Chapter 95
Chapter 95
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: 94. Knight Evaluation Match (3)
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Knights from all over the capital gathered to receive their evaluations.
They headed to the sub-palace, the site of the first round, right on time.
Was it because the princesses were serving as judges this year?
The knights were buzzing with excitement at the thought of showing off their skills before the imperial family.
My senior, walking with me to the sub-palace, was no different.
"Hua..."
She stood beside me, hand pressed to her chest.
Miya, dressed in her navy uniform and short skirt, took deep breaths over and over to steady herself.
"Why are you so tense?"
I yawned and stretched.
Miya eyed me with a catlike, curious glint.
"What... You're awfully relaxed?"
"It's just the mid-year evaluation anyway. Even low scores won't be a big deal."
She clicked her tongue at me.
"You've got it easy—total civil servant mindset."
She let out a heavy sigh.
She looked seriously on edge.
It made sense, though.
For a fallen noble like Miya, earning high marks from the imperial family was crucial.
She probably wanted to transfer to the imperial guard with top scores and revive her house.
"The first test is mana control, right?"
"Yeah, no need to worry."
I glanced down at my tense senior.
My gaze fixed on the solid mana gathered at the center of her chest.
"With your skills, you'll get great marks."
Had I been too distracted lately with the princesses?
Miya had undergone several changes herself.
Her mana was stronger than when we'd first met, thanks to her steady training.
At this level, she could almost qualify as a mid-level expert.
"Really?"
"Of course. You've gotten way stronger since I last saw you."
I grinned and patted her shoulder.
Emboldened, she closed her eyes and lifted her chin proudly.
"You bet. I've been grinding away at my training whenever I could."
She was like a black cat puffed up with praise, strutting ahead confidently.
I followed her lead into the sub-palace.
'First time here since the knighting ceremony. It's been a while.'
The interior had all desks and chairs cleared out for the exam.
It felt like stepping into a vast ballroom.
Knights had already gathered there.
From imperial knights to eastern knights.
Top talents from across the capital.
'TOTAL of twenty, huh.'
I quietly observed the other knights who'd be taking the test with me.
Their mana was solid enough, but most had bloated it with elixirs and luck.
Big muscles that couldn't lift any real weight—soft all the way through.
The eastern knights were a bit better, improved thanks to the training with Tau that I'd overseen.
I was admiring them fondly when...
An unpleasant gaze made me turn my head.
It came from the imperial knights and the Crimson Flame knights.
They scowled arrogantly, clearly unhappy about taking the test alongside the Water Defense Division.
"The Water Defense Division showed up too?"
"Yeah, hope we don't get dragged down by them."
Had Camilla's recent expose on the lazy Water Defense seniors tanked our image?
Whatever. It didn't matter.
After seeing Miya today, those preconceptions would vanish.
But contrary to my expectations, Miya looked seriously anxious.
"Ugh... What about Veil?"
She gripped her hands tightly and asked me, face full of worry.
"Is something wrong?"
'Her body and mana look fine.'
I tilted my head as I asked, and Miya replied in a trembling voice.
"W-We’re in the very front row! We'll stand out too much!"
'Oh, that kind of issue.'
"It's the chance to catch the higher-ups' eyes, just like you wanted."
I placed both hands on her shoulders to reassure her.
Then I gently massaged them.
"I guess so..."
She swallowed hard.
My massage embarrassed her, so she rubbed at the corner of her eye with a finger.
"The first judge is that lady..."
As she started to continue...
The sturdy wooden doors burst open.
The sub-palace air, thick with the knights' tension, froze cold.
Stiff military boot steps echoed with the chill.
￣￣￣.
The First Imperial Princess, hands clasped behind her back, wand in hand.
Lea made her entrance.
Her aide, Damian, accompanied her to assist with the evaluation.
Her blue eyes sparkled beneath her uniform cap.
A pristine white uniform hugged her body, paired with a short skirt.
Black stockings peeked out below.
Miya stared intently at those stockings.
"Hey, Veil."
"Yeah?"
"Doesn't Lea seem to be paying more attention to her clothes lately?"
My senior asked me with that catlike glint again.
Her bobbed hair even perked up like it sensed something.
"Dunno. It's the same white uniform, isn't it?"
I gazed steadily at Lea, who had halted in the center of the sub-palace.
"Look. Normally, she wears standard white stockings to match the uniform..."
Miya pointed at Lea, standing with hands behind her back.
"But today, she's in priestly black lace ones."
I followed her gaze downward.
Black stockings climbing just above her knees.
Mature. Sensual.
They made the bare skin of her thighs above them stand out even more.
"She's dating someone these days~."
Miya grinned innocently.
But her smile vanished in an instant.
Because the First Imperial Princess's eyes suddenly fixed on us.
She stared impassively at me, hand on Miya's shoulder.
Then, dismissing us, she spoke in a cold voice.
"Pleased to meet you all. I am Lea Andalusia, overseeing the first subject of this mid-year evaluation."
The knights bowed their heads in unison at her words.
Normally they'd applaud, but out of respect for imperial blood, they showed extra deference.
"As you know, I value efficient evaluations over mere formalities."
