[Ariel's PoV]
Ughhh… My head hurts so much.
I woke up, and the last thing I remember is Raul capturing me during our fight.
I looked around; it seems like I'm in a cave… What happened to the battle? Did he bring me here?
Ah, that's right... Raul took me hostage during the fight, making it hard for Brian and the others to attack him.
Thinking about it makes me depressed.
I was just a burden to them during the fight
Honestly, I haven't changed at all since the monster attack. All I could do was wait for someone to help me when I was in trouble. And now it's the same.
If Raul wasn't near me, they wouldn't hesitate to attack him.
If only I had more power… the power to stop someone without hurting them…
—Tap... Tap... Tap...
I heard footsteps approaching from ahead. A man appeared, carrying a cleaned and skinned rabbit, along with some firewood.
"You're awake, Ariel," Raul said casually.
I looked at his face without answering. His black hair was as dark as this cave, and his indifferent gaze reflected a life that never considered other people's feelings.
Raul started to make a campfire with some coconut husks. It seemed like he was going to cook the rabbit.
"Why didn't you just kill me, Raul?"
I don't understand why he bothered to kidnap me.
Hearing my question, Raul stopped what he was doing and looked at me with his dark eyes. "You're useful to me as a hostage, to make Brian and the others hesitate to attack."
Hearing this made my heart sink. So, it was true—I'm just a burden to my friends right now. Raul is just using me to make it harder for them to fight him.
I noticed a large rock with a sharp edge not too far from me.
After making the fire, Raul tied the rabbit with tree roots to a piece of wood and placed it over the campfire.
Then, he left, taking two coconut shells with him, leaving me alone.
As soon as Raul was out of sight, I hurried to the rock. I was a little scared to try, but this is for my friends. I don't want to be a burden to those still fighting.
—Bam!
Ughhh... It hurts so much... Why am I still conscious after hitting my head so hard?
—Bam!
Ouch... I think my forehead is starting to bleed...
Alright, one more time... I'll definitely die if I manage to break my skull.
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. This time, I would hit it as hard as I could.
—Bam!
But when I tried to hit my head again, I felt something strange on my forehead. This wasn't the sharp rock I was supposed to hit.
Slowly, I opened my eyes and saw a hand touching my forehead. A hand that felt as warm as the loving warmth of my late mother.
"Raul... What are you doing?" I asked the man with black hair, who had suddenly appeared again. It seemed he had returned.
Raul smiled in response to my question. I didn't know he could smile like that.
"That should be my question, Ariel," Raul said. "What are you doing?"
I could only lower my head, hearing his question. I don't want to be a burden to my team. I don't want to get in the way of their victory. I… don't want to be a useless woman.
My vision started to blur, probably because I had hit my head quite hard on the rock.
"I want to be strong…"
After saying that, I lost consciousness.
"Yes… In the future, you'll become the most amazing Saintess in this world, Ariel."
I faintly heard him say that.
Me? A Saintess? I must've hit my head too hard if Raul really believes that much in me.
---
[3rd Person PoV]
That night, the Eagle and Griffon Clans gathered at the Eagle Clan's base camp to evaluate what had happened during their previous hunt for Raul.
Thanks to Raul's tactics, the total number of casualties in the Eagle Clan was 8, while the Griffon Clan lost 13 members—nearly half of their original number.
"We fell for his trap again," Valeria said, frustrated. "He anticipated our arrival and lured the giant bird here by kidnapping its offspring."
Hearing Valeria's explanation, everyone present was visibly upset.
"He knows this island too well," said Elena, who had returned after fighting one of the Nazarith Birds. "How does he know the island's ins and outs? Didn't we all start this test on the same day?" Elena was confused about Raul's seemingly endless knowledge of the island.
"We can discuss all this later," Brian said coldly. "He kidnapped Ariel! We don't know what awful things he might do to her! We need to go right now!" Brian ordered urgently.
Seeing Brian's anger, the others understood. They knew he and Ariel were very close at the academy. Some even believed they were already a couple.
"Our scouts saw that pervert enter an abandoned underground mine, carrying Ariel," Valeria reported.
"Let's go now!" Brian shouted, no longer able to stand the thought of Ariel being alone with Raul.
"We can't rush in, Brian," Valeria reminded him. "Or do you want us to walk into another one of his traps?"
Hearing this, Brian clenched his fists. They had already fallen into Raul's traps twice.
"I can't believe the four of you were defeated by Raul," Elena said.
Hearing her words, Valeria, Brian, and Geralt blushed in embarrassment at the memory.
"He used underhanded, cowardly tactics!" Brian yelled in frustration. "If he hadn't taken Ariel hostage, I would've finished him with my technique!"
Elena looked slightly disappointed in Brian. "Whatever the reason, a loss is still a loss. We can't change the situation by blaming the enemy's methods."
Elena stepped forward, addressing the crowd.
"In this hunt for Raul, unfortunately, time is not on our side. Tomorrow, there are only two days left in this first stage of the test. We must take down Raul before it ends, or all our efforts—and the sacrifices made—will be in vain."
Her words rekindled the spirit of the group. Not because they wanted to pass the test, but because they wanted revenge on Raul.
"Tomorrow morning, we'll head to that mine and defeat him, no matter the cost!" Elena declared, raising her fist into the air.
"Ouh!"
"Ouh!"
Both clans reaffirmed their determination to defeat the one person who had made this test so difficult for them.
---
[Raul's PoV]
I was standing at one of the entrances to the mine. As just one person, I couldn't set traps across such a vast area in a short time.
All I needed was one trap that would hit them hard. If it succeeded, they would hesitate to enter again, thinking I had more traps waiting for them, making them less aggressive.
That's why I had to set the trap in a place they would definitely pass through—a tunnel connecting the western entrance to the interior of the mine.
—Crash!
I smashed some of the tunnel's support beams. When they enter this tunnel, I'll collapse it, ensuring the tunnel can't hold the weight anymore.
Once I was done, I returned to the mine's interior, where Ariel was.
She was sleeping...
Earlier, she had tried to kill herself by smashing her head into a rock, just so she wouldn't be a burden to her team.
I looked at the wound on her forehead.
This is proof of Ariel's determination—what's needed to awaken her Blessing, the Goddess Voice. This power will be what makes the Demon King struggle in the great battle against humanity.
I gazed at her face...
For now, Ariel is still naïve and immature for the role of a Saint. The same can be said for all the other characters at this academy. They still have a lot to learn, to grow, and to master control over their emotions.
But that's not a problem.
In this world, no human is perfect, knowing everything, always making the right choices, never losing or failing.
A perfect character exists only in the realm of human fantasy.
Yes... Ariel and the others will grow stronger, wiser, and more experienced when the time comes. And I'll make sure they gain valuable experience by facing me in this first stage of the test.
Because they are the heroes destined to save this world.