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Episode 26
Screening Test (1)
“… … You met Rebecca Duncan?”
It was in the middle of a meal.
Garon Theobald looked somewhat surprised when he heard that Becky was the one who recommended ‘Sky Whale’s Shelter’ to Riley.
“I see you know her.”
“You should know. It would be strange not to know.”
He continued eating in silence and then warned me in a low voice.
“Be careful with her.”
“… … .”
“Remember what I said last time? All sorts of wizards flock to the selection test. Some of them are crazy enough to think the test is a legal way to kill someone.”
Yeah, I remember.
Garon Theobald once gave us this warning in the carriage on the way to Wilhelm.
At the time, I thought it was just a passing complaint and just ignored it.
“Rebecca Duncan is that type of sorceress.”
“… … .”
“He’s a murderous maniac who thinks the selection test is his playground and treats other test takers as just toys.”
Since then, Garon Theobald has explained how cruel the character Rebecca Duncan is.
A villain who shocked the magic world.
A psychopath who was disqualified from the exam last year for killing too much, and the year before that, he even killed the administrator who was supervising the exam.
A madman who usually suppresses his madness, but once a year, he takes the opportunity of a selection test to fully express his desires, etc…
It wasn’t for nothing that Rebecca Duncan was called a murderous maniac.
Her notoriety had already spread throughout the empire.
Even ordinary people who don’t even know the word ‘magic’ know her name.
‘But why do the five great towers leave Becky alone?’
[huh?]
‘If she’s that dangerous, you could just block her from the test registration stage.’
[Ah, that… … .]
Riley’s question also made sense.
The point was, if Becky was such a dangerous person, why did Matap just let her take the test?
You could put Becky’s name on a blacklist, preventing her from taking the test at all.
[Well, it’s simple.]
In fact, the intention of the five great towers was simple.
They just want to use the character of Rebecca Duncan as a device within the test.
this!
I ran into a famous murderer during my exam!
Hehe, so what are you going to do now?
Well, something like this.
Although it was quite brutal, this could also be said to be a test method for the top five.
“One thing is certain.”
“… … .”
“There’s nothing good about being associated with that lunatic in any way.”
Garon Theobald continued, his gaze still fixed on the steak. As he expertly cut the meat, the blood that flowed out soaked the plate.
“If you happen to run into her during the test tomorrow, just run away without looking back.”
“… … .”
“That murderous maniac is difficult even for me to deal with… … .”
Garon Theobald, who had been speaking, suddenly looked at Riley’s expression and closed his mouth.
Because Riley was looking at him with a stern face.
“Phew… … .”
Garon Theobald, seeing that sight, sighed softly and shook his head.
“I’m sorry. I said something stupid the day before the exam.”
“… … .”
“Don’t be too scared. But I think you’re more than capable of dealing with Rebecca Duncan.”
I guess he thought she was scared when he saw Riley’s stern expression.
Of course, that was a serious misunderstanding.
[… … How could you possibly think he was scared?]
Even though you’ve been with Riley all day, you still haven’t figured out her personality?
Riley wasn’t the type of person to be scared by things like that in the first place.
The reason her expression was hard was because she was simply angry at being deceived by Becky.
[What are we going to do? That old man told us not to fight with Becky.]
‘What should I do?’
Riley cut the tendon in the steak with the knife he was holding.
Thump, thud─.
Her every movement as she cut the meat was filled with anger.
‘At least I’ll make you pay for deceiving me.’
[… … .]
‘How can you shamelessly lie and say that the Sky Whale’s Resting Place is the best when there are these delicious foods?’
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Yeah, well.
I thought he would say something like this.
Moreover, Riley was the kind of girl who would grit her teeth and return every joke I made.
It had been half a year, but I still vividly remember her fucking me through her imaginary friend Michael as if it were yesterday.
[I can’t help it.]
I feel sorry for Inspiration Theobald, but it seemed inevitable that I would clash with Becky tomorrow.
[Riley.]
‘yes?’
[I’m asking just in case, but is that idea still valid?]
‘What do you think?’
[I think we can beat Becky.]
Riley snickered.
Her golden eyes were suddenly turned towards me.
She whispered softly with a confident voice, smiling faintly.
“of course.”
okay.
The answer was no different from last time.
* * *
5 a.m. the next day.
It’s still dark outside.
Blink, blink─.
Suddenly, one of the intersections of the pentagram tattooed on Riley’s left hand began to glow softly.
[Hey, wake up.]
“… … I woke up anyway.”
Feeling the flow of magic from the back of her hand, Riley, who had been sleeping, woke up and sat down on the bed.
She stared at the pattern with bleary eyes and spoke quietly.
“… … It’s a call from the management office.”
[I think so.]
