Chapter 59
Chapter 60
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 59
Chapter Title: Must Take 1st Place (3)
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In an instant, the area outside the exam hall grew rowdy.
It seemed to be the students murmuring.
'What's going on?'
Before starting the meeting—
I stepped out to assess the situation.
A considerable crowd had already gathered outside.
Their gazes were fixed on the real-time projection magic tool in the center of the waiting area.
Inside it,
the current status of the team taking the exam was being shown.
It was a format where all five groups took their exams simultaneously in their respective venues.
Since this was the first round,
Groups 1 through 5 were currently undergoing the subjugation exam.
On my way back to the waiting room, I paused to check the scene reflected on the screen.
'The group order wasn't based on skill, I see.'
It looked like they had only considered skill levels when assigning team members,
but the exam order itself was completely random.
Group 1 was a total mess.
Group 4 was the standout among the five.
"Whoa, they're doing great."
"That pushing speed is no joke."
"Isn't that guy from a branch of the Gradian family?"
I had no idea who it was, but it felt like I did somehow.
Group 4's screen.
Among them, one figure exuded an overwhelming presence.
A muscular man whose age seemed questionable even at a glance,
swinging a massive greatsword with both hands, was slicing through the monster's legs one after another.
His momentum went beyond mere brute strength—it was monstrous.
'Not bad.'
Gradian... one of the Founding Houses, just like ours.
They symbolized the earth and wielded its power.
A branch family member, but a Gradian nonetheless, it seemed.
Along with his overwhelming physical power,
he was using earth manipulation at just the right moments.
Like right now.
Earth surged up from beneath his feet.
In an instant, the ground heaved, causing the monster—midway through regenerating its legs—to lose its balance.
Not missing the opening—
the muscular man spun his body mid-air and slammed down his greatsword.
Boom—!
Dirt and dark blood splattered across the screen.
"Whoa, that's insane."
"Is that really a student? His skill level seems knight-order caliber already."
"No joke. Aren't they gonna take first in subjugation?"
I checked the record.
12 minutes and 9 seconds.
Normally around 20 minutes.
He had shaved a full 3 minutes off even the faster exams that ended in about 15.
'First place... Can we do it?'
My own performance aside,
with Ruena on our team, we had to shine in the subjugation exam.
And the best way was to take first.
That was how we'd uphold Eliad's reputation as the strongest.
'She should be recovered by now.'
Time to start the meeting.
I returned to the waiting room, leaving the students' murmurs behind.
The moment I opened the door... total chaos.
In the short time I was gone—
Ruena and Marian had gotten into a petty spat.
Marian looked ready to charge at any second,
while Ruena coldly looked down and responded.
Luke was sighing as he spectated,
and Lime was flustered, scrambling between them.
"U-Um... Marian? Just calm down for now..."
"What?! Why are you only saying that to me—! And do I look like I can calm down? She's been treating my opinions like nonsense this whole time!"
"...That so?"
Ruena's voice dropped low.
Luke flinched even while eating a snack, but Marian didn't back down.
"Yeah! That's right!"
"......"
"She's been saying my ideas are wrong from the start? Oh, because she's from that great Eliad or whatever—"
I quickly inserted myself between them.
Leaving them be would've led to a fight right here.
As I approached, both their gazes turned to me at once.
"Cut it out. Both of you."
"...Celen."
"Ughhh, move for a sec! I still have things to say—!"
"I said cut it out."
At my firm tone, Marian clamped her mouth shut.
Right beside me, I heard Lime let out a long sigh of relief.
I continued, looking at Marian.
"This isn't the time to fight. The exam comes first."
"But she's been doing it this whole time—!"
"I don't know exactly what happened. But we need to hurry with the meeting first. If it happens during the meeting, I'll mediate."
Marian bit her lip hard.
Her eyes were full of grievance, but she sighed and stepped back.
"...Fine."
"Three groups are already done. The next ones will start soon."
"We need to hurry with the meeting, then."
I nodded at Ruena's words.
We gathered, trying to smooth over the tense atmosphere.
"Anyway, as you all know, over 30 minutes is a disqualification. Average time is about 18 minutes. Current top record is Group 4's 12 minutes 9 seconds."
"12 minutes 9 seconds—?!"
"Yeah. They had a real powerhouse."
Marian bit her nails at my words.
She hesitated, glancing around, then spoke up cautiously.
"Um... Celen."
"Yeah?"
"That powerhouse... Was it maybe Scarlett...?"
"What? Scarlett?"
I tilted my head at the sudden name.
Scarlett.
Scarlett who?
