Practical Evaluation
Professor Jon Hayton ambled into the classroom at a leisurely pace.
“Hwaaam… How’s everyone been.”
The way he yawned through the greeting was something else.
“Since it’s the first day, no class.”
A small cheer rose among the cadets. Especially from those of us who’d already sat through a packed first period.
“Instead, I’ve got a quick explanation. Focus up.”
He clapped his hands to gather our attention.
“Ah, what a pain…”
Muttering that under his breath, he went on.
“Listen carefully. This is going to replace your midterms.”
At that, the cadets’ eyes lit up and every gaze locked onto Professor Jon.
Of course, I already knew exactly what this was about. Jon Hayton was the professor in charge of combat practice at the academy. We’d been through all sorts of practicals via party activities since first year, but still—
“This midterm will be replaced by a practical evaluation. What a hassle… no, how unfortunate… wait, that’s not it either. Anyway, one way or another I ended up in charge of it.”
A murmur spread through the cadets. Some looked worried at the words “practical evaluation.” Others, though, seemed almost eager.
Someone finally asked the professor, “Where will the practical evaluation take place, and what will it consist of?”
Professor Jon answered as if it were nothing.
“Location is the Dark Forest. Content is…”
The look of pure laziness vanished. A wicked smile curled across his face.
“…survival.”
“Excuse me?”
A few cadets blurted the question back in shock. The murmuring swelled far louder than before. It made sense. From what I remembered, the second-year midterm replacement practical was brand-new this year. No one would have heard about it from their parents or older siblings. And the content—Beorn Island to the south, and the infamous Dark Forest that sat on it. Pairing that place with the word “survival” was bleak enough on its own.
“What is this all of a sudden…”
Even the cadets who’d been looking forward to a practical a moment ago were starting to grumble. Professor Jon cut through the noise.
“For reference, it’ll also double as a field trip. After the practical you’ll rest on the neighboring Lutern Island.”
Even that didn’t soften the students’ expressions. Lutern Island was a well-known resort, sure, but the mention of the practical on Beorn Island right before it hit too hard.
That aside—hadn’t Professor Jon just said he was the one in charge of this practical evaluation? A sudden suspicion flickered through me. What if the lazy professor, stuck with a tedious job and in a foul mood, had decided to shove us into the Dark Forest while he kicked back on Lutern Island and watched us suffer…
Nah. No way.
I shook my head hard.
“For the record, I picked the location myself. While you lot are rolling around in the dirt, I’ll be doing my absolute best to relax on Lutern Island.”
“Professor!”
It was true!
“If you want to blame someone, blame the Headmaster who dumped this on me. Oh, and the practical evaluation will be conducted by party as well.”
I narrowed my eyes at that. My master had agreed to join my party, but we were still badly short on members.
“I took a quick look—this class’s party situation is a complete mess. Sort it out as fast as you can.”
With that, Professor Jon scrawled “Self-study” across the blackboard in huge letters.
“Well then, this professor has urgent business to attend to. I’m out.”
He left the classroom, and the cadets immediately started buzzing again.
“Disciple! Disciple!”
My master—who until a moment ago hadn’t even bothered answering me—grabbed me and started shaking me.
“A trip! The ocean! A resort! The beach! Aren’t you excited?!”
“Uwaaah… Yes, I suppose so…”
My voice came out thoroughly rattled. Leaving my excited master free to keep shaking me, I went back to thinking.
This practical evaluation in the Dark Forest. It was Veronica Eltwin’s rescue event.
“Haa… What am I going to do.”
When they first betrayed me and kicked me out of the party, I’d sworn I’d stop caring about them and just live well on my own. But the thing was—
Take Elin Nidia’s rescue event, for example. Even if I completely washed my hands of it, no real problem. Veronica’s, though…
If I give up, Sally dies.
A mage from the Red Magic Tower who’d been dispatched to the Black Magic Tower. At the same time, someone who, together with Scarlet Mars, was basically a parent to Veronica. This world was real now; she wasn’t an NPC anymore—she was a living human being. I couldn’t just let her die. And it wasn’t a simple death, either. Failure in this event meant Veronica would kill Sally with her own hands and end up broken. A tragedy.
