Theft Run Begins

In Planetarium, player events fell into two broad categories. Fixed events triggered at set times regardless of player actions, and trigger events that activated only after specific conditions were met. The academy's group assignment belonged to the former—something that shouldn't have been heavily influenced by the player's choices.

'……No, that's not right. The academy—more precisely, the faculty—decides the content of these assignments. Since they're people, the details can change at any time.'

This was different from static knowledge like "Combining A and B increases magic power" or "Digging underground in area C reveals ancient ruins." The real question was what the assignment would actually entail.

[Once the announcement ends, the black butterflies will guide each of you to your designated starting points. When the signal sounds, simply run from your starting point toward the designated location. But that alone would be too dull, wouldn't it?]

"I wouldn't mind if it wasn't fun at all…"

"Hold on, does that mean we have to leave behind all the camping preparations we just made and head somewhere else? In the middle of the night?"

"So the one who strives cannot defeat the one who enjoys. How profound…"

Loto and Pino's grumbling naturally didn't reach Professor Istal. And Rabaul, that proverb isn't meant for situations like this. Unless you meant someone with a nasty personality instead of someone who enjoys themselves.

While waiting for Professor Istal's next words, a swarm of butterflies that had approached unnoticed dropped something above our heads, including mine.

"A bracelet?"

[Have you all received the necessary supplies for your assignment? Now, please put on the bracelet.]

Following the instructions, I slipped the bracelet onto my wrist. A faint light and magic power leaked from the embedded gemstone. I channeled magic into Dantalion's Monocle and turned my gaze. As the artifact's analysis ability activated, information about the bracelet appeared before my eyes.

「Wait, they're using custom artifacts for a student exam? Though now that I think about it, it's plausible.」—Creator who yielded to greater funding and time, one year before the academy's opening—

'Professor Faust…….'

I let out a dry laugh. Part of it came from the unexpected behind-the-scenes detail, but mostly from renewed admiration for Dantalion's Monocle's ability to display even such minor information. While it didn't show numerical stats like attack power or durability the way Planetarium did, nor item grades, this level of detail alone made it difficult to gauge the creator's skill.

Judging from the artifact's effects, I was beginning to guess the nature of the next assignment.

[Each bracelet has been assigned a different mark per team. It is also possible to steal the mark from a member of a specific team by defeating them. The "Theft Run" course consists of two checkpoints and one finish line. The first checkpoint requires only one mark to count as reaching the goal, the second requires two marks, and the final goal requires three marks!]

Ligret flicked the bracelet on her arm with a finger.

"In short, it means we have to take down two teams besides our own. Taking down all three would be even better."

"It will become violent. Alas. I only hope no one is seriously injured."

Rabaul muttered regretfully, but there was no need to worry about that.

[Pass through the two checkpoints in order. The first team to have even one member reach the goal wins! Also, the bracelets have a function that takes damage in place of the wearer, so feel free to go wild without holding back!]

"Wearer protection!? If something like that existed, they should've handed it out from the beginning! How many dangerous moments have we had so far!?"

Fiore answered Loto's cry.

"It's probably a matter of quantity. Artifacts that take damage in place of the wearer wouldn't be available in large enough numbers to use so freely."

I added, "Since the substitute property makes them closer to consumables, even having twenty-four of them is abnormal for just a school class."

"That's true, but……"

[Then everyone, do your best!]

As the broadcast ended, the black butterfly in front of us began flapping its wings as if telling us to follow. After packing up the tents and such, we followed it. After walking for about twenty minutes, we arrived at a circular clearing. A blue-glowing line was drawn on the ground outside the clearing like a boundary. It seemed we were supposed to wait inside until the signal sounded before departing.

"At least it's a wide, flat area, so setting up tents will be easy. The problem is we don't know when the signal will sound."

"Then we'll have to take turns keeping watch. Our rest time will be reduced, but it's better than everyone falling asleep and missing the departure."

"By the way, I'm hungry……"

Pino's eyes were bloodshot as she scratched her head irritably, and Loto's face was full of fatigue. It wasn't strange. For two days they'd been tense in the forest, never knowing when an attack might come, clashed head-on with the Pendebig siblings' team, and sustained various injuries in the process. While some of the potions used on the members restored vitality in addition to healing wounds, they only recovered physical fatigue—mental exhaustion was another matter.

The only ones who seemed relatively fine were Ligret and Rabaul.

'Ligret aside, Rabaul is surprisingly tough.'

