Midterm Exams of the First Semester (4)
The emperor sat in his office within the imperial palace, repeatedly scanning the report that had been placed before him.
"Hah. So this is what those mages at the Imperial Academy were trying to hide."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
It was a document that meticulously recorded the characteristics of the magic said to have manifested in the Wist Forest. A spell powerful enough to engulf the entire forest with lethal force. And it had been cast by Schluss Heinkel using lightning magic.
Even an emperor who could not wield magic knew that the power of lightning spells dropped sharply with distance.
"This is no magic a mere human could unleash."
"Indeed. We see it the same way."
"What are the chances multiple people infused their mana into it?"
"Extremely low. The only person who remained in the forest at that time was Schluss Heinkel himself."
"Hoho. My word."
"The Imperial Academy claims that Director Alexia has gone to inspect the southern front. They cautiously speculate she may have left to make contact with another Ma-in."
"A Ma-in is behind this?"
"It is nothing more than speculation."
If he had received the power of a Ma-in, it would not be strange for the entire forest to have been burned or frozen solid. The real question, however, was which Ma-in would sacrifice their life to grant such power to a mere human. Any Ma-in foolish enough to do so had been hunted down and killed by their own kind hundreds of years ago.
"I don't smell any Ma-in in this."
It was pure intuition. He had no evidence, yet he felt strangely certain. There was no one behind Schluss. No one at all. He must have obtained that immense power alone.
How?
The question answered itself when he considered the examples of Gawain and Henderson. There were occasionally humans born with absurd strength. The emperor strongly suspected Schluss was one of them.
"Gather all available information on Schluss Heinkel's combat capability. Determine how large a force he could reasonably oppose."
"Are you ordering an assassination?"
"For now, simply analyze his strength. It is still too early to make a judgment."
"Understood."
An individual born with excessive power posed far greater danger to humanity than any benefit they might provide. Ma-in could not be easily eliminated, so coexistence had been the reluctant choice. Both Gawain and Henderson had eventually been ushered quietly out of history. Sergei, having apparently caught wind of something in advance, had retired from the military and lived quietly, so he had been spared. The emperor had believed every human with talent beyond their station was under control—until Schluss Heinkel suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
Of course, a single incident was not enough to draw conclusions. However, if Schluss Heinkel ever grew strong enough to escape humanity's control, if public opinion began to revere him as a hero, then there would be no choice but to arrange for him to meet a hero's end. The empire could not repeat the mistakes of the past.
The tournament format consisted of repeated one-on-one matches until only a single victor remained. In such a system, luck in the bracket was just as important as skill. To the students, this likely sounded like the professor had declared they would be taking their midterm based entirely on luck.
"Professor! This isn't fair!"
"What are we supposed to do if we get eliminated early because of bad luck?"
"Just make it a league system instead!"
"Hahaha! A league system would take far too much time!"
Indeed, having all thirty-two students fight one another without exception would require testing nonstop for an entire week. So to the question of whether this combat magic midterm was purely about luck, the answer was no. The luck of drawing the bracket played no role whatsoever.
"Don't worry! I compiled all the data gathered over the semester and created a bracket tailored to your respective levels. In other words, the weak will face the weak, and the strong will face the strong."
The bracket had been constructed by converting each student's combat prowess into numerical values and dividing them into tiers. There would be no chance of meeting an overwhelmingly superior opponent right from the start and suffering an instant defeat. Everyone would at least have the opportunity to achieve a mid-tier score—if they could defeat opponents of similar skill, that is. Securing a high-tier score by winning repeatedly, however, was an entirely different matter. From that point on, it would be a true contest of ability.
"Any objections?"
"......"
Though everyone wore displeased expressions, no one voiced any complaints. The evaluation method was unfamiliar, but it was at least fair. Schluss had expected this from the beginning, so he wasn't surprised. Yet the more he thought about it, the more bizarre it seemed. That the empire's premier academy would hold its midterms as a tournament... It was a glimpse of the original author's limitations, but he decided to ignore it.
"I will now explain the rules for one-on-one matches. Magic and physical strikes are both permitted. However, since actually casting magic would be dangerous, everyone must use these simulation devices. When you channel mana to execute a spell formula, the device will not produce real magic. Instead, it will visually simulate the effect and project it into reality."
