episode_0086

“Right, Ropel Teufel from the first year, you still haven’t found teammates. You only need to find at least one person, what happened?” Professor Huffnice Shaylen was looking at me with an expression of not understanding.

“Well… it just ended up like this.” It was hard to speak. It was because I didn’t have the courage to say that I hadn’t had a single friend worth inviting as a teammate during the several months since I enrolled. The only friends I did have were Eligio Gremlynna from the Alchemy Department who couldn’t participate in this exam, and Meiru, whose department I didn’t even know, so there was nothing I could do.

Well, it’s not like I didn’t try. Even looking like this, I indiscriminately asked every student I saw, regardless of whether it was lunchtime or break time. But for some reason, I failed every time. A few refused with a troubled attitude, and some others refused while trembling as if scared of something.

‘You need a teammate? Well. We only have two people still, so adding one person…’ ‘Hey! Are you crazy? What did the Princess say…!’ Even the few students who showed a somewhat positive reaction were soon stopped by other students who appeared nearby. Then they whispered something among themselves and soon routinely refused my offer, saying they were sorry.

…I was seriously worried that I might be an outcast without even realizing it.

Still, thinking about it, there was one time, right before the very last moment, just the day before, when hope appeared for someone like me.

“Hmm… what should I do… I still haven’t found a teammate to take the midterm exam with… really… if only I could find someone, even a male from an obscure noble family from a remote area would be fine…” Wasn’t it precisely because Her Highness Princess Tiara Altalion, who appeared in front of me just then, was also having trouble because she hadn’t found a teammate yet? She was deliberately muttering in front of me, who was sitting on a bench during the break, and loitering around. And she was alone, without the personal guards who usually filled her surroundings. Although I disliked being noticed and hesitated to speak to her, who was of such high status that I couldn’t approach her, I had no choice because there was very little time left. Perhaps this might be my last chance to recruit a teammate. I tensed up, wondering if I might accidentally say something wrong and be accused of disrespect, and attempted to speak to the Princess.

“Um… Your Highness, if someone like me is alright…” It was at that moment, just as I was about to start the conversation.

“Your Highness! What are you saying! That you still haven’t found a teammate!” “Since you didn’t say anything, we thought you had already found one, why didn’t you tell us sooner!” Suddenly, several students emitting dazzling light and wearing elaborate accessories blocked my way. Many famous nobles whose names I had heard at least once, both young lords and ladies, appeared out of nowhere and instantly surrounded the Princess.

“Ah… Ah, thank you for your offer, but I have already partnered with that person…” “Your Highness, speaking of myself, I am a student who ranked in the top 10 of the Knight Department this semester…” “No, Your Highness, I am in the Magic Department and can already use intermediate magic…!” “If… if you could please be a little quiet…” The expensively dressed nobles one by one began to explain their abilities, and soon the surroundings became noisy. It didn’t end there, and as more students increased one by one, this park where I was sitting on a bench instantly lost its tranquility.

“What? The Princess is looking for teammates regardless of status! Then isn’t there a chance for us nobles from remote areas and other commoners?” “Yo… Your Highness! Although I am of commoner status, I enrolled as a special talent in the field of magic…!” “Speaking of myself, actually my father is a descendant of a forgotten war hero…!” Wow… Is it true that if you live in a different world, the attention you receive is also different? With this, it seemed as though the Princess’s problem, which she was troubled by having not found a teammate until just now, was instantly solved. Someone couldn’t find a single person even after struggling for a whole week, but this time, I truly envied her. As so many people gathered that it was hard to step, I decided to leave due to the discomfort.

“Wait… Wait a moment..! Everyone? Could you please move aside? There… that gentleman…!” At her words “that gentleman,” I almost turned back to check for a moment, but knowing it wasn’t me she was calling anyway, I passed by the noisy crowd of students who had formed a human sea.

Sigh… And as my premonition proved true, that really was the last chance I had to find a teammate. Because in the end, until today, I hadn’t found a single teammate.

“Well, every student has their circumstances. It’s not like I’m specifically trying to criticize you. But it’s truly troublesome. Other students have all found teammates, and it’s difficult to ask each and every one of them now to accept you as a teammate. And if you don’t take the exam, you’ll be disqualified, which you naturally wouldn’t want.”

