Even If I Die, I'll Follow You
“What is it?” she kept hedging, her fingers fidgeting restlessly. The anxiety of failure was written all over her face, and I had a feeling she was about to ask for something.
“Just be honest. Whether you say it now or later, it’s the same thing, isn’t it?”
“Then……” She steadied her breathing before slowly opening her mouth. “Could you take me along for the Academy placement exam?”
The Academy placement exam. It was a test conducted before enrollment to assess each student’s abilities. Of course, one could argue we’d already taken an exam, but the entrance exam and the placement exam were two entirely different things. The entrance exam determined whether you passed or not. The placement exam was more like a ranking and level-assessment test. Their structures differed slightly. If the entrance exam felt like it was “filtering people out,” the placement exam felt closer to “confirming where you stand.” In short, the placement exam was a bit more practical—and on the other hand, far more grueling.
There were two main reasons for holding this exam. First, to build up a hunter aspirant’s capabilities in stages. Those who scored low would receive a relatively lower level of education, while those who scored high would receive a higher level. It was a measure to minimize the number of students who dropped out without any plan. That way, the tragedy of the bottom-ranked student in the entire school receiving an impossibly difficult education could be reduced.
Second, because there were simply too many types of entrance exams. There were special tracks for minorities, tracks with a heavy written-test ratio, tracks where you could buy a high score with donations, and tracks that exempted certain evaluations. Naturally, the values produced under such conditions weren’t very reliable. If placement results were decided based on those numbers, the outcome was obvious. Thoughtless East Asians would suddenly be sent straight to the bottom. People who benefited from affirmative action would be thrown into EX-level difficulty lectures. Rich kids whose parents had tried to buy their way into the Academy’s lap of luxury would end up dropping out after getting torn to shreds. In the end, it would be a world where everyone was miserable. That kind of world couldn’t be allowed to exist.
“Hmm?”
“No matter how I think about it, I’m pretty sure I’ll ruin the exam if I’m on my own……”
“It’s a test where four people are grouped together anyway, right? With your skills, you should be able to support your teammates just fine.”
“No, it’s just…… I thought it would be better to join the group of someone I know rather than getting randomly assigned……”
“Someone you know?”
That was why, unlike the entrance exam, the placement exam grouped people into teams of four. You could either gather your own teammates in advance, or if you had no one, the Academy would randomly assign you. Obviously, gathering your own people was far better than leaving it to chance. It was the only unfair aspect of this exam.
“To be honest, the reason I asked to meet today was because this is so urgent……”
I stared straight at Shannon. She looked pitiful, half-cringing and half-groveling. That only meant she was being foolish. Shannon wasn’t someone who needed to act that way.
She really has no idea how the world works.
Just from the water-element magic she’d used last time, it was clear she had plenty of ability. With skills like that, slipping into another group that had an opening would’ve been easy. Throwing herself into such an excessive display of subservience was nothing more than underestimating her own worth. In the kindest light, it was honesty. In the harshest, it was being a pushover.
I lightly pinched the bridge of my nose.
“What were you planning to do if I’d already gathered my teammates?”
“Huh? D-Don’t tell me there aren’t any spots left?!”
I calmly pulled a business card from my pocket.
Nartica Corporation
- Affiliation: Military Hunter Division, Future Talent Department
- Name: Kang Sian
“Eek?”
He was affiliated with a corporation. That meant he’d probably already confirmed a team with people who had passed through that company. Even the path she’d been counting on was blocked. Shannon’s face crumpled into something close to tears as she sank into despair.
“……I never said there weren’t any spots left.”
She seemed to have misunderstood something. The Nartica kids’ skills were so abysmal that the only ones who had passed were me, Cheon Mari, and one of Mari’s relatives. On top of that, I wasn’t even a full member of Nartica. I only held the parachute title of Provisional Chief Hunter for tax purposes; I was still an outsider.
“Th-Then!”
“That doesn’t mean I can just slot you in whenever I feel like it.”
Of course, having an open spot and actually letting someone in were two different things. Especially when it came to someone who had played a fairly significant role in the game. Shannon had been the protagonist’s friend since their Academy days. If I carelessly brought her in, there was no telling what might happen later. She might not have a positive influence on the protagonist’s mental growth during his Academy life. Or perhaps, left to fend for himself, he would only receive negative influences and end up broken. Considering how the game often mentioned past relationships formed during the Academy that later fell apart, it was a real possibility. If something like a breakup left him mentally devastated, then no matter how many hero candidates I captured, we would still lose to the World Tree. In that case, Cheon Mari would regress, and I would either become a slave or die.