Sergei said this while tapping a white artifact that resembled a refrigerator. In short, all magic would be transferred into a virtual reality domain.
"Unfortunately, there are no safety measures for physical strikes. You'll simply have to be careful not to inflict fatal injuries on each other."
"What?!"
"I will be the one making the calls. If I determine that a strike has reached the level of rendering someone unable to fight, I will immediately stop the match. If you have objections, the match may continue. Of course, the simulation device will continue inflicting pain equal to the damage you are judged to have received, so only if you can endure it."
Huh? Was there always a setting like this?
If you get hit by magic, it inflicts equivalent pain...?
This was bad. Schluss was extremely weak when it came to pain.
"Everyone understands the rules, right? If not, that's your own problem! Now, I will reveal the bracket!"
What had the bracket looked like in the original work? He couldn't quite remember. He probably took the spot where Hurtlocker should have been.
"Uh... ugh...!"
Noticing that Ainz's reaction seemed strange, Schluss looked up at the blackboard. His first opponent was Ainz von Wittgenstein—the eccentric of the Wittgenstein family.
In the original story, Ainz had been utterly crushed by Hurtlocker and had practically surrendered. So if there were no major variables this time...
Huh?
There was a variable. The biggest change from the original work.
Having gone through the Wist Forest incident, Ainz was no longer the same person he used to be. The Ainz who had lived arrogantly on the strength of his own talent had now awakened, armed with the courage and mental fortitude to sacrifice himself.
And now Schluss had to face that very opponent...
"Damn. There's almost no chance I'll win. Take care of me, Schluss."
"Yeah."
"I'll fight with everything I've got until the very end!"
"......"
No, please just go easy on me.
To take first place, he had to defeat Ainz, then beat several more opponents, and finally face Trie at the end. Could he really accomplish all that with only five seconds of Selection and Concentration? Come to think of it, he couldn't even use up all five seconds. After the match, he still had to go back and solve the elemental magic exam questions. This was seriously...
"This is a disaster."
"What kind of joke is that! I'm already looking forward to seeing just how big the gap between us is!"
I'm fucked.
This time, it wasn't an act. Because of something his past self had done, he was now in danger of getting himself expelled from the Imperial Academy.
While he was lost in thought, preparations for the first match had already finished. Since there was plenty of space, all matches would take place simultaneously. As he sighed and loosened his body, he saw Trie approaching Sergei.
"Professor. Is the use of weapons permitted?"
"Hm? What is it?"
"This sword."
"Permission granted!"
Oh shit.
Now that he thought about it, Trie always carried a greatsword with her. He also had one back at the mansion, but... No, damn it. Could he ask Emilia to bring it right now? If he went and got it before the match started...
"The first match will begin five seconds after my signal!"
"Ah, fuck—"
It was over. Once the midterm began, he wouldn't be able to leave the testing grounds. For now, he had no choice but to focus on the immediate situation before him.
Schluss assumed a stance ready to dash forward and met Ainz's eyes. If he could close the distance, he could take Ainz down without wasting any of his ability. It would be nice if Ainz got a little intimidated and couldn't show his full strength...
"Hehehe. I'll come at you with everything I've got, Schluss!"
"......"
Ainz looked to be in unusually high spirits today. Why did it have to be today of all days?
"Begin!"
Clap.
A thunderous clap rang out. At that exact moment, just as he was about to charge forward—
Oh shit.
His vision went completely dark. In an instant, Schluss was swallowed into pitch blackness.
"I surrender!"
"Hoo..."
Trie finally received a surrender after pressing her blade against her opponent's throat. She wiped the sweat that had trickled down her forehead and let out a sigh. The match had been decided in a mere second. She had heard that opponents were assigned according to level, but it seemed a mage simply couldn't compete against a swordsman at such close range.
"Let's see..."
Since it had ended so quickly, she could watch the other matches. She wondered how Schluss was doing right about now... Had he already finished and was resting?
"Hm?"
Schluss was just standing there motionless. He wasn't even looking at his opponent, but at empty space... Why?
"Huh?"
Boom!
At that moment, a yellow flash of light swallowed Schluss whole.