Chapter 20
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: Midterm Exam (2)
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I sit at the desk, staring at the screen.
It's a routine that's been going on for nearly a month now.
Yeah, it's been over a month since I've been with Roel.
It's only natural that I've grown fond of her.
"I believe in you, Demon."
And thanks to that, I'm screwed.
She believes in me?
Me? Trusts me?
But I'm the Inner Evil?
"This kind of scene is supposed to happen in the latter half of the story..."
I rub my dry face.
I have to rub my face with my bare hands three times before I can look at the screen again.
Let me say it clearly.
This is all my fault.
The System warned me, but I didn't listen properly. That's on me.
"Did I act too carelessly?"
A sigh escapes me naturally.
I admit it. Even to me, I've been behaving too nicely all this time.
It wasn't like there were no opportunities at all, so it's more accurate to say I "didn't" do it rather than "couldn't."
But...
"That's not easy, though..."
Honestly, "evil deeds" aren't that simple either.
I'm just an ordinary person who liked novels.
You are the Inner Evil.
"..."
Today, the System felt like it was mocking me.
As if it were saying, "I told you you couldn't do it."
For a moment, regret surged up, but I forcibly cut off those thoughts.
No point in letting the mood darken—it's only hurting me.
Anyway, if things continue like this, I'll definitely get another warning.
The Suggestion Box didn't explain what accumulated warnings would lead to, but I could tell it wouldn't be anything good for me.
In the end, I have to change my behavior.
I can't switch suddenly. As I said last time, that would be unnatural.
Besides, with Roel as she is now, there's room for her to interpret it positively even if I force it, so I want to proceed as cautiously as possible.
"This is tough."
No good ideas came to mind.
It has to be natural, without room for misunderstanding, and Roel can't break down because of it.
Damn, those are harsh conditions.
If I'd acted like a demon from the start, maybe it would have been easier.
Maybe, but at this point, after it's all happened, it doesn't matter.
"Should I use the Avatar?"
From using it last time, I learned that actions through the Avatar don't convert to Points.
In a way, it's a natural outcome. The Avatar exists "outside the inner self," after all.
"...Put it on hold for now."
The Avatar would definitely help, but I couldn't think of how to use it.
I need to mull it over more.
The good news is I haven't gotten a warning yet.
The moment "right before" the situation hits and "after" it happens are clearly different.
"I need a trigger."
An appropriate trigger would be ideal.
Something that wouldn't seem strange even if I suddenly change.
"Oh, right..."
This midterm exam.
People from the Church are coming too, right?
Exam waiting room.
Ahead of her match, Roel was taking time to loosen up her tension.
"I'm nervous..."
Sera and Laila were in the waiting room with her.
Normally, regulations wouldn't allow it, but after the last incident, she was receiving special privileges.
"Do you think I can do well?"
Roel's words carried a hint of anxiety.
Sera replied indifferently.
"Why are you asking me?"
"Because Sera's my friend."
"What? Since when am I your friend?"
Her prickly attitude was familiar now.
She's just embarrassed, probably. Somehow, she even reminds me a bit of the Demon.
"...The fact that you're even worrying about that is ridiculous to begin with."
"Huh? Why?"
"..."
A sigh of exasperation.
Roel tilted her head, expressing her doubt at the reaction.
"Anyway, just go in with a light heart. That'll be best."
"Mm, got it."
It was about time.
Roel stood from her seat and approached Laila.
"Laila, I'm up for my match now."
"Eek, already...?"
Laila, who had been dozing off, stretched while still lying down.
"Do your best."
"Thanks."
She left the waiting room.
Still nervous, but it was okay.
Everyone was cheering her on.
"My first opponent is that guy."
She passed through the corridor and stepped into the arena.
The spectators surrounding her on all sides—their gazes prickled against her skin like sharp sensations.
Roel's first opponent was a man named Leo Tegmet.
His distinguishing feature was...
"Hey, this is the first time we're talking face-to-face, right?"
He was the one who took first place in the early Academy ranking exam.
"I've been watching you the whole time. During training, during lectures."
"...Me?"
