Ch.112111. Final Exams (5)

# 111. Final Exams (5)

After that conversation ended, those people who had somehow entered the academy departed using some unknown method.

“Is this really okay…?”

It was an incident that made me reconsider the security level of the academy.

Even though Amelia was still at the academy, this seemed a bit wrong.

Rachel was also watching the scene with curiosity.

“But can we really trust those people?”

“Probably?”

“What kind of response is that?”

“You should know this—if those people had wanted to kill us, we’d already be dead.”

Lilith was different from Fenex.

Unlike Fenex, she was a veteran who had maintained her position as an Executor for a long time, carrying out numerous missions under Bael.

“Are those people really that strong?”

“Yes, at least as strong as the Hero. Maybe even stronger.”

“That strong?!”

When I nodded, Rachel stared blankly in the direction they had gone.

‘Even if they concealed it… isn’t she too oblivious?’

Although they had hidden their magical power, they couldn’t conceal it completely, and I could still sense a considerable amount.

Yet Rachel hadn’t noticed their strength.

“All Executors are monsters like them.”

“Are those people Executors too? Like that demon from before?”

“Specifically, just the one with the small horns.”

“Aren’t succubi stronger when they have larger horns?”

“Usually, but she’s different. Anyway, just remember they’re on our side.”

Since Rachel was now acquainted with them, they might contact me through her.

‘It might be better to tell all our party members. Would they even believe it if they hadn’t seen it themselves…?’

Even if I told them, they would probably be shocked if demons—Executors at that—suddenly appeared before them.

So it seemed necessary for the party members to meet them in person and become familiar with each other, just as Rachel had.

“Do others know? That you’re close with those Executor sisters?”

“The Princess knows. No one else does.”

“The Princess knows…?”

“What about it?”

“I see…”

“What’s wrong? Are you feeling sick?”

Rachel’s face darkened as if she wasn’t feeling well.

“No… it’s nothing.”

“Go rest soon. You worked hard today.”

“Yeah… you too.”

Using [Two Suns] twice in such a short period must have put a significant strain on her body.

Moreover, Rachel seemed to have used it at the largest size she could create.

For Rachel, who had no heart-related skills, it must have been devastating.

‘Still, she must have gained a lot of levels.’

Taking down monsters of that caliber by herself would have earned her at least 5 levels.

If I had tried to defeat them all alone, it would have taken at least two hours, and my level was already high enough that I didn’t particularly need the experience.

“I gained a lot thanks to those creatures.”

If I had finished off Fenex, who was the strongest among them, I would have gained even more levels, but unfortunately, I couldn’t, and Fenex was still alive and well.

‘I wonder if she’s still alive? I should look into it.’

Albert was peacefully thinking such thoughts.

Completely unaware that someone had been watching him all this time.

***

The somewhat boring exam period passed in the blink of an eye, and the exam day was already approaching.

The night before the exam, with just one night left until the test.

I visited the training ground alone for the first time in a while.

In this barren reality where not even a shadow of another person could be found, I slowly closed my eyes while holding my sword.

Then, relying solely on my senses, I swung my sword.

-Swish! Whoosh!-

The only sounds were my breathing and the wind as my sword cut through the air.

That quiet space was optimized for mental training.

But that tranquility was shattered in an instant by a sudden arrow.

-Ting!!-

The arrow reached me even faster than the sound of my sword cutting through the air.

However, perhaps because my senses were heightened, I was able to react easily.

After deflecting the arrow, I turned toward the direction it came from and carefully opened my eyes.

“As expected of you.”

“Wow… how did you react to that?”

“You’re quite the actor. Have you considered debuting in the entertainment industry?”

Amelia must have known I would react, which is why she shot the arrow.

‘So she used a real arrow…’

It was an arrow powerful enough to kill me if I hadn’t reacted.

“You could have played along… no fun at all.”

“That arrow was even less fun.”

“Aren’t you studying? Everyone else is in the library right now.”

“I’m confident.”

“I’m sure you are.”

