That Wasn't My Intention (1)
A month before the evaluation, I gathered with my teammates.
“I’m Bina Seleze.”
“I’m Yufir Seijina!” I shouted, shooting my hand up high.
Finally, it was glasses guy's turn. “Edmon Portridge.” The tall, model-student type guy named Edmon, who exuded an air of perfection, pushed up his glasses and scanned us over. “Somehow, I have a feeling this is going to be a hassle.”
“What.” Was he already deciding I’d be useless? The moment we were grouped together, I got hit with a harsh judgment.
“Edmon, you’re saying that without even trying?” Bina shot back, but Edmon just shrugged.
“It’s obvious. In training scores, I’m the only one who never cracks the top 20. Even Bina, you’re at least decent in the physical stuff, but her...” Edmon’s thoroughly displeased gaze stabbed right at me. It felt like an arrow to the chest, stinging deep.
“I... get treated like that, huh.”
“Y-Yufir! It’s okay, let’s work hard together!”
“Anyway, since we’re a team, we need to pick a leader.” While Bina was comforting me, Edmon pressed on with the main point. “I’ll be the leader. Speak up if you have complaints.”
Neither I nor Bina objected. Normally, the one with the best scores and drive takes charge in these situations. The worst is when everyone shoves it off on each other.
“From now until evaluation day, our tasks are research and preliminary scouting.”
“Hm? Starting prep already?” Bina tilted her head curiously, and I shot my hand up.
“I-It’s because they announced teams early on purpose, to evaluate our investigative skills too!” It was actually something Airi told me, but I phrased it like my own idea. Edmon glanced at me with a surprised look—turns out he thought the same.
“Right, Yufir’s spot on. Why assign agent work that feels more like knight grunt labor? I mulled it over alone yesterday. There’s gotta be a reason.”
Edmon’s conclusion was simple: the rabbit beast capture mission and even the exact evaluation site had already been revealed. He said no one around him knew anything about that rabbit beast. His friends weren’t beast experts, but they weren’t clueless either—so it was probably a pretty rare one.
“First up: beast research. From the illustration alone, it doesn’t look combat-heavy, but I estimate high mobility or some evasion ability.”
“O-Oh... I see.”
“Edmon, impressive!”
Bina and I were impressed by how much he’d dug up in just a day.
“Of course, it’s all estimates. That’s why we need the research.”
And so, we headed to the imperial library, where stacks of documents towered like mountains. But the moment we arrived, we sensed something off.
“Everyone’s already here.”
It was the weekend, with free time after morning training. Looks like every other team had the same idea—and that meant...
“Everyone, hurry and grab beast-related books. They won’t last long.” At Edmon’s words, we nodded and scattered. Our classmates already clutched beast books, one per hand. We thought we were quick on the uptake, but we were actually late to the party.
“Beast... beast...” I dashed between shelves, scanning titles. They were roughly categorized, so it should be around here, but plenty of gaps showed where books had been snatched.
Exploring Possible Magical Beasts—For Ages 15+.
I spotted a promising title up high. It screamed “beast expert knowledge.” I stretched on tiptoes.
Damn... can’t reach. That damn height issue again. But this time, I had a workaround without help. I glanced around slyly, then climbed the shelves like a ladder, footing on the edges.
“Hehe, got it.”
Easy grab. Hugging it tight to climb down, I peeked through the shelf gaps at my classmates.
“Heard Airi went scouting with her team already?”
“Skipping research?”
“Yeah, seems she already knows what the beast is. Heading straight to the site for prelims... way ahead.”
“Man, elite through and through.”
“Enposhium, right? Daughter of that famous knight family—figures she’d know.”
“Still no one knows why she’s an agent, huh?”
“Rumor says she got kicked out of the family?”
“Nah, probably not.”
“But with that attitude, I’d boot her too.”
“Yeah, fair.”
I ended up overhearing Airi gossip. We weren’t close, but dormmates who helped me yesterday—kinda bugged me.
Eh, everyone’s got their stories. No one’s life is simple, especially not in a job risking your neck. Not even nobles.
I clutched the book and toddled back to the team. “Here! I got one!”
They’d already claimed seats.
“I snagged two.” Edmon had thick tomes like encyclopedias, pages crammed with text—probably some thesis collection. Not my reading type.
“I got three!” Bina, meanwhile, hauled picture books fit for kids.
“Bina, these are fairy tales.”
“Wha...? Not real?!”
Edmon skimmed and nodded. Yeah, Bina wasn’t the brainy type either. Felt a kinship. Heart warmed up a bit.
“Then mine...” I plunked it proudly on the table and flipped it open.
“......”
“......”
“......”
