviewing everything she had learned.
Day or night, whenever there was even a little free time, she always found something to improve.
Vanessa quietly lowered her eyes to the stew in her hands.
She, too, had always believed she was a hardworking person.
She spent countless hours studying magic, memorizing spells, and practicing her control because she took pride in becoming a capable mage... like her elder sister.
But Rosalin...
She was on another level of dedication.
Vanessa gently blew across the steaming bowl before taking her first spoonful. The warm stew spread across her tongue, and her eyes lit up almost instantly.
’Ah... this is really good.’
She took another bite, then another.
’I didn’t know Freya was this good at cooking.’
Her thoughts drifted back to yesterday’s dinner.
Rosalin had confidently offered to cook for everyone, and naturally, nobody objected. With how dependable she was in almost everything else, they had all assumed cooking would be another one of her talents.
But it turned out...
It wasn’t!
Vanessa lowered her eyes toward the stew in her hands.
The memory of yesterday’s meal quietly flashed through her mind. Nobody complained, but everyone had quietly agreed to let someone else handle dinner from then on.
As Vanessa happily enjoyed another spoonful, she suddenly heard a loud voice.
"By the way, Vanessa..."
"Cough...!"
Vanessa almost inhaled the stew.
She quickly covered her mouth with one hand, coughing twice before hurriedly swallowing the food.
"Y-Yeah?"
Freya hesitated for a brief moment. Her fingers lightly tightened around the wooden bowl before she slowly looked at Vanessa.
"...I wanted to apologize."
Vanessa blinked in surprise.
’Eh?’
Freya lowered her eyes for a moment before continuing.
"I’m sorry for looking down on you yesterday, and for calling you just a Class E scholar."
A short silence followed.
"We already had enough water for our original route, so none of us really considered that traveling all the way to the northern region before returning to the center would make the journey much longer."
She let out a quiet breath.
"If... if you hadn’t convinced us to change our route to east, there’s a good chance we would’ve run out of water before reaching the center."
Freya finally met Vanessa’s eyes again.
"And..."
The corner of her lips moved ever so slightly.
"You’re actually incredible."
Vanessa paused halfway through lifting another spoonful.
Freya continued in her usual calm voice, although this time there was a hint of reluctance hidden beneath it.
"The way you noticed the Dunemaw before any of us did... I don’t think I could’ve done that. You’re very reliable. So, sorry if my words yesterday make you think otherwise."
Vanessa’s eyes slowly widened.
’Really...?’
She stared at Freya for a moment, almost wondering if she had misheard.
’She really meant that?’
A warm feeling slowly spread through Vanessa’s chest, and before she knew it, the corners of her lips were already curling upward.
Her feet even twitched, almost stomping happily against the ground before she caught herself at the very last second.
’Calm down, Vanessa... stay mature. Mature!’
She quietly cleared her throat and straightened her back, then put on what she believed was a calm, grown-up smile.
"...It’s alright. Honestly, I wasn’t completely innocent either, because my reason for convincing everyone was a little selfish too."
She gently stirred the stew in her bowl before smiling at Freya.
"So I don’t really mind what happened yesterday."
Then she scooped up another spoonful.
"Oh, and your cooking is really good."
She took another bite, nodded to herself with clear satisfaction, then added, "It tastes way better than yesterday’s food."
The moment those words left her mouth, the atmosphere around the campfire changed.
Arrin’s hand stopped halfway to her mouth.
Talon slowly lowered his spoon.
Even Freya’s expression stiffened.
Because... it was at that time, a familiar voice drifted over from the other side of the cave.
"...Hm? Is dinner ready?"
’Hikk!’
Vanessa’s whole body stiffened.
She slowly turned around, and there was Rosalin, who had already finished her meditation and was calmly walking toward the campfire.
She looked at everyone for a moment before tilting her head in confusion.
"Oh, dinner is ready."
Her eyes wandered from one face to another.
"But... what’s wrong with you guys? Did I miss something?"
Silence quietly settled over the cave.
Nobody answered, then one after another, they lowered their heads and quietly focused on the stew in their bowl.
Vanessa had no idea whether Rosalin actually heard what she said or was simply pretending she hadn’t. But if she really did hear it... then Vanessa was doomed.
Completely doomed.
Luckily, a familiar notification suddenly rang out from everyone’s bracelet, breaking the uncomfortable silence and rescuing Vanessa from the awkward situation.
[Top 10 Current Squad Rankings — Day 2]
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[Chapter 254: Squad #4 (2)]