The Placement Exam's Conclusion
The exam continued to progress smoothly. Naturally, Yuri, who had been waiting for her turn, was called up with the final group.
"You're going to take first place, right?"
Looking at the other nine candidates, Yuri's victory was practically guaranteed, but since I had already secured my own first place, I couldn't help but tease her a little.
"Obviously."
Yuri replied to my joke with a huff, smoothing down her uniform as she stepped forward to take the exam.
I shouldn't be doing this. But she's just too fun to tease.
Conversing with her in person was far more lively and enjoyable than any dialogue option I had ever selected in the game.
The exam began as Yuri's figure vanished into the illusion magic.
The sheer destructive power of Yuri's fire magic, fueled by her lingering pique, was truly spectacular. Flames erupted violently around the illusionary cadets, vaporizing them one by one. The sight of the cadets turning to ash amidst the roaring inferno lent her magic an almost cruel, merciless quality.
Watching the screen completely engulfed in crimson flames, a sudden thought crossed my mind.
...Did I tease her too much?
I had forgotten because she had been treating me so kindly. On the screen, Yuri incinerated her final opponent and let out a chilling smile. That expression was, without a doubt, the hallmark of the true Yuri Clementine.
It was a side of her both familiar and unfamiliar. Because her attitude toward me had been so different, I kept forgetting. I kept forgetting that beneath her soft exterior lay a capacity for brutally intense wrath.
The exam concluded swiftly with the expected outcome. Having easily secured first place, Yuri marched straight back to me, her face a mask of haughty indifference as she spoke bluntly.
"I got first place. Happy?"
"Haha... No wonder I could hear the crackle of sparks all the way over here," I replied, scratching my cheek.
"Then I suppose we'll be in the same class?"
"...Well, it's not like I got first place just for that, but yes, we will probably be in the same class."
Even after unleashing her fire magic to blow off steam, Yuri's mood hadn't fully recovered. She shot me a sideways glance as she spoke.
...Yuri always did tend to hold a grudge when she got sulky.
It would probably be wise to offer her some strawberry milk later. Thanks to the game's affinity system, I fortunately remembered a lot of the characters' likes and dislikes, especially when it came to food.
"The class placement exams for all cadets have now concluded!"
The instructor in charge of today's proceedings announced the end of the exams in a booming voice.
"The results of the placement exams will be posted on the academy's central bulletin board tomorrow. All cadets are dismissed to return to their dormitories. You have all worked hard. Once again, congratulations on your admission to Innocence Academy."
With that, the placement exam—which felt both long and short—finally came to an end. The cadets began filtering out of the arena, chatting with their friends about their potential results. Occasionally, I noticed groups whispering among themselves while pointing in my direction.
I'm drawing attention.
It wasn't my intention, but in the long run, it wasn't a bad thing. As long as it wasn't for something negative, fame was always an asset. Above all, this would have firmly etched my name into the minds of the main characters. I had made an excellent start.
I spotted Yuri sitting on a bench, bathed in the warm sunlight, waiting for me.
"Did you wait long?"
I approached her and held out a carton of strawberry milk.
"I was wondering what you were up to. Is this... milk?"
Yuri's crimson eyes widened in curiosity.
"I tried some the other day while passing by, and it was actually quite delicious."
Since she had just arrived at the academy, Yuri probably hadn't tried it yet. Eventually, she would become a regular at that shop on her own, but introducing it to her now was a great way to score some affinity points.
I hope this cheers her up a bit.
"...Whoa."
Yuri let out a soft exclamation of awe after taking a sip. But she quickly cleared her throat, adopting a serious expression as she looked at me.
"Ahem. Where did you buy this? Surely... you aren't going to claim you don't know this time either, right?"
"There's a small shop near the main academy building..."
I was about to sit down next to her and explain where the shop was when someone approached us out of nowhere. To be precise, they were looking for me.
"Cadet Zeto. The instructors are looking for you."
It was the instructor who had overseen the exam earlier. The instructors were looking for me?
"If you don't mind, could you come with me for a moment?"
It was a sudden summons. I stood up and looked back and forth between the instructor and Yuri. She gave me a small nod, indicating she would be fine on her own.
"...Understood."
At my response, the instructor turned and led the way, and I followed closely behind. Why would they want to see me? It seemed like events not present in the game were happening more and more frequently.
The instructor stopped in front of the examination monitoring room on the second floor of the arena. I had no idea why they were still here when the exams had already concluded.
Knock, knock.
"I have brought Cadet Zeto."
"Come in."
The door opened with the permission to enter. The moment I stepped into the room behind the instructor, an oppressive weight pressed down on me.
Why is the atmosphere so tense?
The room was filled with several high-profile instructors. Although there was one person who wasn't officially an instructor, his presence made sense, as he was originally set to spectate this placement exam anyway.
As the instructors for this year's batch of cadets, they were characters I would interact with heavily. Yet, none of them spoke a word, choosing instead to silently scrutinize me.
"...I was told you were looking for me."
So, I spoke first. No matter how much I reviewed my actions, I hadn't done anything wrong.
"We watched your exam, Cadet Zeto. It was highly impressive. The reason we summoned you is none other than..."
Kaliman began to speak.
"How did you do it?"
Reina cut in abruptly, interrupting Kaliman. Kaliman glared at her, but she ignored him entirely, clearly used to his scowls.
"...I'm not sure what you mean."
I knew exactly what they were referring to. However, I had no choice but to play dumb. Whether they would buy it was another story.
It was then. Just as Reina was about to speak again, a man standing in the corner of the room moved.
