Gathering Eccentrics (3)
Out of the thousand-plus applicants who challenged the preliminary exam, fewer than thirty managed to board the train bound for the empire where the main competition would be held.
"The main event hasn't even started yet. Isn't this too small a number already?"
At Ligret's blunt question, Fiore answered calmly.
"Not at all. If anything, it's actually quite a lot. There were over ten preliminary testing sites just within the Spero Kingdom, but that's still on the low side compared to the other vassal states. The empire alone had more than thirty sites, so if you look at the overall numbers, there are still countless participants left."
"Besides," Fiore added with a mischievous grin, "to be frank, the Spero Kingdom is the weakest among the empire and all its vassal states. The fact that more than thirty people passed from a place like this means the other kingdoms must be absolutely crawling with monsters, don't you think?"
"And we're from that so-called weakest kingdom," I muttered with a small chuckle. I didn't bother denying it. She was right.
The Morian Kingdom had a long history, powerful magic corps, and repeated breakthroughs in secret arts that allowed it to contend with the empire until the very end of the Hegemony War. The Nahat Grand Duchy, which shared a border with the Ivestan Empire, maintained a powerful military presence for security reasons. It was also the only vassal state ruled not by imperial royalty, but by a bloodline of generals trusted by the previous emperor, who had been granted the title of Archduke. Compared to those two powers, the Spero Kingdom lacked any comparable history and had little need to bolster its military, so it was naturally treated as the weakest link.
As for the empire itself, its sheer scale meant the three vassal kingdoms would have to unite just to stand a chance against it. There was no comparison at all.
"I assume I don't need to say this, but don't go spreading that kind of talk outside. There are already plenty of people from the Spero Kingdom who hate us. If they hear something like that, they'll come at us with fire in their eyes."
"Of course. I'm not that careless, so please don't worry, Brother."
Ligret, who had been watching the exchange, suddenly asked, "…Now that I think about it, why do you call him Brother?"
"Huh?"
"What?"
"I mean, Fiore must be fifteen if she's old enough to take this exam, right? So you're the same age?"
…Oh. She had a point.
Theo Midas had kept calling her "little sister" this and "little sister" that, and Fiore had naturally started calling me Brother from the beginning, so I'd simply accepted it without thinking. While I was momentarily flustered, Fiore answered as if the question were the most obvious thing in the world.
"It's simple, Miss Ligret. When you treat someone of the same age as a relative, you naturally keep some distance. But once they fall into the 'little sister' category, men tend to feel like they should look good in front of her and do things for her even without owing her anything. Since we'll be working together from now on, it's better to be friendly than awkward, isn't it?"
"Hmm, is that how it works?"
"No, don't ask me! No matter how you answer that, it sounds weird!"
Just what kind of education produced a girl who could casually spout such terrifying logic? I briefly wondered what her parents were like, then remembered one of them was Bern Midas and immediately understood.
"Even by birthday, Brother was born in January and I was born in December, so it's not that strange. Still, if it bothers you, should I change how I address you? Maybe just Chrome?"
"…It'd be more of a hassle to readjust everything now. Let's just keep it as it is."
If she wanted to call me Brother, who was I to stop her? It definitely wasn't because I felt a twinge of regret at losing a title I'd never heard in either my previous life or this one. Definitely not.
There was still some time before the train would stop, so I decided to check the items I'd brought with me.
Thanks to the contract with Bern Midas, I had been granted ownership of five 'sealed relics'—in other words, Cubes. Instead of wasting my limited opportunities or blindly choosing black Cubes, I had spent the past two years carefully selecting those that triggered the strongest intuition. The result was the following collection of relics:
The Thoth's Bag, connected to a subspace large enough for five adult men to lie down comfortably, capable of storing a wide variety of items regardless of weight.
The Talisman of Vitality, which reduced the owner's fatigue and stamina consumption.
