Chapter 51
Chapter 52
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 51
Chapter Title: It's Not Easy
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I...
What did I just hear?
The utterly ridiculous thought that flashed through my mind nearly stripped away my ironclad composure in an instant.
I stared at Marian in utter disbelief.
The girl...
Just as I'd heard in her mind, her eyes sparkled as she gazed at the middle of the rankings.
'No way.'
I quickly scanned the direction of her gaze.
456th...
479th...
483rd...
And then, 492nd. Marian Labelin.
It was really there.
492nd.
Smack in the lower half of the mid-tier.
My head throbbed so intensely that I clutched my temple without realizing it.
It was a level of dismal failure that left me utterly speechless.
Shouldn't she be reflecting on herself with grades like that?
But the source of my pounding headache was busy shrugging her shoulders as if she'd done something praiseworthy.
Seeing that made my head throb even more.
'Don't ever say you can beat Ruena with skills like that!'
I'd been had.
Thoroughly played, even.
She'd claimed in her thoughts that she could more than beat Ruena,
so I'd figured at worst top 30, rock bottom maybe 50th.
My prediction missed the mark so spectacularly it was laughable.
What? 492nd?
Do you think the Eliad heir is a joke?!
I wanted to grab her by the collar and shake her while demanding answers,
but I couldn't since I'd only glimpsed her inner thoughts.
'What the hell is in that head of hers?!'
I quickly peeked into the mind of the girl making a '4' with her fingers while staring somewhere.
「Thank goodness. What a great start! Sis sees it positively too!」
Sis?
I checked the direction she was looking again.
Academy building, 4th floor.
I faintly sensed someone's gaze directed at her.
But—
Maybe because there were so many people.
The presences were all mixed together, making it hard to pinpoint the source.
'Maybe... someone skilled at concealing their presence.'
Come to think of it, earlier too.
Marian had mentioned a sister in her thoughts.
「I should report to Sis first.」
「Celen Noir... No matter how I think about it, it's a name I've never heard. Is he a new variable in this run? Or an extra I don't know about? Guess I should ask Sis.」
Based on her thoughts—
That 'sis' was probably Marian's advisor.
Someone likely holding the information network or masterminding the situation.
'I need to look into that sister too.'
Being inside the building meant an academy student or staff.
With entrance exams in full swing, I couldn't investigate now.
After the tests and enrollment, I'd have to tail Marian to find out.
As I mulled over various plans in my head—
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Entrants, good work. The second test is the practical exam. Please proceed to your designated evaluation zones. The voice announcing the next test rang out.
Practical exam.
The domain of the body, not the mind.
And... where my biggest weakness, the magic test, lay.
Swordsmanship, martial arts, magic, summoning, stamina, alchemy, and more.
A comprehensive test covering most academy subjects.
This would determine a student's specialties, aptitudes, and levels.
Illusory magic displayed the zone layouts and test items in sequence.
'The rest I can manage, but magic and summoning...'
The answer was clear.
I'm screwed.
Me, who could barely fire three or four Fire Bolts in a row,
was 100% likely to flop in pure magic combat.
And with basics that shaky, summoning?
Me, with mana draining away with every summon?
I could confidently say only stray dust would appear before the summoning circle.
'The max points I can scrape are probably for how well I draw the circle.'
Still, in a way, it was a relief.
I had items where I inevitably had to score rock bottom.
Without deliberately tanking,
I could end up in the same class as Marian.
'Who'd have thought she'd bomb the written test that badly.'
Marian looked like she was steeling her resolve.
I shot her a sidelong glance and let out a hollow chuckle.
That idiot's written test flop had thrown my calculations way off.
Plus, it made trusting her inner boasts dubious.
'She bragged about beating Ruena—who knew her scores would be that bad.'
With that level of clueless bravado,
even if she boasted confidence in other areas, it lacked credibility.
The frustrating part was...
Knowing that, peeking into her thoughts was still my best bet.
As Marian headed to the exam area, I peeked again.
「Swordsmanship... I allocated points there, so this should be fine. The rest might need a Reset Stone.」
Another cryptic term popped up.
Points, Reset Stone—nonsense I couldn't make sense of.
'What the hell is this girl's deal?'
I pushed aside stray thoughts and delved deeper into her mind.
「To get in the same class as Ruena, I have no choice, but honestly, it's a waste.」
What nonsense was she spouting now?
To close the gap between 1st and 492nd, she'd need overwhelming scores elsewhere.
Her opponent was Ruena Eliad, no less.
