Chapter 17
Chapter 17
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: King's Game
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“Oh, there are four teams?”
Professor Amanda looked a bit flustered, perhaps not expecting so many applicants, but she still called the representatives forward.
I could understand Rin and Tana, but why were Sen and May so keen on me? Still, neither of them showed any sign of backing down.
First, I have to avoid ending up on the same team as Rin.
After agonizing over the fact that Rin had become the master of the Army of Death lately, I'd come to the conclusion that I needed to recreate the conditions of my previous life as closely as possible.
I had to figure out exactly why things had changed.
So, I needed to maintain a situation as similar as possible to my past life while staying at a certain distance from her.
If she'd become the master of the Army of Death by her own will or gained similar power, I was fully prepared to cut her down without hesitation.
That's why I deliberately told her we should cut ties.
If I was around during her academy life, something different might happen, but if I wasn't at the academy, I couldn't keep an eye on her.
In this contradictory situation, the path I'd chosen was to sever ties with my two childhood friends.
I figured that just one extra person during academy life wouldn't change things much.
“.......”
Rin had been staring straight at me ever since.
Her gaze, like that of a hound that never lets go once it bites, was so intense that I instinctively looked away.
“Can I pick my team?”
When I raised my hand and asked, Professor Amanda shot back with an incredulous look.
“You think you can?”
“......”
This woman looked mature, but she had a sneaky habit of teasing people.
“Alright, time's short, so let's settle it with rock-paper-scissors?”
This was a total mess.
Sen stuck out her hand eagerly, saying it sounded fun, and Tana and May were fine with it too, but Rin was different.
“Professor, what if we take a bigger score penalty and just take Daniel?”
The other students buzzed at Rin's bombshell statement. Her Team 2 protested, asking what she meant, but she ignored them completely and kept her eyes on Amanda.
Unlike the other students cowed by Rin's momentum, Amanda just shook her head.
“Of course not. Especially not when you're acting so unilaterally without even consulting your teammates.”
“......”
Rin bit her lip and extended her hand.
I let out a silent sigh of relief inside as my eyes locked onto the rock-paper-scissors match among the four girls.
“Ah......”
May, who had thrown scissors and beaten them all in one go, stared blankly at her hand with a strange reaction.
Sen and Tana turned away with regret but no real attachment, but Rin kept staring at me, clenching her fist before heading back to her team.
“Then Daniel joins Team 16. We'll draw opponents too, so send someone up.”
I figured May would go for Team 16 again, but another girl with glasses stepped up, saying she wanted to draw.
Receiving strange looks from my teammates, I approached May anyway.
“Hey.”
“Y-Yes?”
“Huh?”
I wondered why she was suddenly being so formal, but the surrounding students' eyes snapped toward us as her voice carried. She blushed but quickly composed herself and asked,
“Um, why......”
“That's what I want to ask. Why'd you pick me?”
“J-Just......”
What was up with her?
I scowled and pressed her to spit it out straight, and she looked on the verge of tears, head down toward her shoes as she continued.
“I-In the first exam, I ran into Elise right away and got eliminated...... So I need the points.”
“Ah.”
“A-And yesterday, even my aunt......”
She clamped her mouth shut, unable to say more. In short, having already experienced my skills firsthand, she saw me as essential for this makeup exam.
Smarter judgment than I expected.
Even after what happened yesterday, she'd picked me for her grades. No wonder she looked so reluctant after doing it.
Whatever, it works for me.
If yesterday's enemy became today's ally, it could only mean they'd submitted to me—and this was exactly that situation.
May and her aunt the Dean were now cards I could play at the academy, so it would be inconvenient in many ways if May failed her scores.
“Anyway, I need points too, so we'll win this exam for sure.”
It wasn't a tournament; teams just faced off once, so points were limited, but beggars couldn't be choosers.
She nodded, looking relieved at my words. It felt odd seeing the girl who'd been giggling so much yesterday suddenly so deflated.
Our teammates were already whispering that something was off with May.
The drawing had already started, so I glanced over. The expression on the boy from our team who went up was grim.
Teams with matching ribbon colors would face off.
Our boy held a yellow ribbon, and the team with the matching yellow was...
“Team 1 versus Team 16. You'll have about 30 minutes, so review the rules and practice teamwork.”
