Chapter 25: This Entrance Exam is Safe! (3)
Chapter 25: This Entrance Exam is Safe! (3)
Yandel simply shrugged and headed toward the testing grounds.
Professor Makin glared at his nonchalant attitude for a moment, as if Yandel didn't care about her hostility at all, before approaching the blankly sitting Carla.
"Miss Carla."
"Professor Makin! You startled me! So, you were the examiner?"
The awkwardness from their first eye contact had vanished. Carla smiled brightly, just as she had back when she was a student at the Academy.
However, even while doing so, she didn't move an inch, only turning her head. She looked exactly like a puppy that had been given the 'stay' command.
No matter how she looked at it, Makin felt her favorite student had become strange.
Aching slightly at that realization, Makin asked Carla in a cautious voice.
"It’s... been hard, hasn't it?"
Looking at her former student after all this time, Makin’s heart began to sting.
Back before the Lindelheit family was accused of heresy.
Carla had been the idol of the Magic Department and the pride of the professors.
Makin, too, had never doubted that her brilliant student would one day surpass the rank of High Magician and reach the realm of an Archmage.
Makin still vividly remembered the radiant Carla of those days.
…And she would never be able to forget the sight she had just witnessed.
The poise and dignity she once held as a noble lady were gone. Instead, Carla looked around restlessly like a frightened rabbit, filled with anxiety.
Her eyes, which used to sparkle with intelligence, had lost their light and were now dull and clouded.
And on her neck, the characteristic thorn pattern of a Slave Imprint was etched like a chain.
Furthermore, what about Yandel, the man who claimed to be Carla’s master?
He had swatted Carla’s buttocks without warning and treated her like a dog.
Makin could understand that much. After all, Carla’s current status was that of a slave.
But when she recalled the sight of Carla desperately trying to flatter her master, Makin felt as if her heart were breaking.
Unaware of Makin’s inner turmoil, Carla shook her head with a bright smile.
"I'm fine! It’s not hard at all, Professor!"
"There’s no way you’re fine. You don't need to lie to me, Carla."
In reality, there was nothing Makin could realistically do for Carla.
However, simply venting about one's hardships can bring comfort.
Makin resolved to take on Carla’s pain, even if only for a moment.
But.
"Um... I'm really okay, though?"
Carla tilted her head as if she didn't understand what Makin was talking about.
Makin felt a brief sense of dissonance.
Carla continued, beaming.
"Look at this! My Master bought me all these clothes and accessories!"
To put it kindly, the clothes were practical, but to put it bluntly, they were provocative—clinging to her body and revealing her figure entirely.
And the jewelry?
They were excessively gaudy and golden. Rather than being tasteful, it felt like she had just been plastered with expensive trinkets.
It was the epitome of tacky, nouveau riche taste.
Yet, Carla continued to ramble with a silly grin, as if she were genuinely happy.
"Master is a truly wonderful person! He can be a bit mischievous sometimes... but he doesn't beat me, and he doesn't starve me. Even when I do something wrong and he punishes me, he never does anything truly cruel."
"……."
Carla was calling Yandel a good person simply because he did the bare minimum.
Makin was momentarily speechless.
It would be one thing if she had been born a slave. But it was hard to believe these words were coming from Carla, who had been raised more precious than anyone.
At this point, Makin had no choice but to realize.
The kind young lady of the famous magic family she once knew had disappeared. In her place remained only a slave who rejoiced at her master’s smallest whims.
She might have been brainwashed, or perhaps she had been driven to a point where she couldn't survive any other way.
The only certainty was that Carla had already been broken and trained.
Just what kind of things had she been through?
For Makin, who had grown up sheltered in a good family and rose to a professorship without much hardship, it was likely something she couldn't even imagine.
Makin glared at the culprit who had ruined her student, who was like a daughter to her.
Black hair and purple eyes. It was an uncommon combination, but paired with his handsome features, he seemed to exude a certain noble air.
Though he was listed as a commoner on paper, he was likely the bastard son of some high-ranking noble.
After all, he had the wealth to pay Carla’s ransom.
Makin didn't know the exact price, but it certainly wasn't an amount a commoner could save up through normal means.
While Makin was speculating about Yandel’s identity, the exam began.
