Feeling powerful tremors, Epherene glanced at Sylvia. She thought it was an earthquake at first, but as time passed, it gradually subsided.
'… Was she dumped after confessing?'
It wasn't a bad hypothesis. Shaking her head, she focused her gaze on Deculein again.
"This test is divided into three stages, and passing the first stage will immediately promote you to Solda. The second and third phases are simply additional exams that would factor in your subsequent promotion to the next rank."
After clearing all three stages, Soldas would get a chance to earn additional points to aid their next advancement. This system was made since not all wizards in the same rank were equal in prowess.
"Moreover, this exam will be conducted at the Training Island."
Deculein snapped his finger, and the landscape of the venue he mentioned appeared in the air.
It was a familiar location for Epherene.
"However, while the camp will be held for a certain period, keep in mind that you will be tested on and off the property."
Snap—!
He snapped his fingers once more, this time revealing what looked like a dormitory.
Epherene looked around, finding people that she thought came from all over the country.
"To begin, a level 0 exam will be held today."
Assistant professor Allen then appeared and handed out test papers. Surveying the content, he found six unknown magic circles recorded in it.
"This is simply to figure out your ability to interpret magic prior to the test itself."
Before he could finish speaking, Sylvia stood up, climbed up the podium, and presented her exam paper to Deculein.
She had already written down the answers.
"Professor—"
"Debutante Sylvia. Pass."
"… I—"
"You may leave. Take your exam certificate with you." He held out the exam certificate.
Looking up at him with her lips sealed, she soon quickly stretched her hand and snatched the exam certificate.
Looking at her expression as she left the auditorium, Epherene was convinced.
'She was dumped!'
*****
Epherene and Sylvia came out together, both carrying their exam certificates in their hands.
"Congratulations. You're number one this time too." Epherene thoughtfully said.
Sylvia simply glared at her, muttering, "… Stupid Epherene."
"Whoa! You talked!"
"What do you take me for? An idiot?" She walked away briskly, and Epherene followed her as she laughed.
"You were silent until now. Now that you've finally spoken up, let's do well on the exam together, okay?"
"Count me in on that as well, please."
A low-pitched voice interrupted their conversation. Turning around in surprise, she found Carixel.
A thirty-three-year-old married man with three children.
"Mr. Carixel. You solved it pretty quickly, huh?"
"Haha. Well, it only contained basic questions."
Sylvia came at 1st place, followed by an unknown person, then Epherene was in 3rd. Carixel would most likely be in 4th or 5th place.
"Oh, are you and Professor Deculein close?"
"We're just attendees of his lecture."
"Is that so~"
As they talked, Epherene noticed Sylvia had already walked quite far away from them. Hastily, she caught up to her.
"Hey. Let's go together."
"Shut up. Leave me be."
"Seriously, why are you like this? Why are you so mean?"
"Arrogant Epherene. How dare you say that to me?"
… Carixel watched the two quarrel, keeping a distance of about ten steps.
"Is she the Iliade's daughter?"
Demon Blood's secret society, "Cradle of Trees."
Carixel belonged to it, but he had been having extremely complicated feelings lately.
"… Deculein."
It was his first time meeting him today, but even before then, he was already considered the most dangerous person from the Demon Blood's perspective. After all, the professor actually made his crazy plan to build a concentration camp in Rohalak come to reality.
"Should I just observe for now…"
Carixel sneakily trailed the two debutantes.
The two kids still didn't know what would happen in the Solda test. Hence, he thought it wouldn't be a bad idea to be around them for a while. They were directly related to Deculein, after all.
"Let me come with you and treat you to a meal~" Smiling awkwardly, he ran toward them.
*****
According to the 'Imperial Conference' results regarding the Demon Blood treatment, the imperial family actively support the development of blood magic to identify them and have decided to enforce the Demon Blood Voluntary Report Method. When a member of the said clan voluntarily reports themselves to the empire…
Brrr—
Deep in thought, while listening to the radio in an airship flying above the Isle of Wizard's Wealth, a small vibration occurred in my pocket.
I took out a luxurious box from my inner pocket, revealing five crystal balls in it.
—Can you hear me?
It was Arlos' voice.
"Didn't I say there was a risk of wiretapping?"
—It depends on the subject.
"Fine. Speak."
—I found the location of those you mentioned. Write it. Western Empire, Viscounty Rodman, Peten…
Since her information network was reliable in tracking down people, I recently asked her to find a certain Named.
"Done."
—What are you going to do?
"Isn't it obvious? The Demon Blood Repression Order was issued last week."
—Are you going to the concentration camp?
