LMHS 29

Chapter 29

I rubbed my eyes in disbelief and looked again.

But nothing changed.

The seven eggs lay there on the ground, untouched.

“Marie, how… how do you have so many eggs?”

“Hehe. Well, you could say this was my way of earning them…”

She meant that she had survived as a pickpocket while living on the streets.

I wasn’t sure whether I should praise her or scold her.

Before I could decide, Rosemary added cheerfully, as if misunderstanding my silence:

“Ah! I put a few small stones in the other kids’ pockets.”

“Oh… well, good job, then.”

For now, during the battle royale, it made sense not to be picky about methods, so I praised her.

“But Marie, you shouldn’t steal from others again when we’re outside, right?”

“Of course! I’ve washed my hands clean now!”

…Though, considering how well her body seems to remember the motions, I’m not sure if “washed her hands” applies.

“Marie, why didn’t you just break the eggs as soon as you stole them?”

Judging by how slowly she walked with the eggs in her pockets, it seems it would have been better to break them right there.

Even if she carried other people’s eggs, she couldn’t swap them with her own.

“Oh, these? I was going to throw them if someone came near. But I can’t exactly throw stones, can I?”

Her innocent tone as she said she couldn’t throw stones made my head spin. I felt a slight sense of betrayal.

I had thought it was only Raspi, but seeing that the twins weren’t alike in this regard…

I realized I needed to watch the twins very, very carefully to keep them from going down the wrong path.

So, we divided Rosemary’s eggs between Raspi and me, and we moved on.

We wandered through the forest, taming any monsters we encountered to accompany us.

When I felt we had gathered a sufficient number of monsters, a sound rang out.

Bang!

A signal flare exploded in the distance, and red smoke curled high into the sky.

It was the sound marking the start of the battle royale.

As the match began, Raspi spoke to me as if he had been waiting.

“Tania-sama.”

“Hm?”

“From here on, may I take care of everything?”

“What do you mean, take care of?”

“If you stay under the protection of the monsters here, I’ll eliminate everyone else and return. So you can claim the victory, Tania-sama.”

Raspi seemed to think it would be disadvantageous for me to carry both him and Rosemary around.

It wasn’t a bad judgment.

Rosemary was still an ordinary person who hadn’t awakened, and I only had the foresight ability, which wasn’t helpful in combat.

“Alright. Go ahead.”

I accepted his suggestion and decided actively to do nothing.

Raspi’s face brightened slightly, as if thanking me for trusting him, and he gave me a final request.

“If anyone comes here, you can escape while Rosemary delays them.”

Excuse me? That’s your sister you’re using as a shield to run away.

But Rosemary seemed completely unbothered, clenching her fists and sparkling with determination.

“Trust me, hero! I’ll be excellent bait!”

…Isn’t that usually something the hero says?

Instead of arguing, I laughed heartily and replied.

“Then I’ll leave it to you, princess.”

“No! You’re the hero who will soon become the princess!”

“…Uh, right.”

What exactly is my role here? Hero or princess?

I didn’t know which rhythm to follow.

The adult Rosemary from the previous timeline didn’t seem to have this kind of personality.

She was quieter and more composed, so her brother’s disappearance and death must have affected her greatly.

I curled my lips into a smile at the bright-eyed Rosemary.

“Raspi, take care of all the riffraff!”

“Yes. Tania-sama, then I shall return shortly.”

Raspi left, taking half the monsters we had tamed as our guards.

[The present moment overwrites the viewpoint of Scene 1.]

I plopped down on a tree stump and watched his figure disappear.

Even though I had decided to do nothing…

I wasn’t expecting Raspi to eliminate Elysion.

Elysion was simply too strong to defeat with force.

So, even with Raspi’s help in eliminating others, Elysion would have to be eliminated by me personally.

✦ ✦ ✦

Left with the monsters Raspi had left behind, I spent time with Rosemary, chatting peacefully.

“…So I boldly said I couldn’t read, and he questioned how I got into the talent academy!”

“Wow, and then?”

“I told him, ‘I just guessed and passed, it seemed.’”

“And he didn’t say you weren’t qualified to be here?”

“Ahem. I told him guessing is also a skill!”

“Ha! Our Marie, still alive and doing well.”

As Rosemary recounted her time at the academy, a rustling nearby indicated someone approaching.

“Found you!”

A boy with an unpleasant-looking expression smiled as he saw us.

Judging by appearances, he probably thought we were easy prey.

“If you don’t want to get hurt, hand over the eggs and leave immediately.”

I propped my chin on my hand, smiling amusedly.

“You should be the one leaving here.”

“Hah, what right do you have? You think this is your territory?”

“Sorry, but this is the reserved seat for the weak.”

“If you’re weak, tear up your scrolls and stay in the safe zone!”

The boy seemed to be an Abiliter who could control fire, charging at us with flames around his hands.

Oh dear. I had warned him enough.

I clicked my tongue and pointed at him with my index finger.

“Monsters, block him!”

Monsters scattered around us leaped in to block the boy.

“W-what!”

Startled, he fell backward onto his rear.

“Th-there are so many monsters here…”

Of course, monsters gathered unnaturally in one place would be noticeable to others.

So we had them scattered and hiding around us.

I kindly explained to the terrified boy.

“I think there’s been a misunderstanding. This isn’t a reserved seat for the weak—it’s a NO-weak seat.”

“W-what?”

“It means weaklings aren’t allowed in here.”

“Who, who are you calling weak?!”

When the boy shouted in confusion, Rosemary stepped forward.

“You! Hand over the eggs for the hero and leave nicely while you still can!”

“I-I don’t have any eggs!”

“Haha. Don’t you know lying will only get you hurt more?”

“Are you stupid? Of course I hid them! Who carries them around openly?”

“What… you’re really all bark and no bite, huh?”

Rosemary’s expression showed visible disappointment.

Hiding eggs? She couldn’t have missed that.

Even cheerful Rosemary had suggested it to me.

“Hero, shouldn’t we hide our eggs while we move?”

“No. Keeping them is safer.”

“Why?”

“Because this island likely has Egg Worms.”

Who could find eggs if we deliberately hid them on this vast island? It would be like finding a needle in a sandstorm.

Duke Papiophe wasn’t a fool; he would have taken precautions.

Therefore, there was a high likelihood that giant worms called “Egg Hunters” lived here.

Egg Worms.

Egg Worms would seek out and devour eggs anywhere, whether underground or in trees.

Their sense of smell was incredible, and they were expert at finding eggs.

Once the rumor spread that Egg Worms were delicious, their population plummeted and they became hard to find.

Perhaps because of this, Egg Worms avoided areas with human scent.

In other words, it was much safer to hold onto the eggs.

The moment the boy’s eggs left his hands, their fate was essentially sealed.

But Rosemary seemed angered by the boy’s provocation.

“Eggs… there are two of them.”

Rosemary’s pure yet chilling gaze fixed on something.