Chapter 114
Chapter 114
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 114
Chapter Title: Four Weeks Later
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I change my clothes in the infirmary.
“…It's a bit big.”
Why do these damned training uniforms only come in sizes too big or too small?
Still, big is better than small.
At least I can tighten it with buttons or strings.
Among the initiates, that guy Karis wore particularly small clothes; his pants were so tight they looked absurd.
Just then, I heard a knock.
“I'm coming in.”
“Yes.”
The door swung open, and Junian appeared.
What was there to hide?
The one who dismissed the knights swarming like a cloud was our very own doctrinal instructor—Junian.
“……”
Junian looked at me with a very complicated expression.
He then instinctively fumbled in his coat and pulled out a cigarette.
*Fssshk—.*
“Hooo……”
Junian exhaled a cloud of smoke and finally spoke.
“…Ruan Bednicker. It's you, right?”
“Of course. Why are you acting so strange? We just saw each other yesterday.”
“Just yesterday.”
Junian let out a low laugh.
“Do you really not know? Or are you just playing dumb?”
“What are you—.”
Junian stared at my face for a moment before speaking bluntly.
“Today is the last week of the training retreat.”
“What?”
“It's already been four weeks since you went missing.”
What?
* * *
I got the gist of the situation.
In summary, it was this:
That night—Kaljak, who had been forcibly removed from the battle, soon returned to the clearing with Junian and Luke, but…
all they found were traces of the fight, with no sign of anyone.
Since finding a missing person in a dark forest is nearly impossible, they postponed the special test the next day and launched a massive search—
but naturally, they couldn't find a shadow of me or Juan.
Even after searching the entire camp for three whole days.
“For your information, the Sword Master Teacher is still looking. He goes out whenever he doesn't have instructor duties.”
“Hmm.”
Does he feel guilty about what happened to me?
It was only natural.
I don't know what his past with Juan was, but to put it coldly, the well-laid plan fell apart because of Kaljak's independent decision.
Honestly, if anyone other than Kaljak had caused this mess, I would have gone and smacked them on the head.
‘I owe him my life from the mountains, so I'll let it slide this once.’
Then, Junian spoke.
“Then it got noisy outside, and when I went to check, there you were, surrounded by knights. Tell me. What in the world happened?”
Where do I even begin to explain this?
As I remained silent, feeling a sense of vagueness, Junian's expression shifted slightly.
“…Among the Cult's dark arts, there's one that steals the body of a perfectly healthy person. It's not easy against someone with a Blessing, but it's not impossible.”
It's been a while since I've been suspected of this.
“You're gravely mistaken. Alright, I'll talk. What happened was……”
I briefly explained what had happened to me.
“……”
Junian's personality was probably cool and composed by nature.
But as he listened to my story, his expression changed from moment to moment.
The suspicion and doubt on his face gradually gave way to surprise, then bewilderment, and finally, utter shock.
“…You went to Hell? And you met the Demon King there?”
“Yes.”
“Do you have any idea what you're saying right now?”
“It sounds crazy, but it's all true.”
“Haaaa……”
I tried to console Junian, who had slumped into a chair and buried his face in his hands.
“I know. It's hard to believe. If I'd known, I would have picked up a rock from Hell or something—.”
“It's also a difficult situation not to believe.”
Junian peeked at me through his fingers and said.
“The Sword Master Teacher said it. He saw you confronting the High Priest head-on. If that's true… then it makes… I, it makes sense……”
Just as he was about to accept it, Junian looked at me and shouted.
“No, fuck! But the Demon King is still too much!”
“I admit it.”
I nodded calmly.
As a current priest, it must be even harder for Junian to accept.
If I had heard this story from another initiate, I would have called bullshit too.
“The Demon King……. Even our bishops have probably never seen him……”
“Hmm……”
“But… yes. I can believe you went to Hell. If you went to another dimension, it would explain why we couldn't even find your body despite searching so hard, and why you suddenly reappeared weeks later.”
“That's right. I don't lie.”
“That's a lie.”
