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Episode 44
Retrograde (7)
[Why is he alive?]
‘… … I don’t know either.’
That’s weird.
Clearly, Garon Theobald claimed that he killed Becky.
I looked at Becky in silence with that thought in my mind.
Knock, knock.
She was wearing a dragon skin dripping with blue mucus.
Yeah, well.
Let’s say that’s why Becky’s energy felt hazy.
I looked at her tied to the tree inside the dragon skin.
“Hey, what are you doing? Don’t just look at me. I said, untie this.”
“… … .”
[… … .]
Becky’s body was tied tightly to a tree branch.
A rope woven with magic.
Judging from the fact that it contained the wind attribute, it was clearly a “binding” type spell deployed by Garon Theobald.
“No, hey! Answer me! Don’t just look at me!”
“… … .”
[… … .]
After that, I continued to check Becky’s body condition, but there were no serious injuries anywhere.
There were some deep wounds on the leg side, though… … .
No, wait.
That’s a wound that was there before the fight with Garon Theobald.
[……what?]
Why is this kid so fine?
‘It seems like you didn’t even fight Sir Theobald?’
[What I’m saying is.]
Riley seemed to be thinking the same thing as me.
Riley, who had been looking at Becky with eyes full of questions, soon opened her mouth.
“Ms. Becky.”
“Yeah. Well.”
“Why are you alive?”
“……what?”
Becky frowned and answered.
“No, what, can’t I stay alive?”
“… … .”
“Anyway, I’m afraid someone will say I’m a fool, so I start talking nonsense as soon as I see them.”
After hearing the answer, Riley looked even more confused.
“Sir Theobald said he killed Miss Becky?”
“under!”
Becky lets out a hollow laugh.
She answered Riley in a voice that sounded like she was being rude.
“That old man is joking. If you say that, you’ll give up on the exam.”
“… … .”
[… … .]
No, that’s right.
We know that Garon Theobald lied, but why on earth did he spare you?
Riley asked the question for me.
“ha…….”
Then Becky sighed and began explaining again.
“I don’t know. If you kill me, you’ll end up like me or something. So I’ll just forgive you and let you live.”
“… … .”
“Instead, he told me to give up on this exam as a sign of reflection. Oh my. It’s so ridiculous.”
Even though I heard her answer, there were still many things I didn’t understand.
Garon Theobald forgave Becky?
And that too for a seemingly innocuous reason, like annihilationism?
That doesn’t make sense.
The thick murderous aura that Garon Theobald exuded could not have been caused by a simple grudge.
Clearly, Becky had inflicted an indelible wound on him.
A wound so deep that it can never be healed without killing her.
“Okay? Quick, let me loosen this up. I’m hanging upside down, so the blood is rushing to my head and I’m feeling dizzy.”
[… … .]
But despite all that, Becky was still alive and well.
‘I guess you have no intention of telling the truth.’
[huh.]
——————
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Becky wanted to keep what happened with Garon Theobald a secret.
To be precise.
She was reluctant to reveal the details of the incident ‘right here and now’.
In a situation where the officials of the “Five Great Towers” might be watching us in real time, did they think it was not a story they could bring up rashly?
[… … .]
I don’t know.
Anyway, the only thing that mattered to us was that Becky was alive.
There is no need to rack your brains about matters involving Garon Theobald.
Anyway, that’s a personal matter between them.
[Yeah, well… … .]
Although Becky may have been a frivolous girl, she was by no means shallow.
There must be a reason for telling such an obvious lie.
So, for now, I decided to go with her style.
“Okay, I’ll untie the rope now.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
“Be careful. It’ll fall all at once.”
“It’s okay. Just hurry up and do it.”
Woof─.
After hearing Becky’s answer, Riley deployed “Dispel”.
It was a complex binding spell, but it was no big deal to Riley. At Richie’s hideout, he had been able to pull off even more complicated spells.
Dismissed─!
The rope that had been tightly binding Becky’s body disappeared in an instant.
But contrary to her fears, she didn’t crash to the ground. Becky began to slowly fall, like a feather falling to the ground.
‘You’re coming down using magic as a stepping stone.’
[huh.]
Anyway, one of the techniques is amazing.
“Whoa, that feels much better.”
Becky smiled as she slowly walked down to the ground. She looked at Riley and said.
“Every time I see it, I feel that dispel ability is truly amazing. How can you destroy the spell so quickly? I can’t even try to untie this rope.”
“It is the result of hard work.”
“It looks like talent to me.”
If we really want to be specific, it was the result of a combination of both hard work and talent.
In the first place, if your mana affinity isn’t as good as Riley’s, you’ll never be able to reach that level no matter how much you practice “Dispel”.
Dispel, which was definitely one tempo faster, was an advantage that only Riley could have.
I was thinking about that alone.
Suddenly a loud noise was heard from next to me.
Boom, boom!
“Ahhh… … .”
“… … .”
Becky was stretching, her neck bent. She stretched slightly, looked Riley up and down, and opened her mouth.
“Well, I guess he gave up on the exam since he came out alive and well.”
“… … .”
