โCamping and setting up a camp are the same thing.โ
โNo, theyโre not!โ Francis retorted. Even though Iโve been teasing him every night lately.
โExus, do you understand? Setting up camp is really tough.โ
โHuh, is that so?โ
โYes! You need to organize food and water for the supply units, and you need the strength to protect yourself. But if you increase the number of people to boost strength, the size of the supply units swells, defeating the purpose. Not to mention, you have to think about the morale of the soldiers, about women, luxuries, weaponsโโ
โJust use magic.โ
โYouโre the only one in the world who can do that!!!โ
Well, sheโs right.
So, anywaysโฆ
โTa-da!โ
I laid out some canned goods and retort pouches.
โToday, weโll camp with provisions that last over a week. And during that, Iโll teach you useful survival magic you guys can actually use!โ
โWe donโt have time for thatโฆโ
Francis held his head in his hands.
โListen! We only have six people! Everyone has to be efficient with guard duty and hunting. Thereโs no time for playing aroundโโ
โIs there really none?โ
โWell, maybe you have time, but the rest of us donโt!โ
โWhy are you so serious? Do you want the evaluation points that badly?โ
โThe evaluator for this practical is that Professor Kuljes!โ
Ahh?
Oh, right, him.
War-crazy Lord Kuljes.
The former head of the Kuljes family, a robe-wearing noble without land, and an unmatched strategistโฆ
An old retired guy, but one of the few people in this academy you can genuinely respect.
Heโs also one of the most feared and strict teachers, on par with Goat from the arithmetic department.
โI see. If that old man is grading us, we canโt slack off too much.โ
โExactly!โ
โBut Iโm still going to hold the survival magic class. If anything, the old man will give us extra points for it.โ
โUgh!โ
Time to check the schedule.
Day one goes like this:
We gather in the school building at the sound of two bells (around 7 a.m.?) with our gear. Youโre responsible for bringing your own stuff, and youโll lose points if itโs incomplete. But if itโs not a glaring issue, they apparently โdeliberatelyโ let it slide.
At the sound of one bell in the afternoon (around noon), we set out.
The plan is to move to a forest about 20 kilometers away, assuming itโs a battlefield.
โฆOf course, thereโs no way a bunch of 12-year-olds can walk 20 kilometers in half a day.
Obviously, weโll be camping in the plains along the way.
Though this world may be โNauropa,โ itโs still pretty harsh.
In the grasslands, where the grass reaches up to an adultโs waist, thereโs barely any path to speak of.
Walking on an unpaved road is exhausting and dangerous. And the danger isnโt just about the difficulty of walking on a rough road.
While it sounds charming to call it โoverflowing with nature,โ in reality, nature is no place for humans to live.
From that tall greenery, youโll find poisonous insects, venomous snakesโanything goes. And, of course, mosquitoes carrying malaria show up too.
Not only that, but wolves who have developed a taste for human flesh, goblins, and other monsters will also come out. And donโt forget the bandits. Some of the wild animals even carry rabies.
Since there arenโt any aristocrats willing to spend money to maintain the roads, the roads are practically lawless. You should assume itโs worse than Johannesburg. Because here, the beasts will actually attackโฆ
The swamps are unsanitary, full of who-knows-what diseases, and there are also unique fantasy-world hazards like treacherous terrains or living traps.
Wander off the path, and getting lost and stranded in the wilderness isnโt just a possibilityโitโs almost guaranteed.
In this era, traveling is literally a matter of life and death.
โฆWell, I can fly if I feel like it, so none of this really bothers me.
Anyway, back on track.
The second day of the practical:
Weโll likely end up camping in the dangerous grasslands.
After finishing the camp, weโll head back into the forest.
The forest is even more dangerous than the plains.
There are even more powerful wild beasts and monsters lurking in the forest, which is much richer in resources than the plains.
Grizzlies, cougars, honey badgers, coyotesโanything goes.
While fighting off those threats, weโll keep camping and continue onward.
Weโre expected to make it through the forest in under ten days.
And of course, there wonโt be any compasses.
โฆYou think itโs impossible, right?
Exactly! It is impossible!
No matter how you slice it, forcing a bunch of 12-year-olds through such a harsh journey, even if theyโre mages, is just ridiculous!
This practical exam seems like some sort of ritual to whip these cocky kids into shape.
Remember that one manga? The one where they bully you until youโre nice and obedient, and then finally offer you a kind hand with a โyouโre human, after all.โ Basically, brainwashing.
Well, at least this country, dumb as it is, isnโt completely brainless.
They sell their power through military might, so they know how to control it.
Sure, itโs a brutal sports club/black company style of training, but itโs effective.
Noble families known for their military prowess, like Francisโ household, have been rigorously training their children even before they enroll, so they manage to cope, surprisingly enough.
Honestly, it seems this whole practical is about filtering out and disciplining โweak noble or commoner mages who just got luckyโ and โbratty, spoiled noble kidsโ like me.
They push you through an impossible practical, wear you down until you think, โI canโt take this anymore!โ Then, the supervising teachers, seniors, or soldiers swoop in and escort you out.
And just like that, you start showing respect to your seniors and teachers.
But frankly, I couldnโt care less about any of that.
I wonโt bother with lectures on how ruling through fear only leads to ruinโbecause I donโt care.
Right now, my head is filled with thoughts about camping.