Chapter 232
Chapter 232
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 232
Chapter Title: Leone is the Princess?
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I recalled the Leone from my memories. Her refined features that exuded elegance, her speech that carried an oddly archaic tone.
'It somehow suits her, in a strange way.'
But Leone's hair was black. Could it be dyed, like that Princess Perist?
Or maybe the woman in front of me was just spouting nonsense.
The moment I looked at her with a hint of suspicion, Verita spoke up.
"...Brother, have you perhaps—"
Verita's voice cut off midway.
Because she sensed a presence.
Right after, Chainscythe appeared, fully geared up like a mercenary heading out on a long-term mission.
"What the hell is that getup? You moving house or something?"
"What about you? Off on a picnic?"
Chainscythe shook his head with a look of disbelief.
"The real promotion exam starts from the second round. Sure, without you, we'd all have failed the first... "
"......"
"...This promotion exam's difficulty is no joke."
From his tone, it seemed Chainscythe had been through several of these.
Anyway, starting with him, the other promotion exam participants began showing up one by one.
I had a ton of questions for Verita, but for now, I had to put the conversation on hold.
It was eerily quiet, too much so even for whispering.
With nine people gathered, there should have been at least some chatter, but since they were mostly strangers, it was almost silent.
The nine examinees quietly waited for the examiner to appear...
And I alone slowly mulled over my conversation with Verita.
Princess.
Leone.
The colorless Demon King.
As these disjointed words churned in my mind, another word flashed through my head.
'...Setitus?'
* * *
The first thing I felt during the initial promotion exam was how unique Heroes' testing format was in many ways.
I'd assumed a promotion exam would evaluate physical prowess or intellectual ability...
But it actually seemed focused on crisis response or real combat adaptability.
Of course, it overlapped with entry tests for knight orders or mercenary groups, but Heroes' exams were far more intense.
What organization in the world would recruit cultists to train countermeasures against cults?
Even if they were former cultists.
'In a way, it feels similar to the Bednicker Family's training sessions.'
Of course, it was probably the other way around.
I suspected the Iron-Blooded Duke had been influenced by Heroes' training environment and applied it to his own family.
Anyway, shortly after, we followed the examiner out of Heroes' headquarters and boarded carriages for the trip.
A full hour's ride, no less.
At this point, we were definitely clear of Tefir.
Oddly, the carriages were divided into three, and with nine people left, it made groups of three.
Riding with me were the free knight and Chainscythe.
Somehow, I wasn't thrilled about being separated from Verita right after thinking we'd clash often with Chainscythe... it was ambiguous whether it was good or bad.
Clunk—.
The carriage soon stopped, and the examiner's dry voice came from outside.
"Get out."
Stepping on unusually brittle grass, I surveyed the surroundings. The carriage had stopped in front of a cave.
A massive cave big enough for a house to pass through, its interior swallowed in pitch darkness.
Chainscythe asked.
"Where is this?"
"No need to know."
"......"
"I'll announce the second exam. Retrieve the jar somewhere in this cave."
With that, the examiner unrolled a paper showing a crudely drawn, ugly jar.
"The difference from the first exam is that this one is team-based. Three per group, all sharing the same goal, and there's only one jar in this cave."
"...You mean we compete?"
"Nothing like that. This promotion exam's theme is cooperation."
Chainscythe blinked, not quite getting it.
The examiner, deeming his explanation insufficient, continued.
"As I said, all teams share the goal. Whichever of the five teams retrieves the jar, everyone passes. Even those who never glimpse the jar's shadow, as long as they return within the time limit."
"......"
"Each team's starting point differs, but you might encounter others inside. From there, pool your strength to find the jar. Of course, we won't force cooperation. If you're confident, go solo. The team that secures the jar gets the highest evaluation anyway."
"Ah."
Chainscythe nodded in understanding...
And I too got a sense of what Heroes wanted to evaluate in this exam.
'Cooperation in extreme situations, literally.'
Given Heroes' nature, infiltration missions were inevitable. They might even embed directly in a cult someday. Like my half-brother.
In such cases, sharing info, cooperating, or even clashing with pre-embedded Heroes could happen.
They probably wanted to see how we handled that.
"I have a question."
"Speak."
"You said five teams. But with three per team, the numbers don't add up."
"Right. Two teams aren't from your exam group. They're skipping straight to the second exam."
Chainscythe muttered in a hollow voice.
"...How is that possible."
"Outstanding heroes deserve special treatment. But heads up—their six are far superior in skill and experience. If you run into them... hmm."
The examiner shook his head.
"Spoke out of turn."
"......"
"Time limit is until dawn. We'll allow rivalry over the jar, but don't cross the line. Good luck."
With that, the examiner returned to the carriage. Since it didn't leave, they'd wait there until the exam ended.
We three exchanged glances briefly, then wordlessly headed into the cave.
Step—.
The cave was spacious, dark, and reeked foully.
"...Unpleasantly damp."
Chainscythe muttered.
Feeling like I should respond, I chimed in.
"Yeah. Feels like we crawled into a monster's mouth."
"Don't jinx it... By the way, how'd you spot that last hidden cultist in the first exam?"
