Ch.10099. The First Trial (2)

# 99. The First Trial (2)

And so, one small yet significant event came to an end, and we were heading back to our nest, the Imperial Academy.

In that situation, Aelin, with an anxious expression, asked me:

“Won’t we get in trouble when we go back?”

“Isn’t that obvious?”

“I guess you’re right…”

Aelin became dejected at that fact.

“It would be strange if we didn’t get scolded.”

Still, since the outcome itself was so good, we probably wouldn’t be scolded too severely.

Probably…

‘But more than that…’

Right now, I was more concerned about the person behind me.

Originally, I was scheduled to visit the Michael Imperial Palace tomorrow, but this situation had come up.

‘Should I still go…?’

When I posed this question to myself, his voice came from behind.

“Albert, was it?”

“Yes… my name is Albert.”

“I’ll be heading back from here, but what will you do tomorrow?”

For some reason, he was giving me a choice.

Of course, it wasn’t really a choice since I couldn’t say I wouldn’t go tomorrow.

“I’ll come tomorrow.”

Avoiding it now wouldn’t mean I could avoid it forever, and it was something I would have to face eventually.

‘Better to take the beating sooner rather than later…’

If that was the case, getting it over with quickly would be more comfortable.

And I also wanted to receive that “acknowledgment” as soon as possible.

“Then I’ll see you tomorrow. I have matters to attend to. Elly, see you tomorrow.”

“Yes, Father. You must be tired, so please rest well tonight.”

“Thank you for your concern, but I’m not in a position to do so.”

With those final words, the Emperor walked toward the military base with Rey and Light.

Though the damage wasn’t extensive, there were still quite a few matters to handle given the nature of the incident.

He would need to consult with officials about how to proceed.

“But… aren’t you going with them, Hero?”

“Me?”

“Yes.”

Unlike Rey and Light, Amelia didn’t seem to be attending to those matters and was still heading to the academy with us.

“I’ll be staying at the academy for a while, or rather, I need to stay.”

“Ah…”

People living near the academy in Lucerne, the capital of the Empire, would have evacuated to the Imperial Academy, so it seemed someone with Amelia’s skills needed to remain here.

Although we had dealt with most of the enemy forces, there might be survivors who could cause harm, and with people gathered in one place, other issues could arise.

“But then, will you be staying in the women’s dormitory, Hero?”

“I suppose so?”

If she stayed outside, she wouldn’t be able to respond immediately if something happened at night, and there were plenty of spare rooms in the dormitory.

I wasn’t sure how many people were currently at the academy, but it should be able to accommodate all of them.

‘It has to be quite large…’

In fact, there were quite a few dormitory buildings, not just the two we were currently using.

There were also professors who lived in the dormitories rather than commuting from home, but I didn’t think they built so many dormitory buildings just for them.

Rather than that reason, it seemed like they had built many dormitory buildings in preparation for situations like this.

“But I’ll be staying in a different building from yours, where there are more people.”

“That’s a shame…”

For some reason, Aelin seemed disappointed by this fact.

She must have taken quite a liking to Amelia.

‘Understandably so.’

Amelia was someone who lacked nothing—her personality, appearance, and skills were all exceptional, though perhaps not as much as Aelin’s.

And above all, she was one of only two “Heroes” in the Empire.

Heroes could summon their unique weapons through a skill called [Hero’s Mark], bestowed by the “Hero” characteristic.

These weapons were also called “Divine Weapons” and boasted tremendous performance worthy of that name.

Except for Dren’s masterpieces, they were probably the only weapons with better performance than the Abyss Sword I could summon with my skill [Sword of the Distant Abyss].

Heroes demonstrated incredible abilities by utilizing these overwhelmingly powerful weapons and their unique skills.

‘I really want to get that…’

Part of me wanted to use [Regressor’s Privilege] on Amelia and leave it to luck.

However, Amelia was an archer, so she would likely have skills that maximized the advantages of a bow.

‘Not really compatible with me…’

Therefore, using it on Marco, the Sword Hero, would be more rational.

