Chapter 194: Proof 16
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 194: Proof 16
“Now then, for the reason this exam was held in the first place—and the reason I haven't been able to go home yet! The match between Student Loki, the president of the Clown-whatever Club, and twenty challengers will begin in ten minutes.”
The entrance exam for the Clown Union Club pressed on. Before long, only Loki and Frederick’s matches remained.
Clara had left immediately after her own match concluded, but the other Special Class students stayed in the auditorium to watch. Even Lucas, who wasn't competing, remained in the stands.
“Everyone else won, so if you’re the only one who loses, you’re handing that club president title over to me, got it?” Lucas called out playfully. He didn't actually believe for a second that Loki would lose.
“If I lose, twenty people will be joining our Clown Union Club. Does that mean you’ll be the one managing them, Lucas?”
“Ah, well... maybe not.”
Loki and Lucas shared a chuckle, giggling at the exchange.
However, amidst the laughter, there was one person who couldn't find it in himself to smile.
“Lucas, I don't think I'm the one you should be worried about right now.”
Loki’s gaze shifted toward the person in question.
There stood Frederick, trembling like someone who had wandered outside in the dead of winter wearing nothing but a T-shirt and shorts. He was muttering frantically under his breath.
“If I’m the only one from the Special Class who loses, people will definitely whisper, right? No, even if I win, they’ll definitely compare me to the others and whisper about me being in the Special Class anyway. And of all things, I’m last. There are so many people here now, and they’ll watch even more because it’s the finale. Ugh, maybe I should have just joined the Sorcery Club. No, if I’d gone there, the pressure would’ve made me drop out of the Academy already.”
It was the first time Loki had ever seen Frederick speak so fast—even if his voice was barely louder than a mosquito’s buzz.
In an attempt to offer some encouragement, Loki reached out and tapped Frederick on the shoulder.
“Frederick?”
“Loki!”
Frederick lunged forward with a desperate expression and grabbed Loki’s wrist.
“Whoops! Now, I’m someone who respects all forms of love, but my preference leans toward women. I’m afraid I can’t return your feelings, Frederick.”
“Loki, you... you’re smart! Isn't there some way I can get through this while drawing as little attention as possible?”
Normally, Frederick would have snapped back at Loki’s nonsense, but the fact that he just kept talking showed how truly desperate he was.
A good way, huh...
Hmm...
Even if he asked so suddenly, it wasn't like a good idea would just pop into his head that easi—
Oh?
This might work. A decent strategy came to mind.
“Ah! I just thought of a rather good method.”
“What is it? Tell me!”
To put him at ease for a moment, Loki placed a hand on Frederick’s shoulder without a word.
“W-Why? What is it?”
A sense of foreboding washed over Frederick. It was the same feeling he’d had earlier when Loki said he wouldn't fight everyone at once like the other Special Class students, only to suddenly change his mind and say he’d take them all on after hearing Frederick speak.
“Frederick. Let’s just handle all the challengers at once, like we did.”
“What?!”
As expected, his foreboding was spot on.
Having assessed the situation, Frederick tried to shake off Loki’s hand and bolt, but there was no way Frederick—who possessed the bare minimum of muscle mass—could break free from Loki’s grip.
“Wait a moment! Don’t run away! At least listen to what I have to say before you flee. Though I’ll probably catch you then, too.”
Unable to escape through strength, Frederick’s only option was to listen.
“It is true that you are a sorcerer, which puts you at a disadvantage when fighting alone. It’s also true that you don’t exercise, you’re fearful, timid, you stumble over your words, and you lack confidence.”
“.....................”
“Loki? Frederick hasn't even started his match yet. Why are you attacking him already?”
“Ahem! Stay out of this, Lucas.” Loki cleared his throat and continued. “But honestly, whether it’s twenty-two people or thirty-two, it’s not like they’re from the Special Class. Johanna or the Student Council President aren't among them either. I don’t believe for a second that you’ll lose, Frederick.”
While it was meant to boost Frederick’s confidence... it wasn't a lie.
“B-But if I defeat them all, won’t I... won’t I stand out e-even more?”
See? The very fact that Frederick wasn't denying the possibility of victory and was instead worrying about the aftermath was proof enough.
“Like you said earlier, the rest of us in the Special Class took everyone on at once. If you’re the only one who fights them one by one, wouldn't that make you stand out even more?”
“I-I suppose so...”
“If you fight them one by one, you’ll definitely win, but wouldn't that give petty people an excuse to say you’re weaker than the other Special Class students?”
“I-I don’t care about that.”
“I know you don’t care about such things, Frederick. But would the other sorcerers who worship—ahem!—who respect you feel the same way?”
Gulp.
