episode_0065
by fnovelpia“Barbo Viscount Cain meets Her Imperial Highness, the 4th Princess of the Liana Empire.”
“….”
With a crisp display of etiquette, Cain knelt on one knee and spoke.
Aria blinked in confusion at Cain’s sudden gesture.
Rosaria crossed her legs and sat down, looking at Cain with a dry expression.
“Barbo Viscount… You are from the Liana Empire, I presume.”
Initially surprised by why he was addressing her, Rosaria soon understood upon hearing his background.
Barbo Viscount—a merchant family experiencing ongoing economic crises due to recent business failures.
Rosaria thought he might be approaching her using Aria, who was with her, as an excuse. It wouldn’t hurt to impress the nobility.
“Thank you for taking care of my childhood friend, Aria. She is a very upright woman who feels secure just by being by your side.”
“I know. She is a very kind person.”
“Cain…”
Aria was touched by Cain’s words.
Rosaria expected him to flatter her using their friendship as a pretext. However, Cain rose from his seat, nodded once in a businesslike manner, and spoke.
“I apologize for interrupting your tea time. Please enjoy the rest of your time.”
He then passed through the garden towards the banquet hall.
Aria, taken aback by the unexpected turn of events, hesitated for a moment but then turned to Rosaria and said, “You have quite an impressive friend.”
To which Aria replied with a sly smile, “Yes. He is a childhood friend I’ve been acquainted with since I was eight. He is the only man I know.”
“I see.”
“To be honest, I thought he recommended me to the princess. But considering the situation…”
Rosaria nodded.
“He is different from what I expected.”
“It seems so. …I’m really curious about who he is. Besides him, I don’t know any other man, so I’m worried that the information might have been miscommunicated-”
As Aria spoke, Cain, who was passing by, turned back and answered in place of her.
“That’s not it, Aria.”
Surprised, Aria turned her head towards him. She never expected him to speak on behalf of Rosaria.
Rosaria, too, widened her eyes, trying to understand what he meant.
Unperturbed, Cain approached Aria again and said, “Because Siyan recommended you.”
“Siyan…?”
Rosaria was taken aback by his words.
How did he know?
Rosaria began to ponder if, in the short time they had, he might have some connection with Siyan.
However, her thoughts were interrupted by his next words, leaving Rosaria puzzled.
“Yes, Siyan. But… it’s best not to trust him too much.”
While clearly directed at Aria, his words also seemed to intentionally affect Rosaria.
***
After completing the absorption operation of the Azure Dragon Corps, I met Lucy in the evening for a simple dinner. It was because of the promise to buy her a meal that day.
Dinner at a restaurant specializing in chicken dishes.
The atmosphere was pleasant, and Lucy seemed satisfied.
This time, I could cleanly pay the bill and leave.
…Huh? Wasn’t I satisfied?
Of course, I was satisfied.
The flavor and texture of the aged wine and pickled chicken meat were surprisingly luxurious compared to my usual dinners.
But this feeling of satisfaction had to be expelled.
“-Uwek!”
Oops, I misspoke. I meant it had to be physically expelled.
As mentioned earlier, I created a magical barrier within my body during lunch.
If the food causes chaos in my stomach, there might be a hole in the magical barrier. So…
“Uweeek!!”
Before the possession, I was working on a task I had never tried before – “Secretly eating in the bathroom.”
“Ugh… Uwah!”
Suddenly trying to vomit, my stomach refluxes.
I shouldn’t have had dinner tonight. I should have just finished the third exam and left….
“Sigh.”
As I emerged from the bathroom, a few male students looked at me with worried eyes.
I bolted outside as if fleeing.
Checking the flow of mana, it seemed like all the food in my body had been completely expelled. Perhaps there would be no hindrance to absorbing the Azure Dragon Pill now.
The pain to endure in order to become stronger. This much was bearable.
‘…But did I really need to endure it?’
It was too late to harbor doubts, so I decided not to think about it anymore.
The next afternoon.
We were finally informed in the classroom about the upcoming third exam to be held tomorrow.
“The location for the final exam will be the Enchanted Forest,” Iris said.
“As an area where abandoned spirits have been corrupted after being neglected for a long time, it is considered a restricted zone even by the Lianna Empire, which values the freedom of its citizens. Your mission is simple. Instead of the center, enter the outskirts of the forest and retrieve the tears of the spirits shed by the corrupting spirits.”
Tears of the spirits.
As they contain a high density of mana, they are excellent for crafting magical tools.
Since the outskirts harbor lower-level corrupted spirits of the spiritual realm, it would be beneficial both for the children’s mental training and the financial gain of the academy.
Up to this point, it was the content that I knew.
However…
“The exam will be conducted in pairs. Choosing allies is possible individually, and voluntary withdrawal is allowed if deemed dangerous during the exam. The exam will last for 3 days….”
There was a variable.
‘A pair? Not solo?’
When playing as Ariel before the possession, this had never happened.