Still, having insurance was better than having none.

‘But what if I do get it?’

I couldn’t just abandon the sword I was currently using diligently.

Among historical heroes, there were some who summoned defensive items like armor.

However, most summoned weapons like swords, bows, or staves.

‘Could I alternate between them?’

If I did get that skill, that would be the right approach, but…

‘Am I counting my chickens before they hatch?’

I felt a bit embarrassed for having such thoughts when I hadn’t even seen Marco’s shadow, let alone obtained the skill.

‘I just hope I get something good…’

While making this modest wish in my heart, we had already arrived at the academy.

At the entrance, more administrators than usual were guarding the gate, and among them were some quite skilled individuals.

‘Knights… and high-ranking ones at that…’

Since we were already students of this academy, we could prove our identity with our student IDs, and Amelia was… well, she had a free pass.

Before entering the academy, Amelia greeted the knights at the entrance.

“Everyone’s working hard. Take breaks when you can. I’m here now~”

It was quite an inappropriate statement given the current situation, but with Amelia here, it would be difficult for anyone but the most skilled to cause harm.

Amelia could eliminate enemies from great distances with her exceptional sensing abilities and archery skills that earned her the title “Divine Archer.”

Of course, [Stealth] was a different matter, but she could detect almost everything else, so her confidence was understandable.

“I’ll be in that dormitory over there, so you all go back and rest. Even though you’ve received treatment, you must be tired.”

After saying this, Amelia headed toward another dormitory building located near the dueling grounds.

“Shall we go too? I’m exhausted…”

I wanted to lie down on my bed in my room right away, so my body was naturally heading toward the dormitory building.

I had consumed too much life force and mana today, and my physical condition was terrible.

Although I had regained some life force from killing those soldiers, regaining life force didn’t relieve the accumulated fatigue.

As I was at the end of my strength, she spoke to me.

“Will you be alright tomorrow? If it’s difficult, I could speak for you…”

“I’ll be fine after sleeping tonight. More importantly, Your Highness also used a lot of mana today. Please go to your dormitory and rest well.”

She too had consumed a great amount of mana, to the point of using it all up.

Therefore, she must be as tired as I was.

“I am… quite tired… Let’s both get plenty of rest tonight…”

In this warm atmosphere, Riel shared some information with us.

“Tomorrow, His Majesty the Emperor will be coming to the academy in person.”

“Uh… what?”

“He’s coming to check the security level of the academy, and also to see your face and skills.”

It was a bit surprising, but I didn’t mind.

It meant that I had enough value to make His Majesty the Emperor move in person, which actually made me feel good.

‘Does this mean I’m already halfway accepted?’

It was fortunate that this incident happened before I went to see the Emperor.

It would have made a stronger impression regarding my skills, and the fact that she didn’t have a single scratch would have worked in my favor.

“You know this is unprecedented, right? An emperor of a country personally coming for a mere student.”

“Of course I know. That’s why I’m feeling so good right now.”

“He’ll be here around 2 PM tomorrow, so make sure you’re up by then.”

“Yes, understood.”

After receiving this information, I immediately headed to my dormitory, while she went to the women’s dormitory building with the female party members.

‘Tomorrow… I’m looking forward to it…’

Honestly, this incident wasn’t really what you’d call a “trial.”

I did suffer injuries that could have led to death, but that was to bind Fenex, and it wasn’t actually that dangerous.

Of course, it was a bit dangerous at the end, but that was all.

However, tomorrow’s event already felt dangerous.

‘Not just anyone… but His Majesty the Emperor himself…’

He was the world’s strongest warrior, a fact no one could dispute.

As Riel said, he was on a completely different level from a mere student like me.

‘If I mess up, I could really die…’

Of course, he would control his strength considering the difference in our levels, but it was still dangerous.

Tomorrow would just be a mock battle to prove my skills, but it was certainly a significant event worthy of being called a “trial.”

‘A trial, huh… It’s definitely exciting…’