The First Gate
A sudden memory of the conversation I had with Ran yesterday flashed through my mind.
‘And among the Six Pillar Masters, my younger brother is also there. It’s possible that he might be the one to examine you, Lord Haru.’
‘Ran’s… younger brother? You have a sibling?’
‘Yes. He has an exceptionally meticulous and thorough personality, so if he ends up in charge of your evaluation, you’ll have quite a hard time.’
His surname was Ren… So that man must be Ran’s brother.
“From now on, I will begin the explanation for the First Gate.”
The person who introduced himself as Ren Eper had the same sky-blue long hair and pale skin as Ran.
He also possessed nearly transparent blue eyes.
Eper was every bit as strikingly handsome as Ran. In fact, several of the female applicants were completely entranced, unable to look away from him… In that regard, he truly lived up to being Ran’s brother.
The thin cord attached to his glasses swayed gently whenever he shifted his gaze, lending him an air of gentle refinement mixed with an aura of mystery.
“As you all know, the First Gate consists of one-on-one interviews conducted directly by Pillar Masters who share similar dispositions with each of you. First, please check the number tags you received before entering.”
Following his instructions, I took out the tag I had received earlier from my pocket.
Mine read 123-1, while the one belonging to Teraden beside me read 122-2.
“The first number is your unique identifier, and the second number indicates which Pillar Master will be evaluating you during this test. For example, those with a 1 at the end will be examined by me, while those with a 2 will be handled by Feygal, the Sixth Pillar Master standing beside me.”
“Hmm…”
Ran had warned me that if his brother ended up in charge of my evaluation, I would have quite a struggle.
Yet strangely, I felt relieved that things had turned out this way.
Given his meticulous and thorough nature, he would surely assess me more strictly and rigorously than any of the other Pillar Masters.
“The hot-tempered Pillar Master that Lady Ran mentioned yesterday… I have a feeling it might be that guy. So I guess I’ll get to throw down with him?”
Unlike me, Teraden beside me looked thoroughly excited.
“That is all. Does anyone have any questions?”
“……”
Eper gazed down at the applicants with a steady look, waiting for questions.
But when only silence followed, he gave a small nod and continued.
“Very well. While each Pillar Master’s method differs, we will all evaluate the qualities we deem necessary for a Pillar Master. When your name is called, please enter the room marked with the same number as the second digit on your tag. I wish you all satisfactory results.”
The moment Eper finished speaking, all six Pillar Masters dispersed toward the doors marked with their respective numbers.
Not long after they disappeared from view, my name and those of the others were called.
“Do well out there.”
“Big brother! Good luck!”
“Ah, there’s no need to even watch. Brother will obviously pass, won’t he?”
“Take care.”
“I pray for your safe return.”
“Yeah. Thanks. Let’s all meet again after this.”
Creeeeak.
Receiving my companions’ enthusiastic cheers, I opened the massive door marked with the number 1 without hesitation.
From the slowly widening gap, pitch-black darkness spilled out.
It was dark. Even before stepping fully inside, the first impression I had was that the space was endlessly, overwhelmingly dark.
There were no windows connecting to the outside, and the room was completely sealed on all sides, so not a single ray of sunlight entered. The interior was utterly pitch-black.
A woven straw mat and a folding screen spread out at the far end created an old-fashioned atmosphere.
This likely reflected the personality of the room’s owner, Eper.
The owner of the room sat alone in the center of the empty, silent space.
Before him lay a small table, a single candle that illuminated the surroundings, two teapots, several small teacups, and finally, one thick cushion.
“Please come in. Would you sit here?”
Ren Eper, the examiner in charge of Test Site 1 and the Sixth Pillar Master, gestured calmly to the spot across from him.
Following his gesture, I quietly sat down on the cushion placed opposite him.
Every time the candle flame flickered, the shadows cast across his face shifted moment by moment.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I have been eagerly awaiting this encounter.”
Slurp.
Eper brought the steaming teacup to his lips and met my eyes.
“Do you know me?”
“Yes. Are you not from the clan of that great person? Lately, the continent has been buzzing with stories about you and your kind. Your name is on everyone’s lips.”
“I also heard about you from Lady Ran and wanted to meet you at least once.”
“Hmm. Unfortunately, now doesn’t seem like the right place to speak about her.”
The instant Ran’s name came up, for the briefest moment, I saw one of his eyebrows twitch ever so slightly.
Glug glug.
“This is green tea. Green tea has beneficial effects that ease tension and fatigue in the body. Please have a cup.”
Eper changed the subject and poured tea from the teapot, offering it to me.
The moment I took a sip of the tea he handed me, a warm sensation spread down my throat.
The gentle warmth that passed through my throat and esophagus quickly spread throughout my entire body, melting away the stiffness in my muscles.
“The definition of a Pillar Master that I hold is someone prepared to make sacrifices for the continent. Therefore, the elements I evaluate are sacrifice and decisiveness.”
Glug glug.
This time, Eper poured from a different teapot—one that did not contain green tea.
A sweet, subtle aroma rose with the steam, tickling my nose.
“This black tea contains one special ingredient.”
“What is it?”
“This black tea contains a powerful sleep-inducing component. Once you drink it, the test will begin from that moment.”
“Pardon? What do you…”
I had been wondering what kind of test would take place in this empty, lonely room, but being suddenly told to sleep left me completely unable to guess what the content might be.
“All I can tell you is that the test begins once you drink this tea, and by the time you wake up, the test will already be over. That is all.”
