WeTried Translations
Translator: Coughing Baby
Editor: Coughing Baby
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
Chapter 95: Taken Back.
──────
Ranne & Grandia Academy: The Märchen.
(Meaning Ngme, a nickname made from syllables of the Korean title.)
In the original game, there was an event that occurred once per school year.
‘The school trip.’
The summer event.
You could call it the highlight of any academy story.
You know, all that youth-filled stuff.
Friends, the ocean, sandy beaches...
‘This feels strange.’
The whole experience felt new.
I never thought I'd get to go on a school trip in another world when I hadn't even gone on one in my previous life.
And it wasn't just any school trip. It was a super-luxurious school trip funded by Grandia Academy.
Maybe they wanted to live up to their title as the continent's finest educational institution, because the budget for this trip alone was ten thousand gold. It was an amount too large to even wrap my head around.
‘They're burning through ten thousand gold in a week?’
Just what you'd expect from an academy overflowing with money.
I heard even the tram and cruise ship used for transportation belonged to the academy.
I couldn't help but be impressed all over again.
‘I need to enjoy this to the fullest.’
Maybe it was a habit left over from my impoverished past life.
Whenever something like this happened, my first thought was always how to get my money's worth.
I gave an awkward cough at my own shameless thoughts.
“Ahem.”
Anyway, back to the subject.
During this school trip, the cadets would be active in groups.
Whatever they did, they had to move together as a team.
‘Even if it's supposed to be safe, this means they don't want anyone wandering around alone.’
As always, the groups had been formed voluntarily.
I put together a team with several people I got along with.
[School Trip, Group 32]
-Viktor
-Alice
-Ranne Kihano
-Caitlin Lettus
They were the girls I usually spent time with.
They must have been looking forward to the trip, because their eyes sparkled.
“Wah...! I've, I've never seen such a large ship before!”
“Mm! The same goes for me! I can't help but marvel at it!”
Inside the enormous cruise ship, Ranne and Alice looked around in fascination.
Watching them react like that made it impossible not to enjoy myself.
“V-Viktor, sir! It looks like there are restaurants inside the ship too...!”
“Wouldn't you like to go out onto the deck, Sir Viktor?”
“Hehe.”
I was satisfied with the group.
The others seemed to feel the same way.
“Then... why do I have to be in the same group as you people?”
Well, except for one.
When I turned to the side, I saw a blonde, tanned delinquent girl pouting.
She was sprawled across her seat at an angle, looking dissatisfied with the entire world.
“Miss Caitlin.”
“You just dragged someone in by force.”
Crackle, crackle.
Static sparks flew along with her grumbling.
Since she'd been dragged in against her will, she seemed irritated in more ways than one.
“You think you can just drag someone in without asking...?”
“Quiet.”
I flicked her forehead.
Smack!
“Damn it, why again?!”
“You don't have any friends in class anyway, do you? Just behave and hang out with us.”
“I do have friends. Who said I didn't?”
“But you weren't in any group before we invited you.”
“I got plenty of offers to join groups. I turned them all down because I wanted to go alone.”
“See?”
“I said I turned them down.”
Caitlin snapped at me.
It looked like calling her friendless had struck a nerve.
“Miss Gay Teeth.”
“I told you not to call me that.”
“I understand everything.”
“I just wanted to go alone.”
“But you still had to form a group, didn't you? If you'd been alone until the day of the school trip, the professors would have assigned you randomly to a group with an opening... Wouldn't it be uncomfortable just imagining being grouped with people you don't even know?”
“Sorry, but you're just as uncomfortable to be around.”
“Of course. I find you quite comfortable too, Miss Caitlin.”
“You're not listening to me, are you?”
Caitlin and I had seemed to grow a little closer after the last practical exam.
But a few days later, she'd gone back to being prickly.
Maybe she was just awkward about it.
People's feelings really were impossible to understand.
Of course, that didn't mean I needed to respect Caitlin's opinion.
“Miss Caitlin.”
“What?”
“Paw.”
“......”
What were you going to do about it?
If you're a Pokémon, you should quietly listen to your trainer.
How dare you defy the will of heaven and forget your place?
I rummaged through my robes and pulled something out.
“Paw.”
“......”
“Or would you like to wear the collar again?”
A red collar rested in my hand.
It was the collar that had been around Caitlin's neck until just a week ago.