Still, that’s all extremely unrealistic.
Of course, that was only if we considered the absolute worst of the worst of the worst. Before things could spiral that far, I could always intervene and fix it. Besides, if I thought about it again, there was the question of whether things would even reach that point if I just left it alone. Conversely, there was also the question of whether intervening from the start might be better.
If I just guide things so Shannon becomes friends with the protagonist, wouldn’t that take care of itself?
No, if anything, wouldn’t this Irish country girl just become dead weight?
Wouldn’t it be better if I kept Shannon somewhat under control instead?
Either way, if I stayed on good terms with Shannon and Shannon stayed on good terms with the protagonist, then I would genuinely have a reason to bring all sorts of opportunities to the protagonist. Naturally, that could be a huge help when it came time to deal with the hero candidates and head toward a happy ending. Aside from the fact that finding the protagonist in the first place was still a headache, it wasn’t a bad plan. So there was no need to act cold.
Treating her well and winning this lizard over would be far more—
“W-Why……?”
“Shannon, why are you so insistent on joining my group instead of the others?”
“Because you’re strong, Sian……
“That’s an overestimation. There are plenty of people stronger than me.”
“Because you’re the only person I know at the Academy……”
“You can always make new acquaintances. There are plenty of people recruiting online anyway.”
“……”
But she wouldn’t do that. She had already revealed far too much about her current situation and mindset—why would she suddenly start being honest now?
“Besides, if you spring something like this on me so suddenly, it’s hard for me to accept. I have to consider my other teammates’ positions too.”
“Ah……”
On top of everything, all she had done was appeal to emotion without a single attempt at self-promotion. She had bared her weakness so openly that it was practically an invitation to take advantage of her. I had enough of a conscience not to make excessive demands, but I fully intended to secure whatever safeguards I could, just in case.
“In the first place, when forming a team, we also have to consider combat styles. Shannon, your fighting style is—”
“I’m sorry.”
The words came out heavy with gloom and barely suppressed tears. Shannon stood up. For a moment, I thought she was about to leave. If she did, it would be rather inconvenient. Just as I was wondering whether I should stop testing her—
Her pale white palm gently wrapped around mine.
“Please, please, just this once—can’t you help me? I need to get that scholarship. If I don’t receive it, I won’t be able to attend the Academy……”
“A scholarship?”
“You’re incredibly strong, Sian. You can take down a Squire like it’s nothing. Out of all the students I’ve seen, there wasn’t a single one stronger than you.”
“No, that’s……”
“If you let me join, I’ll do anything. I’ll listen to your plans and instructions too. And if that still doesn’t work……”
Her words cut off abruptly. Her mouth closed as if she were too embarrassed to continue. I stared at her. Her ears were gradually turning red.
“If it doesn’t work?”
“Th-Then…… even someone like me……”
Just from the first half, I could already guess what she was about to say. It was an absurd answer in every possible way. I let out a long sigh and shook my head repeatedly.
“Don’t say things like that so carelessly. It looks strange coming from someone as capable as you.”
“But……”
“So if you don’t want to hear this kind of nagging, just follow my instructions without saying anything weird. Got it?”
“Excuse me?”
“Our combat styles are already fairly compatible. And don’t be too scared when we fight.”
“W-Wait a second. Does that mean—”
“Ah, I’ll talk to my teammates about it. You don’t have to worry too much about the team composition.”
It was a sudden agreement, blurted out before things could get any more complicated. What I needed was a sincere declaration that she would listen to me. I had no intention of squeezing any petty material gains out of Shannon. Naturally, the conditions were far better than she had expected, and color returned to her face. The despairing expression she had worn moments ago bloomed into a bright smile.
“Yes! Yes! Even if I die, I’ll follow your every word, Sian!”
“There’s no need to go that far. Just follow along reasonably.”
“No! After receiving such a huge favor, of course I—”
I immediately covered her mouth and shook my head.
“Shannon, what did I just say earlier?”
“Uh…… to follow your instructions?”
“So what should you do when I say something like this?”
“I…… shouldn’t ask any more questions.”
“I’m not that petty. Just let it go and move on. Understood?”
She nodded. I gave her shoulder a light pat, as if to say she’d done well. A little while later, the waiter brought out the food. Overwhelmed by the lavish spread, Shannon couldn’t hold back any longer and began tearfully babbling about how grateful she was and how she would repay this kindness. It was the same pointless repetition as before. Still, it was also proof that she would act with enthusiasm and obedience during the exam. That was enough.
But what am I supposed to do about that last remaining spot?