episode_0040

“Good morning, Senior~”

I roused myself at the lively voice and met Chloe with an expressionless face. She gave a bright smile at my expression.

“…It would have been a good day if only you weren’t here.”

“Hehe, you sound quite grumpy.”

“……”

“Okay, okay. Don’t get so angry. It hurts my feelings for no reason.”

“Hurts my feelings, my foot. Hide that face and say that.”

Her playful expression lacked any persuasive power.

Chloe gently sat on the edge of the bed. Then, she placed her hand on mine.

“Are you going to do more?”

“How can I do more when I’ve already failed? It doesn’t seem like it would work even if I did.”

“Then leave.”

“Come on, it’s my first time, it’s too bad to leave like this.”

As she said, this was her first attempt to seduce me. Despite the fact that quite some time had passed since she issued the challenge.

“What do you want?”

“Just… a little conversation? Oh, and I want to hear your impressions!”

“Do you think I’ll tell you?”

Then, Chloe pretended to wipe away tears, wiping her eyes with her hand.

“I’m sad when you say that…. Look how hard I tried to match your preferences.”

“…Alright. I’ll praise you for not touching my sister.”

She doesn’t touch those around me. Chloe kept that condition perfectly. Ellaim wasn’t directly controlled, but her image was created with magic.

If Chloe had used Ellaim, I would have gone to kill her immediately.

“Right? So, please grant my wish~”

It was clear that she wasn’t going to leave just like that. I had no choice but to give her what she wanted.

“…First of all, you did your research well.”

Ellaim is the person I’m most likely to fall for. In some ways, she’s a better match than Lana. In that respect, putting her forward was the best choice.

“Hehe, I did do my research diligently.”

Chloe puffed out her chest as if she was proud of something. Then, she looked at me with a sly look and said.

“More than that, I didn’t know the two of you were that close. To think you were childhood friends. If I had known, I should have touched her instead.”

At those words, I glared at Chloe.

“I’m just kidding, kidding. But how did you figure it out? I put so much effort into implementing her personality.”

“Then I’ll tell you it was all in vain. My sister doesn’t have that kind of personality.”

Ellaim would do it herself if she was going to do it, she would never sneak around.

Of course, to be honest, I was a little disappointed.

If it wasn’t an illusion, but a dream reflecting my desires, I would have tried to continue it somehow. Maybe I wouldn’t have wanted to wake up from the dream.

The lust that arose in the middle wasn’t a lie, Ellaim was that attractive. Now, I even feel a sense of regret.

“That was a mistake…. I should have observed more closely.”

Chloe sighed deeply, but her eyes weren’t those of someone who had given up.

“Well, I’ll take this as experience and do better next time. Right, Senior?”

“Do whatever you want.”

Whether she did or not was none of my business.

“Haha, you’re so funny, Senior.”

“Is that so.”

Chloe smiled and got up from her seat.

“I’ll be on my way then. See you after the exam, Senior.”

Chloe said her goodbyes. I said to her.

“Leave if you’re going to leave. And wake me up from this dream before you go.”

“Haa….”

At that moment, Chloe let out a deeper sigh than ever before. Her shoulders drooped, and her face was sullen.

“How did you figure it out?”

“Just a feeling.”

“Do you think that makes sense? You have no idea how much effort I put into creating this space.”

Chloe grumbled at me for no reason, but I didn’t care about her efforts. I ignored her reaction.

Snap!

After that, Chloe snapped her fingers without a word. At that moment, my eyes opened on their own, and the familiar room came into view.

“It’s already morning.”

It was the time when the sun was just rising, and sunlight was coming in through the window. And mana wrote a message in front of me as I admired the morning.

[Senior is mean.]

“Don’t pass your shortcomings on to others, Chloe.”

[Tch.]

I ignored the message and got up to look out the window. Ellaim was training under the cloudless sky.

“I should be going out to play on a day like this….”

Really, it’s a waste to take an exam on such a beautiful day.

***

Dozens of students gathered in the outdoor sparring ground.

They were holding their usual weapons, not training weapons.

Soon after, Professor Mylon appeared. He looked over the students and nodded.

“Hmm, some of you have a good spirit, but most of you are nervous. How are you going to show your true skills like that!”

Professor Mylon’s scolding, not quite a scolding, burst out. The sound was so loud that the ground trembled.

“Alright, follow me. I’ll teach you things that are perfect for relieving tension.”

He started to move his body. The students, knowing their condition, followed the professor.

Of course, the professor didn’t even glance at the princess and a few others, including me. Far from being nervous, we were completely calm. But it was awkward to stand still, so we stretched and loosened up our bodies.

About 30 minutes passed, and the exercise was over. After sweating to some extent, the students’ stiff bodies loosened up and their condition improved.

“I will now begin the sparring.”

And the exam began.

In Professor Mylon’s sparring class, the opponents are determined each week among the 3 people around their rank, and they fight. Thus, each week, the ranking changes organically according to the results, and the sparring partners change each time.

However, such a process eventually causes the ranking to become fixed. So, on the day of the exam, the ranking determination method changes.

That method is [Challenge].

It gives lower-ranked students the right to challenge higher-ranked students. Regardless of rank, if they are higher ranked than themselves, they can challenge the 1st place even if they are the lowest rank. And the challenged student must respond unconditionally.