She'd become a little gentler after the practical exam, so I'd thought it would be fine to take it off.
“Well?”
“...Pika.”
Caitlin muttered reluctantly.
Her Pokémon rebellion had ultimately failed, and she returned to her identity as Pikachu.
“Good.”
Stroke, stroke.
I gently patted her yellow hair.
With her lips tightly clenched, she mumbled, “Dond' pedd me...”
“Do you want me to pet you more?”
“I said dond' pedd me.”
“Of course. I'll pet you as much as you want.”
Rub, rub, rub.
Her hair naturally became a mess.
‘She's got some persistence, I'll give her that.’
She knew it would end like this, yet she still resisted every time.
Well, in a way, it felt very Caitlin-like.
If she'd lost her fierceness, I probably would've been disappointed.
She had a strange charm, like an untamed alley cat.
“Hehe.”
“Stob doind dat...!”
Rub, rub, rub.
The strange part was that her resistance itself had become much milder than before.
Previously, the moment my hand touched her head, she'd have trembled all over. Now, perhaps because she was used to it, she accepted it quietly.
‘She’s still foul-mouthed, though...’
Still, she had become tolerable enough.
Our noisy chatter continued until the ship came to a stop.
* * *
After a full day at sea, the cruise ship reached its destination the following day.
The coast around us carried the salty scent of the sea mixed with summer.
The ocean breeze brought the distinctive fragrance of the shore to my nose.
‘Geltin.’
It was the coastal city where this school trip would take place.
It was also considered one of the Empire's most popular vacation destinations.
-You have arrived at your destination.
-I imagine everyone is tired after the not-so-short voyage.
-For today, please remain at the hotel and rest at your leisure.
There was no particular schedule planned for the first day.
We only had to unpack at the hotel and rest as we pleased.
“The hotel is huge.”
“I heard it is the finest hotel in Geltin.”
“And we each get our own room? What am I supposed to do with such a huge room all by myself?”
Caitlin was right.
It was a very large room for one person.
I thought my usual dorm room was unnecessarily spacious, but this was twice its size.
It seemed the academy had rented out the entire hotel, because aside from staff, there were no outsiders in sight.
It felt like I was witnessing the height of extravagant spending.
“Well, I won't complain. It's not my money.”
“That's right.”
The school trip itself would begin in earnest on the second day.
The first day was simply for resting.
There weren't even any assignments.
They called it a vacation, after all.
Not even Grandia encouraged competition during a vacation.
‘Of course.’
There were some people who studied on their own even though no one had told them to.
They carried thick books into their hotel rooms and shut themselves in.
There weren't just a few of them either.
Nearly half the cadets headed straight into the hotel.
They really were elites, all right. They seemed like the kind who felt guilty about resting.
Since various activities were scheduled from tomorrow onward, they likely wanted to study during today's free time.
‘Poor souls.’
They reminded me of modern people consumed by competition.
After quietly offering my sympathy, I headed outside with my group members.
“Shall we eat first?”
We filled our stomachs at the closest and most famous restaurant.
As expected, this place had also been reserved under the academy's name.
It seemed they had reserved most facilities near the hotel, including the nearby beach.
‘Are they thinking about safety?’
It would be a problem if an accident happened during the school trip.
They seemed to want to keep outsiders to a minimum and conduct everything only among academy personnel.
Anyway, the restaurant's quality was exceptional.
Even I, who had grown up eating whatever I could get at the orphanage, could tell that the food was special.
“What did everyone think? The fish dish Geltin is famous for.”
“Mm! It was quite an impressive flavor!”
“It was delicious! I don't normally, l-like seafood that much, but...”
“It was okay.”
“Lua thought it was delicious too!”
As we left the restaurant, the weather was perfectly clear without a single dark cloud.
A breeze, growing warmer as early summer progressed, drifted past us.
“Wow...!”
When we got closer to the sea, a golden sandy beach spread out before us.
The grains of sand had warmed under the sunlight.
Tap, tap.
An excited Lua ran across it.
It was her first time seeing the ocean, and everything seemed fascinating to her.
[Lua really likes it.]
‘I'm glad I brought her.’
The white bat tossed out a few words.
The princess was lying on my shoulder, enjoying the sun.
I lightly raised a hand and made some shade so she wouldn't get too hot.
‘This is nice sometimes.’