"No. I have some that I have to kill. I'll make sure that the loach-like trash in dirty water won't even be able to regenerate."
—Pfff.
Arlos hung up the connection, chuckling. Perhaps she knew what kind of Demon Blood I was talking about.
My targets today were Zekrek, Zerten, and Zeketen.
Those three brothers were the Named Demon Blood that would instigate the sudden event called "The Three Brothers Terror." They were also the inventors of the annoying trap item called "The Three Brothers Scroll."
I wanted to kill those assholes right now, but…
—We will soon arrive at our destination.
Unfortunately, this airship was headed for the Training Island.
It was the place where the Solda promotion test would take place.
Whoong—!
The airship landed, causing a weak tremor, and a familiar voice called me as soon as I disembarked.
"Oh! Professor Deculein!"
Standing by the coast, the chairman came running and handed me a newspaper made by 'The Journal,' the most famous press outlet and newspaper in the empire.
"Professor Deculein! Look at this!" She pointed to a featured article in it.
This was very alarming.
"The chairman with a newspaper… Is this evidence that the world's ending?"
"I beg your pardon? Are you mocking me now?! We just recently experienced a terrorist attack! There's also the Demon Blood incident! The Journal specifically released this article to inspire patriotism during this trying times!"
I glanced at it.
[The Empire's 13 Strongest Individuals: Seventh, Head Professor Deculein]
"They reveal a person per day. Anyway, you're ranked 7th!"
The 13 most powerful people of the empire.
That title alone was strange.
"… Interesting."
I read the article.
[The most mysterious and mystifying wizard in the site of the Demon Blood's terrorist attack was undoubtedly Deculein. In his wake, he created a majesty that seemed to dominate both space and time. It would've been hard to believe if not for the clear pictures and videos that captured his excellence at that moment.
… According to rumors, he even fought the empire's worst criminal, Rohakan, to a standstill.
After three years of agony, Head Professor Deculein's power, which seemed to have overcome a wall, has now reached a level that no one can comprehend…]
Unable to read it to the end, I returned it to the chairman.
"Zeit's ranked first, then Isaac. I came in third place! Have you finally reached a level similar to mine?!"
"Stop it."
The strongest of the empire.
Except for me, the rest were indeed quite powerful.
──[The Empire's 13 Strongest Individuals]──
1. The King of Winter, Zeit.
2. Commander of the Imperial Knights, Isaac.
3. Chairman, Adrienne.
4. The Emperor's Knight, Chiron.
5. Beautiful Asura, Ganesha.
6. Female Demon Logan.
7. Head Professor Deculein.
────────────
The name 'Deculein' looked too out of place between those huge names. They definitely made a huge mistake with that guess.
"Why? Professor Deculein is being acknowledged this much! I'm mad they put me in third place, though! I'm going to find Isaac and kill him right now!"
"Don't do that. They didn't write this article for us to kill each other."
"Aren't you mad as well for being ranked so low?
"On the contrary, I feel humbled. Seventh is too high."
I was by no means underestimating my combat power. My body and magic were at a level that could dominate against any intermediate or higher level Named in battle.
That was especially true if my opponent was a demon. After all, I carried the "Yukline" bloodline.
… But to be 7th in overall rank was too much.
"I don't like the content of that article."
"Really? That's surprising. I thought you would like it."
"Forget it. Let's discuss the matter at hand. Why did you call me?"
"What do you mean? It's obviously for the promotion test." Instead of Adrienne, I heard a voice carrying quite a heavy accent. Looking towards its source, I found a chuckling pink-haired wizard. "It's been a while, professon Deculein."
"… Professon?"
"Professor, professor, professon Deculein." Rose Rio, etheric-ranked, still got the pronunciation wrong. Like during the rune lecture, she was with Gindalf.
"That's right! We're preparing for the promotion exam, and we have a role for you!"
"What is it?"
"Security Manager! You're the seventh strongest in the empire, after all! Terrorism is in full swing. Who knows what will happen during the exam?!"
"…"
Seventh strongest.
My head hurt from listening to it.
However, the first Solda exam was well worth participating in since the frequency of unexpected events being triggered gradually increased throughout its duration.
"Alright. However, I'll receive the detailed information in writing. I have something to do today."
"Something to do?"
The chairman tilted her head, and Gindalf, stroking his beard, asked, "Haha. May I ask what?"
I answered briefly.
"Hunting."
*****
A private house's damp basement in the city of 'Peten' near the Viscounty of Rodman.
"It's done! We can now create an explosion with a scroll alone!"
Zekrek, Zerten, and Zeketen.
The so-called 'Three Brothers' laughed as they high-fived each other.