The princess raised the wand she'd held behind her.
With a grim, expressionless face, she declared:
"So, this test will be a simple physical enhancement via mana control."
Lea swung her wand in a circle through the air.
A small breeze stirred at first...
Soon, the growing gusts began shaking the sub-palace.
"Your goal is to withstand my wind. Fall, and you're out. We'll stop when five remain."
￣￣￣￣￣￣￣!!
The savage roar of wind battered the interior.
The twenty knights standing in formation had their hair whipped wildly.
"Grk..."
They began channeling mana through their bodies.
"Wh-What...? What kind of barbaric evaluation is this?!"
But caught off guard by the unfamiliar ordeal...
They panicked, nothing like their usual sword spars.
And that was all part of Lea's plan.
When facing enemy mages.
This was basic training for countering their nature spells.
The First Imperial Princess eyed the trembling imperial knights with pity.
"Haa... As expected of Princess Lea..."
Miya murmured, face pale with fear.
But even as she spoke, she focused and began enhancing her body.
She spread the blue glow from her chest center across her whole form for defense.
Textbook. Stable.
I watched comfortably, still concealing my presence.
"Hraaagh!!"
In the end, two Crimson Flame knights juiced on spirit pills collapsed first.
They shivered on the floor, cursing Lea's brutal test.
"Urgh..."
The imperial knights fared no better.
One dropped to a knee first, the other struggling to hold on.
As dropouts piled up...
Lea strolled leisurely through the gale, her mature eyes calm.
'As expected of a mage...'
Still at ease in parade rest, mana hidden...
I worriedly glanced at the shaking Miya.
"Senior."
"Y-Yeah...!"
She panted, holding firm.
I advised her calmly.
"Focus more of that full-body mana on your lower half."
"O-Okay...!"
True to her veteran status, she adjusted quickly.
But it still wasn't enough.
Lea's wind magic intensified.
At this power, only a mid-level expert—a five-year veteran—could endure.
'Why's she suddenly raising the bar like this...?'
Lea halted before me, meeting my eyes.
She flicked her wand teasingly, blasting stronger wind right at me.
My uniform jacket flapped furiously.
Even my inner shirt shook, exposing my collarbone.
'Guh...! What's her deal all of a sudden?'
I scowled.
Glaring at the mischievous First Imperial Princess, I hid my mana to the max.
"Veil Mikhail."
She pressed the wand to her lips, eyeing me oddly.
With a wicked smirk, she said:
"Since you've taken part of my body, you should show something more impressive, right?"
She meant the mana I'd borrowed at my place.
So petty!
The princess stared fixedly at my flapping collarbone.
Then she scanned my whole body...
Smiling in satisfaction, she brushed past me.
Lea stopped next before Miya.
Her gaze was icy cold, unlike with me.
"We've met before, haven't we?"
Lea teased the already struggling Miya.
It worried me.
Imperial family members got instant replies.
"Yes, we have!"
Miya endured stubbornly and answered.
"You're holding up well. I wasn't planning to pass anyone."
Lea glanced around the sub-palace, now down to six survivors.
"This is nothing. As an imperial knight, I can endure it!"
Miya's eyes flashed through her whipping black hair.
Lea grew even colder.
"Hmm... Very well."
She concentrated mana at her wand's tip.
The wind raged fiercer.
Even the sub-palace windows rattled.
This intensity demanded upper-level expert defenses.
"Show me, then. That patriotism of yours."
I sighed at her overly harsh standards.
I shot a look at the worried aide Damian, who'd been watching.
'Get your boss to ease up!'
The bespectacled man nodded.
He shielded himself with mana and approached the princess slowly.
"Um... Your Highness Lea. Five remain."
Lea narrowed her eyes at his words.
With a reluctant look, she halted the spell.
￣￣￣.
The wind died, and the sub-palace fell quiet again.
Only the groans of fallen knights echoed.
Yet Miya stood firm, unbowed.
"Haa..."
Her tousled bob made her look like a lightning-struck cat.
Lea regarded her steadily.
Then she placed a hand on Miya's shoulder.
"Impressive physical enhancement, Miss Miya."
"Thank you...! Your Highness!"
Miya beamed as the princess's hand touched her shoulder—a mark of honor.
"I'll keep an eye on you from now on."
Lea brushed past with impassive eyes.
She stepped back, ending the evaluation.
Group A: 5 out of 20 passed.
Of the capital's 300 knights, only 80 survived Lea's test.
Miya turned her head slightly.
She looked at me and grinned wide.
"Did you hear, Veil? The First Imperial Princess is going to keep an eye on me!"
An innocent black kitten.
I gazed at her with pity.
"Senior, that doesn't sound like a good thing..."
Somehow, I felt she'd suffer because of me from now on.
I glanced at Lea.
The princess's gaze was on me.
I followed it down my body.
Then I realized.
She'd been peeking at my loose shirt interior.
I swallowed hard and looked up.
Meeting Lea's eyes—greedier than usual.
Like she wanted something from me.
"Se-Senior. Let's hurry to the second round site."
I quickly nudged Miya's back.
"Huh? What's up?"
"Nothing! Just wanna get going!"