Episode 71: Naval Combat Training

Now that I’m enjoying this vacation so much, it’s easy to forget, but I’m technically here as part of the Knight Department’s training camp.

Although I’m allowed free movement under the special student system, there are still classes I’m required to attend.

And one of those is the “Naval Combat Training” exercise.

It’s a practical combat training session using Isan’s proud nature-rich sea.

The purpose is to enable accurate movements and decisions not just on land, but also on water and even underwater.

Wait, do knights who often wear heavy armor really fight on water?

I can’t help but think that, but since the Knight Department also has career paths in the navy and naval organizations, I suppose this training probably has the meaning of guidance toward those paths.

Now then, today is the day of that training.

The Knight Department students, including me, were gathered at the beach.

“Whoaaaa it’s the seaaaaa!!”

“It’s huge! It’s so wide!!”

“I’m getting so pumped uuuup!!”

The male students shouted out.

You could even call it a battle cry.

The Knight Department students were in wild excitement before the magnificent sea.

…I’ve explained the details of the training up to this point, but in reality, stress relief holds a great meaning.

Coming all the way to the famous Isan only to be packed with training would stress out the students.

To relieve that, this training apparently was adopted with the reasoning of being a breather.

“Hey, Arcs-kun, this is amazing! It’s super salty!!”

A cheerful girl’s voice called my name.

My classmate and… the protagonist of this world, Emma, was splashing around with her feet soaking in the mother sea.

“Emma, you’d never seen the ocean before, right?”

“Nope! I was always in the village, you know. The ocean is so beautiful!!”

Emma showed a dazzling smile.

Come to think of it, there was a scene in the game where she got excited seeing the ocean too.

Coincidentally, it was in the same place called Isan, so maybe it’s surprisingly following elements from the original work.

Well, at the point where the Knight Department, which was a scrapped setting, exists as a premise, it’s already an irregular state… I was muttering internally when I suddenly noticed gazes directed at me.

When I glanced back, I saw male students with slightly flushed faces quickly turning away.

…

The students had been abnormally pumped up earlier, but that probably wasn’t just because of the vast ocean.

All of us in the Knight Department are currently in swimsuits.

And pretty leisure-like ones at that.

The guys are in swim trunks, and the girls are in bikinis and such.

Hey, it’s supposed to be training, what’s with that!

I couldn’t help but think that, but then I realized something important.

This is the world of a game.

Moreover, an otome game, which is a romance simulation.

There’s bound to be a swimsuit event.

It wouldn’t be strange for something this surreal to happen.

It would be stranger if there wasn’t one.

I understood that it must be that kind of thing.

“…? I wonder what’s wrong with everyone. They’re turning away.”

“Well… there are various reasons, I suppose.”

Emma tilted her head while displaying the obliviousness characteristic of a protagonist.

She’s also currently in a frilly bikini style.

Since she’s the protagonist, her appearance wasn’t described in great detail, but when she was depicted in CGs and such, I recall there being talk about how pretty cute she was.

For the Knight Department brothers who only know combat techniques, girls’ bare skin is probably both a detonator and a dangerous drug…

Though I do think, you’re men in an otome game world, so act cooler!!

“You lot, don’t just stand around gawking!! Fall in!!”

Now then, while everyone was having fun like that, a voice that could be called a roar went up.

Our homeroom teacher and the instructor for this training, Kiril Geister.

She stood imposingly in a style that showed off her steel-like ripped muscles as much as possible.

In addition to the intimidating presence emanating from her whole body, combined with her usual combative teaching methods, everyone straightened their backs and lined up immediately.

…She’s more manly than men, so we had lightly rumored before training that “surely she won’t come in swim trunks?”, but fortunately that seemed to be needless worry.

“Today we’re conducting ‘Naval Combat Training’!”

A sharp voice rang out.

“As I explained to you all beforehand, you’ll use ships and aim for the goal while destroying enemy ships! You’ll do both the combat and ship operation with your own hands!!”

The students stirred, looking at each other’s faces. Some of them are probably doing ship operation for the first time.

However, when Kiril-sensei’s eyes flashed, that alone made it so no one could complain.

“You’ll challenge this in the pair formations you submitted beforehand! Display your full power and break through together!!”

As the pair names were read out one after another for confirmation, I was fidgeting a bit.

That’s because—I hadn’t submitted a pair.

It had come up once as a topic of what to do, but at that time I was given the special assignment and the conversation got derailed. Even after that, there ultimately was no talk of joining some pair, and Kiril-sensei hadn’t said anything particular to me either.

So as I stood silently in the ranks, Kiril-sensei’s eyes turned toward me.

“And finally, Arcs Leefort. You will conduct the training solo this time.”

…Eh!?

Solo!?

Not “let’s pair you with sensei” or “let’s have you join one of the other groups”!?

“By myself… you mean. It’s not like I can operate ships or move freely in the sea though.”

“Don’t argue! Just think of it as an assignment for the top special student!!”

The treatment of the top special student is way too rough.

Even I can’t do everything, you know.

“Ah, I forgot to mention, but this training uses a point system. You’ll earn points for destroying enemy ships and your goal arrival time. I’ll give rewards to those who earn a certain number of points.”

Kiril-sensei added that.

I see, it’s like a kind of survival game.

If you survive or rack up kills, you get rewards.

…But if that’s the case, solo seems even more disadvantageous.

However, the talk doesn’t end there.

She continued with these closing words.

“And this guy. Anyone who defeats Arcs Leefort will be unconditionally given a reward!!”

…

……

Huh?