A massive illustration of a wolf-type beast, Barga’s genitals, filled the page—detailed enough to pass for a photo. Next to it, thesis-level explanation:
Wolf-type beast Barga’s genitals resemble a normal wolf’s but taper to a point for purpose. Ejaculation is brief but voluminous. This leads to rapid population growth, so habitats are avoided during rutting season...
Yeah, stopping there.
“Today, imperial dagger arts.”
We gripped mock daggers, facing wooden dummies. Finally, my specialty! Or so I thought—no such easy plot twist.
Current Weapon Specs: 17.2cm
Applicable Weapon Specs: 15cm
The dagger was longer than I expected. Even barehanded, I could enter the grayscale world but not see red lines—so probably same here.
“At dagger range, speed is paramount.” Instructor Blackrose assumed textbook stance, demonstrating moves.
Shiiik!Kwagak!
She slashed precisely at the dummy’s vitals. Trainees clapped or gasped at the swift, accurate strike.
“But foes won’t stand still, so beyond basics, practice on moving targets.”
She pointed at Airi. “Come up.”
Airi gripped her mock dagger wordlessly, facing off.
“Confident in dagger arts?”
“Any bladed weapon, yes.”
“Bold. From your family name?”
Obvious bait. Airi’s brow twitched.
“No, my own effort.”
She tensed into stance, ready to strike on signal.
“Haha! Good—full power, rookie.”
Airi charged earnestly. Shiiik! Thrust. Instructor parried with her own mock dagger. Airi followed with a fist from the other hand—blocked again. They traded stabs, slashes, blocks in endless flurry. Hands blurred dizzyingly. Dagger and fistfighting merged into brutal close-quarters combat.
“Whoa, insane.”
“Blocked that?!”
“Attitude matches the skill.”
“Airi, fighting!”
Onlookers were hyped. My jaw dropped, heart pounding—like a spy flick hero vs. villain ditching guns for a brawl.
But the deadlock broke quick.
Thwoong! As bodies closed, Blackrose shoulder-checked hard. Airi reeled from impact, then a brutal kick landed.
“Kuhk!”
Big hit—Airi staggered to one knee.
“Excellent. Enposhium eyes, as expected.” Blackrose nodded approvingly. Airi looked frustrated.
“Don’t sweat it. You’re trainee, I’m active duty. Experience gap’s bigger than it seems. Sparring me at all proves you’re a genius.”
“Yes...”
Airi stepped down. Blackrose scanned us, checked time.
“Anyone wanna spar now? Not with me—with a peer.”
Everyone glanced around. Unknown opponent? No way. Only the ultra-confident would step up.
“I’ll do it.”
The hand-raiser was our neighbor dormmate.
Name was...
Blackrose beckoned. A burly guy mounted the platform.
“Anyone wanna face Elvin?”
Got it: Elvin Crowzen. Only one rivaling Airi for 1st/2nd. Built like a cheat character—tallest here, limbs like stilts.
“No one?”
Instructor asked again, met with silence.
Obviously...
Step up, just embarrass yourself. Airi shone against instructor. Elvin probably hated losing too. Face him seriously? Nope.
Stay quiet—that’s the play.
Blackrose crossed arms, frowning. “No grit, huh.” Her gaze swept... and locked.
“Yufir.”
Why me! World, why these trials?! Picked again.
“M-Me...?”
“Only one Yufir here. Don’t make me repeat.”
Snickers erupted as I reluctantly climbed.
“Her?”
“Instructor really hates her, huh?”
“Late last time too. Heard she caused trouble.”
“Out to humiliate.”
“Child abuse report?”
“Pfft, psycho.”
“As long as not me~”
Familiar crap. Short, meek-looking? Instant target for mockery. At city hall, big scary coworkers bullied others but amped up around me. World’s the same.
“A-Ahem...”
Up top, facing Elvin. Expected his sneer, but...
“Instructor, can we switch?”
“What?”
“This feels wrong.”
Oh? Elvin had tact. I eyed instructor hopefully. Our eyes met—her lip curled.
“No. Fight. That’s an order.”
No dice. Spar was set.
“Yufir.”
Elvin reluctantly readied mock dagger.
“Sorry in advance.”
“Yeah... likewise.”
No confidence. Even seeing red lines normally doesn’t make me cocky. To truly kill, I enter their range—meaning I could die anytime.
Current Weapon Specs: 17cm
Can’t see red lines now anyway. Better lose clean.
“Begin!”
Paat! Elvin lunged. Few steps closed the gap. Legs + acceleration = absurd.
“Hiiiik?!” Elite of elites, different breed.
“No holding back—for your sake too.”
Elvin swung horizontally. I clumsily raised mine to block.
“Finish—!”
Snap.
Current Weapon Specs: 14.9cm
The world turned grayscale.