Ch.114113. Final Exams (7)

# 113. Final Exams (7)

After that conversation, they headed to a large dueling arena to conduct their usual mock battle, and Amelia observed the scene up close.

The seven of them were divided into teams of 5 versus 2 for the mock battle.

‘Is that how the balance works…?’

Normally, the princess would have participated, preventing such an uneven ratio, but this time she was absent, forcing them to proceed with this imbalanced arrangement.

Of course, just because the teams were split 5 to 2 didn’t mean the other team members lacked skill.

Rather, they were so good it was almost startling.

‘Is there even anything to give feedback on?’

While she couldn’t speak for the others, Albert and Reina displayed such excellent skills that it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say they needed no feedback at all.

“It seems the future of the Empire lies not with me but with these kids…?”

Someone answered Amelia’s muttering.

The voice sounded excited and proud at the same time.

It was definitely a cheerful voice, that much was certain.

“Aren’t you being too modest? I don’t think they’re quite at that level yet.”

“But your expression suggests you think otherwise?”

Despite what she had just said, her face showed she was absolutely delighted.

Apparently, she really enjoyed hearing praise for her party members.

“To be honest, maybe a little…”

“You and Albert are definitely there.”

“That goes without saying.”

“But do they usually go at it this intensely?”

It seemed too serious to be called a mock battle.

Especially Chris and Elin—they looked like they were genuinely trying to kill Albert.

However, she smiled at the sight and answered.

“Sometimes. It’s not usually this intense, but not much different either.”

“They’re all so serious… Why are they going this far? If it were me, I’d have gone back to the dormitory to rest after the exams.”

“I wouldn’t know. I’m sure they all have their reasons?”

She wore an expression suggesting she knew something, but Amelia didn’t bother to ask further.

She wasn’t particularly curious, and even if told, the reasons would likely be dull and uninteresting.

Besides, there was something else she was more curious about.

“By the way, do you know about it too?”

“About what?”

“Well… something I saw recently.”

***

‘These guys are really coming at me like they want to kill me…’

Elin and Chris were targeting me so blatantly, and their attacks were much more powerful than usual.

As a result, the level of the mock battle had risen considerably, and I had no choice but to activate [Mortal’s End].

“Still feeling nervous?”

“A bit.”

Of course, I could have managed without it, but there was no harm in being cautious.

Most party members flinched slightly at the sudden pressure, but Chris was different.

“But it doesn’t work on me.”

Thanks to [Gabriel’s Blessing], Chris was immune to the pressure effect and approached me, swinging his fist.

That fist accurately targeted my face as I moved around.

It was an achievement made after hundreds of missed swings.

However, while it was accurately aimed, it didn’t actually reach me.

-Thud!-

I blocked that punch with just my sword, and Chris wore an expression suggesting he had expected this.

“Not going to pull back?”

Despite his punch being blocked, Chris wasn’t creating distance between us.

It was an uncharacteristic choice for Chris, who had been countered hundreds of times before.

I was puzzled by this careless decision and looked around with suspicion.

But I could only see 2 people from the opposing team, including Chris.

‘As I thought…’

Not only Briton and Eve, who had already been eliminated, but Reina—who should have been watched most carefully in this mock battle—was nowhere to be seen.

That fact reminded me of the previous battle.

I said to Chris, who was smiling brightly:

“Stop smiling. I know what you’re up to.”

I could have just run away from this situation, but my pride was hurt.

And I was confident I could escape such a trap even if I fell into it.

That’s why I chose to walk into the trap despite knowing it was one.

-Thud!!-

I kicked the grinning Chris in front of me and changed the form of my sword.

Then Reina, who had been hiding with [Stealth], reappeared fully prepared.

Reina didn’t hesitate to rush at me, and I met her head-on.

Having already chosen not to avoid the situation, it was impossible to dodge Reina’s strike.

‘Then I’ll have to block it.’

In my current state with maximized strength, it should be possible.

Reina threatened me with a speed like yesterday’s arrow, and just like yesterday, I met it head-on at that speed.

-Crackle! Clang!!!-

It was a lightning-fast strike, but it couldn’t pierce my sword.

Of course, my hands were trembling after receiving that blow, but I had successfully blocked the attack.

Reina, whose decisive strike had been blocked, wore a disappointed expression, while I gave her a bright smile in contrast.

“Ah… really…”

“Nice try…”

Reina hurried to escape, but that didn’t mean she could avoid Rachel’s magic.

Reina was helpless amidst the blue flames and soon declared surrender.

“Now things are looking better…”

With Reina eliminated, the situation suddenly changed to 2 versus 2, and now we clearly had the advantage.

Looking at my still trembling hands, I asked them:

“But why do you guys always target me first? Shouldn’t you go after the mage first?”

“Shut up.”

Elin, who gave a somewhat irritable answer, raised her staff, which was enough to realize that the mock battle wasn’t over yet.

Just as the battle was about to resume, her voice entered our ears.

“Let’s stop here for today. I don’t think we’ll gain anything by continuing.”

“Phew…”

Hearing those words, I let out a sigh of relief as the tension drained from my body, and I left the arena. Chris and Elin did the same.

‘I’m exhausted…’

Having had quite a struggle after a long time, I was resting on the bench where they were sitting, and Reina approached me to express her dissatisfaction.

“Really… that’s too much… I thought I would win this time.”

“Yeah, I almost lost.”

The problem was that I had used too much energy eliminating Briton and Eve at the beginning.

Especially since Briton had held out so well, making the next battle inevitably more difficult.

“A party really needs a priest…”

This battle made me realize once again how important a priest is in a party.

Especially how much impact a priest like Chris, who can engage in close combat to some extent and doesn’t retreat quickly, can have.

“But you blocked it. I thought for sure it would go through.”

“That’s because the sword is good. In most situations, you can just do what you did earlier.”

It was possible partly because my strength was high, but mainly because the sword was far superior to ordinary swords.

If your strength is insanely high, it can compensate for a poor sword, but that’s just compensation—a better sword is naturally better.

As I was looking at the sword that had blocked Reina’s strike, she approached me.

“Good work.”

“Yes… When did you arrive?”

“Not long ago, about 10 minutes? By the way, are your hands okay?”

“Yes, I’m used to this level of injury.”

Having recently suffered wounds severe enough to trigger [Life in Death], these minor injuries seemed cute in comparison.

They didn’t even hurt, just felt a bit numb.

I asked Amelia, who was looking at our party members one by one:

“More importantly, how was it?”

“If you’re hoping for praise… I’m sorry, but that’s not happening.”

“Not me… I’m talking about the others.”

“Well, you and Reina are too good, so there’s not much to say.”

Reina seemed to have received such an evaluation because of her skill utilization, and hearing this assessment, she wore a satisfied smile.

The other party members were listening attentively to Amelia’s words, and I was also paying close attention.

“In Chris’s case, he set up a good trap with Reina, but before that, he tended to act too much on his own. I’d like to see that corrected, and Elin was somewhat similar.”

Those two definitely had such tendencies.

Especially Chris, who often acted alone, and in Elin’s case, while not as severe, she seemed to lack somewhat in team movement.

“Eve was eliminated too easily at the beginning, but I think that’s unavoidable. She seems to be in a sniper position, but this arena is too small. Still, it would be better if she could supplement with close combat like Chris.”

It was only natural that someone like Eve, whose specialty was ranged combat, would struggle in such an arena.

Still, Amelia seemed to think that even in such situations, one should be able to pull their weight.

After that, Amelia didn’t say anything else, and Rachel, who had been waiting for an evaluation, found this puzzling.

“Um… what about me?”