Chapter 39
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 39
Chapter Title: Final Exam (4)
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A proposal to team up.
Including Helen, six mages turned their attention to Roel.
"Thanks for the offer, but I think I'll be fine on my own."
There was no need to agonize over it.
Roel refused flatly.
Mages despised knights—a fact already confirmed through Helen.
Wasn't the atmosphere here already rejecting her?
Forcing her way into that group would only lead to trouble.
The brown-haired man responded.
"If you're not interested, can't be helped. You'll have to leave."
"That'd be a problem. It's pouring out there."
The light rain had turned into a downpour before she knew it.
Stepping out now wouldn't just mean wet clothes.
"I won't get in your way. Just let me stay until the rain lets up."
The mood grew tense.
An uncomfortable silence filled the cave.
Sharp gazes pierced toward Roel from all sides.
"What if we force you out?"
"I'd resist. And you'd probably be the ones leaving."
She never could've said that at the start of the semester.
It wasn't about strength. She'd changed through all those experiences.
Confidence was likely the root cause.
"Haha, what a fun girl."
The brown-haired man stood up.
The other mages followed suit, watching his lead.
He approached slowly and extended his hand to Roel.
"Let me introduce myself properly. Ted from the Mage Class."
Roel stared piercingly at his hand.
Exchanging names and a handshake wasn't unusual.
But the sudden attitude shift was suspicious.
'He likes my attitude or something...'
As if.
Roel reached out her hand.
Not for a handshake.
"...Good instincts."
She snatched Ted's wrist.
Forcing it to twist revealed a small magic circle etched on his palm.
She had no idea what spell it was. Roel knew nothing about magic.
But she could tell it wasn't anything helpful to her.
"Tricks like this don't work on me."
Did they hate 'knights' this much to resort to such methods?
Roel couldn't understand it.
Mana or aura—it was all just different ways of using mana.
"It worked on the others."
"...So you met others besides me."
"Yeah, I disqualified them myself."
Ted laughed and tried to shake her off.
Roel deliberately held firm, not releasing him.
"Wh-what, let go!"
"Why are you doing this? We could get along as fellow cadets."
Crunch.
The gripped hand began to tremble violently.
Ted's face twisted in pain.
The other mages, sensing something off, started casting attack spells.
A powder keg moment.
Thankfully, no fight broke out.
'...I got too worked up.'
Roel barely calmed herself and released his hand first.
She must've been on edge—unable to control her surge of anger.
"The rain's eased a bit. I'll leave as you wanted."
There was no need to create friction.
She didn't want to stoop to their level.
With that, Roel stepped out of the cave.
"You're just letting her go?"
A short mage approached Ted, who clutched his aching wrist.
Ted glared murderously at the cave entrance.
"Like hell."
If it weren't for the cave, they would've unleashed spells in unison.
She must've realized that and acted tough.
A knight couldn't beat a mage in an open space anyway.
"Knights really are dumb. Doesn't even know what happens if you touch a mage for long."
She had sharp instincts.
He never dreamed she'd notice the magic circle.
But a knight was still a knight.
No need to touch the circle directly—mere contact would trigger the spell.
"I cast a lure spell. Expanded the range with a blessing, so soon all the island's monsters will swarm that bitch."
The perfect bait.
Once the monsters gathered, one max-power spell to wipe them out!
The exam would end early, and they'd claim top scores.
"You don't mean your 'great idea' is...?"
"Kill her?"
"I like it."
The mages burst into laughter.
All of them grinning wide, cackling madly.
A bizarre scene unfolded.
"Wh-what...?"
Helen backed away from the sight.
Her head throbbed with inexplicable confusion.
Is this right?
Even for a knight, using her like this...
'Why did I hate knights in the first place?'
Her pupils trembled.
Her vision shook, nausea rising.
'...I need to get out.'
She had to leave this cave.
Staying longer felt wrong.
Helen hurriedly grabbed her staff.
While they laughed, she tried to slip out.
"Helen, where are you going?"
But she couldn't.
"This is weird..."
Roel tilted her head while dodging a sudden orc punch.
Monsters had been increasing lately.
Was it because she'd gone deep into the island?
Slash.
A light sword swing severed the orc's leg.
Its massive body toppled forward, and another orc lunged from behind.
This kept happening.
One down, another appeared.
And the intervals were shrinking...
"Ugh."
Roel groaned.
The impact from behind was the cause.
She rolled across the ground a few times before scrambling up. A troll stood there.
"A troll too?!"
Her mana-reinforced body spared her major injury.
Training's effects were showing, but no time to rest was the issue.
She'd tire out fast like this.
Better to push hard and finish quick.
Roel drew up her mana.
Hardening her body further, she cloaked her sword in Cleave.
Kiiiiing!!
A shrill noise rang from the blade.
The sword aura spun rapidly, producing the sound.
Troll first—regeneration ability.
Priority set, Roel charged the monsters without hesitation.
Severing the troll's neck in an instant, piercing the orc's heart.
Thud!
Thud!!
With the two behemoths down, Roel could finally relax.
"Whew."
A brief respite.
Find a safe spot now...
Rumble rumble rumble.
A deafening vibration.
Something—many things—rushing this way.
"Ah, come on...!!"
Dozens of boar-like monsters charged straight at her.
Smashing every tree in their path with terrifying momentum.
Roel steadied her stance again.
This would be a long day.
Even after, monsters kept coming.
As if targeting her specifically, they found her no matter where she hid.
She'd figured out those mages were behind it early on, but by the time she returned to the cave, they'd moved.
Injuries kept piling up.
No rest over a minute, no sleep at night.
Monsters increased by the day.
Isolation set in.
"...Damn it."
Maybe she should just give up.
The thought crossed her mind.
"Yeah... I've got plenty of kills. Stopping now should still give decent points..."
She knew that wasn't true.
The rule was survival, not kills—and barely a night had passed.
No way for high scores.
But no other options.
Staying longer might actually kill her.
The professors were probably watching.
Declaring forfeit would bring rescue.
Roel squeezed her eyes shut.
—Roel.
It was then.
—Want help?
The Demon spoke.
Not a hallucination.
The real Demon's voice.
Life returned to Roel's eyes.
"...Not a word until now."
But only briefly.
At her weakest moment, the silent Demon spoke up.
Anyone not a fool would see it.
She absolutely, absolutely could not hand over her body.
—But you were about to give up.
"Just a mood."
Roel stood again.
Monster presences surrounded her.
Attack imminent.
—Don't you want it easy?
"Pass."
—Hand over your body, and I'll handle all the monsters.
"Not just monsters, right?"
—Want a promise then?
Roel didn't hate the Demon, but that didn't mean she'd forgotten the 'village incident.'
Hadn't she vowed?
Never hand over her body again.
"Dream on. You'll stay trapped in me forever."
Roel steeled her resolve.
She couldn't weaken.
If she did, this Demon would escape into the world.
Finally, the hidden monsters attacked.
An especially huge orc.
A two-headed wolf.
A small wyvern circling the sky...
The wolf lunged first.
Roel gripped her sword tight, staring it down.
"...Huh?"
But her body wouldn't move.
Couldn't swing the sword, couldn't even dodge.
A phenomenon she'd experienced before.
The Demon's doing.
"Something like this can't..."
Thwack.
The orc's massive fist struck her nape.
Roel's consciousness faded.
A moment later.
"Nice resolve, Roel."
Once more, the Demon emerged into the world.