“What did that old man say? He said that since I’m dead, he should hand over the core and give up the test.”
Riley didn’t answer.
Becky took the silence as a sign of self-reproach and let out a deep sigh.
“Then I’m confirmed to be the 4th. Wow! I just imagined it and I’m already happy! It’s the 4th, the 4th! I’m going crazy! Hehe!”
Becky let out a soulless laugh. Her expression turned hollow as she let out another deep sigh.
“Sigh, I’m so tired.”
dump.
She sank into her seat.
“I see you’re disappointed.”
“huh.”
Becky nodded in response to Riley’s question.
“But I secretly hoped that you would be able to escape from Old Theobald.”
“… … .”
“But it was impossible.”
Becky, who had been mumbling listlessly, eventually collapsed on the floor.
She grumbled softly, staring at the ceiling with empty eyes.
“It’s a shame. It’s really such a shame.”
“why?”
“Well, there was a reason I absolutely had to enter the top 5 this year… … .”
At that very moment.
Becky stopped talking after witnessing something.
“… … Wait, what is that?”
“This one?”
Riley took out the golden sphere from her bosom and shook it gently with a faint smile.
“Can’t you see it? It’s the core of a golden golem.”
Becky’s eyes widened when she heard the answer.
“No, uh, uh, how… … ?”
“… … .”
“What? No, really? What the hell? How did you get that core?”
Becky’s voice starts to get louder and louder.
She had been lying limply on the floor, but she quickly got up from her seat with a lively expression on her face.
“You weren’t taken away by Theobald? How? You ran away? You? You dodged that old Theobald?”
“… … .”
“No! Speak properly! What the hell is going on? Huh?”
Riley didn’t answer.
Instead, he just smiled quietly to burn Becky’s heart.
[Are you going to increase the dose again?]
‘yes.’
[……why?]
‘You will pay the price for tricking me and sending me to the Sky Whale’s Resting Place.’
no.
You still have that in there.
This one is really noisy too.
“Ahhhh! This kid is being silent again!”
When Becky waited for no answer, she turned her head towards Olivia this time.
“Hey, you idiot.”
“……yes yes?”
“You tell me. You were there with him, so you know what happened.”
“Ah… … . That, that, that, that… … .”
“Oh, why is he stuttering like this again?”
Becky started to harass Olivia.
But unlike her usual expression of irritation, there was a faint smile on Becky’s lips now.
Riley looked at them with a faint smile.
‘Anyway, this is a really crazy team.’
* * *
Hwaruk, tadak─!
The burning garden.
The three wizards were walking silently, with the strong heat still felt on the dirt floor.
Thud thud thud─.
“… … .”
“… … .”
A woman with gray hair.
A man with dark green hair.
And then there’s Garon Theobald, who’s being carried on the man’s back.
“Ugh, ugh.”
A sudden sobbing sound broke the silence in the room.
“I’m, I’m sorry, Grandpa. It’s because of me… … .”
“Relax, Miss Dorothy. Sir Theobald is fine.”
“Well, still… … .”
“If you head straight to the temple after the test, you will recover quickly.”
“… … Hehehe!”
After hearing Arpel’s words, Dorothy finally burst into tears that she had been holding back.
Finally, she began to cry, clinging to Arpel’s arm.
“ha…….”
Arpel sighed.
It was already hard to carry Sir Theobald, and now with Dorothy hanging on to me, I was dying.
‘… … This is driving me crazy.’
He shook his head repeatedly and walked with difficulty, dragging his tired body.
“It’s all my fault for letting my guard down.”
“… … .”
“I underestimated her, thinking she was just a low-level magician… … but I never imagined that the girl would have that kind of power.”
Arpel continued speaking to Garon Theobald, who was riding on his back.
“If we had given our all from the beginning, we could have easily overpowered them.”
“… … .”
“It was entirely my fault. I am truly sorry, Sir Theobald.”
Garon Theobald did not answer.
In the following monologue of Arpel, he had thoughts that were difficult to express out loud.
‘I was able to sufficiently subdue Arpel and Dorothy’s line… … .’
Sigh.
A smile appeared on Garon Theobald’s lips.
‘indeed…….’
Garon Theobald saw the battle marks Riley had created.
Hundreds of withered flowers.
And even Dorothy’s shadow plants that disappeared underground.
It was never a sign of carelessness. Despite what they said, Dorothy and Arpel had done their best.
okay.
Arpel and Dorothy were defeated.
And that’s just for a girl of such low status.
Even… … .
‘… … At the last moment, the girl fought on equal footing with me.’
Even though it was a battle in which all five senses were lost, it was a fact that Riley fought on equal terms against him.
Even if it was just for a fleeting moment, she made up for the difference between ‘level’ and ‘experience’ with just her talent.
‘That’s possible… … .’
It felt like the common sense I had known was being shattered.
There really is such a thing as a genius who transcends boundaries.
I couldn’t believe it.
‘I knew it was a monster, but I didn’t know it was this bad.’
Garon Theobald opened his mouth with a bitter smile.
“Please give it to me.”
“……yes?”
“I’ve recovered enough energy. From now on, I’ll walk on my own.”