The administration office was calling out to the candidates who had passed the first test through a magic circle on the back of their hand.
“I think you can probably go to this blinking dot.”
[huh.]
Considering that each intersection of the pentagram was a management building, finding the location of the testing center wasn’t that difficult.
I took out a map and looked at the location.
Luckily, the testing center was located not too far from our accommodation.
Smart─.
[huh……?]
Then, someone knocked on the door of our room.
I could quickly tell who was beyond the door by the shape of the flowing magic.
[It’s Theobald the Great.]
He too seems to have woken up after feeling the call from the management office.
Anyway, she had already put on her clothes before going to bed. After simply packing her things into her subspace backpack, Riley immediately opened the door to her room.
“Oh, you were awake.”
“… … .”
At the door stood Old Theobald, dressed in a magnificent robe and carrying a staff.
The magic circle on the back of his hand was also flashing, and the location of the flash was exactly the same as Riley’s.
This confirms our guess that the location is the testing site.
“Did you get enough rest?”
“Thanks.”
“Then let’s leave right away.”
The testing center was about nine blocks from my accommodations.
It wasn’t exactly close, but it was still a pretty good distance considering the overall size of Wilhelm.
‘It’s cold.’
The city was covered in pure white snow, as if it had snowed during the night.
A street in the early morning with few people.
Several wizards were seen wearing robes turned inside out, some of whom had marks on their hands like ours. They were all candidates for the selection test.
“Phew… … .”
Every time she exhaled, pure white breath escaped Riley’s mouth.
Suddenly, I thought it was fortunate that Riley had come wearing a thick robe. Perhaps because it was cold outside, the nine blocks felt farther than I had thought.
Damn it.
Jeokbuk─.
After walking for quite some time through the snow-covered streets, we finally reached our destination.
“I guess this is it.”
“… … .”
A two-story, pure white building.
The exterior looks exactly like the screening test management office I saw last time.
“Go in.”
Garon Theobald opened the tightly closed door of the building without hesitation.
Squeak.
A door opens with the sound of old hinges.
At the same time, a sudden surge of magical power came.
My vision darkened and I felt like I was floating. I felt like I was moving towards somewhere at high speed with a strange floating feeling.
[This is… … .]
It was a familiar phenomenon that had occurred thousands of times before.
[… …teleport.]
okay.
The administration was trying to move the applicants to a different space than Wilhelm.
Woof──!
“… … .”
“… … .”
[… … .]
A fleeting moment passed, and as the surging magical power finally subsided, the previously dark vision began to slowly return.
Groan, groan, groan─.
We could hear the voices of many people. They were all other test takers who had been teleported to the testing room like us.
‘This is… … .’
As we looked around, a space we had never seen before greeted us.
The interior of a pure white building finished with marble.
A single, large chandelier hanging from the ceiling softly illuminated the interior, and the pillars and walls were adorned with jewels.
It feels like looking into the interior of a magnificent palace.
[……uh?]
no.
When I looked again, I saw that it was the palace.
At the end of the red carpet, which stretched out in a straight line, a magnificent throne was placed there.
[… … .]
The problem was that this wasn’t the palace I remembered.
To begin with, the entire structure itself was different from the Great Hall of the Ritas Empire.
‘… … The interior is very worn out.’
Riley muttered, looking around cautiously.
As she said, the interior of the building was very old.
Cracked floors and pillars, dusty chandeliers and jewels, even a throne that had lost its owner.
They were all in a state of faded luster, as if worn down by time.
As if it had been neglected for a long time.
Using those bits of information as clues, Riley and I were able to figure out where this place was in no time.
‘It’s a historic site.’
[huh.]
Historic site.
A type of dungeon that contains relics such as various artifacts, treasures, and books, left behind by ancient kingdoms of the past.
[I guess this is because it is a selection test… … .]
These types of ruins are usually classified as the most difficult dungeons to conquer, as they are filled with traps and Guardians (Gaurdians) all over the place to protect the relics.
Why would you choose such a dangerous place as a testing site?
Indeed, it could be said that it was a choice of the 5 major towers.
“Umm… … .”
That was when.
Did you feel any sense of awkwardness?
Suddenly, Riley frowned and started looking around slowly.
‘Sir Garon Theobald has disappeared.’
[It’s over there.]
From the end of the battle, the figure of Garon Theobald was seen.
It looks like it fell on the exact opposite side from us, so it seems like it was moved to a different coordinate while teleporting.
Just as Riley was about to take a step towards him,
Chin─!
Suddenly, a wizard passing by Riley bumped into her shoulder.
“Ouch… … !”
The wizard who collided with Riley screamed, wrapping his arms around her shoulders.
[What is this?]