Professor Amanda announced indifferently.
Team 1 had Ares and Hayun, whose power balance was already shattered, plus Eve.
“You bastard!”
May, who'd been like a huddled hamster moments ago, suddenly yelled and lunged at the boy.
Yeah, her personality hasn't gone anywhere.
There was a scuffle as May grabbed the boy's hair and shook him, but our team huddled in the corner to start strategy anyway.
“We're screwed.”
Or not strategy, but complaints.
A slightly chubby boy sighed, and the others nodded in agreement, heads drooping.
“Screwed? We haven't even started!”
May declared boldly, but even she couldn't argue strongly, sharing the sentiment.
Hmm.
I stayed quiet, silently sizing up the students. None were famous enough for me to know by name, but they weren't all lacking either.
Everyone's around the same level, no real standouts.
In terms of averages, we might even have the edge. If it was one-on-one matches, we'd win for sure.
No matter how strong Ares or Hayun were, they could only rack up two points each.
But this team battle wasn't that straightforward.
King's Game.
The designated king wears a band on their wrist, and the game ends when the opposing team snatches it.
It might seem like you don't need to fight the enemy directly, but...
“Ares or Hayun will probably be king, right?”
The boy who'd drawn rubbed his recently tousled hair, and the team sank back into gloom.
“You planning to just stand around sighing?”
I finally cut in, fed up.
“If you're gonna whine about losing without fighting, think the professors will go, 'Oh, great objectivity!' and give you points?”
“You joined and gave us a score penalty, what're you saying?”
“Yeah, why'd you even bring him?”
They couldn't outright insult May out of tact, but they were subtly pressuring me and her.
“So you don't wanna win?”
“How are we supposed to win?!”
A girl's outburst sparked the others to turn on me. Complaints about inevitable loss, self-consolation about not needing the makeup exam anyway.
They were making a huge fuss in every direction, so I sighed and said,
“Fine, May's king. You idiots buy some popcorn and watch me handle it.”
“Huh?”
May looked at me in shock, not expecting to be singled out, while the others unleashed a barrage of insults at me.
“Y-You're really doing this?”
“Yeah.”
The empty training ground.
Team 1 on the opposite side was casually warming up, not even glancing our way as they chatted among themselves.
I spotted Eve too, surprisingly mingling with Ares and Hayun, exchanging words.
King's Ares.
I eyed the blue band on Ares's wrist and drew the wooden sword I'd brought.
“Hmm, lighter than expected.”
It felt too light compared to swords I'd handled before, but I hadn't expected much from a sparring wooden sword anyway.
Our team kept shooting me sidelong glances while muttering complaints among themselves.
They'd already given up on the exam.
It might be different for the main exam, but since this was just the second makeup round, they weren't too attached.
“Hoo.”
May stood right beside me, steadying her breath and swinging her wooden sword clumsily. Her form was a total mess.
“What are you doing?”
I asked, looking at her pitifully, and she hid the sword behind her back, making excuses out of embarrassment.
“I-I'm mainly a mage, and magic's banned this exam......”
“Put the sword down. Don't do anything in this exam.”
“Huh?”
“I'll protect you and steal it all, so just stay put.”
“......”
“And pick one—casual or formal. Don't mix 'em, it's annoying.”
“Y-Yes... No, yeah!”
She went with casual, huh.
Her pride probably wouldn't let her use formal anyway.
“B-But can you really protect alone? Should I say something to the others?”
“Nah, those guys won't get a single point this time.”
What was I supposed to give people who'd already quit and wouldn't trust me even when victory was handed to them?
With professors from all five classes watching, they'd have to be idiots to score the quitters.
“Easier solo anyway.”
Yeah, no distractions was better.
A Sherpa wandering the Demon Realm Forest.
As I mentioned before, I'd shed my human guise and roamed as a beast myself, but naturally, they attacked intruders in their territory or anything when hungry, no matter who.
In such a place, I guided people, helping gather beast materials or herbs.
So, what happens when a beast attacks while leading people through the Demon Realm Forest?
I never let clients fight or get hurt.
If you knew how many I'd saved from the forest's fangs over my years as a Sherpa, you'd be shocked.
“Now it's just guarding one kid from some brats.”
Honestly.
The hardest part was suppressing the incredulous laughter bubbling up nonstop.