I couldn’t read his emotions, so it was impossible to tell what he was thinking. Still, he didn’t seem like the type who would harm me while I slept.
No matter what the test entailed, all I had to do was overcome it. I decided to drink the black tea in front of me in one go.
The instant I finished the black tea, drowsiness crashed over me. I surrendered myself to the gradually loosening sensations without resistance.
Eper supported Haru’s slowly tilting body so it wouldn’t hit the floor, carefully laid him down, and then resumed savoring his tea as if nothing had happened.
“Personally, I really hope you pass my test.”
* * *
“Is applicant number 122 present?”
“Huh? It’s already over? Wait, how long has it even been since the last person went in?”
Teraden felt puzzled by the guide’s voice calling for him.
The Second Test Site overseen by Feygal, the Sixth Pillar Master, was different from the others.
Compared to the other test sites, the time taken for each interview here was unusually short. No matter how long it took, it almost never exceeded half a meal’s worth of time.
“Heh, guess I should head in then.”
Teraden stretched his back, loosening his body, then began walking toward the door.
“Good luck!”
“Brother… will obviously pass, so there’s no real need to worry.”
“I agree.”
“Take care.”
“Got it.”
It felt a little suspicious, but what could possibly go wrong? Teraden thought. Though slightly different from Haru, he still received his companions’ encouragement and opened the door marked with the number 2 without any particular suspicion.
The test site Teraden entered resembled a jungle.
Or, to be more precise, something between a jungle and a grassland?
It wasn’t as densely packed with huge trees as a true jungle, but it wasn’t as wide open as a grassland either.
With moderate bushes and trees, and the harmonious chirping of birds and animals, the forest looked as if a piece of nature itself had been transplanted here.
However, it was not entirely peaceful.
Scattered patches of blood like spilled paint, the metallic scent of blood, and the faint blood mist made it clear that something unpleasant had occurred here.
Setting aside his doubts for now, Teraden continued forward without hesitation and soon discovered the cause.
A quiet clearing came into view.
“Oh, come on in.”
In the middle of that clearing sat a man in a bizarre posture—legs crossed in a lotus position while resting his chin on one hand.
Around the man, chunks of flesh and pools of blood lay scattered so openly that it made one frown.
The man who noticed Teraden—Feygal, the Sixth Pillar Master—glanced in his direction.
“Why are you speaking casually from the first meeting…”
“The age limit to apply for the Pillar Master Selection is seventeen. So naturally, you’re younger than me, right? I passed the Pillar Master Selection seven years ago, after all.”
“Still, between an examiner and an applicant, suddenly speaking so rudely feels a bit off, doesn’t it?”
Teraden snorted lightly, utterly dumbfounded.
“As Ren Eper, the Sixth Pillar Master, said earlier, examiners and applicants generally share similar dispositions. In other words, if our positions were reversed, you would have acted exactly the same way toward me.”
‘Well… that does make a lot of sense…’
“Tsk. Fine, I get it. Just start the test already.”
Feygal grinned, apparently amused by Teraden’s casual attitude.
“Nice to meet you. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Feygal, Sixth Pillar Master. And the ability I possess is called Subspace.”
‘…Huh? What the hell? So what?’
“You’re thinking, ‘What the hell is this guy babbling about by himself?’ right now, aren’t you?”
“Oh, how did you know? That’s exactly it.”
Teraden gave an honest, unfiltered reply, and Feygal let out another short chuckle.
“Aren’t you curious what Subspace is?”
“Not really…”
“You seem so curious that I have no choice but to explain it.”
“…Huh? I said I’m not curious?”
“Subspace is a special space that only I can use.”
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Teraden looked around, checking if anyone else besides himself and the man in front of him was present.
“I didn’t ask…”
Feygal paid no attention to Teraden’s muttering and continued his explanation steadfastly.
“And the entrance to the Subspace is my left palm. The size… hmm, about one jang in width, length, and height? Ah, it’ll be faster to show you rather than explain.”
Sluuuuurp.
Feygal’s right hand was instantly swallowed whole into his left palm, all the way past the wrist and up to the elbow.
“…?”
It was a bizarre sight Teraden had never witnessed before. His eyes widened.
“The thing I value most as a Pillar Master is pure combat strength. The Pillar Master I define is someone who can protect what they wish to protect using overwhelming power. My test is simple.”
When his right hand reappeared, it was now holding an hourglass that hadn’t been there before.
“From now on, all you have to do is endure against me until the sand in this hourglass runs out. You can fight me head-on, or since this place is quite spacious, you could also run away like a coward with your tail between your legs or hide like a scared rat. Those are options too.”
“You seem to be underestimating me quite a bit. So in the end, you just want to have a proper fight, right? You sure took the long way to say it.”
“Quite the confidence. Most of the ones who’ve passed so far have been boring, so this should be more entertaining.”
“Yeah. This is actually better for me. Unlike Haru, whose head spins so well, I prefer this kind of straightforward, brute-force stuff.”
“Brute force, huh. There is such a thing as proper procedure, so I’ll generously overlook that remark.”
In response to Teraden’s mutter, Feygal flipped the hourglass over. The sand that had been neatly piled at the bottom now fell from the top toward the floor.
“Since the explanation is finished, I hereby begin the First Gate of the Pillar Master Selection—the interview. It would be wise to abandon any foolish thoughts that I’ll go easy on you just because this is a test.”
With those words, Feygal stood up. From his Subspace, he drew out a massive crescent blade that was larger than his own height.