Ehehehe!
Lua ran around for a long time without seeming to tire.
Ranne, who had volunteered to play with her, and Alice, who had been swept up in it before she knew it, joined her.
“Mm! I shall build a sandcastle with Miss Lua as well.”
“U-um... should I bring more sand?”
Both of them got along well with Lua.
Carmilla, Caitlin, and I sat in the shade and watched the three of them.
“Big Sister Ranne!”
Lua smiled brightly.
Maybe Ranne was her favorite among the people playing with her. Whenever Ranne spoke to her, Lua burst into especially cheerful laughter.
Ranne certainly played with Lua well.
They suited each other, both being bold and lively.
After playing together for half the day, Lua grabbed Ranne's sleeve and asked her a question.
“Big Sister Ranne!”
“Mm? What is it?”
“You know, can't you be Lua's mom too?”
“Pardon?”
Lua's eyes sparkled.
Ranne couldn't help but laugh in embarrassment.
Her face quickly turned red, apparently flustered by Lua's proposal.
“L-Lua... I, I can be good to you too...”
Alice was peeking over at them as well.
As I watched the scene, Caitlin, who sat beside me, made a comment.
“What's wrong with them?”
I was wondering the same thing.
* * *
Before I knew it, evening had arrived.
It was time to return to the hotel.
We left the beach and walked down streets filled with the scent of the ocean.
“Today was fun, right?”
“Yes, Dad!”
Her answer came back confidently.
With a pleased smile, I patted Lua's head.
Behind us followed the group members, exhausted from playing with Lua.
Caitlin had looked like she would only keep watching, but Lua eventually chose her and dragged her off.
‘She played with her better than I expected.’
Hehe.
A silly smile crept across my face.
Everyone looked exhausted enough to collapse after dinner.
‘Then... should I wait until night and make my move?’
It was the first day of the school trip.
Even after nightfall, I had work left to do.
I needed to stay busy if I wanted to clear the two main quests.
Ding!
[■□ Quest]
-Title: On Truth
-Details: Visit the Ancient Library. Find a book related to ■■■ among millions of books.
-Penalty upon Failure: None
-Reward upon Success: ■■■
[Time Limit: Until the school trip ends]
This was the quest I planned to tackle tonight.
It had been bothering me for some time, so I intended to get it over with whenever I had a spare moment.
I was organizing my thoughts as I crossed the street when...
“Huh.”
A group was walking toward us from the other direction.
They were Class A students who, like us, had been looking around the coast.
I hadn't seen them at the beach earlier, but it seemed our routes back happened to overlap.
“Isn't that Class E's top student...?”
“Looks like he came to the beach too.”
When our eyes met, they began whispering among themselves.
A few openly frowned.
“Tch... A commoner, of all things.”
“How arrogant. He turned down our scouting offer.”
“Even though Lady Glacia went herself...”
Perhaps they'd heard that I had rejected Rin's scouting offer a few days ago.
Maybe their pride had been hurt, because their gazes were anything but welcoming.
“What does Lady Glacia even see in someone like that...?”
“Exactly! He's only strong, good at studying, nice, promising, and walks around wearing a cool mask.”
“And he dared reject Lady Glacia's offer?”
They weren't picking a fight directly.
They were only whispering just loudly enough for us to hear.
Having heard them as well, Caitlin frowned and spoke.
“They must have nothing better to do. They got their asses kicked, and they're still acting like that.”
“Huh? Doesn't that describe Miss Caitlin perfectly?”
“Shut up.”
Caitlin answered my concise fact with a curse.
I snickered and glanced at their group.
I only had to respond in kind.
“Haa...”
As the distance between us closed, I lightly muttered to myself, as if letting the words slip out.
“It's truly lamentable that small fry are wagging their tongues. Well, with their top student being like that, I suppose it can't be helped. Rin Glacia is, after all, a loser from a bygone era...”
“......”
They stopped in their tracks.
Maybe they heard me. The group trembled as they turned around.
Every gaze burned with fury.
“A loser...?”
One of them let killing intent show.
Suppressed rage came through their tightly clenched teeth.
“Take that back...! What you just said...!!”
It seemed I'd touched a nerve.
I gave a casual answer.
“Taken back.”
“You bastaaard!”
The moment they heard my answer, they charged at me.
Why?
I took it back.
Footnotes:
Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried
