The Practical Evaluation
It was early morning on the day of the practical evaluation. What woke me was none other than...
"Chuuup.... Did you sleep well?" Lilith's morning kiss.
"...I knew you were awake."
Yesterday morning, after wondering why I was always the one waking Lilith, I'd mentioned it might be nice if she woke me sometimes. As expected, she'd been pretending to sleep.
"Hm? What do you mean?" She wore a face that showed she had no idea what I was talking about. She was quite the expert at lying. Still...
"This isn't so bad either." As I spoke, I leaned in to kiss her again, but—
"No more than that." Lilith's hand blocked my lips.
When I looked at her in confusion, she smiled brightly and answered, "We're family, after all."
Ah, right. The role-playing had ended yesterday. The current Lilith was family-Lilith.
"...Even when we're family, you still kiss me pretty often, don't you?"
"Mostly during meals."
Feeling a bit disappointed, I spread my arms. "A hug is okay, right?"
Lilith nodded and pulled me into a tight embrace. The warm, cozy sensation made my eyes drift shut, but—
"Arthur. Time for school?"
"Mmm..."
"Arthur."
Reluctantly pulling away, something caught my eye. Lilith had returned to her evening dress, exposing her collarbone. On that pale skin was a single mark—a dark red bruise.
Yesterday, lost in the sweet atmosphere, it hadn't bothered me, but now it looked rather... well. Lilith noticed my gaze and smiled seductively.
"Why~? You were sucking on it just fine earlier, and now you're embarrassed?"
"No... It's not embarrassment, exactly..." Up close, it really was the shape of my lips. The thought that this was a one-of-a-kind seal, and that I'd stamped it on Lilith, made me feel like she had truly become mine...
"A-ah, let's have breakfast! I'll just go to the bathroom real quick!"
I hurriedly pulled away from Lilith and headed straight for the bathroom. 'Get lost, you perverted demon~!'
After finishing breakfast with Old One fries, I got ready to leave with Lilith.
"We have practical evaluations for the next four days."
"What exactly does the practical evaluation involve?"
"Hmm... I don't know either."
"...You've been here for over a year, haven't you?"
"Yes, this will be my fourth practical evaluation."
"And you still don't know?"
"No."
It wasn't just me being an idiot. None of the students taking the exam, not even the professors, knew the contents of the practical evaluation until the day arrived. That made sense, because...
"The headmaster personally creates the evaluation plan every semester. The content changes every time, so even graduates wouldn't know, right?"
It was an exam crafted by the great archmage himself. If you wanted to object, you'd have to challenge the title of archmage first. Though I'd failed the previous three practical evaluations at lightning speed and earned three consecutive failing grades, this time would be different.
"Shall we go?"
"Wait, aren't you forgetting something?"
When I looked at her in confusion, Lilith sighed and approached. She brushed my bangs aside and—
"Chu!"
"...Why my forehead?"
She usually kissed my lips.
"If I did it on the lips right now, I don't think I'd be able to hold back."
...If that's the case. I brushed Lilith's bangs aside in return and gently pressed my lips to her bright forehead. We held each other tightly, and the next moment—
"Nyaah~" A black cat was in my arms. I gently rubbed its twitching ears and left the room.
Then came the flood of stares. And—
"Oh!"
"They're out!"
Two men and women who had been yawning lazily by the door rushed toward me.
"Arthur!"
"Junior!"
"Let's do an interview!"
"Right now!"
"Immediately!"
...What? Were they going to brag about being a match made in heaven?
"...Who are you two...?"
"Oh dear!"
"Goodness!"
"You don't know who we are!"
"We're the reporters from the newspaper club!"
"I'm Regina!"
"I'm Johnson!"
Interview or not, I had a more pressing question first.
"Are you two dating by any chance?"
At that, both their faces twisted in disgust.
"Who'd date this guy!"
"Who'd date this girl!"
...Siblings, then. Come to think of it, I'd heard there were twin reporters in the newspaper club. Given how little they resembled each other, they must be fraternal twins... though their disgusted expressions were remarkably similar.
They seemed like an interesting pair, but—
"No interview." I slipped past them and headed for the main building.
"Why!"
"What do you mean!"
"What's wrong with us!"
I glanced back at the twins and said flatly, "We have the practical evaluation today."
"Ah."
"Oh."
The twins accepted it.
The indoor training hall in the main building. This was where the practical evaluation would take place. The outdoor training grounds used for practical classes were always open and available to all students as long as they didn't interfere with lessons. But here—the indoor training hall was a special place open only to certain student council officers, a select few students who had passed the practical evaluation with excellent scores, and the faculty. It also occasionally served as the venue for the practical evaluation.
"...This doesn't look good."
Lilith tilted her head at my words.
"All previous practical evaluations were held outdoors. But if the indoor training hall is open, that means..."
A quick glance around revealed the students' grim expressions.
"It means a difficult and dangerous evaluation awaits us."
The moment the class bell rang, the training hall doors opened. The students bowed their heads in unison at the sight of the person entering. I bowed as well and called out, "Good morning, Headmaster!"
Receiving the greetings, a slender man stepped onto the prepared platform.
"Good morning, everyone. Please take your seats."
Seats? Where were the seats... Huh? Before I knew it, chairs had appeared behind each student. Chairs that hadn't been there just moments ago.
'Without even chanting...?'
He truly was an extraordinary person. Once the students were seated, the headmaster waved his hand through the air. A translucent image appeared in the empty space.
"I expected some of you would have noticed from the location. This exam will be the most dangerous and difficult one you've ever taken. The theme of this exam is..."
The abstract image took on a clear form. A pitch-black vortex gathering in one place. Students who recognized what it meant let out sighs of despair all at once.
"...A space rift."
I was among those sighing. 'A space rift? They're making this the exam? Are they insane?'
Space rifts. Scholars attributed their occurrence to attacks by outer gods, but that was merely a hypothesis. No one yet knew the true cause of this bizarre phenomenon. When a rift appeared, it sucked in everything around it—people, flora and fauna, buildings, even parts of the natural environment. The few who survived inside all said the same thing: It was hell.
An uncontrollable disaster that left countless casualties and property damage in its wake—that was a space rift.
"I trust none of you are unfamiliar with space rifts. Your task for this semester's practical evaluation is to survive inside this space rift."
Dark clouds settled over the students' faces. No one was bold enough to voice complaints directly to the archmage, but I suspected every student was cursing the headmaster in their hearts with one unified voice.
"Still, there's no need for excessive worry. The space rift used for the exam will be opened by me personally, which means it will fall under my control. If anyone appears to be in danger, I'll extract them immediately, so rest assured."
While I was amazed by the archmage's power to artificially create a space rift... the students' expressions showed no signs of relief.
"Ah, I should have mentioned this first... As dangerous as this practical evaluation is, it also comes with rewards. Students who pass with excellent scores will be allowed to learn one magic of their choice under my guidance."
In that instant, the gloomy atmosphere reversed. The students' faces, once clouded, bloomed like rainbows after a storm, their eyes sparkling. It made sense—the archmage's teachings. Learning any magic from the headmaster, known as the continent's greatest sage, wouldn't just strengthen one's power; it would complete an entire career in itself. It was only natural that the students' focus doubled.
The headmaster smiled contentedly and continued his explanation.
"For the four-day exam period, you will explore inside the rift the entire time. During those four days, you're free to do whatever you wish, but naturally, students who take initiative will receive better scores."
Four days. Long if you thought about it, short if you didn't. I hadn't expected to spend the entire period inside the rift...
"The basic rations provided are only enough for one day. For the remaining three days, you'll need to procure your own meals locally."
"I'll provide basic supplies, but you may not bring any personal items beyond those."
It was survival, pure and simple. The key would be what kind of environment we landed in, but the headmaster made no mention of that.
'He wants us to experience it firsthand. How harsh.'
If I'd had to take this exam a week ago without Lilith, I would've set an unprecedented record for the fastest failure. When the headmaster waved his hand again, small backpacks appeared in front of the students.
"These are basic survival backpacks enchanted with capacity-reduction magic. They contain rations and various emergency supplies, so you'd do well to keep them safe."
Finally, the headmaster descended from the platform and put some distance between himself and the students.
"Then let's begin."
The headmaster's eyes flashed, revealing his Odd Eye. At the same time, mana began swirling and gathering in one place. The strong attraction whipped the students' hair about, and the female students screamed.
Crack! Craaack!
A crack appeared in the air—more precisely, in space itself. The crack grew larger, branching out like a spiderweb, and then—
Crunch!
The hole created by the splitting space resembled the abyss from books. It generated an even stronger pull, and the students, unable to even think of resisting, began being dragged in.
"I wish you all the best of luck!"
Along with the headmaster's voice, the students were lifted into the air and sucked into the hole. Holding Lilith tightly in my arms as I entered, I trembled at the endless darkness. Clinging to the warmth wriggling in my embrace for comfort, I suddenly noticed something strange in my wavering vision.
'...Huh?'
One of the falling students had pulled out a strange object from their belongings. Feeling uneasy just looking at it, I tried to shout a warning to the others, but the terrible noise from the rift drowned out my voice. The unknown student hurled the object into the air.
Thud!
The rift shook even more violently. That object had affected the rift somehow. The moment I sensed that, a vortex-like force began sucking the students in. Amid the students disappearing one by one into the vortex, I caught a glimpse of the face of the student who had been holding the mysterious object.
'...Lewis?!'
Before I could even process my shock, entering the vortex left me dizzy from the chaotic movements. The violent motion robbed me of my sense of direction, and I blacked out. When I opened my eyes again...
'...Huh?'
I was sprawled out in a dense forest. Staring blankly at the large leaves above, I suddenly remembered Lilith and quickly sat up. Fortunately, she was lying on my chest. Stroking Lilith, who still seemed dazed from motion sickness, I began looking around and soon—
'...Wait. This place... Could it be?!'
Turning my head so fast my neck cracked, I examined my surroundings and realized where I was. There was no way I wouldn't know. No way I could forget. The place where I first met Lilith. I muttered the name of this place that I'd heard from her, feeling hollow.
'...Dreamland...?'