It seemed like a random accident, but it was most likely a deliberate collision.
That’s understandable, since the guy has been walking towards us openly ever since we were teleported to the ruins.
“Huh? Huh? Oh my! Who is this!”
[ah.]
A familiar high-pitched voice.
The wizard took off the hood he was wearing and laughed heartily.
Her black hair, which reached down to her waist, and her matching purple eyes sparkled.
“Nice to meet you, Riley! It’s nice to meet you like this.”
“… …Ms. Becky.”
When Becky offered to shake her hand, Riley gave her hand a slight shake, looking displeased.
Becky giggled at this and asked in a playful voice.
“How have you been? Did you enjoy your rest at the Sky Whale’s Rest Area?”
“no.”
“Why, why? Was it not as good as I thought?”
Becky asked in a teasing voice.
As expected, it seems that he was right to recommend the Sky Whale’s Rest Area to screw us.
If so, there is only one answer we can give.
“I didn’t go to the Sky Whale’s shelter in the first place.”
“……what?”
“I just went to another hotel and stayed there. I think it was called the ‘Stingwood Grand Hotel’? Anyway, I had a great three days there.”
“… … .”
Of course it was a lie. We were fooled by Becky and spent two nights at the Sky Whale’s shelter.
“ah…….”
But Becky had no way of knowing that.
She had a really bad expression on her face. Was she upset that Riley didn’t go to the Sky Whale Inn? Anyway, she’s a wicked girl.
“You really… … .”
Becky was about to say something to Riley, her expression annoyed.
Groan, groan, groan─.
That moment.
Suddenly, Daejeon became noisy.
When I turned my head to where the other people were looking, wondering what was going on, I saw a wizard climbing up onto the stage.
At most, he’s 30 years old.
She was an impressive woman with long, gray hair that reached down to her ankles and a unique, languid yet gentle smile.
She takes each step with a leisurely gait, radiating magical power that surpasses that of a high-ranking “Expert”.
[It’s the wizard I saw last time.]
It was the manager that Riley and I had seen at the screening test administration office.
Thud thud thud─.
She wasn’t the only one who showed up in Daejeon.
One by one, high-ranking magicians who had been hiding their presence at the end of each corner began to appear.
Judging from the fact that they are all wearing white robes and matching badges on their chests, they appear to have come here as administrators.
It was at a moment when the Daejeon was about to become a little noisy due to the sudden appearance of the administrators.
“Ahem.”
The wizard standing on the podium with a smile on his face quietly coughed.
At that sight, the onlookers instantly became quiet.
“… … .”
It felt like instructions for the exam would be given at any moment.
Becky, who read the situation, made a displeased expression and whispered to Riley in a threatening voice.
“You just wait. When the exam starts, I’ll come to you first.”
“yes.”
“I’ll make you regret that impudent provocation you made last time. Haa, you think someone like you can beat me? Seriously.”
“Yes, yes. I’ll be looking forward to it.”
“Oh, this guy is really… … .”
Becky gritted her teeth and turned her head away at Riley’s rising reaction.
“… … Be sure to watch it.”
With those words she disappeared somewhere.
[Don’t even think about waiting.]
If you really want to see it, you can see it now, but I don’t understand why these people always wait until later.
* * *
“The second test is a group test. A total of 42 applicants are divided into groups of three and compete against other groups.”
The manager began to explain.
To summarize what she said… … .
The second test is a team battle, and you have to overcome the ‘test gates’ by spontaneously cooperating with team members assigned by the management in advance.
[… … .]
Perhaps the ‘gateway of testing’ refers to the conquest of the ruins.
It was quite tricky.
It was a difficult test that simultaneously assessed both teamwork and individual ability.
“Okay, then I’ll spend the next 30 minutes getting to know my team members.”
Groan, groan, groan─.
As soon as the manager finished speaking, the surroundings became noisy again.
This is because the applicants started to greet the team members assigned by the management office.
Of course, there are exceptions to everything.
Not all teams were so noisy.
“… … .”
“… … .”
The silence that continues to flow.
“ha…….”
Riley couldn’t stand it any longer and let out a deep sigh, turning her head to the side.
“Did you hear that, Becky?”
“… … .”
“It’s unfortunate, but I think we’ll have to fight amongst ourselves next time.”
Becky shut her mouth tightly after hearing Riley’s words, with an expression on her face like she had chewed on shit.
And when I saw that sight, I couldn’t help but let out a complicated sigh.
How did things get so messed up?
[… … I’m going crazy, really.]
okay.
It really was unfortunate that Becky and Riley ended up on the same team.
The test hasn’t even started yet and I already feel dizzy.
[This must be a dream, right?]
‘No way.’
[… … .]
no.
It has to be that way.
please.