For some reason, Amelia wasn’t wearing her usual elaborate uniform but ordinary sweatpants.

“Are you going to train too, Hero?”

“No, I just came to watch you. I was curious how someone your age got so good.”

“For someone who says that…”

Amelia had already directly influenced me by shooting that arrow.

It seemed she was just testing whether I could dodge it.

“Sorry about that… But do you do this often?”

“Not often, maybe twice a month? Usually, I have mock battles with my party members or clear dungeons.”

“Dungeons… what difficulty?”

“Alone, up to B-high. With others, usually B-top. Even A-lowest is impossible for us.”

It’s still too early for A-rank.

It’s premature, and there’s no real need for it either.

“That’s quite impressive. You clear B-high alone?”

“Yes. Don’t you clear up to A-mid alone, Hero?”

“Well, yes… Kids these days are amazing.”

She sounded a bit like an old lady saying that.

Externally, Amelia looked like she was in her early twenties, and she was actually only in her mid-thirties, but her “kids these days” comment made her seem older.

“Aren’t you also one of ‘these days’ people?”

“Why are you like this to me?”

“I’m being sincere.”

“R-really?”

Especially for people like Amelia with overwhelming magical power that slows aging, their external appearance often makes their age seem meaningless.

‘That wasn’t my case… rather the opposite…’

My magical power was actually on the lower side among hunters, so I lived long simply because my body was sturdy and I took good care of myself.

Perhaps that’s why Amelia seemed even younger to me.

“You’re still young, so don’t worry.”

“Getting such words from a 17-year-old… feels strange. I’ll just watch from here, so pretend I’m not here and work hard.”

“Pretend I’m not here while I’m watching you”—what a strange thing to say.

But it didn’t really matter.

I closed my eyes again and advanced toward the center of the training ground, swinging my sword.

‘It feels like the number of spectators has increased…’

Originally, my purpose was mental training, but with more people watching, it felt more like I was showing off my swordsmanship.

“This isn’t what I intended…”

***

Rachel and Leo had somehow entered the training ground and were watching Albert’s training session from the same place as Amelia.

Leo asked in a genuinely curious tone:

“Is he good at that?”

“Does it look like he’s not?”

“Definitely not.”

“Then he’s good at it, right?”

“Well… I suppose so. But he’s not just good—he’s exceptional.”

Rachel asked with a faint smile:

“How exceptional?”

“If we’re talking purely about swordsmanship, I think he might be better than Marco?”

“What…? No matter how you look at it, that’s…”

“I’m serious. I’m not overestimating him because of his age—he’s really at that level. Though their styles are a bit different.”

He lacked Marco’s fiery style, but instead possessed frightening precision and delicacy.

And that was with his vision blocked.

Even in that situation, where he couldn’t see where his body was moving, he executed precise swordsmanship without a single unnecessary movement.

“Even considering that, I think Albert is more skilled. Is he really a student?”

“We wonder that sometimes too.”

“Doesn’t anyone else in your group use a sword? Besides him.”

“There’s one person.”

“Just one? That’s a shame… More people should learn swordsmanship from someone like him. Has he considered teaching or joining the Knights?”

The three of them watched Albert as if entranced, and three hours passed in an instant.

***

‘They’re still watching… all of them…’

Those who had been watching me while making distracting comments continued to do so until I finished my training.

I sheathed my sword and walked over to them.

“I’m leaving now.”

“What do you want to be when you grow up?”

“Special Forces.”

“Perhaps…”

“I have no intention of doing anything else, especially during the Princess’s reign.”

Of course, there was still quite some time before she would become Empress, so I was simply saying I had no plans to do anything else.

“If you joined the Knights while in Special Forces…”

“I don’t want to die from overwork.”

It’s not that no one has done both, but it would be too much for me.

Having experienced both Special Forces and being a Knight Commander, I know exactly how difficult it would be.

“You’re still no fun…”

“Anyway, I’m counting on you tomorrow.”

“How did you know I’m coming along?”

“Of course you have to come, since we’re leaving the safe… academy.”