"Okutama's training camp?" Stella's first reaction upon hearing this was to ask, "There's a place like that?"
"Yes," Utakata explained. "It's normal for first-year students not to know. It takes about an hour and a half by bus from here to Okutama, where Hagun Academy's training camp is located."
'Training camp!'
'That's a classic manga trope!'
Stella immediately grew excited. "Um, I heard that high school students in this country have an annual event called a school trip. Is that true?!"
"Huh?"
Utakata was taken aback by the sudden question.
After a moment's thought, he replied, "No, I have never participated in one myself."
"Eh? Really? How come?! They are always in the manga!"
Noah sighed and gave her a light chop on the head.
"You said yourself that is just in manga," Noah pointed out.
"Ow!" Stella protested, clutching her head in frustration.
But she wasn't giving up yet!
Turning to Renren beside her, she asked wistfully, "Surely at least some of you have been on a school trip, right?"
It's a school trip!
One of the most important events of youth!
A crucial plot point for developing the romance between the male and female leads!
Renren chuckled. "Actually, I did go on one in middle school. But honestly, I barely remember anything about it. We went to Kyoto to see some old temples and stuff. To be honest, it was super boring."
"Huh???"
'Boring? How could it be boring?!'
"Renren-senpai, didn't any boys confess their feelings to you?!"
"No way! How rude of you to ask that kind of question!"
"No way..." Stella slumped onto the Student Council sofa like a dreamless donkey, defeated by reality.
"Why are you the one acting like you have been hit hard?" Noah sighed.
Utsutsu Mibu cleared his throat twice.
His weathered face flushed crimson as he confessed shyly, "Actually, I... I was confessed to by a girl from the neighboring class back then on my trip."
Huh?!
Stella, who had been lying listlessly, suddenly sat bolt upright, her ruby eyes wide with shock.
Renren's expression twisted in disbelief.
'ain't no way...'
'Did I actually lose?'
'Lose to Utsutsu, who clearly isn't popular with girls? I'm a reasonably cute girl, so why haven't I ever been confessed to, while this guy Utsutsu has?'
'Damn it! This traitor!'
"So, what happened next?!" Stella pressed.
"I can't go into details, but we didn't end up dating."
"Tch."
Utakata, noticing Renren's dejected expression, offered her some comfort. "Renren, don't worry. You're not alone. Tohka hasn't been confessed to either."
"Eh?! The President?!" Renren was stunned by this revelation.
'That's... impossible.
'After all, the President's popularity at Hagun is off the charts!'
'She wasn't just popular with boys, she was the kind of ultra-A type who could even win over girls!'
'Even I nearly confessed to the President several times!' Renren thought.
"Utakata!"
Tohka slammed her hand on the desk, glaring fiercely at the Vice President, who immediately clamped his mouth shut, afraid to reveal any more secrets.
The strongest Student Council President, eager to change the subject and steer the conversation back on track, brought up the matter of the mission again.
"Eyewitnesses claim a mysterious giant, approximately four meters tall, has been sighted near the Okutama training camp in the woods..."
"A giant?!"
After a moment of stunned silence, Stella's eyes lit up with excitement.
Noah, observing her reaction, looked puzzled. "Stella?"
The girl turned back, tugging repeatedly on the boy's sleeve. "Hey, Noah! Did you hear that?! They said there's a giant!"
"Uh..."
The Princess had always been fascinated by mythical creatures and fantastical beings.
And a giant—a legendary creature straight out of mythology—was an especially intriguing prospect.
In fact, due to the existence of Blazers, many mythical creatures once featured in legends were now considered undiscovered phenomena.
The figures of ancient Blazers could be found in both mythology and ancient tales, though their true nature was often misunderstood by less advanced civilizations.
They were mistaken for witches, sages, or other supernatural beings.
Beyond these historical figures, stories often featured heroes, such as Siegfried, the dragon-slaying warrior who slew the evil dragon Fafnir, Hou Yi, the archer who shot down nine golden sun crows, Heracles, who vanquished the nine-headed hydra and Susanoo, who slew the eight-headed serpent Yamata no Orochi.
These legendary figures were believed by modern historians to be based on actual Blazers of their time, and their mythical weapons were considered their Devices or Noble Arts.
Examples include:
Balmung, the holy sword that slew the evil dragon.
The Sun-Shooting Divine Bow, used to shoot down the sun crows.
The Hydra-Slaying Bow, used to vanquish the nine-headed hydra.
Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi, the sword drawn from the serpent's tail.
Given that these magical weapons were likely based on real artifacts, the academic question arose: could the monsters they were used against have existed as well?
If these weapons were once real, did the monsters they were used to fight also exist in the past?
Stella was deeply intrigued by this.
Seeing her excitement, Noah quipped. "You don't believe in beastmen, yet you are so eager to believe in giants? That's quite the contradiction."
Stella turned her head, pouting. "Are you still going on about that Fox-Person beauty nonsense?" she said, her voice tinged with annoyance.
"Those are just fantasies from 2D anime! Even if Fox-People existed, they wouldn't be cute human-like girls with just animal ears and tails! A more realistic depiction would be large, furry foxes standing upright!"
"..."
'Well, she's completely wrong about that,' Noah thought.
After all, the gods of Orario had created various races, each modeled after their own appearances.
Humans, in their vanity, assumed the gods took human form, when in reality, humans themselves were created in the image of the gods.
"Anyway, come help me! I want to join the Student Council in searching for giants!"
"So your real motive isn't to help the Council at all?"
"As long as the outcome is good, what does it matter?!"
Seeing Stella's boundless enthusiasm, Noah couldn't bring himself to dampen her spirits.
Besides, he had to admit he was curious about giants himself.
Giants.
These were deep-layer monsters found in the Dungeon.
The Loki Familia's title, "Giant Killers," stemmed from their frequent and efficient battles against giants in the deep layers, earning them this moniker.