The Goddess Granted Me the [Hatching] Skill and Somehow I Became the Strongest Tamer, Commanding Mythical and Divine Beasts - 33

“This is where we’ll conduct this outdoor lesson—the Diabolos Demon Castle.”

After passing through the southern gate of the royal capital, we arrived at an abandoned castle about five days away by carriage. Along the way, the surroundings became barren, with not a single plant growing, and the presence of life had vanished.

Legend has it that this was once the demon king’s castle, where he reigned supreme.

Hundreds of years ago, a hero appeared out of nowhere and defeated the demon king, but the demon king cast a final curse, rendering this land uninhabitable.

Since then, undead monsters have begun to spawn in this castle, turning it into a demon castle from which few return alive.

The objective of this expedition is to investigate this demon castle, with the teachers leading the investigation and the Academy students acting as their assistants.

“We’ll be staying here for two days. During that time, the Academy students are to investigate the inside of this castle and submit a report afterward.”

Although the teachers have specific areas to investigate, they hope that the students might discover something from a different perspective. The nation is funding half of the expenses for this investigation.

That’s probably why it’s being used as part of the national adventurer exam. The teachers explained the plan to everyone.

“Follow the adventurers in case of an emergency,” and “If you find anything dangerous, do not touch it. Call a teacher or a national adventurer.”

The students, who had already discovered that they could fight monsters during the journey, listened seriously but couldn’t hide their smirks. Let’s hope this doesn’t become a problem…

After the teachers’ explanation, we were divided into groups. However, the members didn’t change much.

Basically, the groups were the same as those who guarded the carriages, so 20 adventurers would be protecting 30 students.

In other words, I’m teamed up with Blaze-san to guard Melissa, Lorraine, and Lucia.

“Let’s get started right away!”

Melissa quickly prompted the investigation. Over the past five days, I’ve observed that she is the de facto leader of this group.

When she decides to act, the other two follow suit.

“Wait for me, Melissa!”

“Oh well, it can’t be helped.”

Lucia and Lorraine follow behind her. The three seem to be close friends, chatting happily throughout the journey.

“Hey! What about us?!”

Blaze-san angrily chases after Melissa, exchanging words that don’t seem particularly friendly.

“If anything happens, I’m counting on you.”

I patted Purple, hidden in my chest, and steeled myself to handle whatever might come.

As soon as we entered the castle, monsters attacked.

The monsters that appeared were skeletons, ranked E.

These creatures, made entirely of bones, wield swords and clubs as they charge at us.

“Out of my way, you weaklings!”

But their movements are slow, so unless something goes wrong, they aren’t much of a threat. Blaze-san, leading the charge, easily scattered them.

“We could take down those things in an instant too…”

Melissa grumbled, dissatisfied. Blaze-san had strongly insisted that the three of them stay behind as we entered the castle.

Currently, Blaze-san and I are on high alert, positioned at the front and back for maximum safety during the escort.

“I wish we were being guarded by official national adventurers instead of this old guy.”

The group was split into pairs of adventurers, each pair guarding three students. Of the national adventurers, five are assisting with the escort, while the remaining ten are either guarding the teachers or patrolling the castle.

They’re here to eliminate troublesome monsters and respond to any unexpected situations.

“Well, there are others around your age too, right, Melissa?”

Lucia turned her attention to me.

“Given your age, you must be quite talented to be taking this exam. Klaus-sama, if anything happens, please take care of us.”

Lorraine smiled, though her gaze seemed to be assessing me.

(As expected… no, even more than expected.)

When I learned I would be taking this exam, Celia had warned me that the Academy students would likely be competitive.

Apparently, it’s a yearly occurrence for tension to rise between the Academy students and the examinees, with

tales of students outshining national adventurers often circulating after the exam.

Blaze-san seems unaware of this, but I know they are intentionally trying to compete with us.

“Still, for now, it seems like you’re just following along.”

Melissa directed a disdainful look at me and spoke harshly.

Throughout the journey, I hadn’t defeated a single monster. She must be doubting my combat abilities.

“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure everyone returns safely to the Academy.”

As we proceed, I’ll likely have opportunities to fight. I brushed off her words and heightened my vigilance as we entered the ominous demon castle.