episode_0058

1.

“Hoooo…”

It’s midterm day.

I always had a strange feeling on my way to take a midterm, whether before or after the ice age.

It’s a feeling like my chest is being slightly tightened, but it’s an ambiguous feeling to call it tension.

“Are you nervous?”

“Not really.”

Kariel stood next to me and spoke lightly.

We’re both just waiting patiently for the bracket to be finalized.

“How far do you expect it to go?”

“What all of a sudden.”

“Tournament results. Can’t you guess what it’s like?”

Kariel is one of the most talented students in the Empire who entered at the top of his class.

Even though the second-ranking Srenya has great talent as a spirit sorcerer, she has even greater military power.

It’s like asking the head teacher directly about the midterm exam.

It’s like asking the top student in the entire school how he thinks he’ll do on the exam.

“I don’t think I’ll win.”

If you say that the top student in the school got 100 points, you’ll be told that you’re unlucky.

“…I’m so unlucky.”

“Wait a minute, then why did you ask? Did you think this wouldn’t be the answer?”

Kariel replied with a blank laugh, as if he found it ridiculous.

Such a logical rebuttal.

“Is that so…?”

I accepted the painful result and looked at the bracket that was finally completed.

hmm.

It seems like the distance between Kariel and me is quite far…

“You’re lucky.”

“Huh?”

“Because it’s far away.”

This kid.

I was momentarily offended by a single word that seemed to belittle my hidden inferiority complex.

“Mom, no matter what, I have pride…!”

“Fortunately, I was in danger of being eliminated early on… but I overcame it.”

“Huh?”

The colorless words that came out of Kariel’s mouth made my head stop.

Rather, it seems like he is praising me and acknowledging me.

“I didn’t expect to get first place so easily. I had to rule out any risk factors.”

“Well, what is it?”

I watched Kariel from the side as he seriously made up his mind.

Unlike me, who is dirty and shabby, he gives off the impression of a perfect protagonist.

“Good work.”

“Alright, see you in the finals.”

“Poohaha! I’ll be waiting for you, so don’t slip.”

Kariel greeted me with a hearty laugh that I didn’t expect.

“Ako!”

The problem is that I bumped into some girl who was sending me a similar notice.

The child made a cute noise as if he had hit his forehead and took a step away from Cariel.

“…Uni?”

But upon closer inspection, she was a short girl with striking purple hair.

It was Uni.

“Ouch…”

Yuni was complaining of pain, stroking her forehead, which had hit Cariel’s chest.

Even during the warrior club time, I was a little worried because Uni was so weak.

“Sorry. I couldn’t see properly and ended up bumping into you. Are you okay?”

“Ugh, ugh….! It’s okay, okay, okay…”

Kariel apologized to Uni with a sad smile.

Soft speech and an attitude as if dealing with a fragile animal.

Maybe he was a knight who trained since childhood, but now he only gives off the impression of a parasitic older brother.

So, what I mean is, it makes me a little irritated to be treated more leniently by women.

“I’m going to go now… It really doesn’t hurt…!”

“What.”

Yuni ran away from Kariel.

Kariel couldn’t hide his bewilderment at how something like this could possibly cause such a negative reaction.

Uni ran so fast that she almost bumped into me again.

“Oops! Sorry! I saw the wrong way…”

“Be careful. If you keep doing this, you’ll end up bumping into me too.”

“Uh… half…?”

“Hello.”

Uni’s round forehead is in front of me.

Because of the height difference, which was difficult to adjust to, Yuni had to raise her head steeply to look at me.

“Sorry Ban…”

“Do you owe Kariel anything? Run away or something.”

“Rain, debt! No one has that…!”

“But why did you run away?”

“That…”

I’m a loner too, but is Yuni worse than me?

I was able to walk to the test site naturally with Uni and have a relatively comfortable conversation.

“I, I was a little scared of that kind of bully-like impression and I tended to feel psychological pressure, so that’s why I did that…! It’s not that Kariel is a bad kid.”

“…Yeah.”

I felt like I was talking to someone whose communication system was broken.

When friends joke around, isn’t there a natural system where you take the pranks and fight back?

Even in a case like this, I wasn’t asking for an explanation.

I didn’t say anything to Kariel because I thought he would take it seriously even if I was joking.

“But Uni.”

“Huh?”

“Is the test site this way?”

Isn’t Uni’s role to heal from the rear?

It felt odd, like the healer was leading the way into a bloody battle.

Or, I had a reasonable suspicion that he was also fulfilling the role of a supporter who eliminates enemies targeting his allies.

“Of course, I don’t fight directly. That’s because my practical exam is about treating injuries that occur during the exam.”

“Aha.”

So this is how Uni takes its midterms.

“I think there are other people who are suitable for the support group besides me who are taking the test like this…”

“I see.”

It looks like there are a few kids organizing first aid kits around.

I think most kids with a therapeutic background take their midterms like this.

“I can trust your healing skills.”

“Uh, uh-huh…?”

“That’s amazing. Both blessing magic and healing magic. I feel like I can fight with peace of mind.”

“Oh, oh, thank you…”

When Yuni heard those words, she felt a sense of responsibility and secretly clenched her fists.

Of course, it felt like my hands would be too small to handle, but I held back my laughter to respect that decision.

…

Arrived at the testing center.