“Then what should I do?”

“Hmm… Frankly, there are safety concerns, so I wouldn’t normally recommend it, but if you wish, there’s a way for you to take the exam alone. However, in such a case, you won’t receive any bonus points or conveniences, and instead, you’ll likely lose points compared to other students because you won’t receive scores in the leadership or teamwork sections.”

“That can’t be! *Gasp*… Still, I can’t help it. It’s all my fault for not being able to find a teammate until now. If that’s the only way, I will do so.”

“Will you be alright? A dungeon is a dungeon. Although I said it earlier, even with multiple safety devices layered in the lowest-grade dungeon, accidents might not be avoidable.”

“I’m alright. Wouldn’t it be okay as long as I don’t overdo anything? If a dangerous situation arises, I’ll just have to give up immediately.”

“Alright, I understand. Then I’ll register you as participating alone for now, so if you change your mind, tell me anytime.”

“Yes, thank you for advising me, even for a short time.” Leaving those words behind, I left the office. Although I was dissatisfied about losing points, I decided to accept the fact that I wouldn’t be disqualified as fortunate. Oh dear, I really am unlucky.

. . .

And a day passed in the blink of an eye, and the day of the midterm exam already arrived. First-year students, including myself, received basic consumables and equipped themselves with the help of various faculty members. The professors and mages, having confirmed that all students had finished preparing, soon concentrated their magic and began to summon the dungeon and open a portal leading inside. Along with a magic circle generated from the ground, a massive stone gate formed on the bare earth, and a portal was created inside it.

“The time limit is until the sun sets, so let us begin today’s midterm evaluation.” With the announcement of the exam’s start, students who had formed teams began to leap into the portal one by one. Upon entering this portal, they would be randomly transported to one of the entrances farthest from the dungeon’s center. Although the dungeon’s grade itself is the lowest, its size is enormous, allowing all students to start equally, far apart from each other.

“Come on, Lilith! It’s starting now, we can’t be late!” “Wait…! Oh Mark, really, we finally have a moment just the two of us…!” Looking at it this way, the people who had teamed up were often not just friends but also lovers, fiancés, or people who were close enough to be considered as such. Seeing them like that, I felt truly miserable being left alone. Still, what can I do? I can only do my best in my own way. Encouraging myself with difficulty, I threw my body towards the portal.

Once all the students had entered the portal, only the faculty members and professors remained here.

“Phew, everyone worked hard. With this, not only the dungeon summoning and connection magic, but also ensuring the protective magic connected to the students doesn’t break, is all finished. The emergency communication network has also been opened, so we can finally breathe a sigh of relief.”

“I see. Can I rest for a moment now? I was thinking of going to the restroom.”

“Ah, go ahead, Wyatt. By the way, you don’t seem to be in good condition? Is there something wrong? Your tone of voice is also different from usual.”

“Yeah, Wyatt, for some reason you didn’t even eat breakfast properly today before leaving?”

“I-Is that so? I’m alright. I’m in such a hurry, I’ll go to the restroom first!”

“…He’s gone. Why is he acting like that today?”

“Hmm, he just returned from a long business trip, I’m worried something might have happened. He’s so different from his usual self.”

“Anyway, let’s rest now as well. I feel like I’ll go crazy if I don’t have at least a cup of coffee.”

Because the appearance of their colleague, whom they met again after a long time, was so unfamiliar, the two felt a strange uneasiness, worry, and anxiety.

But they soon decided to ignore it. This was because the magic they had performed was like a massive ritual and caused severe fatigue to the casters.

. . .

The young man named Wyatt ran off in a hurry as if he were fleeing. Was he in that much of a rush? However, the place he eventually reached was not the restroom but the exit of the academy.

Turning back to look at the massive buildings of the academy one last time, he soon began to distort in shape with a chilling smile. Bones broke and reattached, and blood and flesh were reconfigured into a grotesque form. After a chilling spectacle had passed, he transformed into a completely different appearance from the young man he was moments ago and pulled on a robe. A robe of the same shape as the one seen by countless people on the entrance ceremony day.