*
"Kieeeek!"
A translucent goblin shrieked.
Goblins are called the weakest of monsters, but that’s only in a one-on-one fight.
Knowing their own weakness, goblins always travel in packs and prefer underhanded tactics like ambushes and traps over a fair fight.
Because of this, they are actually more troublesome for the inexperienced to deal with than moderately strong monsters.
Of course, to me, they’re just trash mobs.
"Kiririk!"
"Kerurung!"
As if the first goblin’s cry was a signal, two other goblins that had been flanking me began to charge simultaneously.
Though small, their strength was comparable to an adult male's. The daggers in their hands were crude, but sharp enough to tear through human skin.
But it doesn't matter as long as I don't get hit.
I lunged forward, pulling the Shining Lion Dagger from my inventory.
Perhaps it was thanks to the Crude Weapon Technique trait activating the moment I gripped the weapon, but I was able to dodge the pincer attack with much cleaner movements.
However, another goblin was waiting for me right in front, as if it had anticipated this.
The creature bared its teeth in a vile grin and raised its dagger.
Then, it jumped.
"Kekerek!"
Just as I expected.
A goblin’s strength might be similar to mine, but its limbs are short like a child's.
That’s why they always try to close the distance with a leap when they think they have a chance for a finishing blow.
Baiting this pattern and countering it is the alpha and omega of dealing with the goblin species.
As the goblin hung in the air, aiming its dagger at my throat, I quickly traced a circle with my finger.
"Shock."
Zap!
"Kerek?!"
Being a basic magic spell, Shock isn't particularly powerful.
However, since it is a proper lightning-attribute spell, its stunning effect is reliable. The goblin stiffened mid-air.
The electrocution seemed to wear off quickly as it tried to regain its posture... but it was already too late.
I thrust my dagger straight into the throat of the creature that had fallen right in front of me.
Squelch.
"Keurgh..."
The goblin flailed, foaming blood.
I hurled it toward the other goblins that had closed in.
It was possible because goblins are light due to their small stature.
The ones charging side-by-side couldn't avoid their flying comrade and collided head-on.
Thud!
"Kieek!"
"Keraak!"
The three goblins ended up in a tangled heap.
They scrambled to push their dying kin off them and tried to stand up... but I was a bit faster.
"O Wind. Become a blade and strike down the enemy. Wind Cutter!"
A long, invisible blade of wind flew out. And then.
Slice.
It decapitated the two goblins just as they were trying to stand.
Now, the only one left was the first one I had stabbed in the neck, which was currently dying.
But instead of going for a finishing blow, I began chanting Wind Cutter again.
"O Wind. Sharpen your edge. Dwell in my hand and grow ever fiercer."
The incantation was slightly different from before. This was the chant used when one intends to hold and overcharge mana instead of firing the spell immediately.
It was a sort of exploit using the entrance exam's system, where the next illusion only appears once all current monsters are dead.
While the last goblin slowly died, I continued to pour mana into the spell, maintaining the charge.
The next opponent would be an orc.
Since it has significantly higher physical abilities than I do, I needed to take it down instantly.
After a short while, the goblin illusions finally died completely and scattered into the air as dust.
Immediately after, a two-meter-tall hulking figure began to form in the center of the arena.
Confirming it was an orc just as I remembered, I released the gathered mana all at once.
"Wind Cutter!"
Without even a chance to scream, the orc’s upper and lower body were instantly severed.
However, being a monster with tenacious vitality, it would likely remain alive for about another minute.
In the meantime, I began chanting Wind Cutter again to start another charge.
The reason I chose to learn Wind Cutter first, over other powerful low-grade spells, was specifically for this purpose.
Perfect neutralization through amputation, and a moderately slow death.
Since all monsters except goblins appear one by one, this cycle would continue as long as my mana and concentration held out.
Even a relatively weak wind-attribute spell can kill most small monsters instantly if fired at full charge.
This was the tutorial exploit I had discovered.
Commonly known as the 'Wind-Cutter-Cheese'...!
With a triumphant smile, I turned my head toward Carla, who was outside the arena.
I had intended to show off this perfect cycle, but...
"……."
For some reason, Carla looked disgusted and averted her eyes.
...Hey, why! Who cares if it's cheap as long as I win?!