Unless Ruena slacked and her klutz instincts kicked in,
she'd dominate most categories in the top ranks.
But...
Marian genuinely believed it was possible.
It felt different in quality from her earlier bluster about beating Ruena.
My eyes narrowed.
Points. Reset Stone.
If those things she mentioned actually existed?
'Ancient relic or artifact, maybe...'
I speculated while probing her thoughts further.
「I got some Reset Stones as first-run bonuses, but with variables piling up across runs, I should save them.」
Runs?
An absurd idea flashed through my mind.
Maybe,
this girl had—
lived the same life multiple times over.
'No... way... that can't be...'
A chill ran down my spine.
A ridiculous assumption, pure delusion.
Territory closer to divine power than human capability.
No way a thickheaded girl with average mana could pull that off.
The world would have turned upside down if so.
'But...'
If that assumption held, the pieces fit absurdly well.
Her cryptic remarks.
Her wild claim of taking the test twice.
'No way, for real?'
Maybe I could uncover more clues.
I probed her thoughts even more cautiously than before.
「Summoning... I can use the item Sis gave me. Saves a Reset Stone this run.」
After that, just drivel about connections being best.
Marian vanished into the crowd.
She seemed utterly ordinary, yet profoundly off-kilter.
Runs,
points,
extras,
Reset Stones.
I pondered the unfamiliar terms from her thoughts.
As the swarm of people thinned—
A familiar warmth touched the back of my hand.
Small, soft, playfully ticklish fingers.
Ruena.
Standing beside me, she was teasing my hand with her index finger.
I pulled a document binder from my subspace pocket.
Pretending to review it, I naturally shielded my face.
"Why."
A signal for friend-to-friend talk.
Meaning we'd whisper to dodge prying eyes, as usual.
Ruena hid her face behind a fan from her bosom and grinned.
"As expected of Celen. Amazing."
"Not something the 1st place should say."
Ruena stuck out her tongue playfully and smiled.
Her eyes sparkled as she stared at me.
Her intent was obvious.
She wanted a reward too.
"Good job."
"Ehe."
"I'll bake strawberry jam cookies later."
"Rea—?!"
"Voice. Too loud."
At my nudge, Ruena hastily covered her mouth with the fan.
Moments later, a tiny, excited voice slipped out, barely containing her glee.
"Really?"
"Yeah. So ace the practical too."
Ruena answered with an eye smile.
Ending our longtime childhood friends' chat,
we reverted to lord and advisor, heading to the evaluation zones.
First practical: swordsmanship.
The checks were straightforward.
Stance and basics.
Sword handling flow, power distribution, gaze stability, focus.
After assessing all that—
They'd have us slash magic-made special targets to see reach.
And finally,
Sparring among applicants deemed similar level by staff.
Groups of similars in free-for-alls, scored live on endurance.
We reached the evaluation zone.
Grading was already underway.
I eyed the entrants changing via magic tools and taking their practicals.
'Still... no one standout yet.'
If most were that level,
Ruena would snag top ranks easily again.
House Eliad boasted the kingdom's top martial prowess.
No matter else,
Practical combat scores had to be peak.
'She can... do well... right...?'
Ruena's sword skills outclassed those currently testing.
As an Eliad,
her basics were flawless.
Yeah.
Skill to claim top scores handily.
Unless her hand slipped and she flung the sword.
Or she tripped over her feet.
Or lost focus mid-swing into thin air.
'The bar... is too high...'
Suddenly deflated, I rubbed my face with one hand.
Ruena's accident-free sword lessons were rarer than rare.
On those days, even her instructor would clap in awe.
'No, it'll be fine.'
I decided to think positively.
Sword classes averaged three hours.
Practical? Max ten minutes.
Plus—
Now, as Eliad heir before the masses.
Taut with tension, her mishap odds way lower than usual.
"Whoa..."
"What's with her?"
"No joke?"
As I desperately rationalized, gasps rose around me.
Ruena's turn already?
I turned to scan the testing applicants.
And—
Familiar blonde caught my eye.
Marian Labelin.
Fast yet weighty movements.
Yet stance unflawed, sword arc precise.
Power flow,
foot angles,
gaze direction.
All perfectly synced.
Strong-weak rhythm so natural it awed just watching.
'Pretty... good... huh...?'
That skill might surpass Ruena's.
Right then—
A snapping sound from nearby.
I whipped my head toward it—
"......"
Ruena's wooden sword lay in two pieces in her hand.