"My eyes are sharp. Thanks to that..."
I stared straight into the cave and said.
"This pitch-black cave looks like broad daylight to me."
"...The Great Family's blessing, huh."
"......"
Chainscythe shot me a faintly envious look, and in that moment, I felt oddly complex.
I knew mercenaries envied blessing holders, but I never thought I'd be the one envied.
That's when it happened.
"You two."
The knight, who'd been silent till now, called us and dropped something unexpected.
"Is your goal becoming B-rank heroes?"
Chainscythe and I replied in unison.
"What's it to you?"
"Yeah."
"This cave is dangerous. Deeper in, 'Biotes' appear—two-meter bat monsters. Claws that crush rock, ultrasonic attacks that burst eardrums, and venomous bites that can kill. Deadly bastards."
"......"
"You two could lose your lives."
At this point, we had to stop walking.
"You been here before?"
"Yeah. Like you said earlier, ex-cultist, so I've taken promotion exams for various reasons. Heroes usually avoids repeating people or tasks... but I have multiple identities, so they slipped up."
"Oho."
Maybe because he'd lied once before, everything he said sounded like bullshit.
"So, what's your point?"
Chainscythe, sharing my sentiment, asked curtly.
"I know a shortcut through this cave."
"......!"
"A safe path without Biotes. Can't guarantee the jar's at the end, but it'll save time over other teams."
"......"
"What I want? Simple. Cooperate with me, and I'll guide you through the shortcut and spill the third exam's contents."
At the mention of the third exam, Chainscythe's eyes changed, but true to his veteran mercenary nature, he didn't bite immediately.
"What kind of cooperation?"
"We'll make that nun pay."
"What?"
Chainscythe snapped sharply.
"You suggesting we kill her?"
"No. Can't do that. But at least put her in the same state as me."
Same state...
I glanced at the bloodstained bandage over his eye.
"You're insane. She's a 72 Orders nun."
"Why so serious? I know you two—killing a person or two is routine. And it's not like we're harming a devout nun."
The knight ground his teeth.
"You saw it yourselves? She's not right in the head. The issue isn't her being a hero; it's how a personality wreck like that became a 72 Orders cleric. Not my place to say, but she'd fit the Dark Cult way better."
The knight naturally spoke truth, oblivious to it himself.
"You two don't seem religious, and more reasonable than the stiffs, so I'm making this offer."
"......"
"Think it over. B-rank in Heroes isn't handed out easily."
"...Even so, I can't be part of that."
"It's not participating. Just don't get in my way. I'll handle her myself anyway... Agree, and this conversation never happened."
So, even if things went south, he'd take full blame alone.
Plenty suspicious, but I asked the biggest question first.
"As an ex-cultist harming a 72 Orders nun, won't that screw you over big time?"
"Yeah. I'll be Heroes' dog for another ten years."
"That eye injury got you that pissed? Injuries happen all the time, cultist or hero."
"It's not about my eye. She insulted my benefactor."
"Benefactor? That old man earlier?"
The old Heroes member with him, named Erudi or something.
"Yeah. Thanks to him, I left the cult and got a new life. Pulled me from evil's pit."
"......"
"He had two missions left for a peaceful retirement. Completed every hero task, every ex-cultist duty. Even those robotic Heroes acknowledged his record; he could've spent his days in peace—"
Once more, sparks flew from the man's expression.
"...Not anymore."
"I overheard the instructor and old man's talk. He fulfilled the 20-year term? Honorary retirement, right?"
"Retirement's retirement. But demoted to C-rank. Huge gap between C and B. Heroes won't give him a second glance now. The cult never forgives apostates— they'll send endless assassins. Heroes knows but won't protect him. How long can he last?"
"......"
"If that crazy nun hadn't smashed the old man's shoulder out of nowhere, none of this."
Then the knight suddenly dropped to his knees, bowing his head.
"Please. Let me repay my debt of gratitude."
At "debt of gratitude," Chainscythe's face shifted. Even mercenaries valued that highly.
Whether the knight timed it deliberately or coincidence, hard to say.
But it clearly gave Chainscythe pause.
Then Chainscythe looked at me.
"I'll... follow your lead."
"What?"
I shot him a baffled look, but Chainscythe said.
"Followed your call in the first exam, and it worked out. So this time too."
"Nice wrapping. You're just dodging responsibility."
"......"
As Chainscythe played innocent, the knight's gaze naturally turned to me.
"Sheesh."
I let out a scoff but mulled it over.
Glancing at the knight's face... I spotted one lie at least.
'Same state my ass.'
Look at those eyes.
He'd kill Verita without hesitation if the chance came.
As I'd said before, I had a knack for piercing truths in life-or-death stakes.
Still, the situation wasn't all bad for me.
Verita was nothing but trouble anyway.
A few hitches, but...
Above all, the fact my identity was known to a cultist—no, ex-cultist—was the issue.
By his account, even if caught later, it wouldn't blow up big.
Worst case, pin it on him as the instigator; I'd play dumb.
"Hmm."
Sorting my thoughts, I slowly opened my mouth.