The number of times is 5. You can continue to challenge until you lose.

Of course, no student does that. First of all, the fact that the rank is higher than their own means that there is a difference in skill, and the physical exhaustion is enormous.

For that reason, there are guys who challenge a rank that they can barely win and pour out all their strength, while others raise their rank by challenging up to 3 or 4 times with thorough analysis.

Well, there are occasionally weirdos who show their strength only during exams for the sake of grades, but there were no such students in the 2nd grade.

‘The lower ranks are boring….’

Compared to two months ago, the overall skill has increased a lot, but it wasn’t an improvement worth admiring. It was only worth watching when they became mid-ranked.

In the process, many rankings rose and fell. Some students got tired of facing 2 to 4 people per slot.

And quite an interesting thing happened. Students ranked 2nd to 10th challenged Ariel Tianis, the top student in the Department of Knighthood’s 2nd grade and ranked 1st.

“Oho, this is unexpected.”

Professor Mylon exclaimed in admiration. The higher the rank, the better they are at grasping their skills, so they don’t do anything that would harm their grades. At best, only the promising 2nd and 3rd place students challenge. Their choice was tantamount to giving up their grades.

Whether this was intentional or just a coincidence, it’s definitely an event worth watching.

The princess, who has to face 9 people in a row, may be struggling, but it’s just fun for the spectators.

“Please take care of me.”

“I’ll learn from you.”

Soon after, the sparring began.

The 10th place student kicked off the ground and swung his sword. The princess’s response was simple. She simply brought her sword down strongly towards the opponent’s sword.

Clang…!

Then, the opponent’s sword vibrated so much that it was visible to the eye, and soon shattered. Metal fragments falling to the floor of the sparring ground. Some parts were reduced to powder, making it difficult to even restore.

The 10th place student’s expression hardened. His eyes were filled with emptiness. The princess said quietly.

“I’m sorry. I can’t spend a long time with you because there are many opponents.”

“Ah, no….”

The 9th place student stepped back, sweating profusely. That’s how the first sparring ended.

The next sparring was similar. Parrying, deflecting, digging into blind spots, or eliminating means of attack. She faced the students with only minimal movements and power.

Originally, Princess Ariel is not the type to end sparring quickly. She spends time sparring in order to encourage the other person’s skill growth. The growth of the people of the Empire was the improvement of national power.

However, she is refraining from doing so today because there are many sparring partners. It ended like that for the first 5 or so. It took longer from 4th place, but the winner was the princess.

And the last remaining 2nd place. He slowly came to the center. A slight sweat flowed on the princess’s forehead. Her breathing was also slightly rough.

“You seem tired. How about taking a break? Princess Ariel.”

“It’s unnecessary concern. Taylor Caust.”

The princess frowned and adjusted her posture.

Taylor Caust. He’s a formidable villain, overshadowed by me. That’s why the princess is reacting so coldly.

Clash!

The two collided immediately. Taylor is also a student with some skill. He is by no means an easy opponent. If he had been born a few years earlier, he could have taken the top spot.

Of course, his talent could never surpass Princess Ariel.

“Keuk!”

Taylor, who was pushed back greatly after several exchanges, ranked 2nd. The princess didn’t stop and moved her arms. A series of quick swords burst out.

A speed that leaves afterimages. Her bloodline ability was well suited for quick swords.

Taylor, unable to withstand the fierce attack, was pushed back more and more. No matter how hard he tried to create an opening and attack, it was impossible. The princess didn’t give him even a moment’s chance.

Clang.

He was cornered against the wall by a fierce sword strike. There was no escape now.

“Huff, huff!”

His breathing became rough, and sweat flowed like rain. Taylor gritted his teeth with the thought that this was the end and thrust his sword into the gap.

But he didn’t know. That the gap was intentionally given by Princess Ariel.

“It’s over.”

The sword he thrust out with a clang was blocked by the princess’s sword, and the tip of that sword touched his Adam’s apple.

“Winner Ariel Tianis!”

“Ah, I can still do it.”

Professor Mylon shook his head.

“Look at yourself. You’re so exhausted that you can barely hold your sword. Above all, the result is as you see it. If you had shown even a counterattack, I would have given you a chance, but….”

“No! In the end, I…!”

“That was her plan. You’ve already lost in a situation where you didn’t read that move. Still, your swordsmanship has improved. Improve your coping skills and continue to improve like this.”

Professor Mylon dismissed Taylor’s protest. His face turned red and purple. Then he stepped back with a thud.

“Next.”

Without being called, I moved to the center. With all the sparring over, I was the only one left.

I make eye contact with Professor Mylon, who is standing on the opposite side. Then, the corners of his mouth rose as if they would reach the sky.

“I’ve been waiting for this day.”

There was a slight excitement in his voice.

“I won’t say much. Tell me what grade you want.”

“If I tell you, will you give it to me as is?”

“Of course not. You have to earn your grade with your skills.”

Why ask if you’re not going to do that. Still, I answered anyway.

“I want an A or higher.”

Professor Mylon smiled with satisfaction and beckoned.

“Come at me. Kyle Arden.”

“Then I’ll go.”

Immediately after, I kicked off the ground.