"Yeah, you're super famous. Even the magic class kids probably know your name."
The Academy doesn't divide cadets solely by grade.
Knight class and magic class. Cadets receive different classes based on their specialties.
"That's why I wanted to talk to you. But that 'Mad Dog' was always stuck to your side, so I couldn't get a word in."
"Mad Dog" was a nickname she'd never heard before.
But Roel instantly guessed it referred to Sera.
Sera's been called Mad Dog, huh...
"Finally, I get to cross swords with you."
Leo drew his sword.
Not a wooden sword or training blade—a real one.
Midterms are conducted in a more realistic combat format, so real weapons are used.
It's riskier, but with the professors watching, safety concerns were minimal.
"I'll say this upfront. I won't give you time to use Cleave. Unlike Laila, I won't fall for cheap ambushes."
Roel flinched.
Her senses, sharpened through numerous battles, told her he meant every word.
A worry suddenly crept in.
He was rank one, after all.
Could she, who still couldn't handle Cleave properly, defeat this man?
"...Hoo."
Roel glared with fierce eyes.
She drew her sword and took her stance.
It wasn't "can I win." She had to win.
To become a Hero, she had to be stronger than everyone else.
"I'm ready."
The referee professor was Patrick.
He glanced at Roel, then began chanting the duel incantation.
"If things overheat, all professors will intervene. So fight without worry."
One, two, three.
At the signal, the two charged at each other simultaneously.
The clash of metal echoed through the entire arena.
At a glance, it looked like Roel was being overwhelmingly pushed back.
Leo kept up the relentless assault, while Roel only defended.
In truth, Roel was extremely flustered right now.
"Wh-what...?"
Leo was outstanding.
His speed and precision were incomparable to any cadet below second rank.
As expected of number one. Probably all the spectators were focused on him.
But, somehow...
It felt different to Roel.
Something's... slow.
She could see every move.
Where he was aiming, where the openings were, even what attack would come next—she knew it all.
Leo moved exactly according to her predictions, without the slightest deviation.
Clang!
His attacks too.
Heavy, sure, but threatening? Hmm.
It felt like she could just take it with her body.
Is he going easy on me?
That won't do.
Roel moved her sword.
Kiiing.
"Kuh...!"
"Leo."
She applied a bit of strength to lock his sword in place.
Then, in a gentle tone, she said,
"You don't have to hold back. Go all out! Got it?"
Roel didn't know.
The sheer magnitude of her growth during the demon incursion.
Thus, she was terribly "misjudging" her opponent's and her own abilities right now.
"...What?"
She also didn't know.
How her words just now had landed as an insult to him.
"Y-you just...!"
Leo unleashed his Blessing to its maximum.
His Blessing was "Blessing of the Earth."
The ability to manipulate any material of "earth" that his hands touched, without restrictions.
Rumble rumble rumble.
The ground began to shake as if an earthquake had struck.
Roel gripped her sword tighter with a bright smile.
Finally, full power.
At last, the trembling ground flipped over.
The arbitrarily clumped and hardened earth formed a massive fist and flew at Roel.
It was destructively enormous.
"Eh, is this his full power...?"
But compared to the wolf demon's charge...
Honestly, it looked pathetic.
She clenched her fist.
Infused it with mana, and thrust with all her might.
Leo's Blessing shattered to pieces like that.
"Impossible..."
Seeing Leo's despairing expression, Roel finally realized her "verbal slip."
"S-sorry!"
Apologizing sincerely, she slammed her fist into the number one's solar plexus with full force.
"Gahk!"
Leo flew back, rolling across the ground a few times before crashing into the wall.
"Uh... I-I didn't hit that hard..."
Silence fell over the arena.
Shock, confusion, awe, astonishment.
A murmur filled with countless emotions began rising from the spectator seats.
"...Roel, victory."
Patrick declared.
Roel alternated glances between her fist and Patrick, then fled the arena.
Perhaps it was an obvious outcome.
Roel's experience was on a different trajectory from the other cadets.
No cadet could hold their own against a full-powered high demon.
The first match ended just like that.
And with the arena in ruins, the midterm exams were temporarily suspended.