The Feldous's Summoning Gloves, which could summon throwing spears from empty air up to three times per day.
The Ancient Guardian's Greatsword, which had no special additional effects but possessed sharpness and durability that surpassed most magic tools.
And finally, Dantalion's Monocle, which allowed me to identify the names and general information of such relics.
In particular, Dantalion's Monocle, which had come from a black Cube just like the Ancient Guardian's Greatsword, had been the source of an absolute nightmare. The family head had coveted it so badly that I'd had to fight tooth and nail to keep it. I understood why a merchant's eyes would roll at glasses that could instantly determine an object's value, but this was one thing I absolutely could not yield.
In a world without a system window, there was no item more useful than this. How could I possibly hand it over? Given my nature, I would be opening an enormous number of Cubes in the future. Simply looking at a relic wasn't enough to know what power it held. What if I used what I thought was just a sharp sword, only to discover later that it amplified magic? Or worse, that it carried a curse that weakened the user's physical abilities?
I had resisted my damn father's endless attempts at persuasion, coaxing, bribery, and threats with the simple response of "I don't know. Can't hear you. Not giving it." After nearly two months of a soul-draining war of attrition, I was finally freed once I pulled a similar-effect item from another Cube.
Someone really needs to lock up that greedy old miser.
"Fiore, take this."
I pulled the Talisman of Vitality from the bag and handed it to her.
"A talisman…? It carries quite strong magic."
"It has the power to keep you from getting tired easily. I can manage without it, so you should use it."
Fiore hesitated for a moment but didn't refuse. She accepted the talisman without complaint.
"This isn't just a simple gift, is it?"
"You know me too well. The exams from here on will likely involve heavy stamina consumption. I'll help as much as I can, but there will be times when you'll have to endure on your own. So grit your teeth and hold on."
Considering I'd already given Ligret the Ancient Guardian's Greatsword and the Feldous's Summoning Gloves out of the five relics, only two remained with me. But I didn't mind. Items existed to be used, not hoarded. If I were only dragging her along because of the deal with Theo, that would be one thing. But now that I'd confirmed she had the qualities to be a true comrade, it was only right to invest in her as well.
Besides, considering life at the academy, it was best to secure a priest early. The idea that healers were nobles wasn't limited to the game.
If Ligret is the warrior, Fiore is the healer, and I'm roughly a merchant-slash-thief, then what's left is a tank or a mage? Now I'm curious how many other template holders challenged this exam.
As I was lost in such idle thoughts, Ligret's voice reached my ears.
"…By the way, why have we only been seeing grass outside the window for a while now?"
"Huh? You're right. They wouldn't normally lay tracks through the middle of a forest like this."
At her words, I turned my gaze to the window as well. No matter how long we traveled, all that was visible was green grass, grass, and more grass. This wasn't a car driving on an unpaved road; we were on a high-speed train. Seeing nothing but grass for over ten minutes was definitely strange.
Wait a second…
What flashed through my mind was a post from a player, written not long after Planetarium's release.
At the time, not much information had been released, so the matter was left unresolved. But later, after many players had experienced it firsthand, new information was revealed.
The heavy metallic sound gradually slowed as the train began to stop. At the same time, a voice flowed from the announcement system.
Attention all applicants.
Please check the overhead luggage compartments above your seats. You will each find a backpack containing a special compass and four days' worth of rations.
Reach the destination indicated by the red needle of the compass within the time limit. The time limit is one week.
This train will return to its original location in ten minutes. Any applicants still aboard at that time will be automatically disqualified.
With that, we will now begin the first round of the main exam.
Immediately after the broadcast, the inside of the train erupted into chaos. Some people rushed to get off, others frantically checked the luggage racks, and still others anxiously stared out the windows at the scenery. Watching them, I realized something.
Template holders other than Ligret and myself were participating in this exam. And at this first-year stage, there was even a monster who had reached a perfect score on the preliminaries through their own power.