Even though it’s called the Enchanted Forest, the outskirts are not that dangerous. The center requires at least a 5th-rank inspector or a 4th-circle mage to be safe.
The outskirts are areas where first-year inspectors of rank 1 or 2 can easily move around individually.
‘Has history changed since I intervened in the game?’
I glanced briefly at Hedy sitting nearby.
“……”
“……”
She met my gaze briefly before turning her head away.
Does she still have reservations towards me?
She must be puzzled too. Being suddenly paired up was unfortunate as we didn’t have any close friends.
But it seemed difficult to take the third exam together with her.
As mentioned earlier, there seemed to be some unfavorable feelings towards me, and it might not work out.
“By the way, it doesn’t have to be swordsmanship when forming pairs of two,” Iris added.
Pairing two inspectors was highly inefficient.
To face corrupted spirits with mental attack capabilities, pairing with the spiritual department was best, followed by alchemy and then magic.
‘I’ve been meditating and practicing breathing techniques to clear my mind until the third exam in case something like this happens….’
It was unnecessary if I could act with a spiritualist in a pair for the exam.
After Iris finished her explanation, students rushed out of the classroom.
Having heard the discussion, it seemed like they were quickly heading to claim students in the spiritual department as their partners. I also felt a sense of urgency.
‘I don’t know anyone in the spiritual department.’
Still, I couldn’t just sit there quietly.
Like the other students, I got up and quickly moved my steps.
.
.
.
.
“Oh, I’ve already agreed to partner with Aria….” Lucy said with a troubled expression.
The second misfortune.
Even if she was Cain’s acquaintance, given the current situation, there was nothing I could do.
Other students who partnered with skilled students from the Elemental Department or Alchemy Department for the third exam would typically see an increase in their performance, making my chances of receiving an A grade inversely lower.
Receiving a B in the first exam and an A in the second meant that I had to absolutely get an A in the third exam to be assigned to Class A. So, whether it was Cain’s friend or whoever, I had to team up with Lucy no matter what…
“It can’t be helped. If there’s already a prior agreement…”
“I’m sorry I can’t help. You must be in a difficult situation too, Si-an.”
“No, choosing a long-time friend over someone I recently found out about makes more sense.”
Having to leave the Alchemy Department lecture building without reaping any rewards was inevitable.
I was worried. I should have realized that the future could change. I had been too complacent until now, mistakenly thinking everything was going smoothly.
Even if it’s a game world, once you’re possessed, this place is an uncontrollable reality. Even if you can seize better options than others, the future doesn’t always flow according to your will.
“This is bad.”
I sighed as I walked.
The Elemental Department building was visible across the street. Many students were seen consulting with Combat Department students.
Probably because of partnerships. They must already be friendly with each other. If I had known this would happen, I should have worked harder on extracurricular activities… but that wouldn’t work. I had to conceal my identity.
Walking down the road, sighing once again at the unavoidable reality.
“Oh, are you Si-an from the Combat Department?”
A small unfamiliar girl approached me.
“What’s up?”
“The expert who defeated Ignis in 29 seconds in the second exam! That’s Si-an, right?!”
“…? Yes, that’s me.”
“As expected! As expected! They said to find the most handsome person who seems to be from the Combat Department! That’s right!”
The unknown girl bounced around excitedly.
Then suddenly, she blurted out something shocking.
“Please partner with me!”
“…Excuse me?”
“Partner up! I’ve achieved superior results in the Elemental Department! Please partner with me! Please!”
Her tone was odd, but I roughly understood.
She must be talking about partnering up for the third exam. There could have been a better choice of words; did they really need to use “partnering”?
Doesn’t this world use the term “partnering” in that sense?
…It feels strange every time I hear it.
Anyway, it was a welcome situation. Since I didn’t have any connections in the Elemental Department, as long as I could witness her skills upfront, it was okay.
“Let’s first confirm each other’s abilities…”
“Ugh! We don’t have time for that! Just say you’ll do it quickly!!”
“….?”
At the moment when I was puzzled by what she was saying,
“Is that him? Is that him?”
“It is! Where else can you find such a handsome person in the Combat Department! Everyone else just looks weird; it has to be him! Hurry, let’s go! We need to take the lead!”
“Partner with me!!”
“Si-an! Si-an! Right?! Partner with us!!”
“Par…tner…ship-!”
Passing students in Elemental Department uniforms suddenly lit up with fire in their eyes and started rushing towards me.
For a moment, my spine chilled, and goosebumps rose. I instinctively felt threatened, as if an orc army was chasing me.
“Ugh! We’ve been caught! Run! Quickly!”
The unknown girl grabbed my arm and shook me vigorously.
It seemed like I couldn’t just stay here.
“Oh! Where are you going! You have to partner with me! Si-an!”
Leaving the unknown girl behind, I sprinted alone towards the Combat Department lecture hall.
The Elemental Department girls didn’t stop chasing me until I reached the dormitory.
…At that moment, I indirectly experienced the feelings of a protagonist in a zombie movie.
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