Chapter 84: Prince Maker (9)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 84: Prince Maker (9)
I heard the field trip was finally drawing to a close.
The moment those words reached my ears, one thought crossed my mind.
“…What exactly did I do?”
It was supposed to be a field trip, but my only memories of Rias were the shocking naming sense of the beastkin, a demon named Mellon or something, and the way that magic sword felt so perfectly balanced in my hand.
“What do you mean, ‘what did you do’? You just extended your relationship with Daisy for another year.”
“Shut up.”
I was trying not to think about it, but that damn Boradori just had to bring up the one thing I wanted to forget.
“Since you’ve extended your term as her boyfriend, I guess you’ll be heading to the Holy Kingdom with her during the break, right?”
He spoke with a sly grin, to which I immediately replied with a deadpan expression.
“I’m not going.”
“…Why not?”
“Why did you think I would?”
Did he really think I’d go all the way to the Holy Kingdom just because we’re in a fake relationship?
How foolish, Boradori.
After all the crap I’ve dealt with during the semester, I’m going to claim my freedom during the break. And since you’ve spent your time being free, you’re the one who’s going to suffer like a dog during the vacation.
“No, I mean, honestly, the Holy Kingdom restoration is over. There’s nothing dangerous left, you know? You could just go for a trip.”
Seeing him get so fidgety only made me want to go even less.
“I’m absolutely not going.”
“Aw, why?!”
Why? Because the Pope himself came all the way to the Empire just to get a look at the Saintess’s boyfriend. I was terrified of what might happen to me if I actually set foot in the Holy Kingdom.
“A prospective Cardinal like you should be the one going.”
“I told you I’m not doing that!”
As I felt the end of my first year approaching, it was time to prepare for the final exam of the field trip.
“Another team project?”
Our faculty had set a team project as the final exam—a format where loners simply couldn't survive.
“I heard the details. It was intentional.”
At Uncle Aeryun’s words, I narrowed my eyes and asked, “What kind of intention? A plan to kill off anyone without social skills?”
“Exactly.”
“…What?”
When I froze at his unexpected answer, Uncle Aeryun let out a deep sigh and explained the professors' reasoning.
“You might think it’s biased, but let’s say there’s a student who’s popular and social, and another who’s a loner with zero social skills. Which one do you think a Dark Mage would try to seduce?”
“The latter, I assume?”
“Right. That’s why they keep pushing team projects. It forces everyone to form a group, one way or another.”
In short, they were forcing party play to make friends for those who didn't have any.
“…For some people, that might be even more hurtful.”
“As long as their personal hurt can prevent a threat to the Empire, the professors don't care.”
And so, the students were exposed to the professors' unintentional malice.
However, the moment everyone started looking for teammates, I realized something.
“Ah, our group is already full.”
“I naturally assumed you’d be in a group with Ellen.”
“Weren’t you in Daisy’s group?”
“I thought Adam would obviously be…”
“……Wait?”
I thought it would be hard for people who didn't know anyone to find a group.
But surprisingly, it was also hard for someone who knew too many people. Or, to be more precise…
“There are no spots left?”
I had made the mistake of being too complacent.
“……”
I thought I had managed my Academy life well. Therefore, the thought of not being able to join a group never even crossed my mind.
The problem was that everyone else thought the same thing.
He’ll probably join that group.
He’s not saying anything, so he must have a group already, right?
Everyone assumed as much and didn't ask me, and since I didn't take the initiative to ask if there were any spots left…
“……”
I ended up in a group with the other people who had failed to find one.
It was suffocating.
I hadn't realized it because I’d been hanging out with the RoFan crew lately, but seeing my teammates—who, unlike the voluntary RoFan crowd, wouldn't utter a single word—I couldn't help but resent the professors.
“For the sake of the exam, I need to know everyone’s combat capabilities beforehand.”
Getting a high grade wasn't the priority, but I had to at least avoid failing. Of course, I’d heard that given the nature of Rias, they’d give you multiple chances even if you failed, but I didn't want to deal with that hassle. It was better to put in enough effort to get a decent grade.
“First off, I’m Adam Smith from the Swordsmanship Department.”
“……”
“……”
“……”
Fuck, should I just pick a fight with them using a wolfkin mindset? That would probably reveal their strength and maybe make them act a bit more friendly.
Just as I was thinking I might die of frustration from being the only one talking in a group of ten…
“…Mage.”
A gloomy-looking male student in the corner raised his hand and stated his class.
I couldn't hear anything clearly except for the word "Mage," but compared to the others who were acting like mutes, he was an angel.
“Do you want to be the team leader?”
“……”
I offered him the position, but seeing him immediately shut his mouth made me sigh.
Normally, people would expect me to take the lead in this situation, but not a chance. If they hated being the leader that much, I just had to use that against them.
“If you all keep staying silent, I’m just going to appoint someone at random.”
“……!”
At the threat of being forced into leadership if they didn't speak, panicked glances began to dart around.
“Ah, well.”
“My name is…”
Some of them, perhaps just finding it too bothersome, started blurting out their names, classes, and specialties. Others, who seemed to be genuine extreme introverts, began introducing themselves awkwardly.
“Six swordsmen and four mages…”
The class balance was actually quite good.
…But what was the point of a good balance? These guys couldn't even meet each other's eyes, let alone coordinate.