Frederick swallowed hard at Loki’s words. He knew all too well how much interest other sorcerers took in him.
Shortly after entering the Academy, he hadn't been able to find the location for his afternoon class. After twenty minutes of mental preparation, he had finally managed to ask a fellow sorcerer for directions. That sorcerer had then bragged to every single student in the Academy that Frederick had asked him for directions.
In fact, he was still bragging about it to this day. What was even more absurd was that the other sorcerers listened to it every day and felt envious every single time.
Would people like that just sit idly by while he was being insulted?
“Eeeeeeek!”
Loki scratched his head as he watched Frederick freak out. Of course, this was a bit of a stretch. Frederick’s older brother was Simon, the president of the Newspaper Club. Simon could easily bury most rumors by spreading other information.
“Besides, if you fight them one by one, it’ll take much longer. That means you’ll be in the spotlight for even more time.”
“Ugh... L-Let me think about it for a second.”
“There are three minutes left until the match begins. Student Loki and the twenty challengers, please gather in the center of the auditorium.”
Idra’s voice echoed through the hall. Loki walked toward the center, leaving Frederick with one last word.
“Well, I’ll be going then. Give it some thought.”
* * *
‘Watching them today, I can see it clearly.’
The Special Class kids were strong. Much stronger than I had originally anticipated.
Since Croaka had been out for ten years, there were all sorts of concept plays. One of them involved giving up on the player character’s growth entirely, funneling every hidden encounter and opportunity into the companion characters, and then just letting them carry you.
“It’s not the finale, but in a way, this is the main event of the exam. Now, let the match begin between the twenty students wishing to join the Clown Union Club and Student Loki, who went so far as to hold this exam to keep them out!”
Of course, that build was so trash that you couldn't even beat the first Necromancer. But the growth of the companion characters was undeniable. And yet, the growth rate of the current Special Class students was even faster than that specific concept build.
“Surround him, just like we discussed!”
At this rate, I could probably leave the other villains to the Special Class kids and go do something else, couldn't I?
“Don’t get too close yet. Maintain your distance! I’ll call it out the moment I see anything strange.”
No, wait. Maybe I should follow them just in case?
“Mages, prepare your incantations so you can trigger your spells at any moment!”
Whoa, startled me.
Snapping out of my thoughts at the loud shout, I realized the twenty students had formed a large circle around me, effectively surrounding me. Looking at their faces, I could see a mix of tension and confidence.
“Boo hoo! Being surrounded by twenty people... I’m so scared I might cry.”
“Ignore what he says!”
“In that case, I think I’ll add a few more people to my side, too.”
I used illusions to create fifteen clones. Now, let’s see how they react. Unless you’re Johanna, it should be impossible to tell the clones apart.
“That one’s the real one!”
They figured it out?
I checked to see if I’d messed up, but the clones were as sophisticated as ever. I created more clones several times after that, but the opponents caught on almost instantly.
Looking closely, I noticed the man who kept identifying the real me was holding something in his hand.
“That thing in your hand... could it be?”
“Ha, so you noticed? As expected of the Emperor’s disciple.”
“Yes. I know exactly what that is.”
Actually, I don't. What the hell is that?
“No matter how sophisticated your skills are, a fake is a fake. With this heat-sensing artifact, distinguishing the real one from the fakes is child’s play.”
Ah, so that’s how it is. I give him one reaction, and he spills everything. No matter how perfectly I make the clones, there’s nothing I can do if they have that.
“You’re not going to call us cowards, are you?”
“My, my, of course not. I use artifacts all the time myself. I’m actually more curious about where you managed to get something like that.”
To be honest, it wasn't impossible to deal with. I could just use an illusion to hide the artifact the man was looking at. But a better idea came to mind.
“Fighting like this, gathered in the auditorium... doesn't it remind you of the entrance ceremony?”
“Ignore his talk. He’s trying to buy time to come up with a plan against the artifact.”
“Goodness, you’re too much. A man just wants to talk about old memories.”
“Mages, focus on your incantations! The rest of you, close in slowly!”
“Back then, the Principal was saying this and that on the podium, and then suddenly dozens of monsters appeared.”
I used illusions to manifest a swarm of monsters.
“It’s a fake.”
“Didn't I look rather cool back then?”
I showed myself killing the monsters using Shadow Step.
“Fake.”
“Man! The other Special Class members were cool back then, too.”
I showed the Special Class students taking down the monsters.
“Fake.”
I smirked behind my mask.
“And at the very end, a Golem like this appeared, didn't it?”
The Golem from that day appeared in the auditorium once more.
Thump!
“Fa... wait, what? This shouldn't be happening.”
I brought out one more.
“Ah. Were there two of them?”
And another.
“Oh, that’s right! There were three!”
And finally, one more!