'Wait, Scarlett? Scarlett Infernia?'
Scarlett Infernia.
From a Founding House like ours,
the second daughter of the fire-symbolizing Infernia family, as far as I knew.
From a Founding House.
The flower of high society, boasting flashy looks.
A skilled mage famous for magic as dazzling as her appearance.
If not for Ruena, she would've been the top pick of the year.
It was a natural assumption, but
Marian's reaction felt oddly personal.
Less wariness of a rival and more like personal grudge.
Her eyes shook rapidly,
and with her evident anxiety, I was convinced.
'They know each other?'
With all the food I'd fed her building up favors, I peeked into Marian's mind.
「Scarlett, that bitch, took first? I absolutely can't accept it. I'll rip her limbs to the four corners right now... her organs... boil them into porridge and...」
They said a woman's grudge was no joke.
Only gruesome, bloody thoughts poured out, so I quietly stopped reading.
I quickly corrected her.
"No. It wasn't her. It was a guy from the Gradian branch family who shone. Male."
"Aaaah—! I see, got it—?!"
Marian's voice brightened instantly.
Maybe because I'd glimpsed those unbearable inner thoughts nonstop.
For some reason, seeing her smile gave me chills.
I roughly wiped my arms a couple times and continued.
"Anyway, enough chit-chat. Everyone knows the subjugation exam rules, right? The monster is one of 10 types, with random attributes, attack patterns, and spells."
"Yes. We know."
"Um, Celen."
Luke, who had been quiet, raised his hand and spoke.
"House Noir is the bloodline of sacred prophets, right? Have you seen anything this time? Or can you use Foresight to check what monster we'll face?"
"...What? Celen—! You can see the future? For real?!"
Marian's face thrust right up to mine.
Exaggerating a bit, our noses would've touched if I leaned forward even slightly.
Thankfully, Ruena made that burdensome distance recede.
"...Back off."
"What's it to you—! ...Yes."
Marian, who had been so noisy moments ago, went abruptly quiet.
I sensed something off for a second—
but the other teammates, fixated on 'Foresight', didn't notice.
Now those two's gazes felt burdensome.
"Ah, well..."
"Right! House Noir is the house of prophecy! It's a family ability, not a unique one, so it should be fine to use... right?"
Lime looked at me with sparkling eyes.
It wasn't wrong.
I'd already used Ruena's favor to glimpse the future anyway.
I let out a small sigh and continued.
"Yeah. I already checked."
"Really?"
"The future isn't linear, so it's just for reference. We'll face a golem. The location is a forest with deep ravines. Slow speed, but abnormally high defense and strong magic resistance."
Luke nodded immediately.
"Then, rather than wasting energy pointlessly, targeting the weakness comes first."
"Exactly. Spot on. The weakness is..."
"For golem-type monsters in subjugation exams—! They have a set timing when the core is fully exposed! When they use the special magic the professors planted—!"
Marian, who had been cowed for a bit, leaned forward excitedly and said.
I was momentarily startled.
Not by Marian's sudden outburst, but by her words.
"...Ah, yeah. Marian's right. The core exposes every time the golem transforms."
"Hmph— See? Ruena Eliad. I'm right, aren't I? Not nonsense? Even Celen agrees!"
"......"
Ruena didn't respond.
She just crossed her arms and stared blankly at Marian.
The air froze awkwardly in that instant.
'Here we go again.'
Could I pull this off with these two?
They were already clashing this much during strategy talks.
Ironically, the noise from outside resolved my worry.
The students' voices swelled sharply.
Mixed with tension, wariness, and curiosity,
they soon turned to gasps of admiration and cheers.
Moments later—
An unbelievable score came through.
10 minutes 11 seconds.
A bit faster, and they could've broken 10 minutes.
"Whoa, as expected! Scarlett Infernia...!"
"How the hell did she pull off that flame magic?!"
"Hey, that's her! The one from earlier! Aren? The one who tied 1-on-1 with the Eliad heir—!"
Apparently, Scarlett and that bear beastkin from before were in a group.
Marian's face hardened instantly.
Ruena pretended not to care, but her lips twitched down slightly.
A fleeting silence.
Soon, their chilling voices broke the waiting room's quiet.
"Scarlett... you say?"
"......Aren?"
Both their eyes changed in an instant.
From icy cold to blazing heat.
Their auras were so fierce,
it felt like the waiting room air was heating up.
"Celen."
"So? What do we need to do?"
For now, it was a relief.
The two, who seemed impossible to reconcile,
had rarely united before a common goal.
I let out a sigh of relief and calmly explained the plan.