Gasp.
“I understand the situation. It's late to say this, but… I'm glad you're alive, Ruan Bednicker.”
“Don't mention it. More importantly, what happened with Juan? Judging by the atmosphere, it seems like it hasn't been made public.”
“For now, yes. If it was confirmed that a High Priest was involved, the whole training retreat would be overturned, so we were told to just keep it quiet.”
“By whom.”
“Lord Asad.”
I see.
Coming from a grand mage, it seems Junian just accepted it.
“So, this whole incident will most likely be kept under wraps……”
Junian wore a dissatisfied expression for some reason, then looked at me and said.
“Aren't you angry?”
“Angry about what?”
“You practically killed the High Priest by yourself. From what I heard, the Sword Master Teacher was more of a hindrance than anything else.”
That's true.
“Killing a High Priest at your age is an achievement even the Iron-Blooded Duke couldn't accomplish in his youth. If this gets out, your infamy will vanish in an instant. The position of the next Family Head wouldn't be just a dream either.”
“I'm not interested in either.”
I meant it.
My head is about to explode just thinking about my Eldest Martial Brother. The Family Head? Not a chance.
“…How humble. Are you satisfied with silently cleaning up the mess in the shadows?”
Not really.
“Ruan Bednicker. I've been watching you, and I feel a sense of kinship with you. How about it? Won't you become an inquisitor—.”
“I'm fine.”
“…Right.”
Junian said with a sullen look.
“Anyway… you'll be returning to the main family house first.”
“What? Right now?”
“I heard the family is already proceeding with your funeral arrangements. If you don't go back soon, you'll be socially dead.”
No way.
“And you'll have to explain the situation to the Council of Elders, too.”
“Ugh……”
I don't have a single good feeling left for this family's Council of Elders.
Unlike the Iron-Blooded Duke or Asad, for whom there's at least some room for consideration.
“Then what about the training retreat?”
“What training retreat.”
“You said it's the last week, right? The retreat isn't over yet. If I leave now, won't I fail to complete it?”
“Is completion really the problem right now? Besides, even if you stick it out, you won't be able to complete it.”
“Why not.”
“You were gone for over four weeks, and you expect to complete the program by only attending the first and last weeks? This is the Bednicker family, not some neighborhood martial arts school. No way in hell.”
“……”
Come to think of it, there was also a condition for completion: earning 5 points in each subject for a total of 20 points.
Meaning it would be difficult to meet that requirement in such a short amount of time.
“Isn't there any way? I really need to complete it.”
“Why.”
“It's an order from the Family Head.”
“U-uhm… The Iron-Blooded Duke's……”
At the mention of the Iron-Blooded Duke's name, Junian seemed slightly flustered, then furrowed his brow in thought.
“…There is one way.”
“What is it?”
“You just have to place in the top three of the point rankings. Then attendance days and subject scores won't matter.”
I thought for a moment before asking.
“Can I see the overall scoreboard?”
“It should be posted on the first floor of the Initiate's Hall. Go check it out.”
“I'll do that.”
I went with Junian to the first floor of the Initiate's Hall and looked at the bulletin board there.
[1st. Karon Woodjack 102 points.
2nd. Zeros Silvere 67 points.
3rd. Hector Bednicker 65 points.
4th. Shinba 51 points.
5th. Seren Goodspring 49 points.]
“Oho……”
First off, Karon was in the lead with an overwhelming score.
Hector, who had narrowed the gap with second place, and Seren, who was in the top five, stood out.
While I was at it, I checked the scores of a few others I was curious about.
[9th. Evan Helvin 39 points.]
[22nd. Mir Giant. 27 points.]
And my long-awaited score was…….
[34th. Ruan Bednicker 14 points.]
“Huh? The last time I checked, I had 17 points.”
I looked at Junian with a 'give them back' expression, and he took something out of his coat.
It was a small notebook.
*Fwip—.*
“Ruan Bednicker……. There's a transaction record with Zeros Silvere. Says you bought information for 3 points.”
“Ah.”
