Chapter 87
Chapter 87
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 87
Chapter Title: Interlude
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“Jeron…! Is the rumor true that you massacred a ton of magical beasts without taking a single step from the starting point?!”
Not long after the first exam had ended.
That was the first thing out of Karen’s mouth as she came rushing up to me, totally hyped.
“For real?”
I shot back without missing a beat, utterly dumbfounded.
Even the dean, the top mage on active duty, couldn’t pull that off.
“Eek?! It’s not true?!”
She looked shocked.
If anything, she seemed disappointed to learn it was just nonsense.
“S-So then, the stories about you having super senses that let you detect the whole island, or ultra-long-range sniper spells, those are all lies too?!”
“Where the hell are you even hearing this crap?”
“You didn’t know? It’s already spread like wildfire among the cadets.”
Karen launched into her explanation.
“There are testimonies from all sorts of cadets. They’re out hunting magical beasts, and suddenly—bam!—one drops dead! And then they see your score go up!”
“…….”
“But no matter where they look, you’re nowhere to be seen. Heck, there are even eyewitnesses who say they spotted you chilling back at the starting point!”
“So?”
“Then there’s only one conclusion, right? You’re sensing the magical beasts’ auras from the starting point and sniping them!”
A white-haired boy with his eyes closed in the empty field.
Then he swipes his hand through the air.
And at that moment—
Boom—!
A magical beast several kilometers away splits perfectly in half and collapses.
…What, was she expecting some cheesy animation cutscene or something?
Talk about a logical leap.
Wouldn’t it make way more sense to think I was hiding somehow and darting around for the finishing blows?
But I’d overlooked one thing: the world doesn’t always run on logic.
Because of my usual image and what I’ve shown so far, this ridiculous rumor had taken off.
And our dear Karen from the sword side had bought it hook, line, and sinker and come straight to me.
“It’s nothing like that.”
“Then how the heck did you rack up such an insane score?!”
“Can’t tell you.”
Explaining it step by step would’ve been busywork anyway, and it wouldn’t make sense unless they knew I was a possessor.
Karen eyed me suspiciously.
“Hmm. No matter how I look at it, you’ve gotta have super senses at least.”
“Why do you think that?”
“I’ve got proof!”
Karen’s eyes sparkled.
“The reason you’re always so drowsy, why you sleep through every class! It’s gotta be because your super senses are running non-stop and wearing you out, right?!”
Dun dun dun!
She pointed at me dramatically, like the protagonist from some famous boy detective comic.
“You might fool everyone else, but not my eyes, Jeron!”
“…….”
This girl seriously needs to watch out for scams wherever she goes.
Not that I can imagine anyone bold enough to try scamming the Sword Saint’s daughter.
“Think whatever you want.”
I let out a sigh.
No point arguing further—she wouldn’t listen anyway.
“Haah~ As expected of Jeron. Not just ‘The Slowing World,’ but super senses too… I’ve got something similar, but I can’t even fathom reaching your level.”
Karen mumbled glumly.
But ironically, she was the one closer to the cadets’ wild rumors.
Her passive skill [Sixth Sense], which followed [Eyes of the Sword God].
That’s what produced effects similar to the super senses they were talking about.
At close range, it could even detect stealth—such a tempting skill.
If it had been for sale in the Sloth Shop, I’d have snapped it up in a heartbeat. Too bad it wasn’t.
As I was lost in those thoughts, Karen approached me with an intensely burdensome gaze.
“As expected, I need to spar with you to find out! Teach me your ways!”
‘Knew it was coming.’
Without a second’s hesitation, I unfurled my shadow wings.
“Ah! Jeron, where are you going?! Jeron!!”
***
A bit of drama like that—like the weird rumors spreading, or a few cadets coming by to thank me for saving them during the exam—popped up here and there.
But all in all, the first exam wrapped up smoothly.
That evening.
“…….”
I stared blankly at the massive bonfire roaring away.
Crackle, crackle.
Orange embers floated up into the darkening sky.
Above it, thick chunks of meat skewered on spits sizzled away.
“Wow, this is seriously good.”
“Right? Since when was magical beast meat this tasty?”