“But you need to rest a little more… … .”
“hurry.”
At the firm voice of Garon Theobald, Arpel lowered him to the floor.
Garon Theobald, who had stepped on the ground, stared blankly straight ahead and then opened his mouth again.
“It’s all my fault.”
“… … .”
“… … .”
Arpel and Dorothy were speechless after hearing his self-reproach.
After a long silence, Garon Theobald muttered to himself again.
“What a pity. There was a reason I absolutely had to enter the top five within this year.”
“There is another chance next year.”
“Heh heh… … .”
He smiled weakly after hearing Arpel’s answer.
“As the days go by, my body is not the same as it used to be. I don’t know if my body will last until then.”
“Sir Theobald could certainly do it.”
“Thank you, even if it’s just empty words.”
Garon Theobald smiled.
“Then, like you said, let’s try again next year… … .”
Thud, thud─.
At that very moment.
A faint sound of footsteps can be heard.
Garon Theobald stopped speaking hastily.
Likewise, Dorothy and Arpel also stopped moving when they heard the footsteps.
“… … .”
I wasn’t using “Magic Detection” because my magic power was completely depleted, but I never thought I’d meet another applicant like this.
‘… … I really have no luck.’
Garon Theobald’s expression grew increasingly hard.
“… … .”
“… … .”
Just then, other applicants showed up.
Three people wearing black robes turned inside out were seen.
One of them held a golden core wrapped tightly in dragon skin in one hand.
‘shit…….’
And Garon Theobald knew the man’s face.
‘… … Pamela von Hasselpart.’
Pamela von Hasselt.
He was the leader of a prominent guild and school of skilled Pathfinders, and one of the veteran wizards who had reached the lower ranks of the middle ranks.
‘What a shame to meet an opponent like this when my magical power is completely depleted… … .’
You should never underestimate a wizard who specializes in pathfinding.
Rather, the wizard who can clearly see the ‘path’ is the most difficult opponent in battles against wizards.
With my magic power depleted and my stamina completely depleted, the odds of defeating them were next to impossible.
Of course, I didn’t even dare to steal the Golden Golem Core from them.
In the current situation, it is best to avoid combat.
‘I must make it clear that I have no intention of fighting as soon as possible before any misunderstandings grow.’
Since they are acquainted with each other, the other party will surely avoid unnecessary fights.
After thinking it through to that point, Garon Theobald quickly opened his mouth to express his intention to surrender.
“Miss Pamela, we… … .”
“Ha, I surrender!”
But right then.
“… … What?”
“I surrender! I’ll give you the core! So please just spare my life!”
The opponent struck first.
Iron Fist─!
Pamela fell flat on her face on the floor.
He handed the core of the golden golem to Garon Theobald with a respectful gesture, as if he were offering tribute to a king.
‘What is this… … .’
For a moment, a look of confusion appeared in Garon Theobald’s eyes.
‘… … Did they really think we were tracking their core?’
No, it isn’t.
That’s not true.
Suddenly, I got into a ridiculous misunderstanding.
“Uh… … . Huh, Master? Are you surrendering again this time?”
“huh.”
At that moment, one of the opponents spoke to Pamela in a displeased voice.
“Master! Honestly, I don’t know! Surrendering to those kids earlier, and not even fighting at all?”
“… … .”
“What’s so scary about an old man who staggers as if he’s about to collapse at any moment, offering up his core!”
Pamela frowned when she heard that.
“Then why don’t you fight once?”
“……yes?”
“You’re confident that you can fight and win against Sir Theobald? Yes. I won’t stop you. Go and fight quickly.”
“Theobald… … ? Sir, sir, sir, sir, sir, Sir Theobald?”
The faces of the group turned pale.
“… … I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”
“Gilbert. You apologize too, quickly.”
The other man, who had been standing expressionlessly next to her, reluctantly bowed and offered an apology.
“I apologize for the rudeness, Sir Theobald.”
“… … .”
Garon Theobald, who had received the core of the golden golem by chance, stood still without saying anything.
Without knowing his true intentions, Pamela and her group quickly began to move forward.
I could faintly hear their conversation between their backs as they walked away.
“By the way, what should we do, Master? If this continues, we will definitely fail the exam… … .”
“It’s okay. There’s still about 10 minutes left. We have to keep looking.”
“Does that make sense? You’re going to find another core in 10 minutes?”
“huh.”
Pamela took a deep breath. It wasn’t a helpless sigh. It was a deep breath to strengthen her resolve.
“There is nothing impossible in this world.”
“… … You are really optimistic.”
After that conversation, Pamela and her group were never seen again.
“Phew… … .”
Only then was Garon Theobald able to breathe a sigh of relief that he had been holding back. He muttered to himself with a hollow smile.
“… … You’re lucky.”
* * *
〈 2nd Test 〉
───List of successful applicants ───
Rebecca Duncan
Riley
Olivia Mage Triwizard
Garon Edward von Theobald
Arpel Mage Stingwood
Dorothy Magie Greyyard
Pamela Von Haaspart
Darin Underblade
Gilbert Winifred