I forgot about that.
“By the way… my score is that low, but I'm still not last.”
“There are 37 people in total. You're practically last.”
“37 people?”
“Two died while you were gone.”
“Ah……”
The unexpected news was a bit of a shock.
Come to think of it, even if we stopped the Demon King's advent ritual, the inherent danger of this training retreat doesn't just disappear.
The 20 percent death rate is still in effect.
“Why the long face? This is a record low for deaths.”
“I can't exactly smile after hearing someone died.”
“That's true, but this class has had remarkably few deaths. Everyone was exceptional.”
“Isn't it a bit early to judge when it's not over yet?”
Junian shook his head.
“Statistically, the probability of more deaths is very low. Most fatalities occur during the initial adjustment period in the first and second weeks.”
“I see.”
“Anyway, getting back on topic… if you want to aim for third place now, you need to earn at least 51 points.”
“……”
I'm screwed.
Even if it is the final special test, I doubt they'd hand out that many points at once.
It would be too unfair.
“But if it's the final special test… if you do it right, it might just be possible.”
That’s the Bednicker way.
I knew I could count on you.
“Of course, we'll have to meet with the other instructors to figure out if you can even participate—.”
Junian glanced at me and asked.
“Are you really going to do it? Honestly, it'll be very difficult. There will be a lot of penalties for joining midway, and despite what I said earlier, the risk of death isn't zero.”
“Come to think of it, I haven't heard an explanation of the special test. What's the format?”
“Simply put, it's a team-based survival game. It started four days ago and runs for a total of one week.”
It started four days ago and lasts a week… so there are three days left?
“So the entire final week is dedicated to this special test?”
“That's right. You'll have to use everything you've learned in the retreat so far. Hunting and survival, theoretical knowledge, martial techniques, your Blessing—all of it.”
“Aha.”
“Wait a moment.”
Junian took something from his coat and showed it to me.
It was a round, red ball.
“What is it?”
“A ball. This is a point. There are red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet balls, worth 1, 3, 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 points respectively. This one is a 1-point ball.”
Thump. Junian tossed the ball up and caught it as he continued.
“Balls like this are hidden all over the forest, and naturally, the higher the point value, the harder they are to obtain. For the record, you can only carry a maximum of three balls.”
“Oh… so if I collect three violet balls……”
“That's 75 points total.”
Junian said.
“First place might be impossible, but second is definitely within reach. Of course, the people in second and third place won't just be sitting around.”
I looked at the rankings again and asked.
“Can I take them from people who already have them?”
“Of course. Inside this test, anything is permitted except killing each other.”
Same as the second test, then.
“If you participate, you'll have to take this test alone. The test has already started, so you can't be added to another team, right? Besides, the others will be moving in groups.”
Junian continued his explanation.
“Several days have passed since the test began, so there are bound to be teams that have formed alliances. To fight back against those who are monopolizing the balls. Do you think they'll welcome your sudden appearance? It's not like you showed any outstanding performance during the retreat.”
“……”
“Well… if it's true you fought a High Priest, then maybe that's a needless worry.”
Junian still seemed to be half in doubt about my abilities, but it didn't really matter.
“That's perfect.”
“What is?”
I didn't bother to reveal my inner thoughts.
Because the feeling I had right now was very childish.
…I fought a High Priest, met the Demon King, and reunited with my Eldest Martial Brother.
The results were good in the end, but the process was anything but smooth.
I couldn't overwhelm the High Priest.
I was thoroughly played by the Demon King.
Honestly, I don't know what would have happened if my Eldest Martial Brother hadn't intervened.
According to him, that bastard was basically just toying with me…….
I had trained hard on the Spirit Mountain and returned with new achievements, only to be played like this… how should I put it?
It's like a deep scar was carved into my delicate heart.
To sum it up, right now I…….
desperately,
violently,
urgently,
need to blow off some steam.
‘Karon……! Hector……!’
Thinking of the two friends who would satisfy my urge, I clenched my fists with eager anticipation.
Just you wait……