“Haa…”
I let out a long breath. How far did I need to go to fix this? Just quietly extract Sally somehow? Would that even be possible? And more than that—if I didn’t clear it the proper way, I wouldn’t get the rewards either.
With my master still shaking me, I sank into deep thought.
“Damn it! These worthless bitches!”
Leo Epsilt shouted. People nearby flinched and turned to look. He didn’t care. He ground his teeth, faces of his party members flashing through his mind.
It had started with the practical evaluation Professor Jon had mentioned earlier. There was still quite a while until the practical itself, but there was also the matter of party activities. Since the professor had brought it up, Leo decided it was time to settle the party issue.
First he sought out Professor Ian Dexter, the one who normally looked after his convenience. Duke Epsilt had issued a warning, but either the professor hadn’t been told or didn’t care—he agreed to fix the party problem however Leo wanted. So Leo went looking for his original party members.
The Saintess, of course, said she would join the same party as him. The problem was the others.
He’d assumed Veronica would accept his offer without question. She refused.
“Ha, have I lost my mind? No interest, so get lo— I mean, sorry. I can’t join the party.”
Veronica had been about to snap at him to get lost, but the thought of the Magic Tower and her master already suffering from funding trouble because of her made her soften it as much as she could. She couldn’t afford to sour Leo’s mood here; if the Epsilt family cut off dealings with the Red Magic Tower over her, it would be a disaster. But no matter how gently she tried to phrase it, for the prideful Leo the simple fact of her rejection was enough to put him in a foul temper.
Next was Felice Ansberg. Before approaching her, Leo hesitated. Lately the Ansberg name was being dragged through the mud in noble society, and Felice Ansberg sat right at the center of it. Was it really wise to put someone like that in his party? Wouldn’t it lower his standing? In the end he went to her anyway. They’d spent a whole year in a party together, and he was a generous man. If he extended a hand to her now, when she was at rock bottom, maybe she’d be so grateful she’d submit to him completely.
Things didn’t go as he expected. Felice Ansberg refused him as well.
“You stupid bitch! I went out of my way to give you a chance! No wonder you ended up like this—you’re an idiot.”
Two rejections in a row had him seething, and unlike Veronica, who still had the Red Magic Tower behind her, Felice had nothing left. So Leo poured every insult he could think of onto her. Even then, Felice barely reacted. It was almost unnerving. He stormed off, fuming.
After her he went looking for Aine. A party needed at least one commoner to handle the grunt work, after all. Right there on the spot he received his third rejection.
Crack!
Blind with rage, Leo slapped Aine across the face without caring who was watching. But Aine, whose whole atmosphere had grown far more depressed than before the break, showed as little reaction as Felice had. In the end Leo was the only one left shouting.
Well, there was still one person he hadn’t asked yet. But there was a problem. Right after the duel ended, the words Louis had thrown at him…
That Louis bastard’s words aren’t even worth listening to, but…
The issue was that the only people who knew about the potion were him, his family, and Elin. And yet that Louis bastard had known about the potion. Maybe Elin had been caught by him during a mission and simply didn’t realize it. But what if Louis’s words were true? What if Elin really had betrayed him?
While he was still turning it over, the very person he’d been thinking about walked up beside him—Elin Nidia.
“What is it?”
Leo asked, deliberately cold. Elin clenched her teeth. She already knew he’d been going around inviting the other former party members—and that he alone had left her out. Having to bow her head to a lowly human, and to the worst man among them at that, filled her with humiliation. But for the sake of the elves, she had no choice.
With a heart full of misery, Elin lowered her head and pleaded with Leo.
“Leo… I was wrong. If only I hadn’t failed, none of this would have happened…”
“What’s this all of a sudden?”
He feigned ignorance. Elin pressed on.
“Please… won’t you let me into the party…?”
After the blows his pride had taken today, watching an elf famous for her haughtiness bow her head to him felt pretty good.
Yeah. I’ll just keep her close and watch her, won’t I?
That was what Leo thought. Still, he wanted to see her beg a little more, so he had no intention of granting permission right away.