"Chain."
Without warning, he cast a spell at me. A magic circle materialized over his open palm, and iron chains erupted from it, hurtling toward me. However, right in the center of those chains, a red circle—a 'weak point'—was glaringly obvious.
Clang!
Moving on pure instinct, my sword struck the weak point. The incoming chains dissolved into thin air with a soft hiss.
"...What is the meaning of this?"
"Edward!"
Reina immediately snapped at Edward. Edward, who had just launched a spell at me, didn't even blink.
"I was talking first—!"
"Chain."
Edward cut Reina off once more. It was the exact same Chain spell as before. As if experiencing déjà vu, the identical iron chains surged toward me. Yet, there was a subtle difference.
The weak point... I can barely see it...?
I tried to locate the weak point to shatter the magic, but the red circle that had been so vivid just moments ago was now incredibly tiny and faint. I swung my sword, desperately trying to target it, but...
Clang!
Crash!
In the end, I could only deflect the chains. Deflected by my blade, the chains slammed violently into the wall behind me. That man, Edward Klaus, was a reckless wildcard, both in the game and in reality.
"With this, my hypothesis is proven correct."
Edward spoke nonchalantly.
"...Cease these reckless actions, Edward Klaus."
An elderly instructor, known as a veteran instructor in the game, sternly warned Edward.
"Ha. Edward, you did that on purpose, didn't you?"
"Of course."
Reina and Edward bandied words. I couldn't keep up with their conversation. A hypothesis? Had they been testing me? As I stood frozen, filled with confusion, Reina offered an explanation.
"Edward's first Chain just now was intentionally constructed with a very loose, flawed structure. Conversely, the second Chain was woven with extreme precision and density."
Reina paused to catch her breath before speaking in a highly suggestive tone.
"You can actually see it, can't you? The structure of magic."
"..."
When I remained silent in response to Reina's deduction, the other instructors chimed in with their own questions.
"How are you able to see it? No... how are you able to perceive it?"
"It is an ability called Qi Sensing."
An unexpected Q&A session had begun. I scrambled to fabricate a plausible backstory for 'Zeto'—for myself—as quickly as possible.
"Who taught you this 'Qi Sensing'?"
"My master."
"And who is this master?"
"That... I cannot disclose."
"Hmm."
Inventing a non-existent master, I did my best to answer their questions. I figured I didn't need to tell them everything anyway. Everyone has secrets they want to keep, after all. Fortunately, the instructors didn't press any further.
That aside, I wondered who would be the homeroom instructor for Class A, which I was bound to join. In the game, there were three potential homeroom instructors for Class A.
First was Reina, the sharp-featured woman with brown hair. Next to her was Kaliman, the man with the unkempt, stubbly beard. Normally, one of these two would become the homeroom instructor for Class A.
However, there was also Edward, the squinty-eyed man who could be considered a hidden character among the instructors. At the moment, he wasn't officially an instructor. Yet, due to his unique status as the principal's son, Edward would sometimes become the instructor for Class A if certain conditions were met.
These three were childhood friends who had grown up together, classmates who had attended and graduated from the academy together, and comrades-in-arms who had fought side-by-side in the war against the demons. Possessing overflowing talent in their respective fields, they had achieved legendary feats on the battlefield. Consequently, people often grouped them together under a single title:
The Trio of Black Blood.
The name originated from the fact that they had slain so many demons during the war that their clothes were constantly stained with the pitch-black blood characteristic of demons. Because of this, no matter which of them you got as an instructor in the game, you would inevitably get entangled with the other two as well. Personally, I wanted to avoid Edward at all costs. His classes... were far too unpredictable.
The instructors whispered among themselves in voices too low for me to hear, and after a moment, their discussion finally seemed to wind down.
"Cadet Zeto? First, I must apologize on behalf of the instructors for Edward's rude behavior just now. Please understand that he acted out of a desire to test your exceptional abilities."
The veteran instructor bowed his head to me with a solemn voice.
"It's quite alright. I wasn't harmed in any way."
To begin with, a Chain spell devoid of elemental attributes was a basic spell and not particularly offensive. I wasn't injured, and judging by their current attitude, they had jumped to their own convenient conclusions, so I was genuinely fine with it.
"This situation only arose because your abilities were so outstanding that the instructors couldn't suppress their curiosity."
"Ah..."
They were referring to the dispel. Honestly, it was understandable. Even as someone who had played the game for a long time, I couldn't quite define what I had done. For instructors who had survived countless battlefields and skirmishes, it was highly likely a sight they had never witnessed before.
"It is a meager token of our apology... but you seem unaccustomed to handling mana. Take this."
The veteran instructor offered me a bracelet.
"This is..."
"Wearing that bracelet will assist you, even if only a little, in your mana cultivation. I look forward to your future growth."
"I'm only lending it to you, so if you break it, you're dead..."
Reina threatened, glaring at me with a fierce gaze.
The item was the Bracelet of Origin. ...It was an Epic-grade item.
At this level, she really is just lending it to me.
For a "meager token," it was anything but meager. It seemed to be a bracelet that Reina herself used to wear.
◈ Mana Cultivation Efficiency:+20%
◈ Mana Recovery Speed:+15%
"You may leave now. I apologize for taking up your free time."
Finally, I was free. I bowed politely to the instructors and was about to leave the room.
"Zeto, my boy. See you again soon."
Hearing the voice, I turned around to see Edward waving at me with a bright smile. No way...
...Surely not?
I absolutely, positively did not want him as my instructor. Now that the game had become reality, that was something that must never happen.