"Fuck! It's time we show those damn empire bastards! Can we destroy the house next door right now, brother?! I don't like our neighbor's little kid!"
The eldest shook his head at the second's venomous words.
"No. Our priority is to deliver this scroll to the high priests."
Scroll bomb.
It didn't need any special intermediary, and there was no need for a caster to supply it with mana. It was a groundbreaking invention perfect for guerrilla warfare.
"The Altar was the right choice! Their people share the same ideals, and they even gave us a lot of support!" The youngest exclaimed. The eldest seemed to agree.
"Right. Let's help the Altar wipe out the filthy empire and its people. Let's bring the age of God to reality again."
"Right! That's right! Oh. This is not the time."
The second hurriedly brought an alcoholic drink, poured it into their glasses, and smiled at the two.
"For the age of God."
"For the age of God!"
As their glasses clinked…
Silent steel rushed in.
Piercing through the ceiling, it beelined into the eldest's neck.
"Ugh!"
After a short throe, he fell.
A bizarrely sudden situation.
The remaining of the three stared at their brother, who had collapsed onto the ground. Dazed, they felt as if they were merely having a nightmare, but a tremendous sound soon reminded them this was their reality.
Boom—!
The moment the basement door and light were destroyed, pure darkness engulfed the room.
The cold sound of footsteps entered their ears.
"Y-You…"
They stared into the shining blue eyes before them, knowing all too well who they belonged to.
"Deculein…"
His eyes narrowed down, seemingly offended just by having their lips call out his name.
Their stupefaction only lasted for a minute, however. Finally making sense of their eldest brother's death, anger boiled up inside them.
"O-Our brother—!"
Deculein's wood steel soon came crashing in like waves to a cliff as his opponents gathered mana to create a barrier. However, his ten projectiles didn't stop swinging against it, seemingly willing to destroy the whole place if it meant making their blood spill.
Bang-Bang-Bang──!
Their continuous barrage quickly smashed their defenses, but the steel pieces didn't stop there.
"Aaaaah—!"
"Aaaaaaaagghhh—!"
The terrifying sound of flesh being ripped apart echoed along with their agonizing screams.
"Professor! Are you alright?!" Hearing such pain-filled cries, the knights swiftly lit up the basement, only to find three corpses with so many holes in them that they looked like human beehives.
"T-They're dead." One of the knights muttered, stunned by the horror before them. Regardless, when Deculein's expressive gaze fell on them, their posture straightened.
"I had to kill them."
"Yes, yes! That's right. You are absolutely right!"
As the knights responded in fear, he looked at the hole-riddled bodies apathetically.
"Take them out."
"Yes! Yes! Alright!"
The six knights hurriedly carried the corpses and went out.
Alone for a moment, Deculein stared at the three brothers' magical legacy.
[The Three Brothers' Earth Magic]
They met each other during some games.
[Three Brothers Bomb Scroll], [Three Brothers Detonation Scroll], etc…
As Named characters belonging to both the wicked and insane categories, those mad inventors annoyed the world by making whatever they could explode.
"… Let me use this technique as it is."
Deculein turned around after taking their' research results, climbed the stairs, finding the knights loading their bodies in wagons.
One knight asked. "Are you going back now?"
"No." Deculein shook his head.
"Then…?"
"Before rumors about this spreads, we should catch as many of them as possible." Deculein's aura remained cold as he answered. The knights staring at him felt chills and fear, and they knew the reason.
Although they were in charge of escorting Deculein on Julie's behalf today, they were still F-ranked and at the bottom of the Imperial Guard. The difference between them and the R-ranked Deculein was enough, with a little exaggeration, for them to commit suicide immediately if he ordered them to.
"She's coming." He then pointed at the direction the Deputy Director of the Public Safety Bureau approached from, having received the report.
Rushing over, she looked at Deculein.
He didn't avoid her gaze.
"I caught three Demon Blood. I'll leave the rest to you."
"…"
Primienne's eyes reached the corpses on the wagon, her expression remaining unchanged. She was, after all, already used to hiding her true emotions.
"Did you hear me?" He asked.
Primienne nodded.
"I will take good care of it."
*****
─────────────
… August 1st.
I came to the underground passage today after applying for the adventurer test at the guild.
It's a bit odd that the underground passageway was built a lot faster than expected, but I don't think it's bad. There are so many story branches here, and since it makes it easier to attack Marik, I consider it a huge help for the main quest.
"Lia. This is delicious."
"Yes. It is."
That was Ganesha just now. We're currently eating meat called Roahawk at a fine dining restaurant called Pig's Flower. It's delicious, but I guess I have a sweet tooth.
