It's even clearer to see from a distance.
Just the sheer absurdity of what this man is doing right now.
'…Interesting.'
In fact, there are some occasional events where freshmen get good records.
But, in the end, most just end up as a fluke. It's really not a display of true skill.
In that sense.
How is this man just blazing through this?
'He's calculating everything.'
It's as if he knew the location of the monsters relative to the hero candidate, and then send out instructions at somehow the right timing.
Each of his subsequent moves made it seem like he was seeing through the enemy's pattern.
Every judgment he makes at every instance is a near-perfect answer.
He may look like he was just standing and ordering around, but he was actually playing a complex and elaborately arranged artificial dungeon as if it were placed in the palm of his hand.
I can assure you on this.
This 'freshman' is the sole person among Elfante's history of students breaking through the dungeon in such a way.
It's almost like…
'He's fought on the battlefield thousands of times.'
This is the only explanation.
Because it just doesn't make sense to have this kind of ability without any practical experience.
And 'surviving combat' and living to develop this ability suggests that this guy is hiding something more than just what's on the surface.
"…"
This is why I'm curious.
If he 'directly' participated in the dungeon raid with the hero candidate, what would the result be?
If one person is already doing this much, what would happen if he participated himself?
"No, I just can't bring myself to believe. I don't understand no matter how I look at it."
Speaking of, this s†upid mage beside me had been annoying for a while now.
"Then do you want to bet on it?"
"A bet?"
"Do you remember the record you and I set in the mock battle during our freshman year?"
"I do, what about it?"
Conrad and Percy were a freshman duo that's said to be the most legendary team up of all time.
The record they set in the mock battle still remains as the undisputed number one of all time.
"I bet he'll break it."
Percy's eyes widened.
"…You're that confident?"
"Of course."
"Fine. It has already come to this point. I will take upon your invitation and bet on him not breaking the record."
"Alright."
Immediately after saying that, he picked up the microphone attached to the control panel.
"This is Conrad Baltador, the Dean of the Knight's Faculty. Can you hear me?"
{T/L: Changing School to Faculty}
His voice probably reverberated throughout the dungeon like an announcement.
It can be seen from how Elijah was looking at the ceiling in amazement.
'Interesting.'
Meanwhile, Conrad was smiling at Dowd, who did not seem fazed then said.
"I'm intrigued by how things are going. Can I take you up for an offer?"
"Do tell."
Even, his attitude was as if he's been waiting for this.
"Currently, the Magic Faculty Dean Percy and I are engaged in a bet outside."
"A bet?"
"It's on whether you can break the record we set as a freshman or not. If you succeed… Percy will give you the right to ask for anything."
On the other side, Percy raised her eyebrows slightly with an expression asking what he was doing, but she didn't say much.
Anyways, she was certain that their record would remain unbroken.
"You don't need to feel burdened by it. The record you set now is great, regardless."
"Ah, that's fine."
And so.
"This is enough of a motivator."
Hearing Dowd Campbell's answer, the expression on Percy's face was truly worth seeing.
●
"Iya…"
As soon as Beatrix entered the dedicated fitness room of the student council, she was greeted by a sweltering heat.
Elnore stretched out in the middle of the floor, covered in sweat, also added to the scene.
"What is all this?"
She sighed helplessly and tossed a water bottle to Elnore.
"I needed to sort out my thoughts."
"Right, I know you come here alone to sweat whenever you're like that. So what's the problem this time?"
"It has always been like this. But it's ramped up these days."
Upon hearing that, Beatrix's expression immediately turned solemn.
A dark rumor has been circulating in imperial circle.
That the devil runs on Duke Tristan's veins.
This sentence could mean two things.
One is literally being connected to the devil, pledging with evil to achieve outstanding feats.
The second is a metaphorical expression of 'madness', which is present in the Duke's bloodline.
It's an expression of extreme violence and the loss of reason that occurs in bursts from time to time.
As time passes, the Tristan Family were notorious for their miserable later years, which overshadows their achievements.
Elnore is also not free from such a curse.
Rather, in her case, it's particularly extreme.
She alone knew of aspects of Elnore that could never be revealed to the public.
"…Is it very serious?"
"It's nothing to worry about. It's not entirely because of that."
Elnore smiled and wiped her sweat off with a towel.
"There was something I wanted to remember."
"What do you want to remember?"
"It's a move I learned from my mother when I was little, when I just started learning the sword… But I can't quite recall it. That's why I was checking my swordsmanship right from the beginning."
For a woman who normally doesn't show even the slightest emotion, Elnore is being really sentimental right now. But instead of pointing it out, Beatrix encouraged her.
Elnore's feelings for her father and mother are on the polar opposites.
Her mother died when she was young, so you can understand why she's like that.
"Well, don't push yourself too hard."
"It's fine. If I exhaust myself, I won't care about most things."
"Really? Well, I have something to tell you."
Elnore's gaze turned to Beatrix.
"…Tell me about what?"
"I'm saying this because you asked me to let you know of all the information about it. A junior told me this earlier."
"So, what is it?"
"Dowd Campbell is with the next hero candidate in a mock battle. People say they're in a bet with the Deans-"
Sparks flew from Elnore's eyes.
"So, you're saying that the two of them are stuck together?"
"…"
Well, I guess this is more important than being in a bet with the Deans.
"The mock battle is a two-person challenge, so the two of them need to stick together, no?"
Elnore sprang up immediately, her sweat splattering everywhere, but she didn't seem to care.
"Didn't you just say you're too exhausted to care about most things?"
"Shut it, and tell me where it is."
This crazy woman.
Beatrix had already been overworked as of recently, and now her temples began to throb with a headache again.