Episode 22
* * *
Unprecedented. It was a situation that could only be described as such.
The test that was supposed to be used to efficiently weed out examinees was ruined by the hands of just one person.
Dale’s life points are 59. Everyone else is eliminated.
Even though it’s called a ‘Life Point Battle’, who would have thought that one would end up monopolizing all the life points of everyone else?
Exclamations of astonishment came from all over.
Dale raised his head indifferently. He looked towards those in the black towers watching him from afar.
From the beginning, I wasn’t even interested in the rookie magicians who were here.
The opponent against whom Dale must truly prove himself.
Just as the Knights of Saxony, the Knights of the Night Raven, claim themselves as the personal guard of the Duke of Saxony through force, the elders of the Black Tower, led by the Lord of the Black Tower… … the ‘Black Guard’ are no different.
And the ‘Trial of the Tower’ had only just begun.
* * *
──The Tower’s Test, the Second Layer. And the Second Test.
Defeating the tier guardian ‘Flesh golem’.
A monster made up of a mass of muscles that looks like it could burst at any moment, with a body several meters tall.
Needless to say, this is not an opponent that a single 3rd circle wizard can handle alone. It is a cooperative battle where multiple testers combine their strength and wisdom to fight.
And there was one problem.
“ah…….”
Those who take the second-tier test are those who survived the first-tier’s ‘battle for life points’.
however.
“I dropped them all, huh?”
In other words, there was no one to join forces with. This wasn’t necessarily a good thing.
Dale looked at the flesh golem with a bitter smile.
An opponent that can only be guaranteed to win if many wizards who have just started taking the Tower’s Test join forces and give it their all.
The flesh golem roared, and those in the audience held their breath as they watched its roaring appearance. No matter how amazing Dale’s talent had just been, it was still an opponent.
You still cannot use the artifact ‘Shadow Cloak’. However, you can use magic other than resurrection and strengthening.
An opponent against whom you are permitted to use all your power as a wizard.
‘That’s enough.’
That fact alone was enough for Dale. To an extreme.
After completing the 3rd circle, it was finally a chance to test my true worth.
Suddenly, the flesh golem roared and charged forward, kicking the ground. At that very moment, everyone in the room held their breath, feeling as if a chariot was galloping.
Dale remained silent, not moving an inch from his spot.
The flesh golem’s fist slammed right into Dale’s nose. Just when he thought the golem’s fist would ‘hit effectively’ Dale and destroy Dale’s life point necklace,
“Accelerating corruption.”
Refined dark magic swirled beneath his feet, enveloping Dale like a curtain.
The flesh golem’s blow sank right into the curtain of darkness.
Just a few centimeters from Dale’s nose, the golem’s flesh began to rapidly rot away from the tip of his swinging fist.
Fresh phase, expansion phase, collapse phase, and post-collapse phase.
The entire process that signals the death of an organism is condensed into a single second hand on a clock.
──Decomposition of organic nitrogen compounds by putrefactive bacteria.
In the ‘other world’, biochemical warfare against monsters was an important strategy along with heat weapons.
People of this world call this biochemical warfare ‘black magic’.
Moreover, the knowledge of his previous life as the commander-in-chief of the Humanity Squadron was by no means limited to high school level.
──In some sense, you could even say that it is better than Black Hole.
Add to that the horrors of the hellish battlefield, with rotting corpses and maggots, beetles, and flies swarming about.
The boundary between life and death that has been with Dale his entire life.
Only when an experience and understanding so intense that you cannot forget it even if you want to forget it can it become a magic trigger.
The result of all the elements miraculously interlocking together, which would not be possible if even one were out of alignment.
Dale raised his head indifferently amid the stench of death that seemed to sting his nose. It was a very familiar smell of death.
* * *
“… … That’s ridiculous.”
Just as those who were unable to enter the audience were watching the ‘Tower Test’ through the magic projector inside the tower, Black Gong was also watching his son Dale’s performance from the tower’s main room.
With his most trusted secretary, the black agent Eris.
It’s outrageous. That was her pure impression as she watched Dale’s performance.
The greatest shock she could show, as she rarely shows emotional agitation.
Corruption magic is a particularly high level of black magic, and is not something that even ‘young wizards’ of the 3rd circle can understand.
A high-level magic that is only possible when you have a deep understanding of the process of life and death. Furthermore, it requires the power of a square to utilize it in the form of ‘battle magic’ on the spot.
“It reminds me of the Lord Top’s childhood.”
However, the fact that Dale’s talent and the name ‘Black Ball’ were not light enough to make one accept it was a fact.
A reputation that is enough to convince people just by the fact that he is the son of the Black Knight.
That was the power of the best black magician on the continent, the black magician, and the black gong.
“… … .”
The thing that made even men like him stay silent was Dale’s most frightening aspect.
* * *
The end of that day.
Dale proved himself by successfully breaking through the 10th floor, and the surprise of those who watched his performance was indescribable.
It was a remarkable record in itself, and Dale’s performance during the test was even more astonishing.
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And after a few days of rest, the 11th level exam was approaching.