‘The goal is to win!!!’

The midterm exam began with me clenching my fists like the main character in a boys’ comic book.

2.

The testing center where the midterm exam is in full swing.

In one testing center, a shout rang out that the round of 64 had just ended.

“I lost, I lost…!!!”

“Hoo…”

He put away the knife that was pointed at the neck of the child who had fallen halfway.

And he held out his hand with a proud face.

I can’t say that it’s a purely considerate heart.

Because it’s closer to a winner’s behavior that seems to solidify my status as a winner and to a behavior that shows a little bit of humility.

If I were in the losing position, I don’t think I would ever accept it happily.

A clean victory.

They finished the match cleanly without leaving a single wound on either side.

This also means that there was a big difference in skill, and it can be said that the match was decided before even a few rounds were played.

“Oh my. Thank you for your hard work.”

“…Thank you for your hard work.”

I stood up the student who was looking at me with a bitter look.

Given the nature of the tournament where you are only given one chance, it must be frustrating to have been unlucky enough to meet a strong opponent.

Because he was a student who had the ability to easily aim for the round of 32 or higher.

‘The opponent is me.’

I was secretly proud because I was sure it would be embarrassing if I said it directly.

There is still some time left until the Round of 32 exam begins.

As I was swinging my sword around to warm up for the next test, a familiar face appeared.

“Tina?”

“Uh. Ban. This time, I guess I’ll fight you?”

“What about the round of 64? You’re already preparing for the round of 32?”

“Look.”

“Huh?”

Looking behind Taina, I see a female student lying on the ground.

It’s like he’s struggling to keep his sword in his hand.

“…Did you knock him out?”

“It’s roughly similar, right?”

The way he imitated hitting the ball while saying that looked a little scary.

And then, a member of the health club was seen seriously approaching the female student who had fainted.

-Ding~ Ding~ Ding~

While we were chatting for a while, the bell rang signaling the start of the Round of 32.

Up to the 32nd round, students must participate in the exams voluntarily, without professors taking full responsibility.

When the bell rings three times, it means to come up to the testing room.

-Ding~ Ding~

The bell rang twice.

Now is the time to prepare for a duel with your opponent with your weapon in hand.

As soon as you hear the final sound, the test begins.

“…whoosh…”

“Are you nervous?”

“Honestly, I’m doing my best because I don’t think I’ll win. You do your best too.”

“Of course.”

We relaxed and chatted during that brief moment.

And then I finished a calculation in my head.

‘It’s worth winning. It won’t be difficult.’

A fact I realized while training repeatedly with Taina and the Warrior Club.

If we compare only the total amount of force between Taina and me, I have a slight advantage.

Fast-paced attacks like claws can be followed by my swordsmanship.

And I have a slight advantage in strength, and Taina has a slight advantage in agility and stamina.

But I have the advantage in terms of destructive power to finish it off.

‘I don’t want to hurt the heroine… I guess it would be easier to just knock her out. Would it be better to just end it all at once with a preemptive strike from the beginning when she’s tense?’

That’s why I was worried about how to subdue them from the position of the strong.

I had unknowingly been having thoughts that I should never have on the battlefield.

-Ding~

The bell rang, signaling the start of the exam.

Taina, who was looking at the class with a tense look at that moment, could not miss that opportunity.

Because I wasn’t even nervous in the first place.

-Paaaak!!!

Kicking off the sand, he pulled his arms into the shape of the letter Y.

One hit, one kill.

He rushed at Ban with the momentum of wanting to slaughter his opponent in an instant.

-Card ddeuk!!!

“What…..!!”

Ban raised his sword and clumsily blocked the claw’s blade.

There is a creepy sound of metal rubbing against metal.

In their arrogance, they did not anticipate the surprise attack.

The claws embedded in the blade were filled with the power to tear the sword apart at any moment.

“Eeeeek!!!!”

If we continue the power struggle, I will have the advantage.

I tried to shake Taina off for a while to gain some time and distance.

“…sigh!”

Taina takes a short breath without any sign of panic, as if she had expected such a response.

Instead of engaging in a power struggle, you align your body with the direction of the force.

Claw maintains the strength to hold the sword.

However, only pull your arms back and use half the force.

“This…!”

-Kardududuk…!

The sword forces the gap between the bodies apart, revealing a gap.

It seems like Taina didn’t even think about giving me time to respond by distancing myself.

Things are going from bad to worse.

Taina showed her determination to settle the matter in close-range duels, which is her strength.

“Ugh…!”

The sword is separated from my body and cannot protect me.

And unfortunately, Taina has two claws, while my weapon is only a sword.

-Shhh!!!

One blocks the path of my sword, the other dazzles before my eyes.

A dilemma.

“Eeeek!!!!”

With superhuman reflexes, he ducked his head back to avoid the claws and bent his waist back to avoid the follow-up attacks.

The posture collapsed.

Depending on your center of gravity, you will fall backwards.

If this continues, I’ll get hit by a combo attack.

“…the end.”

Taina spoke with confidence.

Looking at the way he smiled as if his plan was definitely working, I wonder if it was a plan he had been planning from the beginning.

Without any room for resentment, a definite future comes to mind.

defeat.

‘The hero and protagonist who loses to the heroine in the round of 32.’

My eyes are getting dark.

Because it’s a story that should never be in a novel.