“It’s fresh-killed, so that’s why. A real field delicacy you can only get right here.”
A grand evening feast was underway.
The ingredients? None other than the magical beasts hunted in the first exam.
Of course, plenty had been too mangled in combat to eat.
But even just the intact ones were more than enough to stuff every cadet and professor to the brim.
It was the academy’s way of letting everyone unwind from the tension and fatigue of the long comprehensive evaluation period.
‘Come to think of it, I remember this.’
It was an episode from the original game too.
You got to see a few event illustrations with that campire vibe.
But being part of it myself now made it feel fresh all over again.
“Jeron! Try some of this!”
Yuria came running up with skewers in both hands, beaming brightly—oblivious to the smudge of soot on her cheek.
“They say this is twin-headed serpent tail skewers.”
“…Twin-headed serpent?”
Wasn’t that the one Victor’s team struggled with before I finished it off?
Felt kinda weird.
“They say if you remove the venom sacs and grill it, it tastes like chicken?”
“Hmm.”
I bit into the skewer skeptically.
Crispy on the outside, chewy inside.
Definitely chicken-like, but with even richer flavor.
“Oh. Not bad.”
Seeing me enjoy it lit up Yuria’s face.
“Phew, glad you like it! There’s tons more good stuff over there. I’ll grab some more!”
Yuria dashed back toward the food, full of energy.
Then Artel approached, plate in hand.
“Jeron. Wanna try this too?”
What she brought was a scorpion-type magical beast dish.
Steam wafted from cracks in the shell.
“Rock canyon giant scorpion, fire-roasted. Shell’s tough, but the meat inside’s tender.”
It smelled amazing.
Like buttered lobster, if I had to compare.
Drawn by the savory aroma, I reached out to crack the shell.
But right then—
Ding!
[Warning!]
[Shelling and eating it yourself!]
[Diligent behavior!]
‘…….’
The system dumped cold water on me.
I glared coldly at the message window.
They say even dogs don’t mess with you when you’re eating.
This thing was gonna control that too?
Sure, shelling crustaceans was a pain.
No slacking off on everyday life judgments, huh.
“Jeron? Why aren’t you eating?”
Seeing me freeze with my hand outstretched, Artel asked curiously.
Yuria, who’d brought the food, was at my side before I knew it, asking too.
“Doesn’t taste good?”
“No. It’s just…”
How do I even explain this.
I mumbled something vague.
“Too annoying to shell.”
“……Haa.”
“Phew…!”
The two sighed, like, ‘Yeah, figures.’
[Sloth +10!]
‘System. This is all your fault.’
I’d built up some cool points earlier with the teleport-save on Yuria and smashing that guardian golem, and poof—gone in an instant!
But honestly, shelling was way harder for me than that stuff.
The other was just a snap, but shells don’t snap that easy.
“Jeron can’t be helped. Here, give it to me.”
In the end, Artel took my plate.
Yuria chimed in from the side.
“I-I’ll help too!”
The two set to work dismantling the shell with careful hands.
“Here. Eat.”
Artel naturally held a piece of white meat to my lips.
Hm? Feeding me?
Thinking back, she’d done this before.
Maybe from that experience—there was no hesitation in her movements.
I opened wide without refusing.
Nom.
Incredibly tasty.
Maybe because someone else shelled it, but it hit different.
If I’d done it myself, it never would’ve tasted this good.
As the rich flavor filled my mouth, sloth points trickled in sweetly too.
“Jeron, ahh.”
Yuria offered a perfectly cleaned morsel too.
And just like that, they kept feeding me.
‘…?’
It was tasty and all, but something felt off.
Last time, I’d made up some excuse about needing to conserve energy for something important.
Why were they doing it on their own this time?
Oh.
Because I carried the team in this exam, so special treatment?
In that case, no need to hold back—time to enjoy.
As I luxuriated in being spoon-fed,
[……Hmph.]
A snippy voice echoed in my head.
It was Kerr.
[Human. Why didn’t you ask this one first?]
‘Huh?’
[This one could handle such trivial shells with ease. Faster and more precisely than those two humans, even.]
There was an oddly sulky edge to her voice.