A tier that separates beginners from non-novice wizards, and a boundary where the level of the test rapidly increases.
Just like Dale, additional early testers who have cleared more than 10 levels will join, and the opponents they face are not the academy’s rookie graduates, but those who are officially affiliated with the Black Tower and practice dark magic.
No more hunting petty monsters like ghouls or flesh golems.
The ‘Life Point Necklace’ given to test takers no longer guarantees 100% survival, and those taking the test are permitted to use whatever power they have.
Various artifacts, grimoires, and other items that can be purchased based on your abilities or family background.
In addition, in order to deal with the unprecedented massacre that occurred during the ‘Battle for Life Points’ on the first tier… … except for Dale, the 59 Academy graduates who failed were granted permission to retake the exam.
* * *
“Dale.”
That night, as Dale was trying to rest after finishing his exams, an unexpected face appeared in front of him.
“Teacher Sepia!”
Sapphire-colored hair and elven ears standing out between them. A beauty that shines coldly like ice, and a faint, gentle smile.
“You did very well on the test.”
Master Sepia continued with a smile. It seemed that she had also observed Dale’s test.
“And to be able to form three circles overnight, I am truly amazed by your actions.”
“It’s thanks to what the teacher taught me.”
“… …Thank you for saying that.”
Sepia laughs and mumbles.
There was a complexity to her voice that defied description, and Dale didn’t miss it.
When Dale decided to no longer hide his abilities, and watched his disciple grow with each passing day.
As a master, what on earth is the blue 6th circle elf wizard thinking?
I don’t want to be considered a monster, but Dale’s accomplishments are already far beyond the realm of genius.
The difference between a genius and a monster is ultimately a single sheet of paper, and Dale has now stacked up nearly a hundred sheets of that paper.
“Teacher Sepia.”
After thinking about it, Dale opened his mouth.
“Would you like to go on a date with me?”
“A, a date… … ?”
Sepia’s expression turned peach-colored at the unexpected words. She looked like a shy young girl.
“Yes, because there is a festival taking place in the city for the first time in a while!”
“Dale said, feigning the innocence of a ten-year-old child who had no grasp of the deeper meaning of the word ‘dating.’
“… … Um, okay. Okay, then.”
Only after those words did Sepia continue speaking.
“Date… … I’m sure that’s not a wrong statement.”
“Why are you like that, sir?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
Sepia smiled with an expression that said, ‘You’re still too young to understand.’ Very kindly.
And one thing Sepia overlooked that day was that Dale had a very clear understanding of what the word ‘date’ meant.
‘This is probably what they mean when they say something is dark inside.’
Looking at that scene, Dale thought to himself as if it were someone else’s business. It was truly, truly true.
* * *
The pale, ash-colored winter sky and the biting wind were unable to melt the festive spirit.
The wizards gather, the people gather, and the city of death is filled with great life and vitality.
A tributary of the Saxon River that runs through the Necropolis.
The river was frozen solid in the cold, and the moonlight scattered across the ice shone like fish scales. Dale and Sepia were walking on a stone bridge right over the river.
“You took a very difficult test. Aren’t you tired?”
As they walked across the stone bridge, Sepia asked with concern.
“I am fine.”
Dale shakes his head quietly.
“Besides, it will be a few more days before the next exam begins.”
“Yeah, that’s good to hear that.”
The conversation continued briefly, and then silence fell.
“… … The moon is beautiful.”
After a silence, Dale opened his mouth.
“Well, that’s indeed true.”
Sepia smiled kindly at Dale’s words. Silence followed again.
‘… … The conversation just doesn’t seem to be continuing.’
The silence isn’t particularly uncomfortable, because conversations with Sepia have always been like this.
however.
‘I want to get a little closer to you, teacher.’
Not just a relationship between a teacher and a student.
Why? Even Dale himself couldn’t figure it out.
I just think of that day, when we made the 3 circles, the empty world where there was nothing.
That was the inescapable truth, Dale’s true world.
When I realized the truth, paradoxically, Sepia’s affection sank into my heart. Her kindness in not denying the face of the monster I had, and in embracing it until now.
As always, I liked Sepia who believed in me. Or maybe I just liked anyone to escape from ‘that world’.
From the endless horizon of gray and emptiness, from the bone-chilling loneliness, from the world of one’s true self.
“I like you, teacher.”
“… … ?!”
Dale said. Sepia perked up her elf ears in surprise at the unexpected words.
“Hey, what did you just say?”
“I like Ms. Sepia!”
Dale continues with an innocent smile. Just like before, he has the look of a child who has no idea what he is saying.
“……okay.”
Sepia answered with a soft smile.
“I also really like Dale.”
A very kind and compassionate voice. The usual affectionate Sepia.
In the end, it’s a cider between a ten-year-old human child and an elf. Nothing will change.
“Thank you, teacher.”
So Dale smiled softly, trying to turn his head away from the dark, unidentifiable emotion in his chest.
‘… … It’s good to have a second chance in life.’
Pretend to be indifferent as if it were someone else’s business.
The ash-gray sky was still black and dark.
