NHAD 10.4

Read this from the beginning at Perpetual Daydreams.

Part 4 out of 4. Unedited. Someone has finally picked this novel up 😀

---

…The first day had a tough schedule.

We had to climb a mountain and ate our rations at the peak. As we walked through the mountains the teachers taught us which plants and fruits were edible, how to set up camp and make a fire, and how to hunt for game. After half a day had passed, we descended the mountain back to our accommodation. The students who were late were punished.

Isn’t this what survival training is like?

It’s too unpleasant. I want to go home. I’ve been saying I’m an indoor type of person!

By the time I return to our lodging, I’m extremely exhausted. Once nighttime arrives, the teachers and the volunteers confirm the route for the test of courage, along with the locations of the frights.

As originally planned, Jade (one of the three bullies) and I take position near the cliff. Nearby are the other two bullies.

Holding a lantern in one hand, Jade and I study the cliff side.

A large red sign reads “no trespassing,” “slippery,” and “beware of slipping,” and in front is the fence made of wooden poles tied with rope.

Lifting the lantern, I try to lean my body forward as much as possible.

I inhale.

While a person probably won’t die falling from this height, the cliff is still really deep. Moreover, the slope is steep, almost at a ninety degree angle. Looks difficult to ascend. But people who rock climb often shouldn’t have a problem.

Also…It’s pretty dark. I can’t see through the darkness but there’s a cave at the bottom where demon dogs live.

I shudder, rubbing my arm.

“Hey, Lian. If you look any more, you’ll fall over the edge. It’s dangerous.”

“Y-yes…”

“It looks dark and scary! If you fall here, we’ll cry!”

“Y-yeah…”

It’s here in this spot that I have to shove Alfred.

For tomorrow night.

I wonder if it’ll go well. No, it’ll be bad if it doesn’t go according to plan.

Oh that’s right. If it’s necessary tomorrow, I’ll hand him some recovery medicine. Ah, but it’ll be weird to pass him anything. I need to think of a reason.

“Lian? What’s wrong?” asks Jade. “Your face looks blue…”

“Ah, no. I’m just a little cold! It’s n-nothing. But it’s really dark…”

“Yeah!” Jade laughs maliciously.

Well, let’s also hand Alfred the recently-finished, pendant-type amulet, “Shining Self-Protection Number 7 (complete with flash blind function).”

There’s a lot of things I want to give him, but the training sessions are too exhausting. Not to mention, there’s always a crowd around Alfred.

I need to give these items to him soon…

I rub my churning belly.

My schedule is so packed until bedtime. (Who was the one who thought of this?) So I just haven’t had the opportunity to pass Alfred the items.

Tomorrow. I still have time. I’ll give them to him tomorrow.

Speaking of which, occasionally when Alfred catches sight of me, it looks like he has something he wants to say. I wonder what it is.

It makes me feel worried, but since there’s always so many people around us, I never had the chance to ask him about it.

Although I’m worried, this could also just be happening in my head.

Anyway, I’m worried about him.

With my thoughts in a mess, I end up staying awake until the brink of dawn.

---

The second day.

Today was also exhausting. We practiced how to relieve drowning while racing our rowboats through a lake. Then muscle training. Then cross country through the mountains.

Finally, we made a fire by hand and set up camp to cook.

Why does this feel like a sports team training camp?! Where’s the strolling through the woods to admire nature, the sketching of scenery, etc?! Who’s the musclehead that thought up this schedule?! You don’t need muscle training to climb a mountain, you know?!

…So.

The troublesome night has finally arrived.

Standing in front of the mountain trail leading into the dense forest, the teacher holds a box filled with paper lots.

These lots will be used to decide the pairs for the test of courage.

Alfred’s paired with the number one beauty of our class year.

As expected of the future Hero. Aren’t you lucky? Share some of your luck with me, won’t you?

This translation is the property of Sleepchaser athttps://sleepchaser.wordpress.com. If you read it anywhere else, it’s stolen.

After the brief meeting, we scatter to our designated positions.

The three bullies snuggle up close.

“I’m looking forward to this, Lian!”

“Me too!”

“Yeee.”

“Y-yeah…”

In the end, I regret that I wasn’t able to give Alfred what I had planned to give him. But there’s nothing I can do about it now.

Jade and I hide and wait in the shadows of the trees and grass.

A black sheet drapes over both of our bodies, devilish looks on our faces. In each of our hands is a fake scythe. Our faces and scythes are smeared with generous amounts of red paint. 

Somehow, it almost seems real. That’s the handiwork of an art teacher for ya.

In the end, we successfully scare thirty pairs.

Then from the other side of the trees, my eyes catch the sight of a head full of blond hair,   golden locks standing out even during the night.

He’s here.

I turn silent. Swallow.

By Alfred’s side is a girl in high-heeled sandals. Her long hair is puffy and maroon, her dress short with spaghetti straps. The girl rumored to be the hottest babe of this year’s class. Long, dark eyebrows, large eyes that are raised.

I signal to Jade.

My heart’s pounding in my chest and I have a headache from lack of sleep.

Please.

Let this event go well. I beg of you.

Swinging our bloody scythes, Jade and I burst out into the open.

To keep up the act, Jade chases after her with his scythe raised, the girl sobbing as she runs. He doesn’t follow her for long, though.

How scary. I also know how terrifying the devil face paint looks. Of course for me, it’s just a little scary.

Jade and I chase after Alfred and our hands catch up to him, gradually exerting a pushing force. But he doesn’t seem to move an inch.

Then the girl heads towards the cliff side.

The girl’s in a confused state and it’s dangerous for her to keep running. Sure enough, she trips on her own two feet, a scream escaping from her lips. One of her heels is broken, getting caught in a tree root. She falls backwards, heading towards the fence.

Her back hits the fence, and starting from there, her thin body draws a large arc.

Ah, I think this is bad.

Hopping on a coffin prop, I thrust my hands out to shove the girl to safety. Then the fence post breaks from the weight of two people. The other half must have been in the process of rotting because it broke so easily.

The rope that held the fence posts together snaps—

And I fall off the cliff.

It isn’t Alfred that falls, but me…

[Prev] [ToC] [Next]

---

Aaand that’s a wrap. This is the end of translating NHAD for me. Thanks for staying with me for so long.

The next chapter will be posted soon by the nice person who adopted this novel.

I hate to say it but, uh, Lian falling off the cliff instead of Alfred seems so much like what Lian would do XD.

via Paypal