Thinking back, he'd taken the least damage even when hit directly by Eagle's mid-tier spell. He might be tougher than expected. I was regretting ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠not having him take martial arts classes when I suddenly realized Fiore was nowhere to be seen.

Looking around, I found her standing silently at one corner of the clearing, gazing outside the boundary line.

"What's wrong?"

"Ah, Brother. Something occurred to me while listening to the broadcast."

"Occurred to you?"

When I tilted my head, Fiore hummed for a moment before speaking.

"It's just… I don't think the broadcast mentioned anything about not leaving the starting point before the signal, or that defeating another team before the signal sounds would be invalid."

"Huh?"

I replayed the broadcast in my mind.

「……When the designated signal sounds, run vigorously from the starting point toward the designated location……」

「……Each bracelet has a different mark per team, and it is possible to steal the mark from a member of a specific team by defeating them……」

Wait a second.

"……Find and defeat another team whose location we don't even know in the middle of the night, then return to the starting point before the departure signal sounds?"

"It would be impossible, right?"

"Theoretically possible, but not very realistic."

"Well, everyone looks tired, and honestly, even I would decline if asked to do it right now. It just crossed my mind for a moment."

Fiore stuck out her tongue playfully and smiled, as if to say, 'It's not wrong if it's just imagining, right?' I smiled back. For a moment I'd been tempted, but the risk was too high, and considering the other members' conditions, it wasn't a tactic worth attempting now.

'If it was just me, or just me and Ligret, I might have tried it.'

The darkness beyond the bushes somehow felt like it was regretting the missed opportunity.

<><><>

Crow Vein was the type of person called a genius. Born into a renowned swordsmanship family, he also possessed innate talent as a magic user. From childhood, he'd swung a sword instead of toys, and every instructor who'd taught him martial arts had praised his outstanding talent. Crow had two older brothers above him, and since he himself had no interest in detailed politics or administrative work, his name was never mentioned as the family heir. However, when it came to swordsmanship alone, Crow's strength already surpassed even his older brothers despite their age difference.

He was practically without equals among his peers, so the joy he'd felt upon meeting talents at the academy who were the same age as him yet never fell behind in comparison was indescribable. The competitive spirit from facing worthy opponents on equal footing—different from the feelings he'd had toward his father, whom he'd always aimed for—improved his skills day by day. Yet the existence of other students he couldn't easily surpass only fueled his passion further instead of cooling it.

'This is a good opportunity. I'll settle things properly with Ligret this time!'

He had no certainty of victory, but at the same time, he didn't think he would lose either. Akasha, who was on the same team, was an exceptionally powerful fighter even among ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠support department ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠students and a strong opponent on par with himself. If she and the other team members blocked Chrome and the others' petty tricks, Crow could devote himself entirely to his match against Ligret.

The fact that he didn't need to worry about injuries or excessive force thanks to the artifacts prepared by the academy made it even better. His fighting spirit honed to the extreme, his body properly warmed up from facing easy opponents in the second exam, his condition was at its absolute best. All that remained was to wait for the starting signal.

Or so it should have been. Until the monster appeared.

"……Kuhk!"

Leaning against a sword stuck into the ground with trembling hands, Crow Vein looked around. In the middle of the circular clearing where tents and campfires had existed just moments ago, a large crater had formed. His teammates, caught in the sudden attack, had collapsed without even knowing what happened and been transported away by the artifact's effect. Only Crow and Akasha had reacted to the ambush and fought against ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the single attacker, but the result was a crushing defeat. The two swords Crow swung couldn't penetrate the magic shield formed around the attacker's body, and the dance of magic power the attacker unleashed pierced Akasha's body like a flash of light.

Crow thought, 'Was this the extent of it?'

He'd never thought she was weak. Though their fields differed, she was someone who received the highest evaluation in one subject, and the academy's classes weren't structured so that being knowledgeable only in theory would earn high scores. But at the same time, there had been the prejudice that her evaluation might be inflated due to her name value. In an academy operated under the imperial name by the late emperor's decree, there couldn't be no favoritism toward someone bearing the name Barhart.

And now, at this moment, Crow realized. It was true that the evaluation was wrong. But it wasn't overestimation—rather, it had been underestimation.

"You hid something monstrous behind that gentle face, didn't you? Your Highness the Imperial Princess…!"

To the growling Crow, the attacker—Lyla Everblaze Barhart—smiled. It was an elegant yet somehow dangerous smile, like a blazing flame.