“Then, I’ll be the leader for now.”
Phew.
Hearing sighs of relief from all around, I clutched my throbbing head and said just one thing.
“Please, just cooperate during the exam.”
You guys don't want to get held back a year either, right?
Perhaps my feelings reached them, as they all nodded. However…
“Fuck.”
On the day of the exam, seeing a teammate pouring mana into a suspicious magic circle right in front of me, I couldn't help but swear.
Rewinding a bit to the morning of the exam.
The final exam was a culmination of everything we had done at Rias so far.
What that meant was…
“As previously announced, the exam will be a team event. Bonus points will be awarded in the order of who completes the dungeon exploration first.”
Team battle. Deathmatch. Interference with other teams allowed.
If you were unlucky, you might open a room with a professor inside and have to engage them in combat.
While various factors were considered for extra points, the most important thing was to quickly finish the exploration and return.
Because the exam was cluttered with such conditions, I was certain of one thing.
We won’t even make it to the middle.
If I had the magic sword, it might be different, but my fake girlfriend refused to lend it to me, saying she had to do well on her own exam.
That meant, if I was unlucky, I might run into Daisy wielding that magic sword during the exam. Having used it a few times, I was sure of it: that sword was a disaster. Especially for swordsmen like us.
So, I planned a route that would allow us to finish the exploration as quickly as possible while avoiding the RoFan crew.
Even with the extra points available, looking at the state of my teammates, I wasn't even sure if we could finish the exploration safely.
Well, the one silver lining was…
“It’s an Orc.”
“M-Magic, prepare.”
“One down. Finished.”
It seemed their Academy training hadn't gone to waste; their skills were better than I expected. They were capable enough to easily handle the Orcs popping out of the dungeon.
“Hmm. Then.”
Moreover, while they didn't talk, they followed instructions well. They followed my unconventional route without a single word of complaint.
That was why I didn't notice it immediately.
“…Where did one of us go?”
The fact that one person had deserted in the middle of the run.
“Huh?”
“Um.”
“W-who was it?”
The atmosphere suddenly turned into a horror movie, but fortunately, one teammate had a good memory.
“A-ah, they were here until the last fork in the road.”
The voice was barely louder than a crawling ant, but since everyone else was practically mute, I was glad I could at least hear that much.
I immediately headed back to the previous fork and took the other path.
“……”
“……”
Fortunately, I found the missing teammate.
“What is that?”
But I had caught them red-handed, drawing a magic circle that looked suspicious no matter how you looked at it.
“Eek!”
The teammate, who had been watching me silently for a moment, hurriedly injected mana into the circle.
“Die, all of you!”
Fuck, what is it this time?
Out of habit, I kicked the guy away and then tried to break the magic circle by channeling mana into my sword.
But the mana-infused circle had already begun to activate, emitting an eerie sound.
“Fuck, what is this?!”
I shouted while stepping on the fallen teammate, but he only let out a creepy laugh and muttered.
“With this, all those bastards who ignored me will…”
Creeeak.
Space began to distort, and the magic circle started vomiting out something black.
The problem was…
“……”
“……”
The speed was incredibly slow.
It was being summoned starting from the feet, but even after thirty seconds, it had only reached the knees.
“Huh?”
The teammate who had summoned it looked up at me with an even more bewildered expression than mine. But I no longer viewed this guy as a human being.
“Alright. You have two choices.”
Fire sword.
Ice sword.
Ever since I took the Yin-Yang Pill and gained the ability to handle heat and cold, I’d been carrying two swords just for the aesthetic.
“Which one do you want to get hit by?”
Fortunately, it looked like I finally had a reason to use them.
“Wow.”
I couldn't help but be impressed.
The disregard, oppression, and persecution my teammate supposedly suffered in the Magic Department? Not my business. In fact, objectively speaking, it felt more like a persecution complex.
What I was impressed by was…
“Why do these guys even learn things like Dark Magic?”
I was impressed by the diligence and sincerity of the Dark Mages who sought out such a person, handed them a modified magic circle they could actually understand, and tried their best to cause an incident at the Academy.
Seriously, if these guys had just learned regular magic and worked this hard, they probably would have all become Archmages. Why waste all that effort and sincerity on something like Dark Magic?
“I really don't get it.”
I let out a sigh as I injected cold energy into the summoned foot that was trembling. Since it was only summoned up to the knees, I could attack it as much as I wanted.
“Talk about bad luck…”
The Dark Mages' plan was quite meticulous, but the problem was that the person they seduced was a total bottom-tier student even by Academy standards. Even as a non-mage, I knew how delicate a magic circle was, but this guy had tried to summon Dark Mages using a half-baked circle in a panicked state.
“He was already lacking in basic skills, and the environment wasn't exactly conducive to concentration…”
It would have been better if the summoning had just failed; then this tragedy wouldn't have happened. But because he was mediocrely successful, he managed to summon them with this ridiculous delay.
“First, shall I start by slicing off the ankles?”
As if it could hear me, the foot that didn't have a sword stuck in it began to move frantically, but there was nowhere for a half-summoned Dark Mage to run.
“Now then.”
I looked at the teammate whose face was half-collapsed from my kick. He was busy drawing an additional magic circle, smiling awkwardly.
“Let’s finish the summoning.”
Since things had turned out like this, I might as well get some credit for this.