"Huh. Letek just passed by. Isn't he dead? That's interesting."
There are a lot of adventurers here in the underground passage. Sometimes I see people who can be called Named.
I even saw 'Gerek,' an insane Named character. Our eyes met for just a moment, and my heart almost stopped.
He is, after all, a really horrifying person. If he gets mad, he'll destroy this tunnel in no time.
"What are you going to do at Marik, Ganesha?" I asked while eating ice cream. Ice cream was free at this restaurant. Both in the modern world and this world, I think it's a characteristic of well-known restaurants.
Do you know what I mean? There are sometimes meat restaurants where ice cream is free.
"Well~ I don't know, Lia." Ganesha tilted her head, looking like she had no plans.
In terms of combat power alone, she's one of the strongest in this reality, but outside of battles, she's so easy-going and sloppy that I can't properly trust her.
"Maybe I'll mine a couple of mana stones, do some hunting. There's a lot of things to do there."
"Hmm~"
Mana stone mining and hunting!
Good. This is my chance to get free items.
Marik is still tough for my level, but Ganesha will be able to kill them all with ease.
"Are you okay? Aren't you scared?"
"Yes. I'm fine."
It's great that Carlos and Leo couldn't come due to age restrictions. If I don't see them, I get worried and feel empty, but those annoying guys piss me off almost every day.
It takes a little getting used to this daily routine, but it's not bad.
If I keep growing, I'll meet Julie, Sylvia, Zeit, Arlos, Deculein, Sophien, and even God one day.
I will meet God and ask him to send me back to my original world.
For that, growth, sweet things…
Growth, sweet.
No, not sweet, but growth.
Only sweet.
I mean, only growth.
Growth!
That's all I have on my mind right now…
End of today's diary.
P.S. I don't know how long I'll be able to write in this diary, but I plan to keep it going for as long as possible as a means to maintain 'myself.'
─────────────
After finishing her diary entry, Lia took a close look at her surroundings and released her magic, turning it into a mere air current that stuck to her body like a tattoo. That was caused by [Inventorization], one of the essential characteristics of a player.
"Whew… That was a good meal. Well then, Lia. Shall we go now? Reylie's probably already waiting for us."
"Yeah~ let's go."
She smiled brightly as they walked out of the dining room.
* * *
I returned to my office in the tower. Allen, whom I hadn't seen in a long time, had a strange expression but soon smiled brightly and held out a newspaper to me.
"Professor, have you read this?"
It was the [Empire's 13 Strongest Individuals] article again, which ranked me as 7th.
"I've read it. Put it away."
"Oh, okay! Then, here!"
Allen handed me a document. Finally, a bit of good news.
[Drent's Application Form]
"I see."
I nodded. With this, I secured Drent and Epherene.
Epherene was an all-time talent, and Drent was also quite a genius himself. I could even form my own school with just the two of them.
I looked at my assistant professor involuntarily, who was now expressionless. When our eyes met, she smiled a little awkwardly, but she was strangely cold.
"… You may go."
"Okay~"
When she left my office, Julie came in immediately afterward. On her shoulder was the imperial cat 'Blackie'.
"It'll begin in three days, won't it, professor?" She looked more serious than me.
"Yes.."
[Imperial Palace Quest: Demon's Mirror]
◆ Store Currency + 10
◆ ???
This quest had finally come to the fore.
"… Yes. I've been thinking about it lately and have made a decision."
She closed her eyes and then took a deep breath, her face growing more serious by the second.
Interested in what she was trying to say after setting this atmosphere, I watched her intently.
"The day I met Blackie, I understood the potential in your body."
"You mean the day you hugged me?"
"Ah, heh, um, ugh, no! Not that! It was the day I met Blackie." Julie blushed, but she quickly regained her composure.
It seemed teasing her twice wouldn't work right now. I found it a bit of a shame.
"Your incoming mission will definitely be dangerous. However, your body is naturally that of a warrior."
"… So?"
"Hence, I've decided that I, Julie von Deya-Freyden," She put her hand on her chest. "Will train you in martial arts and swordsmanship."
"…"
For quite a long while, I remained silent as I stared at her.
"…"
"…"
Stillness enveloped us.
"…"
"…"
Julie seemed to have mistaken my lack of words as me finding her offer embarrassing and disappointing since, after blinking a few times and pouting, she slowly took a step backward then swiftly ran away.
Only then did I call out to her.
"Wait. Come back. Okay. I'll learn from you."
—Forget it. You seem to think my skills are subpar and common but do you even know how many knights wanted and want to become my disciple? I have nothing to lose either. I don't…
Between the slightly ajar door, her upset voice rang out.